Croatia and a few little trips.

Hello little followers,

No, I've not forgotten about my blog. I just don't ever deem my day to day life to ever be exciting enough to keep blogging about it!
I just got back from two weeks in Croatia though, and that is exciting!

As my last update was October last year, I'd better do a bit of back tracking, as there are a few important life events to report on, that I will never forget.
I received the best birthday present of my life last year. Madi flew over to London to surprise me! I had absolutely no idea that she was coming. I had a halloween party the night before and had dressed up as a zombie Alice in Wonderland (as you do). Unbeknownst to me, I arrived home from a huge night of partying about the same time that Madi landed at Heathrow airport!
About two hours after getting home I got a phone call from Anna (mum that I work with) telling me to come downstairs to sign for a package. The fact that she could have signed for it and that packages don't get delivered at 7am escaped me at the time and I stumbled downstairs. To my complete surprise Madi was sitting in my living room. I don't think I have ever been more excited/overwhelmed!

We had a whirl wind month while she was here. We explored London, all the touristy places and my favourite place in the city, covent garden. We also had a fabulous weekend in Paris too. It was such a cloudy overcast weekend though, we couldn't actually see the top half of the Eiffel Tower. I was back in Paris in the middle of winter and when I went to see the tower that day, it was a gorgeous, albeit freezing day, but it was snowing and I wish Madi had got to see Paris that day, instead of the day we were there. Paris is so much colder then London, but such a pretty city. It was so lovely to have Madi here, the girls I look after loved having her here too and they ask about her and my mum everyday. It's so nice, that even though I'm on the other side of the world, my kids that I look after are still so close with them.

Taking Madi to the airport was horrible. I've always been the one that does the leaving, and whilst saying goodbye is always hard, when you are leaving you are excited for your adventure ahead and that helps a little bit with saying goodbye. Being the one to put someone that you love so much on a plane, was heart breaking and my homesickness instantly doubled. I miss my sister very much.

Christmas soon crept up on me though, which made me even more homesick. It is so hard to be away from home at that time of year. It wasn't a white christmas in London last year, just a cloudy, cold one. I had a lovely day though, with the girls family and their family friends. We had a proper christmas lunch, turkey with all the trimmings. Even brussels sprouts! I tried to skype home, but was a blubbering mess, so hung up and drank a lot of wine instead!   

I spent new years eve at my most favourite bar in the whole world, Graffiti. The bar staff and my close friends make up my little London family, and are a huge part of the reason I've stayed in London. I've met the most amazing people in this city.

A quick trip to Amsterdam for Easter with three fabulous ladies was the next thing on my agenda, we had lots of fun. My friend Claire and I went and spent the day in Edam, which is where I went the first time I was in Holland with my Contiki tour. We hired some bikes and cycled around. We even temporarily joined a Contiki group as I couldn't quite remember how to find the windmill that we wanted to see. Lots of shenanigans, tram rides, cheese eating and tulip buying later we all headed back home to London.

My next trip was in May when I spent two weeks in Croatia. For the first week I did a sailing trip with Sail Croatia. We started in Dubrovnik and made our way up along the coast to Split. I've never spent that much time on a boat before and was a little bit worried about getting sea sick, but I was totally fine. I did get land sick though! (I'm sure that's not what it's actually called) After about three days on the boat, whenever I got off the boat I constantly felt dizzy and couldn't stop swaying. Wine helped mask the symptoms though. It really is the cure for everything! 
We stopped in Mljet, Korcula, Hvar and Stari Grad. Everywhere we went was very beautiful. Crystal clear waters, very mediterranean terracotta roof tiles, gorgeous mountain and ocean views all along the coast. The local people are lovely and so friendly, the food is good and served in very generous portions. It was quite similar to some of the landscapes I saw in Greece and a lot of the food has quite an italian influence.  
The people on my tour were all really nice and really fun, and we all drank way too much and partied every night. I would recommend Sail Croatia to be done with friends and not solo though.
My second week was very chilled out. I stayed at a lovely hotel on the island Brac, which is visible from Split and about an hour on the ferry. It was the first holiday I have had in a very long time that I got to just chill out and read books. It was total bliss. I really recommend you go check out Croatia in the summer time. It's pretty touristy, but so lovely for a little get away.

So that's what's been keeping me busy lately. My next trip is a weekend away to Ireland, maybe a sneaky trip back to Spain and then home for Christmas, which I'm so excited about!
I hope everyone is doing well at home, I am missing everyone as always.
Can't wait for december to get here!

With love, always
Sara
xxxxx


A few little life lessons from Sara:
* Beer pong on a boat is not the best idea.
*When you think you are done packing, especially ladies, take five things back out, you have to much stuff. Trust me, you don't need that extra top and fancy shoes that are "just in case". 
* Sunscreen. Use it. 
*Travel insurance. Buy it. Every time. 
*When you travel always make sure you have £100 hidden away for emergencies. Doing this has saved my butt a couple of times.
* Wine fixes almost anything. So does duct tape.

Oh how I love Peru!

Hello my little blog followers!

My latest adventure was an absolutely amazing two weeks travelling through Peru. I honestly can not sell it enough. Peru is incredible, the people are brilliant, the country is beautiful and don't even get me started on the food. Peruvians know what they are doing in the kitchen!

I flew into Lima (25 hour flight from London) and stayed in a little guest house called "The lighthouse" in Miraflores, which is the centre of Lima and well known for being the safest suburb for tourists to stay in. My guesthouse was very sweet, it's family run and breakfast feels like you are staying with the family as a visitor, you just sit with the other guests at a little 6 seated dining table, while being fussed over in spanish. I stayed there for two nights and didn't achieve very much. I just wanted to have a couple of chilled out days and mainly walked along the coast and through the city. Lima is not a very pretty city and you don't get the safest vibe from the buildings. Most of which are run down/falling apart and everything is covered in barbed wire and/or prison bars. There is however some incredible street art hidden through out the city. There is a huge surfing culture in Lima too, which I had never really thought about. The walk along the cliffs is quite nice, it is very lush and green and well maintained. Lima is covered in a fairly constant cover of cloud for about eight months of the year. One of the locals said that it is called the sad city. I must admit, it was pretty glum both times I was there. So I probably wont rush back to Lima, Cusco however, I'd go back tomorrow!

I flew down to sunny Cusco and immediately felt the effects of altitude! I went to Peru without doing a whole lot of research, which wasn't the best idea I've ever had. I honestly didn't think altitude was that much of a big deal. As soon as I stepped off the plane though I felt weird. I was dizzy, short of breath, headachy and my legs felt like jelly. It wasn't too bad, some people get hospitalised from altitude sickness, I was ok though. I drank loads of coca tea, which is what the locals recommend. Coca tea is tea made out of the leaves from the plant cocaine is from. It just tastes like green tea, but it felt a bit naughty drinking it (living life on the edge, I know!). 

