Last days in Russia, homeward bound!

I'm sitting here at the Saint Petersburg airport reflecting on my last few days in Russia and my entire trip. It's been an incredible journey. I made some new friends overseas, strengthened existing friendships, and had a wonderful time. I am ready to go home, and ready to get back to my routine. I am also desperately ready for air conditioning, as Saint Petersburg has been unseasonably hot and robust, cool A/C is not common here as it is rarely needed.

Two days ago Yuri, Masha, her young daughter and I planned to drive to the Peterhof palace, a series of palaces and gardens just outside Saint Petersburg. It wasn't long before we got caught up in a horrific traffic jam for several hours due to road construction on the freeway. We ended up abandoning our plans after we emerged from traffic because we were tired of being in the car. So, we ended up going to Yuri's Moms flat early, where had plans for dinner later that evening. We walked around a park before dinner, then sat down and ate authentic Russian home cooked food that was very, very good. I was happy to inbibe in some healthy food such as beet and carrot salad, and a Russian dish almost like soup cooked in small pots in the oven. Everything was delicious, and I also got to try caviar with some good Russian vodka. It was good to have a down day.

Yesterday, we all went to the world famous Hermitage museum, founded by Catherine the Great in 1764. The place is huge and there is really no way to see it in one day, but luckily Yuri's Mom is an expert on the place and showed us the highlights including the original Madonna and Child by Leonardo da Vinci. Afterwards we had a late lunch then we headed over to the first even building built in Saint Petersburg, built in 1703 by Peter the Great and known as the Fortress. Yuri and I then had a late dinner with his friend Vladimir, and I was home in bed my midnight, but the 4am wake up call was brutal. I am staring over 18 hours of travel but excited to get home. I hope you enjoyed my travel blog. Cheers!

Boat Cruise and Ballet in St. Pete

Yesterday Masha, Yuri and I went on an hour long boat cruise through the channels through St. Petersburg. The city is sometimes referred as the Venice of the north because of all of the channels throughout the city and over 300 bridges. The guide spoke in Russian so Yuri and Masha translated some of the more interesting points of interest and buildings. It was another beautiful day, and afterwards we had lunch in the city.

After going back to the flat to shower, we went back to the Nevsky in St. Petersburg and met Yuri's mom for dinner and wine. Then, we all left for the ballet to see Swan Lake at St. Petersburg's oldest theater, the Alexandrinsky Theater. I have never been to the ballet, and to be honest I never had any desire, but I am glad I went as I felt quite honored to see my first ballet in Russia and witness some of the most talented dancers in the world. I felt so cultured! Afterwards we all went to an outdoor restaurant in the city and stayed until after midnight talking, laughing and having drinks. A great day!

Saint Petersburg Russia

Just finished my first full day in St. Petersburg, Russia visiting my friends Yuri and Masha (Maria) who are lifelong residents here. What an incredible city! It's the fourth largest city in Europe founded in 1703 by Peter the Great and also Vladimir Putin is from here. Despite our media portraying Russia the way it does, I actually feel safer here than I did in Paris. It's north enough to not get completely dark at night this of year. As I type this it is 10:30pm and bright out. It's a vibrant city with lots of tourists and folks from all walks of life, like any other big European city. They like tourists here and are very friendly to Americans, and the Russian woman are as beautiful as advertised. Today Yuri, Masha and I walked all over the city and they both have a great historical perspective of the buildings and monuments. They reminded me that Russia lost 27 million people during WW2 mainly fighting the Germans and played a much bigger role in winning the war than we recognize and they are right. We went by the Hermitage, Summer garden, and Paul the First's fortress where he was strangled by his sons in the 1800s. The museums and history here are incredible. Tomorrow we are taking a boat cruise through the many channels in the city and by more sites, and going to the Russian ballet tomorrow night. So thrilled to be here.

A week in Greece

At the Zakynthos airport waiting for our flight back to Zurich, then I am off to Russia tomorrow.
We stayed on the island of Zakynthos, which is west of the mainland and below Corfu. It's known as a party island, which we saw first hand and especially frequented by young British tourists. There were also lots of Eastern Europeans and as far as I could tell we were the only Americans there.
Dan, Terri and I (the old members of the Wolfpack) ventured to other parts of the island frequently, with one of the highlights the day we rented scooters and explored Zante City and other beaches away from our area. We were able to eat lots of good food although the red wine in Greece is horrible.
We had a lot of fun in Zakynthos, although you can see how hard hit the economy is, and parts of the island is a bit run down and abandoned. The water is amazing, and we all took a boat cruise around the island one day and saw the most breathtaking caves, cliffs, and other scenery. As I was named after my Greek great-grandfather, Greece held a special place for me personally.
I met several people on this trip including a few ladies from Prauge who invited me to the Czech Republic anytime I want, which is always nice to develop friends in other parts of the world. Our little Wolfpack group has many funny stories from this trip that will never be repeated but will create great lifelong memories!!!

3 hour hike in Valais, Switzerland.

The other day Pascal, Terri, Dan and I took the hour long train ride from Thun to the Canton of Valais, Switzerland to go for a hike in the Alps. Adriana is fighting a cold so she stayed home and rested so everyone is healthy for Greece (we leave tomorrow).

The weather in Valais was beautiful, and sitting a little South of the Canton of Bern it's normal for it to be a little more warm there. Pascal has done this particular hike before, so we felt comfortable that our Swiss Sherpa would guide us well on our approximately 8 mile hike.

