We have a few more touristy things to do, but tomorrow we pack up and head to the airport here to head to Manchester, England via Dusseldorf, Germany.
What I enjoyed was the art, the history, the snow, the overnight train, the friends, the metro stations, and the cleanliness.
What I won’t miss is is being cold, the incomprehensible language with 33 letters in their alphabet, the smokey public areas, the food, traffic with no pedestrian rights, the pushing, the lack of smiles, the omnipresent police/military.
So here we go…on to the next chapter!
Wow, talk about an amazing experience at the Hermitage here in St.Petersburg. We spent most of the day on three floors of the palace of Peter the Great viewing famous art. 
The Kallas’ and Morales’ ventured north by overnight train to St. Petersburg — a 400 miles, 8 hour excursion on a train with sleeping cars. You’re placed 4 to a berth (so we were glad to be with folk we knew) and the minimal bathroom was at the end of the coach. I would generously estimate the space as 5′ x 7′ and you folded the 4 beds down from the wall. We hysterically undressed in the dark on our bunks as we chugged along,with our 5 suitcases tucked under our lower beds and also on the floor. Steve got a lower bunk for his mid-night runs to the bathroom!
Lots of tearful goodbyes as the Student Venture Russia Project came to a close. Now we are showing our group of 37 around the attractions of Moscow. We are each leaders of 5 kids in a travel team, and at every conjure,metro change, bus stop, food court adventure we must stop and make sure we are all accounted for.
We had a Ropes course, Square Dancing, Swing Dance Lessons, Back to the Future costume contest and Rock Concert and lots of “ice breaker” games that started each session.
Well, I can’t say I wasn’t warned! Breakfast is gruel,tea, and bread…sometimes hard-boiled eggs with slices of cheese ( best meal of the day). Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and is always soup, a mystery meat, rice,bread, and a cabbage slaw. Dinner is the leftover meat cut up and added to the leftover rice, and bread…and tea. No one is loosing weight because we have brought cookies and candy to share with our classes .
And then there are the teens (of both nationalities) who are here for goofing off and not participating! A few of the adult teachers are ready to throw a few kids out the windows and into the snow…to wake them up maybe? These folk are missing such a tremendous opportunity; connecting with one another, and having a faith-growing experience that could change a life.