I did a short contiki tour while I was visiting. I usually just do my own thing when I travel, but I really wanted to not have to think too much, have my decisions already decided and the added bonus of instant friends! I joined an already existing group that had been travelling for about a week already. Everybody was super lovely and the group got along really well. We did a city tour the first morning and checked out a few churches and the markets. Then we all headed out for lunch to try the peruvian delicacy, guinea pig. Now, I'm not sure why someone looked at a guinea pig and thought "gee, I bet that tastes pretty good, lets deep fry it", but they did, and it caught on. I went to Peru with the intention of tasting their local delicacy, but then they bought it out to the table. With it's head/teeth/eyes all still in place. It looked like someone had run over my childhood pet and then dropped it in a deep fryer, there was no way I could even taste it. Other people said it tasted like chicken or rabbit. I'll take their word for it.
It was free time in the afternoon and I met up with Jany. I met her on my flight from Lima to Cusco, she is a local and an absolute angel! She took me to a great little cafe and then showed me around a bit. Locals are the best people to make friends with.
Everyone in our group went out that night, but I didn't stay out very long. I was really struggling with the altitude. 

The next morning we went up to one of the mountains that surround Cusco, to get a special blessing from two of the locals. It was really nice, and I'm so glad we got to do it. I like having that feeling of being extra protected while I'm traveling. So between my saint christopher necklace and my blessed peruvian bracelet, I should be covered!
We drove to Ollantaytambo (try saying that fast, three times in a row) that day, stopping off in Pisac to see/climb some ancient ruins. The views were absolutely breath taking and there is no way any camera could ever do it justice. The Andes are just incredible. Once we got to our destination we climbed up more ruins... ok, well I didn't. I'd had enough of being out of breath. So I went and chatted to some locals who spoke a bit of English in the markets. Did I mention my Spanish is still very Russian? Why oh why I had spanish lessons in Russia, I will never know! 

The next day, most of the group set of for the Inka trail. Me being super organised though, booked the tour too late, and the Inka trail was already full. I don't mind, now I have the perfect excuse to go back to Peru. I really want to hike that trail. We stayed in Ollantayambo until 3pm, I spent the morning walking along the back streets away from were the tourists are and had the most amazing time. I ended up playing football (soccer) with some kids and their family came out to say hello and offered me something to eat. I politely declined though, as I had no idea what it might have once been when it was alive. 
That afternoon we caught the train to the base of Machu Picchu (Pueblo).

Another early morning start and we were all on our way up the mountain to explore Machu Picchu. Some people on my tour said that the bus ride was really scary, I didn't even register that at all. I have been on much scarier bus rides. At least this bus had sides on it!
I really don't have the words to describe just how beautiful Machu Picchu is. If you have ever even contemplated going and it's something you would like to see, just do it! It is breathtaking (literally, at times). We were so lucky with the weather, it was hot and sunny and early in the morning it was misty and cloudy, which was just perfect. It is so green, and the surrounding mountains and valleys are so spectacular. I want everyone to go and see it and experience this amazing place for themselves. Not to mention just how incredible the actual ruins are. Our guide took us around and showed us what is left and what has been restored of the temples and homes. There are some pretty cute llamas walking around too. They are very used to people as well, if they want to get to a patch of grass and you are in their way, they basically just walk over you to get it. No fear of people at all. We also saw my very first chinchilla, it looks like a mix between a rabbit and a possum. They are really cute, plus I love saying the word chinchilla.
I could go on and on about Machu Picchu, but I haven't even started on what the Amazon was like yet. So just go explore the Andes and find out for yourself!
We were all in the party mood that night, and after a sing-a-long on the bus trip back to Cusco, we put on our salsa shoes and partied the night away! 

We spent one more day in Cusco before flying down to Puerto Maldonado, the main "city" in the Amazon of Peru. 
After a flight, a bus trip and a boat ride, we arrived at our gorgeous jungle lodge. It was all open and smack bang in the middle of the forest. We slept under mosquito nets and slept to the sound of the jungle (it was the best sleep I had the whole time I was in Peru). When we arrived we split into groups and went for a walk to the canopy tower. This tower was terrifying! It was 37meters high and the higher you got the more it swayed. If you had seen the tiny cables holding it up you would have been scared too. Generally I'm not scared of heights, but I am very scared of wobbly heights. It was worth being scared though, once at the top we had an amazing view of the sunset over the seemingly endless canopy of jungle. You could see macaws and a sloth in the distance and hear all sorts of birds, insects and monkeys. It was brilliant! 
The next morning we were up before the sun and we awoke to the most unusual sound. Hearing strange sounds, that are close, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere can make your morning a little uneasy. It turns out that the sound was just howler monkeys, but when I first heard them I was thinking "what sound does a Puma make?" 
We went fishing for Piranha's, my expert fishing skills failed me that morning, but luckily a few others caught some, so I was able to see what they looked like. Not nearly the flesh eating monsters my imagination/hollywood had made them out to be. I still wouldn't want a bite from one though! We saw loads of monkeys and birds and the ants that carry the little bits of really green leaves that you always see on the discovery channel. We also saw Capybara, which look like wombat sized guinea pigs (they don't get eaten though).
Once we had done our group tour, I went kayaking on the river. It was amazing! It's just coming to the end of the dry season now, so the river was quite low in places. I almost got stuck in the sand and was starting to reside to the fact that I was going to have to live in the kayak for the rest of my life, as there was no way I was stepping foot into the caiman (alligator) infested waters, but then a boat came along and made some waves so I got free. I saw more wildlife along the river, including a huge snake going out of the water onto the bank (more reason to not step out of the kayak). 
While I waited for our time at the lodge to be up, I swayed in the hammock and saw a butterfly in every colour, with the exception of maybe green. I love the Amazon and can't wait to go back and visit.

My last five days in Peru were mainly spent salsa dancing and drinking Pisco sours.
I had the most fantastic time, and if I've not made it obvious enough, Peru is without any doubt, one of my favourite countries!
Please go and visit, you won't have a single regret!

A few tips though:
They free pour alcohol in Peru... they are very generous.
Altitude gets you drunker faster, this is good, but can also be bad. Be careful!
Learn a few spanish words, lots of people speak English but it makes a difference if people see that you are trying to learn their language (in any country).
If you salsa like a disabled duck (like me) still dance and have a super fab time, cause no one really cares if you know how to dance or not.
Try the food, the exception being, things that look like deep fried pets.