Our route took us by several waterfalls, train bridges, breathtaking views of valleys and alps, and the path was paved with wild flowers in early summer bloom. About the halfway point there was a small restaurant for hikers to sit on the picnic tables outside, so we stopped for a bit and had a beer. We all got a good belly laugh when Dan was trying unsuccessfully to communicate with an older Swiss woman as he was trying to explain that she needed a bathroom key he had in his hand to enter the toilette around the back of the restaurant on the trail. As he finally handed her the key with a confused look on her face, her table of other Swiss hikers referred to Dan as "Forrest Gump" under their breath that Dan overheard. He was pretty offended, but took it in good cheer. Needless to say, Dan has a new nickname for the rest of our vacation. :-)

After some more hiking Pascal surprised us by pulling out a bottle of wine, crackers, cheeses and meats from his backpack and we took a much needed break at an outcropping with stone tables overlooking a beautiful valley. Talk about a great way to dine al fresco!!

We ended the hike at a small hotel owned by a wonderful Canadian man and his beautiful Swiss wife who said they don't see too many Americans there, and they chatted with us for quite awhile before we jumped on the train back to Thun where Adriana had her delicious homemade lasagna waiting for us! Another epic day.

Loving Luzern!

Yesterday we hopped on a train to Luzern, Switzerland (Lucerne in English) with Pascal, Adriana, and Pasci's buddy Markus. I've always loved Luzern and wanted to take Dan and Terri there. Luzern is the second most visited city in Switzerland behind Geneva, and boasts the famous Chapel Bridge, a wooden bridge built in the 14th century that spans the Reuss river through the city.

We strolled along the hotel-lined river near the city center, explored the shopping district, and had lunch in the city. We chose an old restaurant that has been there since the 1800's and Dan and Terri and I had Rösti, a popular Swiss dish that resembles hash brown potatoes. After lunch we walked up to the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) in a small park just off the Lowenplatz. The carving commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution.

We then stopped off in Bern (The capital of Switzerland) walked around the city for a bit and had dinner and a movie (The Hangover 3, which nobody was impressed with, BTW) and got to Thun before midnight. Another great day in Switzerland! Today we are watching the weather and have plans to go hiking in the canton of Valais, if the clouds and rain clear out. If the weather stays wet, we'll probably hang in Thun and do some shopping.

BBQ with a Swiss view!

Yesterday, we slept in late and Pascal and Adriana made us a great breakfast. Their place in Thun has a great view of the Berner Oberland Alps, always a nice backdrop from their dining room table. After breakfast, I headed out for a jog along the Aar river in Thun and then ran some stairs up to a viewpoint above the city. It was nice to get some exercise in after so much indulgence over the last few days.

As the early afternoon approached, we all walked over to the other side of town to where Pascal's father (Walter) lives and borrowed his car for the 15 minute drive to Thomas and Erika's beautiful Swiss Chalet in Aeschlen, Switzerland. Aeschlen is between Thun and Interlaken and resides above the Thunersee (Lake Thun) and is about as breathtakingly beautiful as a Swiss village can be.

We hung out on Thomas and Erika's patio overlooking the lake and alps and enjoyed bacon-wrapped dates and other appetizer's and wine, and did a lot of laughing as we remembered our day in Geneva and our cow costumes. After a short walk around their picture perfect hillside village, we came back to their chalet and Thomas fired up the grill. Thomas and Erika are quite the hosts, and Thomas is quite the cook.

We feasted on salmon, T-bone steak, corn, salad from their garden, and other yummy food. Thomas entertains like I do, serving lot's of food and wanting no help in the kitchen. Everything was amazing, and as usual we all sat at the dinner table with lots of laughter until our sides hurt! The seven of us really, really click and I can't wait until we all head to Greece in a few days! Today we leave for Luzern for the day and will be joined by a buddy of Pasci's. I've been to Luzern before and love the city, so I am excited for Dan and Terri to see it.

Cows invade Geneva!

Yesterday Pascal surprised Dan, Terri and I with Swiss cow costumes to wear to the World Cup qualifier soccer game in Geneva, Switzerland. They were hysterical, and we gladly donned them and seven of us, (Pascal, Adriana, Thomas, Erika, Dan, Terri and I) hopped on the train from Thun to Geneva (after a quick change of trains in Bern).

The train ride was around two hours and Dan and Terri were stunned at how beautiful the Swiss countryside is as we approached Lake Geneva, passed through Lusanne and finally came into Geneva. The weather was very muggy and warm, perfect for hanging out in the city for several hours before we had to head to the stadium.

Our cow costumes certainly got loads of attention, and as we made our way from the train station to the famous Geneva fountain via the lakeside promenade we were stopped by at least 30 people/groups for photo ops and several honking cars. It was awesome to put so many smiles on so many peoples'faces. After visiting the lake and the fountain, we ate lunch at a lakeside cafe and received great service from the staff who got a kick out of having a table full of Swiss cows. After lunch we took a quick tour of the city and finally made our way towards the stadium for the soccer game.

After more photo ops at the stadium by the Swiss soccer fans (we'll be on a minimum of 75 Swiss people's Facebook pages) we headed in and watched Switzerland score the winning goal against Cyprus in the final minute! The crowd erupted and we left Geneva elated and in a celebratory mood. The train ride home to Thun was full of laughter and joy.

We arrived back to Pascal and Adriana's at around 11:00pm, changed out of our cow costumes and headed into the city for more celebrating. It was Saturday night, the town was buzzing, and the seven of us ended up at this super cool bar underground with a cave-like feel. I'm not sure I've laughed more hard and had more fun in my life as we all shared stories of the day, many jokes, hugs and drinks. One of the best days I can recall in my life, and so special to share it with close friends. My heart was filled to the brim with happiness.

Today we are relaxing, (I'm going to run some stairs and get some much needed exercise) and this afternoon we are going to Thomas and Erika's to barbeque at their home in the hills above Lake Thun between Thun and Interlaken, with their spectacular view. It's going to be another great day!

Paris photos