Quick Visit

We waited quite a while in the morning for Anna to call with news.  She had been trying to get through to the head doctor at the orphanage all morning and finally got an ok to show up.  A new driver once again as yesterday's car was vandalized overnight and all the windows were smashed.  We arrived at the orphanage and saw the quarantined sign out front.  The head doctor was less than cordial but relented to let us visit for 15 minutes.

Tasha, as expected, didn't remember us at all, and with our surgical masks we had to wear, was instantly in tears.  A couple of minutes and some hugs from Jacki and she was fine, but she still needs to reacquaint herself with us.  We had a toy with us that she wanted right away, and we played with stacking cups, but fifteen minutes was just not enough time.  We did notice that she had definitely grown since October.  She has gained some weight, her hair is thicker, and her walking has really improved.  Her caretaker said that she is very active and wants to be the first to get into something, so we will wait to experience all that first hand soon.  We will see if we can persuade the head doctor to let us in again tomorrow.  Here's a picture of Tasha with her favorite caretaker Yulia (Julia) and her new toy.  She seems to love anything that she can carry around, just like her favorite toy on our first visit.

After our quick visit, Anna asked where to drop us off.  We hadn't really planned on any sightseeing because weren't really expecting such a short trip, and while Anna asked us what we have seen already decided to take us to one of her favorite quiet spots, the Novodevichy Convent and cemetery.  The convent was up above a snow covered frozen pond and all around the pond kids were sledding down.  So, with all the schools closed, the kids are all playing together out in the snow.

Inside the convent grounds, Anna got some lessons in camera work and after several attempts got a nice picture, minus the top of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Smolensk.  :)

In this picture you can see the same cathedral with the bell-tower in the background to the left.

Inside the cemetery we saw the memorials of various figures from Russian history, such as Anton Chekhov, Nikolai Gogol, and Boris Yeltsin.

We finished our afternoon with a trip to the Yalki Palki restaurant, serving traditional style Russian foods, the one we couldn't find from last trip mentioned in yesterday's post.  Anna had to take us.  It was camouflaged because they also serve Sushi and the name on the front of the door says New Japan restaurant.  You just have to know that Yalki Palki is inside.  :-/

Arrived in Moscow

We arrived in one piece, into Sheremetyevo airport this time.  This airport is much closer to the city center, but traffic is far more congested on this route.  The airport was much quieter than in October.  Imagine that, not as much tourism into Russia in the dead of winter.  :)  We were met with a little snow and found that streets and highways are not plowed extremely well.  A big disappointment at the airport was that Vitali was not with Anna to drive us.  That's what you get with BMW's.  Great, when they're running!  Vitali's is out of action for the moment.  The temporary replacement driver's car was less than grand and we had to keep one of our luggage bags in the back seat since the trunk was pretty wet inside.

So, the bad news is that Moscow is fighting a major flu outbreak.  All the schools are closed and the orphanages are not allowing visitors.  Anna called the head doctor to plead our case and we are going to go visit.  The doctor said we can't stay long, but we are hoping that once we get there, with another set of donations, she may soften her stance.

Regarding our trip over, the flights on Air France were not as comfortable as British Air.  The seats were very close together and the cushions less padded.  The guy's knees in my back were less than pleasant also.  Charles de Gaulle airport was a bit more peaceful than Heathrow, but their energy conservation policies made it a tad cold.  Jacki took a nap with my jacket as a pillow and after a while I started walking around to keep warm.  :)

For dinner last night we decided for quick and light.  We looked around a bit for a place called Yalki Palki, whose sign was a new addition to our neighborhood (yes, we're back at the same Courtyard Marriott).  Once again, just like last trip, we can't find this place.  The last time we could see the restaurant sign on a building but couldn't find the way in.  This time couldn't even find the building.  We settled on Chocoladnitza, a coffee house type of place, where we split a panini and Caesar salad.  I ordered a cappuccino and Jacki pointed out probably not a good idea just before trying to get some sleep after the long trip.  Luckily, I was so tired, it didn't effect me.  Back at the room we didn't last long.  9:15pm and we were asleep.  Slept till after 8am this morning.

Right now we are waiting in the lobby for Anna to come pick us up.  We'll update later on how Tasha looks and whether we got to stay for any amount of time.

We have a date!

Well, it was an extremely long wait, but we just found out that our court date will be February 2nd.  It's now time to scramble and get airline tickets and a hotel room.  It's also time to start crossing our fingers that Moscow is not buried in three feet of snow when we arrive (or try to arrive).