Hope you enjoyed this edition of my blog as much as I did having the adventure!
Missing everyone at home, 
all my love
xxxx       

        

Travel catch up and London.

It's been twelve months since I last updated my blog (oops!), so needless to say, this one is going to be a pretty long entry! Maybe go make yourself a cup of tea before you start reading...


This time last year I was soaking up the sunshine in Greece. I am certainly not doing that now, London is having the wettest summer ever. After six rather horrendous months, with a very difficult family, an almost mugging/stabbing and a mountain of the best feta cheese I've ever eaten, my Greek adventure finally ended in October. I flew home a few weeks earlier then I was meant to, so I could surprise my family and spend christmas at home. It was so very lovely to be home and to see everyone, I  even clocked up a few hours working in one of the local pre schools. Thank goodness I was able to do that, I think I was having baby withdrawals after not having my twins around for a few weeks. 


Oh wait, I'm getting ahead of my self. While I was in Greece I got to have a lovely long weekend in Barcelona. I adore Spain, I don't know why, but it has always been my number one country to visit. I even tried to learn Spanish, but I tried to learn it while living in Russia and now I speak this weird mix of spanish/english/russian and absolutely no one has a clue what I'm trying to say! 
I landed at the Barcelona airport, jumped on a shuttle bus, hopped off at the stop that seemed fairly central in the city and then wondered about doing a bit of exploring and tried to find a hotel. I ended up staying in this fantastic little boutique hotel in the penthouse apartment (got an amazing deal too). That evening I was sipping away on a delightful margarita and I met an amazing bunch of Dutch people that I ended up hanging out with all weekend. Oh the people you meet!
Barcelona is a gorgeous city. Unlike Athens, which is rather ugly, Barcelona has combined the old with the new and created a stunning and captivating city. The people are just lovely, great weather and you just really want to be there. You all know that I love getting lost (or geographically confused) in a new city, and whilst wondering around I got caught in a freak hail storm/flash flood. I had to get out of the hail and the only safe haven was a large church window which was built into the wall, so I was able to climb up onto the ledge. The storm lasted about 40 minutes and then stopped as fast as it had started and I had to find my way back to my hotel in knee deep water! All the shops in the little cobble stoned alley ways were busy bucketing water out of their shops and saving their merchandise. 
Such a fun weekend that I will never forget!

So, back on track now. On boxing day of 2011 I said yet another teary goodbye to mum and Madi, it never gets easier saying good bye, no matter how excited I am for my next adventure. 

Five friends and I then headed to Thailand for an amazing holiday and to bring in the new year. 

We spent our first three days enjoying all that Phuket has to offer (which is a lot). We landed on the night of the 27th were we where bombarded by offers of taxi rides to the main beach called Patong. It reminded me of a slightly tamer version of walking out of the Moscow airport and having loads of russian men shouting "Taxi?!" at me.
We headed outside in hopes of a good deal for our taxi ride and where hit with the heat and smell of this tropical island. We quickly grabbed a minivan and headed to our hotel.
The main streets surrounding Patong beach are incredible, there is so much life there. You couldn't get bored if you tried. There are a lot of locals who all speak English and they all try to sell you everything under the sun for "very good price, you like". Our bartering skills were certainly utilised while we were travelling throughout Thailand.
Our hotel thumped with the beat of the music in the night clubs surrounding us every night until 6am every morning. Other than that though our hotel was great. It was called PS hotel. I highly recommend it to anyone heading to Phuket. It was very clean, very central location and the restaurant down stairs was so good!
Our days were spent lounging around on beach chairs drinking Pina coladas out of coconuts. We were in heaven. A little too much sun for a couple of us though, we got a wee bit burnt. One of the days we did a boat tour and checked out some beautiful little islands, did some snorkelling and drank more cocktails.
During the evenings we would walk along through the markets and take in all the sights. Pretty much anything you could think of to buy was for sale (all fake, but still). The food stalls were a sight too! A huge whole fish on a stick that had been tossed on the BBQ, fruits that we had never seen before and 99baht mojitos in a bucket available everywhere (thats roughly $3). Phuket was a great starting place for our trip.
On the 31st we flew to Koh Sumui and celebrated New years eve on the island of Koh Phanang, which is a ferry ride away. Our beach party was fantastic, we were covered in fluoro paint, wearing matching shirts that we had made up in Phuket and we drank buckets of cocktails all night long. We did the countdown and danced the night away. It was so much fun! What better way to bring in 2012?


We stayed three nights in Koh Phangan, which was two nights too many! Terrible accommodation (although we didn't pay very much for it), so much rain (felt like a monsoon) that our hotel room started leaking. Which was peculiar since we were on the 4th floor of a hotel with six floors... go figure. It was all ok though, because our next few nights back on Koh Sumui were spent in four star luxury. We planned to chill out and soak up the sunshine. Unfortunately though, I think it was our second night there, a few of us (including me) came down with absolutely horrible food poisoning! We had been so careful not to eat dodgy looking street food and picked our thai restaurants well, and the one night we decide to have a night off from drinking and stay in for a movie night with western food (McDonalds) was the time we got sick. Needless to say, I will never eat another McChicken burger! I spent most of Koh Samui in bed or in the bathroom. On our last day on the island, I was determined to not miss out on riding an elephant in the jungle, so I did! There are a few photo's that show just how sick I was, it was a mammoth effort to not throw up on Niko the elephant! But I made it and it was amazing, well worth the whole trip! 


We flew to Bangkok, which is just an insane city. The sheer amount of people there and the intense heat is a lot to take in, but I loved every minute. We cruised about in tuk tuks, checked out the metro, went to the markets, did a river tour. We certainly made the most of Bangkok!
Our little group slowly broke up and went our separate ways, and I was bound for little old London town.


I've been in London for seven months now and I absolutely love it. I wasn't 100% keen on moving here, as I always thought it was just a place with rubbish weather (which is completely true) and it would be full of Aussies (Kinda true too), but I've been really happy here. I have an amazing family who have made me so welcome and go out of their way to look after me and make sure I'm happy. They are truly wonderful people. Plus my two little girls, Lola and Lulu (Amelie), I love them to bits and they are a huge reason why I love being here too. I've met amazing friends here and I'm just having loads of fun really! I am in a great routine with the kids during the week and most weekends (and some weeknights) I hang out in this fabulous little cocktail bar called Graffiti, which, if you are ever in London is an absolute must. Mainly because my name is on the wall! 
London life is agreeing with me anyway. 


