Abroad in 2012: A Year of Travel: 10 DAYS IN RUSSIA

I know. I know about the lack of blog posts. I wrote one on the train back from the airport on Tuesday, October 2, in which I said I would upload photos from our days together.

However, it turned out to be a beautiful day, Andrea blew off the 'bary and we went to the old exhibition grounds to see the Social Realism art and architecture she has written about for her PhD. We got home very late.

The next excuse comes on Wednesday: After class, and a long coffee klatsch with Andrea at Double Coffee, the afternoon was filled with the TV/Internet repairman and the cleaning woman. I then had to get ready and leave by 4:40 to meet Andrea to go to the opera. Again, home late, and then I had a bunch of homework to do for Thursday that kept me up until 1:00 a.m.

Thursday's excuse: After class, after making lunch at home, after reviewing e-mails and coordinating projects back home, I got on line and discovered that my credit card had been hacked and $1,250 worth of merchandise had been charged to my card at newegg.com and HP home products.com. That took up the majority of the afternoon before I once again had to leave by 4:30 to meet Andrea for an early dinner at another Il Patio restaurant location and a trip to the decorative arts museum, which closes at 9:00 p.m. on Thursdays.

Friday: No excuse. Just laziness. I had planned on spending the day reviewing photos and actually posting a blog, but I slept in, read about the debate, stretched, made a big, late breakfast for lunch, watched a 2-hour Russian movie, took a long nap, prepared dinner, cleaned up dinner, and by that time it was 12:00 a.m. I then started watching TV and didn't go to bed until after 3:00 a.m.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2

Alexi posted the last blog from the airport.

We have been under the weather, tired and very busy the last few days.

As I write these words waiting for the train back to Moscow to depart the airport station, I miss Alexi dearly. While we may not have done each and everything we had written on an itinerary, the sheer pleasure of sharing the same air with her here in Russia more than makes up for any sight overlooked, any photo opportunity missed.

Safe travels home, Alexi.

I now know Alexi returned home safely, returned to work, obtained a new iPhone through Verizon (Sprint, ptooiyh), fixed her bank card issue and is suffering terribly from jet lag.

Below are some choice photos from our past 10 days together. These are the proverbial tip of the iceberg...

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22 - ALEXI IN VLADIMIR'S CAR EXITING SHEREMETYEVO AIRPORT ON OUR WAY TO OLD ARBAT PANORAMA APARTMENT.

THE WINNER AND ALEXI: THIS IS THE GUY WHO BEGGED ALEXI TO HAVE HIS PHOTO TAKEN WITH HER ATOP THE GROTTO OUTSIDE THE KREMLIN WALL.

ONE OF THE LAST PHOTOS LEX WOULD TAKE WITH HER I-PHONE WAS THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN WWII SOLDIER. HOURS LATER ON THE ARBAT, HER PHONE WAS PICKED CLEAN FROM HER PURSE.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 23 - ANDREA AND ALEXI OUTSIDE THE "ZIRK NA VERNADSKOVO," THE FAMOUS MOSCOW STATE CIRCUS THAT HAS ITS OWN FULL-TIME FACILITY.

THE THEME FOR THE CIRCUS WAS "ISLAND DAYDREAMS." THE PRODUCTION WAS FANTASTIC, COMBINING OLD-TIME ANIMAL CIRCUS ACTS WITH AVANT-GARDE, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL-LIKE ACTING, SCENERY AND ACROBATICS. THE LEITMOTIF WAS THE "LIBRARY" AND ITS MESSAGE IS THAT BOOKS CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE.

I WAS FASCINATED BY THE DROP-DOWN FLOOR. AT ONE POINT, AN ICE RINK EMERGED FOR THE ACTS WITH THE SEAL AND POLAR BEARS. FOR THE FINALE, A WATER TANK WAS INSERTED, FILLED AND THEN DRAINED WITHIN 20 MINUTES. MALADYETS!

