The LA of the East

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well, we arrived in moscow. the train was very interesting. it seemed so short cuz i slept the whole time. the dinner they provided included a small jar of caviar! this seems to be a very important part of their diet. our tour arround the city was exhausting, since i didnt have a chance to rest after the ride and we went on foot everywhere. we went to a small museum of a medieval russian 'castle' that was so cute! it remided me of the renaisance fair, only everything was authentic 17th century! we took a walk around Red Square. there is a big, beautiful building on one side of the square that is actually a shopping mall! there is another mall that is underground! you can see part of the top buildings from ground level, but it goes 3 stories underground! i didnt really get a chance to go shopping. lunch was at a very american styled italian pizza place. i have to say that russians have no idea on how to do fast food. the food was delicious, but either fresh made which takes forever (and u dont get a number so u have to stand and wait watching them make ur food) or it is a little cold, cuz they dont have such good heating lamps as we do... but whatever. What can i say about Moscow? it is so much like Los Angeles i have to laugh. the hotel is much more like the style i'm used to, though i was growing accustomed to the home-like atmosphere as in St Petersburg. now, imagine wandering the streets of LA speaking NO english. thats about how i feel right now. the people are rather uncomfortable with the idea of tourists, and really dont want to speak english unless they want to sell you something. i cant tell you how much i am looking forward to taking a hot bath at the hotel. getting to this computer was quite an ordeal- the girl at the hotel gave us directions, but Dad had the map upside down, so i ended up having to wander around looking for street signs (which are much harder to find than in america) and finally found the internet cafe. i hope we can find our way back to the hotel now!!

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