There is one more little trip I did too.
A couple of months ago I found super cheap flights to Oslo so I cruised on over to Norway for the weekend which was lovely, insanely pricey though. I did the same thing as I did in Spain, just booked flights then found my way into town and stumbled upon a really lovely hotel right in the middle of the city. It's the best way to do it, unless you find a super cheap package deal online. Had a lovely time exploring the postcard picture perfect city. It was freezing, but sunny, so I didn't mind the cold. Everyone complains of how expensive Oslo is, but I didn't realise it was the rich people complaining its expensive too! It cost me about £30 for a cocktail, that wasn't even a proper cocktail! Crazy!


So now I'm just happily cruising along with life in London, counting down until september when I head to Peru for two weeks!
I imagine that will be my next blog update!


I hope all is well with everyone at home,
I miss everyone so much. I'm always feeling a bit home sick.... you should all come and visit me! 
Sending lots of hugs and kisses
All my love
xxxx    

Greece

So apparently my enthusiasm and dedication to my blog died a while ago while I was still in Russia.

I thought it was about time to get back in the swing of things and give everyone a bit of an update on my current adventure.

As I'm writing this I'm watching the most incredible sunset I have ever seen, in Santorini, Greece. This island is just breathtaking and should be on everyones bucket list. It is amazing here. The sunset is the most incredible burst of colours, it is like the sahara desserts orange sand merging with baby pinks and violets and then the most gorgeous blue before melting into the blue of the ocean. While the actual sun turns into an amazing shade of red that I have never seen anywhere else in the world. All this while eating the best Greek salad and enjoying live Greek music.

My new family that I am working with are a greek family with 18 month old twins (boy and a girl) and a four year old girl. They own two hotels, one here in Santorini and another in Athens. The babies are just great, cheeky, sweet and cute as ever. Their older sister was the worst case of wrong first impression I've ever encountered. She was this sweet little angel the first two days, then her true self came through, and good grief! She was no angel anymore. Not to worry though, with the introduction of the naughty chair and some much needed boundaries, the well mannered angel is almost here permanently now! So I am very happy with my three new children, busy but happy. I've had a few issues with the parents which is a first for me. I've been so lucky with all my families I've previously worked with. They have all been wonderful and we've not had any issues. Things are not great, but I'm managing. Thank goodness for the amazing scenery or I just might have called it quits already!

I arrived in Greece in early May, and spent two weeks exploring Athens before I started work. Athens wasn't what I was expecting at all. When I first got here I didn't think I would want to stay. The city centre is not all that nice, very touristy and everybody speaks English, which I don't like. I loved the markets though and the museums and all the historical ancient greek stuff. The food in Greece is fantastic as well . It's all so fresh and simple and just delicious. Plus the olive oil. Oh my goodness! The oil is what makes the meal! I didn't know olive oil could be so good! Aussies back home, you really don't know what you are missing! Italians and Greeks know their stuff when it comes to olive oil.

I'm finding that a lot of stereotypical stuff about Greece to be mostly true. They are passionate, with huge families and they love to eat and they all love their football (soccer). I really like the older generation here in Greece too. They seem to be so happy. The men play back gammon out in the streets in the afternoons (after siesta), the women (who seem to hit the age of 55 and suddenly shrink, and what they loose vertically they gain horizontally) they all sit around gossiping and preparing food. The evenings are my favourite time of day. It's when all the bus loads of tourists have gone and you are just left with the locals and you can really feel a sense of community and family. Thats also the time when people start taking their donkeys home. These poor donkeys in Santorini, I feel so sorry for them. They have to walk up and down hundreds of steep steps in 40˚ heat, all the while, carrying fat tourists on their backs. They where harnesses with little bells on them and when they are all walking along they sound like christmas reindeer.

I've picked up on a bit of Greek. I can sort of follow the conversations that happen at home. I haven't really put in much effort to learning Greek, as unlike in Russia, just about everybody speaks English here. I am able to read the alphabet and I know most of the basics. I do occasionally get yes and no mixed up, which can be awkward in some situations. When I walk into shops I greet the shop keepers in Greek, and they have all continued to speak to me in Greek, because I say hello and good morning really well. They have all said "You confused me, you sound like a greek.... but you're not" which is rather flattering to hear but also makes me feel like a bit of an impostor as well.

Our house in Athens is very modern. It has four floors, (an empty) pool, an elevator and three gardens. We live in the posh end of town on top of a huge hill (that I have to push the double stroller up twice a day). You can see most of the city from our house and the ocean, which is a view hard to get bored of.

In Santorini we are staying in two apartments that are side by side. We are almost right at the very far end of the island (the side of the island with the best sunsets). Where we are staying isn't all that nice, but we are away at the beach and the pool every day so it doesn't really matter.

Next month we will go to the families summer house in Porto heli. We spent a weekend there a little while ago. It is a very pretty drive to get there. The house is not very child friendly from a nanny point of view, but gorgeous from any other point of view.

At the end of this month I am having a weekend away by myself. I will be spending it in Barcelona and you would not believe how excited I am about FINALLY going to Spain (even if it's just a couple of days!). I made up a little count down calendar some weeks ago, and crossing off each day is very satisfying.

Greece has been nice to live in so far but I am very much missing Moscow and the people I left behind in Moscow. I'm already planning out my itinerary for a return visit one day, I didn't manage to see St Petersburg while I was living there so I am keen to go see it, plus check in on my kids!

I'm feeling super home sick for Australia too, although not the winter part, I had more then enough of winter in Russia. This is the longest period of time I've been away with out seeing anyone from home though, which is proving to be tough somedays. I must say, I'm missing being whisked away back to Oz every three months for visa reasons (even if it was 30 hours of travel). Though, it won't be too long until Christmas is upon us and I'll be home to see everyone.

So that is about all for now. What's happening with you? I haven't heard from some off you in quite a while! Email me people!

Missing everyone, as I always am.

Can't wait to catch up with everyone in December.

lots of love, hugs and kisses

Ya Sas!

xxxxx

So this is what winter feels like!

Hello all!

While descending down into Domodedovo airport on a Tuesday morning early in November, I couldn't help but think about how on earth the sun was ever going to penetrate through the kilometres of thick cloud hanging above Moscow. I concluded that if I see the sun in the next three months it has got to be close to a miracle! However after my first month back, I have come to realise that seeing the sun actually isn't as nice as I thought. Once the clouds go the warmth that they had been keeping in goes to, so on sunny days it is horrendously cold. A fine example of that is today, from inside it looks like a beautiful sunny day to go out and play in the snow... but no, it's -22˚ out!

