We've arrived!

Afternoon all,

Mary and I got to Moscow this morning at about 11:00am local time. The flight was great. The plane was I would say only 40% full. Smooth air all the way through. 10.5 hours passes fast. This was my 5th transatlantic flight and probably the best. Passport control was a breeze, so was getting our luggage. The final hurdle was passing through customs control. I guess since we had so much stuff (4 bags, 4 carry ons and 1 stroller) we some how stood out ;> He made us put all bags on the XRay machine while he stood there flirting with the lady with him. Once once did he glance at the Xray image.

Weather: Cold, snow on ground but none falling. Wind chill will rip through you. Weather is supposed to warm up some while we're here. Up to the mid 30s/40s.

After that we located Katia. We loaded up the luggage and off we went. Traffic in Moscow is very similar to traffic in New York. Stop and go, accidents, takes 45 minutes to an hour to travel a distance that would take people in most cities 10 minutes.at most. Got checked into our apartment. The apartment is just 1/4 mile from the Kremlin. Very secure area.

BTW: For anyone going to Moscow, adoption related or otherwise, be sure to check out Peace Travel, Inc. So far they have been great to work with. We've rented the apartment through them plus I've got the cell phone from them. Probably didn't need the cell but since my BlackBerry isn't getting service over here, we wanted to be safe rather than sorry potentially.

Resting for rest of day. Going to do exploring and touristy stuff Sunday.

g