It was seriously surreal to get off the plane at Moscow's Domodedovo airport and actually Be In Russia. Ever since I started planning my trip it was uncertain that I'd ever actually get to this country. The visa process was so grueling and uninspiring that I had pretty much given up right until my passport and visa arrived two days before my flight to Yerevan. Top level of a toy store Unlike the other countries I was planning to visit, I didn't make an effort to research for Russia as I didn't want to potentially waste a ton of time planning a trip that might not even happen. So it wasn't until a day or two before my flight from Baku, Azerbaijan to Moscow that I started digging in. Theater Fortunately, I wasn't taking on Moscow alone. My dear friend Evgeniya was hosting me for a few days, and would be able to show me the city from a local perspective. Evgeniya and I met in Bosnia last August and hit it off right away. It was such a cool opportu
Hello all, I'm currently in Moscow and lagging behind on my blog updates, so to commemorate my last, lovely week in Sakartvelo (Georgia) I will share some pictures of my experiences. Essentially, after Mestia I went back to Tbilisi for one night, spent some time with my friend Nino the next day, and then took a marshrutka to Sighnaghi in the Kakheti region, which is known for its wine. On the bus I met Kristine, a Norwegian, and we spent the day in Sighnaghi together, including an amazing meal at Pheasant's Tears. The next day in the morning I visited the Bodbe Convent and met a nice Austrian/German couple. Afterwards I took a taxi to Lagodekhi, a few kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan with a great nature reserve. At the guest house I met Roberta and Domenico, an Italian couple living in Modena. We shared several meals together! I spent a couple of days hiking there before I came back to Tbilisi and took a day trip to the Kazbegi region for a hike. The day after I r