My mental preparations while back home had worked very well. I was coping with the cold exceedingly well. That of course was while the temperature was hovering above zero, which was very bearable. Now I am very much not coping. It's hard to breath when it's this cold. Going outside takes a lot of motivation. I was waiting at the bus stop and there was five minutes to go before the bus arrived, it felt like it was about an hour wait. My nose and checks where stinging from the cold, and my fingers where frozen.

I had forgotten how short the days get in winter, and with most daylight hours being very overcast it's hard to determine the time of day, it all just seems like night a lot of the time.

Once I got back to Russia, for my birthday Nelli, her sister and their boys took me to the Russian circus. It was a Wednesday night and completely sold out. It was very good, but I don't really like the animal acts. They had horses, chetahs, panthers, tigers and bears. Oh and six little sausage dogs, they were adorable. The clowns were very good, and the acrobats where amazing. Moscow has two permanent circus's, I think we went to the better of the two. I'll have to find the name, I've forgotten it at the moment.

Russian circus and Russian ballet done. I'll have to think of some other things to put on my to do list. I would really like to go to Saint Petersburg one weekend, I think I'll wait until there is a little bit more snow.

Moscow has turned into a white christmas wonderland. All the shops are decorated and there are christmas trees sprouting up everywhere. Not far from where I live there is an actual place to go and buy a real tree. It is so pretty, there must be hundreds of trees in there and they are all covered in snow. We haven't put up our christmas things just yet, hopefully soon though. Even though it's freezing, it still feels like christmas (thank goodness).

There is no Santa Claus in Russia, they have a guy called Ded Moroz, he brings presents on new years eve, then Christmas is celebrated on the 6th and 7th of January. I plan to have a little mini christmas on the 25th as well.

Well besides the temperature, I really don't have much to report. Life in Russia is just cruising along like always. My Russian family is well, and are looking after me like always. The kids both have birthdays coming up soon which will be great to be here for.

I hope everyone is well (and warm) back home in Australia.

Missing everyone, as I always am!

Dasvidanya!

Sara

Home again

Hello!

I haven't posted much about Russia lately, it all just feels like routine now.

As I'm flying back to Australia tonight though I thought I should sum up my Russian autumn and start afresh when I return to Moscow.

For some odd reason I didn't think it would be all that cold here in autumn, I haven't a clue why I thought this. It certainly isn't just a bit chilly, like at home. We haven't had a day above 10 degrees in weeks!

I wasn't mentally prepared for the cold, so this month has been hard to cope with. I went for a walk this morning and it was 1 degree, I did get some good photo's for my effort though.

I'm struggling with the fact that it's going to drop at least another 30degrees.

On the 19th of last month, Nelli, her mum and I went to the ballet. It was simply magnificent. So very Russian. I loved it. The orchestra, the stage and costumes where amazing. The dancing really goes without saying, incredible! We watched the show at the Kremlin palace and where pretty much in the best seats. I felt very spoilt and can't wait to go again.

I still have to go to the circus and then I think I will have done everything on my Russian to do list.

I was hoping to write more, but I'm a little pressed for time so hopefully I can add more later.

Grace is currently unpacking my suitcase, suppose I won't have to worry about that extra baggage anymore.

Hope everyone is well, and hopefully I will have time to catch up with everybody this time.

Dasvidanya.

Contiki

Hello Everyone,

I finally found some time to do an update. I have been a busy little bumble bee!

This post is going to be a long one, so grab a cuppa and settle down and get cosy.

On the 18th of August I flew to London to meet up with some girls I went to school with. Hannah, Tiff and Hayley, who were already in England. We stayed at the generator hostel, which was nice. I had chicken schnitzel and chips for tea, I was in heaven! The best thing about not being in Russia is the food is so much better everywhere else.

I didn't have much time to explore London, I didn't really see anything besides the hostel and Heathrow.

The next morning we jumped on the bus and started our tour. We drove down to Dover to catch the ferry to France. I didn't even come close to finding my sea legs, I sat down most of the time. Once we got to France we drove straight to Paris. Basically day one was spent on the bus. We got to our cabins and then had a bit of a scenic bus ride around the city. We then went to have some French champagne and try out some Escargot, in other words, snails. They weren't as bad as I thought, mainly because they were smothered in garlic butter, and its hard for anything to taste bad in garlic butter. I couldn't get my snail out of the shell so they bought me a new one, which was steamy fresh. All I can say is, I tasted it, I won't ever feel the need to do it again. After that we went and got our first look at the Eiffel Tower.

Day two was a free day around Paris. First thing that morning the girls and I went to the Louvre to check out the Mona Lisa and the Venus De Milo (The lady with no arms). From the Louvre we slowly wondered through the city to the Eiffel tower picking up supplies for a picnic on the way. We grabbed a great spot under some shady trees, with a magnificent view. Not only of the Eiffel tower, the people watching was fantastic. In all the touristy areas there are loads of Gypsies trying to sell stuff, or just asking for money. Selling things without a permit is illegal so whenever the police rode around on their bikes it was like watching sheep getting herded. They came out of no where and there was loads of them running away. It was hilarious. A few people got their mini Eiffel towers confiscated, but that was about it.

That night we got all dressed up for a night on the town. Our group went out to a nice little restaurant before going to a cabaret show, across from the Moulin Rouge. We got back to the cabins and continued partying, it was a great night.

Day three started off rather slowly. I was very, very hungover. Kids, don't mix your drinks!

Luckily though it was another day mainly on the bus, so I didn't really have to function.

We headed down the south of France and spent the night in a gorgeous 16th century chateau, surrounded by vineyards. The rest of the group went and did some wine tasting, but I thought it best if I sat that one out.

That night there was another party, in the cellar. I went for a little bit, but put myself to bed early. Good decision, as the next day everyone else was hung over, but I was fine!

Day four was more driving. We stopped of in the walled city of Avignon where the Pope hung out in a palace their back in the 14th century (I think it was then, a long time ago anyway).

We continued on and stopped of again at a very smelly perfume factory.

Than finally made it to the French Riviera. We were in cabins again, just a short walk away from the beach. The girls and about half of our tour group headed down to the beach. It was gorgeous, the Mediterranean sea, with a full moon, and a Ferris wheel off to the side. In the distance we could see the lights of Nice. We sat down on the pebbles and watched the boys try and hit a buoy out in the ocean with stones.

Day five. I was finally starting to remember every ones names. Our bus was completely full, and its quite hard to remember 51 names. We were so lucky, everyone on our tour was great, I really don't think there could have been a better bunch of people to tour around Europe with.

Today was another free day, I accidentally slept in, then headed into Nice to meet up with the girls. Nice was lovely, we got scooters and roller blades and cruised along the beach for a while.

