I decided that going into Moscow for day trips and only being able to spend 3-4 hours in the city is ridiculous so I went in for the entire weekend and found a lovely hotel near Arbatskaya Metro Station, Element Hotel. Apparently every room is different. My room was a lime green. Very nice and calming. The hotel does not have a dining room so breakfast is served in the room. I don't recall when last I had breakfast in bed! It was wonderful. A pity I had to...

What a win! While gulping down my morning coffee, one of the teachers asked where I was off it using hand gestures and of course speaking in Russian. I mentioned I was on my way to Moscow for the day and she said something to me but of course I had no clue what it was. As I was waiting at my usual spot on the side of the road for the bus, I saw one of the other teachers walking towards me. I guess the first teacher was trying to tell me that Galia was also go...

My first trip into the city and wow, what a trip it was! Just getting there is an adventure on its own. Fom the estate, I need to walk approximately 1km to get to the "bus stop". It's not an actual bus stop so all I really need to do is stand on the side of the road and wave down the bus as it comes past. The bus ride is 30 minutes to the next destination which is the train station. From there, it's a train to Moscow which is only about 20 minutes but the tr...