The City

 Our love for the city, grows each day and moment we experience it.  I was commenting to Andy  how every day we pass by our "landmarks" the sights and sounds are different, yet familiar.  We have our favorite coffee shop, our favorite desserts, and the yogurt is creamier than home.  "Our" beautiful buildings we are in awe. 

St. Vladimir's Cathedral:  Beautiful and Awestruck Inside

Opera House

Saint Sophia's Cathedral

Opera House

The traffic fascination, of which we sit with our mouths ajar. 

We see families, walking and laughing together. 

The university students milling about after class.

Holding hands waiting for the light to change.  No matter what language or culture, love is the same.  We all seek to love and be loved.

 I've noticed very few walk around with headphones in their ears.  I see some, but mostly I see talking, laughing, sharing with one another as they journey from one place to the next.  Living in the Moment...

Artistic statement?

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Archer Antics

1.  App Haphazard
No one, and I mean, no one prepares electronically for a trip better than Andy.  We have 3 phones, 2 computers, 4 cameras, routers, converters, power strips, cords...I could go on and on, but you get the picture.  He placed a language app, gps, and other useful ones on his phones to utilize.  He was prepared.  Surely, one phone would work throughout our city exploration and adventures.

Lo, and behold, Folks, neither work nor personal phones connect outside of our apartment without a wifi connection.

Note to self and others...
If you place apps on your phone to use over here, be very certain your phone will work, also!!  I'm going to look  for the old fashioned paper book of Russian/American dictionary and the cyrillic alphabet.  The reader in me needs to figure out what the signs are saying!!!

2.  It's not a purse, it's European.
Do you remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry is asked to wear the European bag from J. Peterman catalog, and he is reluctant?  I've seen multiple bags in all shapes and sizes here.

I brought a nice, cheery melon tote bag that will fit my camera, gifts, groceries, along with my necessary paperwork and items.  It works nicely for going from one place to the other. 

However, when walking around the city for 2-3 hours at a time, it can get heavy.  If you have exploring and adventurous personalities like ourselves, you may want to bring a cross-body bag or another hands-free bag.  Another purchase I may look for in the next city!

3.  British T.V.
There is one English channel in our apartment, so Sunday morning it was on.  A Learn How To Speak English program showed a young girl taking email questions from her followers.  The phrase for today(I"M NOT KIDDING!) was "What does it mean to Do Someone In?" Of all the English idioms and phrases to learn, she chose that one!?  And she went on to explain that it means to kill someone...  We both were laughing hysterically that morning.

4.  Flexibility and Readiness Always
Before our Skype session with the kids, we went walking around the city capturing the culture, and ate a leisurely lunch at a coffee shop.  We arrived back, setting up the computer, when the phone rang.  The SDA lost their power and Eugene was waiting in the parking lot to take us for our referral.  We'd only been back to the apartment for 10 minutes.  Scrambling to grab our paperwork, we hurried downstairs to go back to where we had walked earlier.  I'm sure we could have walked back, faster than we drove.

Always, Always be ready at a moments notice.

It is what you make it.

Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.
Oprah Winfrey