Later that evening we got all dolled up and headed to Monaco. We had some champagne and then tried our luck at the casino. I was down twenty euros and decided to stop. Some boys on our tour however were up 800 euros (that also may not be exact, it was a lot anyway). They shouted the whole group a drink at the bar!

Day six, we left France and headed into Italy! I love Italy, I won't ever be able to live there because I would get too fat to be able to fly out of the country. Italian food is divine. The pizza, pasta and gelato, oh it is oh so good! The people are so lovely, and Italy is gorgeous.

Our first stop was Pisa, which is an incredibly boring place. Besides a building that is slowly falling over, there isn't much else to see or do. Except eat of course.

After taking our photo's of either holding the tower up or pushing it over, we drove to Florence. A city of beautiful churches and is rich in history. I really liked Florence. We had yet another big partying night, which involved huge jugs of cocktails, karaoke and I had a minor wardrobe malfunction. Yet another fabulous evening with my new contiki friends.

Day seven, half way through the tour. It started going very fast from here.

Today was our free day in Rome. It was really hot in Rome, without much shade around the city. First up we went to the Trevi fountain, which is gorgeous. We all through our coin in over our shoulder. We will all now supposedly return to Rome, I certainly hope so!

From there we walked to the Spanish steps which are apparently famous but to be honest until I was there I was slightly unaware of them. The rest of the group went off on a walking tour and the girls and I went off on our own. It was way too hot to be following a guide around the city.

We headed to the Colosseum, which was really cool. I loved seeing all these places, I got to cross lots of things off on my "to-do list". We didn't go inside, but I was super impressed with the outside anyway. We grabbed a very expensive bite to eat and waited for the rest of the group. We all then headed to the Vatican. Michelangelo's work is simply incredible, everyone should definitely go and see it for themselves.

More partying that night at the club where our cabins where, loads of fun!

Day eight. I woke up covered head to toe in bed bug and mosquito bites. To say I wanted to claw my skin off is an understatement. It was really painful and extremely itchy. A friend gave me some antihistamines but that's all I could get at the time, there wasn't a chemist near by.

We headed down to Venice, before we got to the camp site our tour manager Daz, said to watch out, because there are loads of mosquito's at this camp. I nearly cried when he said that. I ran to the shop and covered myself in mozzie spray!

We caught the boat over to Venice, were unfortunately all I was thinking about was finding a pharmacy, even so, it is pretty impossible not to take in the beauty of the city. There are no cars anywhere in Venice, so everyone pushes there little carts around, it's very cute. Kind of like stepping back in time. We grabbed a bottle of Italian bubbly and had a gondola ride through the canals. It was very relaxing.

We grabbed some dinner in Venice, then headed back to the mainland, where I could continue fixing my bites!

Day nine we were off to Germany!

After complaining about the heat for a week, Munich was freezing. Stepping off the bus my first thought was "please don't let Moscow be this cold yet", it's not as cold as Munich was, it's much colder!

I didn't think I would like Germany, but I really enjoyed it. I meet a few Germans who weren't very nice, but I don't want to judge everyone on them. I'll definitely be going back for another visit.

We went to the main square and watched the glockenspiel, a giant cuckoo clock. Then off to the hostel to get ready for our night at the beer hall. We learnt a German beer song and set off to consume copious amounts of beer steins. I don't usually drink beer, but German beer wasn't too shabby.

Day ten we left Munich and headed up to the Rhine Valley and stayed in a little German village called ST Goar. On the drive up we stopped at Dachau concentration camp, which was incredibly sad. I'm glad we went, but I struggle to understand and cope with the amount of evil that happened in world war two.

It was a very beautiful drive, Europe is the kind of green you just don't see at home.

More wine tasting today and I bought my first investment. A rare bottle of wine, which is called ice wine, it's a very sweet dessert wine.

Day eleven, The Netherlands. I love Holland, everyone cruises along on their bikes and it is just so picture perfect. I didn't know the country was so low and flat, they have so much water there. Before going to Amsterdam we went to a little village to see what the real Holland was like. As everyone says, Amsterdam is not a reflection on the rest of the country. We went for a bike ride around Edam. It was lovely, even though it rained and was cold.

After that we went to a clog factory and then tasted some Dutch Cheese, which was really yummy.

Then came the "Amsterdamage"!

What can I say??

What happens in Amsterdam, stays in Amsterdam!

It is one crazy place, with all sorts of crazy people.

Day thirteen. Another friend from school, Monique came to party with us, which was brilliant!

It was our last night on tour, and we all went a bit wild in the red light district, but it was certainly a great way to end our tour, and a night to remember.

Day Fourteen. The long, hungover trip back to London.

We had arranged amongst ourselves to meet up one last time at an Aussie bar, so we could say one last farewell to everyone. We certainly have all made some great friends from all over the world. I even have a friend coming to visit me here in Russia next year, I'm super excited about that.

The next day I flew back to Moscow. It was so great to have a holiday, I was feeling really homesick, so it was the perfect fix!

It's Autumn here now, and all the leaves are changing. Apparently we aren't going to ease into winter here in Russia, it literally went from heat wave to ten degrees in the two weeks I was away! I keep thinking about how warm it is at home, oh well, I don't think I'll experience another Russian winter after this one, so I'll just suck it up. Please remind me of this in December.

Other than my contiki news, I don't have anything else to report on. My Russian family are all fine, and I'm still loving Moscow.

So that's all for now, I hope you enjoyed!

Dasvidanya, au revoir, ciao, Auf Wiedersehen, vaarwel!

Fire.

Hello everyone!

Apparently our problems in Russia have made it to the news in Australia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jIdtuuqFpc&feature=fvhl

Summed up, it's bloody hot, the forests are burning and the smoke is unbearable.

There are almost 1000 fires burning. As far as I know 48 lives have been claimed.

The government is reporting that they have moved all rockets and Nuclear materials to a safer location... I dread to think about it. Words like "radiation," "explosion" and "nuclear security" all in the same sentence sends a shiver down my spine.

There is no sign that the fires are going to be ending anytime soon, so everyone here is hoping for summer to end and the snow to arrive. It's not looking good at the moment.

Some of the airports have had to ground flights temporarily, which is a concern as I'm meant to fly out in 10 days. Which I'm absolutely thrilled about. I'm heading to London to see Hannah, Hayley and Tiff. We are doing a two week Contiki tour, which will be fabulous!

I don't have a lot to report on, we have all been stuck inside due to the carbon monoxide poisoning our atmosphere. I have been helping Luida cook, and teaching her some more English. I am still unable to create dishes from home even semi successfully here. I can never find the right ingredients, and nothing ever works out. Thankfully Russians are use to eating bad food, and think everything I make is delicious. If they only knew!

