Sunday, May 5th
Up at 8:00. Man, was I enjoying sleeping in. I finished packing the odds and ends I needed the previous night and made it down to breakfast about 9:00. The crepes were once again calling my name. Today, however, it would be with strawberry jam instead of syrup. The coffee was good and I was on my fourth cup before I finished eating. One more filling of my travel mug and I headed back to the room. Vasily was to pick me up at 11:00, and I was going to enjoy this cup while catching up on my journal entries. While journaling and daydreaming about camp and hunting, the thought I would be sleeping in camp tonight crossed my mind. I am sure I smiled for about half a second until it dawned on me that I would actually be in a plane all night and land in Kamchatka at 10:05am tomorrow. Dang. At least it would be a comfortable plane if the upcoming flight was like my last.
Vasily was right on time, and we took the scenic route to the airport. We stopped and walked around Moscow University for a bit. It was nice to be outside walking as the next 14 hours or so would be spent inside of the airport or a plane. Instead of dropping me at Departures, Vasily went the extra mile of parking and taking me into the airport. Something the Russians do for security caught me a little off guard. You have to go through security just entering the airport. This was only a minor inconvenience. Something in my backpack caught their attention and I could not understand what the lady was asking to take a look at. Turns out it was my flashlight. Once she turned it on and took the batteries out, all was good. We took a small detour on the way to the ticket counter and Vasily showed me where I would come through on the way back home. Then we headed to the check-in point for my international flight returning to the United States. This was really nice of him to do and it removed any angst I may have had about navigating the airport on my trip home.
Once again, flying Aeroflot’s comfort level was worth whatever it cost, and then some. There was a special line at the counter and I breezed right through. A short time later, I was at the front of the line boarding the plane and then climbing into one of those very comfortable seats I grew fond of on the way over. This time we were airborne on schedule, and once again the food and service was outstanding. Somewhere in the middle of some movie I don’t remember, I dozed off and Sunday became Monday.
Moscow University, viewed from it’s immaculate gardens.
Looking towards downtown Moscow from a green space near the university.