MONDAY, SEPT 24 - WILL AND ALEXI ABOUT TO ENTER THROUGH THE KREMLIN'S TRINITY GATE.

THE TSAR PUSHKA CANON IN FRONT OF THE PATRIARCH'S PALACE.

HOW ALEXI MET TSAR IVAN'S BELL.

ALEXI AND ANDREA AT THE ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL INSIDE THE KREMLIN.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 25 - ALEXI AND THE BRONZE HORSE MAN IN ST. PETERSBURG.

ALEXI ON THE RIVER NEVA WITH THE KUNSTKAMMER BEHIND HER.

ALEXI ON THE PALACE SQUARE BEFORE ENTERING THE HERMITAGE (ON THE LEFT) AND THE ALEXANDER COLUMN OVER HER RIGHT SHOULDER. LATER THAT EVENING, AFTER DINING AT THE LITERARY CAFE, WE ATTENDED A BALLET PERFORMANCE IN THE HERMITAGE THEATRE. IT WAS A GRAND LOCATION TO SEE TCHAIKOVSKY'S SWAN LAKE.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26 - WE WENT TO THE PUSHKIN APARTMENT, ONLY TO BE TOLD THE MUSEUM WOULD NOT BE OPEN THAT DAY. COME BACK TOMORROW!

DAD TRYING TO BE AS COOL AS KID.

ALEXI INSIDE DOSTOEVSKY'S APARTMENT IN ST. PETERSBURG.

ALEXI WENT TO SYNAGOGUE ON YOM KIPPUR IN ST. PETERSBURG.

ALEXI IN FRONT OF THE YUSUPOV PALACE ON THE MOIKA RIVER IN SPB.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 27 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM, FROM THE GREAT HALL IN THE CATHERINE PALACE AT TSARSKOE SELO!

WILL IN THE GREAT HALL WITH AN IMAGE FROM THE PAST.

ALEXI AT THE FAMOUS "GIRL WITH A PITCHER" FOUNTAIN ON THE GROUNDS OF THE CATHERINE PALACE.

LEX IN FRONT OF THE LITTLE HERMITAGE IN THE CATHERINE PARK.

WE REALLY LOVED THE CATHERINE PARK!

THE NEW QUEEN IN FRONT OF WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE ALEXI PALACE.

THE TRAIN TO VITEBSKY TRAIN STATION IN ST. PETERSBURG FROM PUSHKIN.

ALEXI BUYING GOODS AT GASTRONOME ON NEVSKY PROSPEKT.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 29 - ANDREA AND ALEXI CHECKING OUT THE MERCHANDISE AT THE ISMAILOVSKY FAIR.

DAUGHTER AND DAD AT ISMAILOVSKY.

A FAIRY TALE ENDING.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 30 - TWO IMPOSING INSTITUTIONS: MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY AND WILL TURBOW!

WE WERE BOTH FASCINATED BY THE "SLOT" CAR RACING ON THE PLAZA BELOW THE UNIVERSITY AND ABOVE THE PARK.

TURBOWS ATOP MOSCOW AT SPARROW HILLS.

ALEXI IN FRONT OF THE CHRIST THE SAVIOUR CATHEDRAL.

LEX ON PATRIARCH'S BRIDGE WITH THE MOSCOW RIVER BELOW AND THE KREMLIN BEHIND.

MONDAY, OCT. 1 - ON THE OLD ARBAT. THERE REALLY ARE NO BEARS IN MOSCOW.

THIS IS A FINE EXAMPLE OF THE CRAZY PARKING AND DRIVING IN MOSCOW. AS YOU CAN PLAINLY SEE, THERE ARE PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH A STREET'S CROSSWALK. HOWEVER, CARS HAVE DECIDED TO PARK SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION, LEAVING A VERY SMALL HOLE FOR CARS TO TURN ONTO THE MAIN STREET!