Billy is on holidays still, so he is often in and out of my room looking for things to do. I have a treasure box that's full of all sort of goodies the kids like to play with and they love my ipod and my phone. Grace often picks up random objects, puts them to her ear and shouts "Ello!" then falls about laughing.

I'm not sure if I've already mentioned this or not but Grace doesn't call me Sara. Most of my babies I've looked after struggle with saying Sara, I've been called mum, mummy Sara and sair. But Grace flat out refuses to say my name. I ask her to and she says "ssssss Nanya!" Then cracks up laughing. All up she has said Sara twice, she can say it, she just won't. She says nanya with the biggest cheekiest grin, it's wildly frustrating but a delightful game we have now as well.

Nanya means nanny in Russian.

We have all been cooped up inside, thank goodness our house is so big. However yesterday I had to go into town, for a rather urgent matter, once I got home though I found out I never had to leave in the first place.

As soon as I stepped outside, I wanted to go back in. Visibility is shocking, and I had to walk to the bus stop. My eyes were stinging and my lungs were burning. It was awful, I would hate to be anywhere close to the flames.

I managed to stay inside most of the time, but I did have to walk around a fair bit. Plus the smoke has now entered all the shopping centres, down in the Metro is really bad you feel like you could suffocate.

At the grocery shop they were handing out surgical masks at the check outs. About a third of Moscow is wearing masks of some description.

Outside I had just finished telling an elderly man that I think what he was looking for was around the corner and apologising for my terrible Russian, when some one else started talking to me... honestly all I say when I'm out is "извините, я не говорю по-русский" (sorry, I don't speak Russian).

His name is Boraya, he is such a sweetie. He doesn't speak a word of English, I handed him my phrase book when I realised I couldn't just excuse myself out of talking to him. Russian's can be very determined. We had possibly the slowest conversation in history, while he was trying to help me out with finding the shop I needed. Mildly long story short, he is a total gentleman and gave me a rose. Making breathing in the toxic fumes and what turned out to be an unnecessary trip a rather nice experience.

I am undecided if being able to speak the same language with some one is totally necessary to be friends with them... basically I want some one to carry my shopping and give me flowers.

Oh well something to think about while I'm still stuck in the house.

That's all my news really.

I hope everyone is well at home, I'm missing everyone lots.

until next time,

Dasvidanya!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

Hello everyone!

I thought I would deliver another update before I started getting fresh demands!

We are back into our same old routine, and fully recovered from our holiday. It's incredible how exhausting holidays can be.

Billy is on summer school holidays, so both kids at home all day everyday is creating a very noisy household. The average temperature here during the day at the moment is in the high 30's usually around 36 though. It's very warm! It's strange to think of Russia as being hot. I always associated it with snow, and minus 30 temps, without much thought to summer.

It has been a bit of a slow week really. Although Saturday night's adventure was quite exciting and loads of fun!

I was going to go to the circus, but thought dressing up and dancing the night away would be much more fun (and cheaper). I arranged to meet a few new Russian people at a club called "Club Che" which is yet another salsa club. I exchanged numbers with a few people and jumped on the bus to head to the train station.

Whilst sitting on the bus I realised my phone was not working, I'd forgotten to look at the map to see exactly where the club was (I knew which Metro station, but that was all) and in an effort to get my phone working again I turned my phone off. I of course forgot that I need a pin to turn my phone back on. A pin I don't know.

So in a moment of brilliance I thought "Oh well, instead of going home I'll just buy a new Sim card." After purchasing the new Sim card, in very bad Russian and very bad reciprocated English, it was only then that I realised I don't have access to anyone else's numbers, and no one knows my new number.

Sometimes I am truly concerned about the lack of thought that goes into some of the things I do.

I set off into the city anyway, not too disheartened by the events that had already unfolded.

I made it to Lubyanka metro station and was heading out of the exit when I heard some girls knocking on the glass booth of the sleeping security guard saying "umm excuse me, do you speak English......?" I turned around and exclaimed "I speak English!" And that is how I met my first Australians in Russia.

I was so excited, if we weren't on an unstable escalator I would have hugged them! The girls, Angela and Ashley (Such normal names!) where heading to a club called Propaganda. I showed them the way and discovered that they were on a tour, with more Australians. Everyone on the tour said that they were a bit over meeting Australians everywhere they go, but I was by far the most enthusiastic one they had met thus far. It was fabulous, I hang out with them for a few hours, but they all eventually dwindled away because of their busy tour scheduled the next day.

I did try to get into club Che to meet up with my Russian friends, but wasn't allowed in (face control can be nasty!)

I decided my night was not over yet, there was bound to be more alcohol waiting in a bar for me somewhere. I walked to Karma bar, but didn't quite make it to the door, when I was stopped. A group of guys were walking out and told me that it wasn't worth going to, but they knew of another really good place. They didn't seem like serial killers so I tagged along with them for the walk to "Papa's". They turned out to be a great bunch of people, they even introduced me to another Aussie, who works at the embassy. We got to Papa's to find a Christmas in July party, complete with fake snow all through the club. It was brilliant fun. When I finally thought it must be getting late and time for me to head home, I stepped outside to be greeted by blazing sunshine, and rouble hungry taxi drivers.

Definitely one of the best Saturday nights I've had in Moscow!

Meeting so many genuinely lovely people last night and making some new friends has certainly lifted my cloud of homesickness that I seem to be under a lot lately.

So another week begins, my goodness where did July go?

I hope all is well at home,

I'm missing everyone lots!

I'm off to continue watching the large fireworks display that is quite literally, next door. Grace has slept through so far, although how exactly I'm not sure.

However until I have more to report on, this is all for now.

Dasvidanya!

Two weeks in Malta

Hello all!

We flew back into Moscow at 4:30am this morning. Not such a fabulous time for a flight with two children aged three and under!

Considering how tired they were though, they did pretty well. However I'm jumping ahead!

Friday the 2nd, the kids and I were getting ready for a walk to the park before having dinner when Baba Sveta comes flying down the stairs with a piece of paper and speaking to me very quickly in Russian. I looked at Billy for a translation but he looked more confused then I did. Upon inspection of the piece of paper it turned out we were flying to Malta Friday night not Saturday night.

I would like to think it was a controlled chaos that broke out in our household after that, but others may use different words. We fed the kids, packed their suitcases, packed our own and headed to the airport. The next morning we were eating breakfast in Malta.

The island of Malta is smaller then the city of Moscow, it is tiny! Despite it's small size, I loved it! It was so normal.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Moscow isn't normal... it's just not my kind of normal.

