We made it home...

Boy, what a fast trip! Seems like we just left...

The journey back was a trip in itself, though-- almost 30 hours (and for me, that was after only about 2 hours of sleep)! The last 3 from Newark to Dallas were there the longest, it seemed. We arrived back at DFW at about 6:30pm on Tuesday.

We didn't lose anyone (I don't think...did we?) and I think all the travellers got a good dose of Russia (sights and culture).

Thanks for keeping an eye on our progress. Now it's time to put this blog to sleep until it's needed again...

Пока!

E.B.

Heathrow...coffee...

Thank God! It's 11am in Russia, 8am here, 2am in Texas.

Прощай, Россия!

We are at the Domodedovo airport in Moscow (the new one on the south side of the city), waiting for the flight to London. We left our hotel at 2am-- most of the kids didn't sleep, sot hey're pitiful. I got about 2-3 hours before we left, but I'm hopped up on cappucinos...

Everyone's ready to head home, I think. It's been a good trip (now, if we can just get through Newark unscathed...), but the tourist thing is tiring.

I tried to upload a picture or two this morning, but the current provider won't let me. Maybe from Heathrow in London while we're sitting around for 3 hours between flights.

Anyway. We're all safe and sound and homeward bound.

Circus

No, this is in the hotel AFTER a visit to the Moscow service (sometimes it's hard to tell, especially at the morning melee they call a breakfast buffet here). Yesterday after dinner, the group went to the circus; the guy on the left is Zach, one of mine, the green-haired girl is from the Hughes City (TX) bunch.

Today (Mon.) is a free day to wander, so at 10am I'm leading an expedition to the open-air shopping market at Izmailovsky Park, then we'll probably haunt Red Square before returning for dinner. We have to leave for the airport very early in the morning (1:30-2:30am) for the journey home.

Time sure has gone by quickly!

First Russia preaching experience!

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed being a part of this afternoon's worship service and looking out into the faces and seeing some of my students (and one parent) among them. It was great to be part of things, but it was also a great feeling to have some of the group from Mansfield there for moral (spiritual, too, I hope!) support...

St. Cyril and Methodius Ev. Lutheran Parish in Moscow

This is the sister congregation of my congregation in Arlington, TX. As some of you already know, I am a pastor intern in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. My friend Aleksei is the pastor of this congregation in Moscow, and not only was I fortunate enough to be able to a) attend a worship service here in Russia on this trip, b) bring a few of my students and one of my student's parents along to experience a Protestant service in the Russian language, but c) I was able to give the sermon and participate in the service. It was a very memorable experience! I have led worship services at my church in Texas since January, but this is the first time I have given a sermon in Russian to Russians in Russia!

The Justin Forkner Effect.

A picture is worth a 1000 kopecks.

We found Starbuck's...

...and my Russian friend Aleksei (wearing an MHS ballcap!). (By the way, they're building a second Starbuck's about 4 or 5 blocks from this one!)

At the Cosmos...

...Cornelius is briefing the group before venturing into Moscow subway after dinner.

Sleeper train, first day in Moscow, et al...

We made it successfully to Moscow after a relatively smooth sleeper train operation. The day before we spent some free time going from the hotel to the center of St. Pete using public transportation (bus>metro). Getting 3 dozen people from point A to point B-- and the majority have never been to Russia-- was an endeavor. But it worked! Thomas and Travis were very helpful in using their Russian to accompany one of three groups (makes a teacher proud...sniff). We had free time because we had to check out of the hotel early, then wait for the train to Moscow.

The train ride went well, though, as usual, I got about an hour of sleep. We were all dog-tired when we arrived in Moscow, but we were picked up brought to the hotel Cosmo (on the north side of the city) and given breakfast (coffee!!!). After that, wen had a short city tour on the bus followed by some free time to wander Red Square. Some in the group queued up right away to see Lenin, others,like me, just meandered and grabbed a bite for lunch. After we checked in, we had some down time. I was in a deep sleep when the maid knocked on my door to change out the pillows at 3pm. Why, I have no idea. I was so out of it, I wasn't even sure where I was.

Now it's after 7, we've eaten, and we're off to the Arbat (shopping district). I'll try to post more pics, but it's a crapshoot with the Russian cell providers.

That's it for now!

We're in Moscow...

Arrived at 6:30am on sleeper train.

More from Neva River 3

More from Neva River 2

More from Neva River 1

On the Neva River...

...11:30am Friday.

Walking to bus stop...

...from hotel, 9am Friday.

On the bus...

...to metro station at 9:30am, going to catch canal boat.

On the canals...

...11am Friday.

Today (Friday)

This morning we have to pack up and be out of our rooms by 9. We're going on a canal tour and then will have some free time to wander before we come back to the hotel for dineer and leave for the train at 8pm or so. We're taking the night train to Moscow and will be there by 7am tomorrow...

It's the sleeper train, four to a compartment, and not my favorite mode of travel (four to a compartment and I don't sleep very well in the submarine-sized bunks), but the kids in the group will like it!

That's it for now. I'm off to breakfast...

More later!

Siege of Leningrad Museum

I took this rather poor quality of a picture at the end of our visit yesterday afternoon to a Siege of Lenigrad (former name of St. Petersburg) museum. Everyone was watching a video of film footage from that time. It was a very moving experience-- difficult for most young Americans today to fully comprehend how amazing the survival of this city really was.

The Bronze Horseman

Pushkin was moved enough by this monument to Peter the Great (from Katherine the Second) that he wrote about it. We were killing time before a folk show started, so we took a picture in front of it yestderday evening. It's another of the many iconic landmarks in St. Petersburg. (By the way, not everyone in the group is in the picture, as some went walking around on their own.)

Small world...

...the folks in this picture are connected through my friend Julia, whom I met when she and her daughters moved to Mansfied, TX, little more than 4 years ago (I met her daughter when she was in jr. high as the first Russian-speaking ESL student in the school district). In the photo are (l-r) yours truly, our Russian guide (Andrey), Neal, and Natalya (Neal's wife)...

Here're the connections: Natalya is good friends with both Julia and Andrey. During our city tour the day before yesterday, we were off the bus at one point to take pictures, Andrey was on the phone with someone and asked me if I knew a woman in Mansfield named Julia (kind of an odd question from a guy you've know briefly and who lives in St. Petersburg). He had been talking to Natalya, who--obviously-- is in Russia with her husband. We met inside St. Peter and Paul Cathedral yesterday (and took the picture outside afterward). But wait! There's more...

I actually had "met" Natalya at a store in Arlington, TX, when my friend Aleksei from Moscow was visiting a year and half ago and we were shopping there (I bought him a cowboy hat for his birthday) and it was Natalya who rang us up... Coincidence? (You decide for yourself.)

Iconic spire of...

...St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, resting place of the czars.

At Peter and Paul Fortress...

...maìn gate, 10am.