In Malta they drive on the left hand side, and they don't drive like maniacs.

They all speak English! It was fabulous.

I also found Vegemite and Tim Tams, really, what more needs to be said?

The other fantastic thing was the heat. While the rest of the tourists seemed to be melting, Billy and I were loving it.

The kids and I went swimming nearly everyday and our resort had a fantastic kids club. We hung out there for a few hours most days. Grace was more then happy reclining on a deck chair next to me, with her sun glasses on. Admittedly her sunnies occasionally ended up being chewed on as she is teething, but generally she looked the part of a glamorous girl.

Malta doesn't have sandy beaches, just big rocks. Not like pebbles, actual huge rocks. I'll post pictures on facebook tonight and put the link up.

We did the touristy things, like harbour tours. I found myself with Baba sveta and billy on a Russian tour through Mdina... I found an English tour going in the opposite direction and was tempted to tag along with them but it was more fun oohing and ahhing with the Russian's, and pretending I knew what was going on.

The first week went by and week two began with a house call from a doctor for Billy who had a temperature of 40 and a stomach bug. He was sick for two days and despite my best efforts Grace got sick for two days as well. And what kind of nanny would I be if I didn't get it too?

So for the last two days in Malta I was either in bed or hugging the toilet bowl.

Despite our tummy bug, we had a great time.

The best night was the night of the world cup final. All of Malta was cheering for Spain. After dinner Billy and I headed out onto the streets to join the crowd. We wandered through the packed streets found a spot to see the big screen and cheered along with everyone else. For a three year old, that boy knows how to party! He clapped and yelled "Go Spain GO!" for a good hour.

As we all know though, all good things must come to an end. We headed to the airport with our sleepy, cranky baby and hyper billy. I decided to take Billy for a walk through the airport to use up some of his energy. We ended up playing "security guards" in a book store, using books as phones. Unfortunately the book shelves where only chest height, so everyone could see me talking into my "phone" and no one could see Billy!

As we were taking off, out of our window we could see a huge fireworks display which made for quite a send off. We finally settled down and were almost asleep just to be woken up again and given the most dreadful aeroplane food ever. If you ever fly Air Malta, take your own food!

So now we are home again, and will be back to our normal routine tomorrow.

I was excited to be coming back to Moscow, but was disappointed not to have that "yay I'm home" feeling. I guess I will only feel that when I land in Australia again.

I really loved Malta, but there was one thing not quite right with it, it wasn't quite paradise. It was bugging me that I couldn't figure out what it was that was letting Malta down. Once we got back here I realised straight away. Malta isn't green enough. There aren't enough trees! That is the sole thing I can fault Malta for.

Well I have washing and unpacking to do, and I must search for that packet of Tim Tams that I bought....

So until next time,

Dasvidanya!

Summer in Moscow.

Hello all!

Sorry for the delay in updating my blog. I have been super busy! However due to popular demand and some pushy emails I have found some time to fill you in.

I will leave out my whirl wind experience of coming home and my visa problems and just get straight back to Moscow.

I flew with Thai airways this time and their chairs are a bit more comfortable than emirates, which was nice but I still didn't sleep. I was a delirious mess when I got back. I finally made it through passport control, found my bags and was greeted by Urha, one of our security guards. It took an hour in the car to get home. Moscow seems to be in a constant state of peak hour traffic with all sorts of crazy drivers.

It was a miserable cloudy day, like the very first day I flew into Moscow. The only difference was that everything is so super green. It is amazing how green it is! Russians really know how to make the most of summer too. There are flowers absolutely everywhere it is just beautiful. All the cafes have set up tables outside, on every corner there are people selling flowers and fruit, I even saw someone selling little turtles. I was so very tempted to buy one!

The kids where so excited to see me, which was great. It would have been dreadful if I'd flown all that way to be greeted with shyness or worse, tears! Billy ran and jumped into a big bear like hug and Grace was quick to follow. They filled me in on all their news, we read some books and by then I was just about exhausted. I fell into bed, just to have to get up again to put a blanket over the curtains because it wasn't dark yet, at 10:30pm.

It was great to see Luidmiela again, oh how I missed her Kasha while I was away! The security guards seemed happy to see me too. Although it's a little difficult to pick up on their emotions. Except for Ivan, he smiles and is far to happy for someone who has a gun.

For those of you who are lucky enough to not have had to endure jet lag yet, it is substantially easier travelling back in time, as opposed to gaining time. I recovered almost the day after I was back in Moscow!

The second (or maybe it was the third) night I was back, I headed out to watch the socceroos in the world cup and made some new friends. I'm finding it so much easier to make friends now, I know where to find people who speak English, and I'm really learning my way around now. I haven't been geographically confused once since I have been back!

I headed into the city to see the fountains now that they have been turned on, it's very pretty, I really do enjoy walking around red square and the Kremlin. Absolutely fantastic people watching! I will post some photo's soon.

My social life has pretty much picked up where it left off, which is lovely. Although I am missing one good friend, who had to go back to Belgium. Last Saturday I went out with Anna and one of her friends, she couldn't speak English so poor Anna had to translate for us. We had dinner then went out salsa dancing! I really like salsa, but when I go to Spain, I'm just going to be reminded of Russia, which is a bit backwards, but anyway. We went to a new place called Pancho Villa, it was fabulous, cheap yummy margaritas, great live music and English menus. At one stage there was even a salsa conga line!

I am also pleased that the bus drivers remember me, and the taxi drivers! It is very strange that I am comforted by the fact these middle aged overweight men remember me and like talking to me. I think it's just nice to have people in the area I live in to say hello to, and it's nice to know the taxi drivers are always around the metro if I ever need help. None of them speak any English, yet I know all there names, and I know about there wives and children and they don't over charge me anymore!

Yesterday I went to the movies and watched the documentary "Babies". Please don't make fun of me for that, I am more then aware of how overly maternal I am. The movie lived up to all my expectations, it was really good. I recommend it to everyone. It follows the first year of four babies lives. One baby from America, one in Peru, one in Japan and the other is from Africa. It is fascinating.

After that I did a much more age appropriate activity and went out for dinner and had drinks at an Irish pub.

Next Saturday, I will be boarding a plane to Malta (a tiny island in the Mediterranean). The kids have never been to the beach before, so we are spending two weeks there. I am so unbelievably excited!!

So my next blog update will be after our trip, unless I can pull myself away from the deck chairs to fill you in on my hectic working day.

I hope everyone is fine at home, there are so many people I didn't get to see. I think I will be home again in September, which is really just around the corner. So I'm sure I will get time to catch up with everyone then!

Until next time,

Dasvidanya!