Vikings, Tyrants, Tsars...oh, my!: 06/02/10

Despite all her preventative efforts, Linda came down with a virulent bug during the night. Quite possibly food poisoning. Probably should not have had the Halibut and Asparagus with Chernobyl lard sauce. Feeling deathly ill, the last thing she wanted to do was get on a plane for 11 hours the following morning. But Jerry packed her up, dragged her to the airport and got her onto the plane where she slept as much as possible during the flight home. You could say it was a very unforgettable last day.

"Are we there yet?"

We started planning this trip last Fall and – boom! – it’s now come and gone. What a whirlwind! Eight countries in 22 days. From Germany to Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, to Russia (the highlight of our entire trip) then Eastern European countries of Belarus, Lithuania and Poland.

Eight languages.
Two visas: Russia, Belarus.
Eight modes of transportation: bus, ferry, overnight cruise ship, canal boat, metro, high-speed bullet train, taxi, airplane.
5-star hotels and one 0-star Bates motel.
Seven types of currency: Euro, Krone, Krona, Ruble, Belarussian ruble, Litas, Zloty.
Thousands of digital photos.
Orthodox priests, scarved babushkas, Russian dancers, lounge singers, accordion players, border inspectors, KGB, WC coin collectors, one drag queen.
Bounty brand toilet paper, squat-and-pee toilets, one outhouse, WCs, pay-toilets, BYOTP.
Pig’s Knuckles, wurst, pickled herring, wiener schnitzel, Russian caviar, borscht, stroganoff, meat-stuffed potato dumplings, pierogi, fried lard spread, lots of seasonal asparagus, lots of potatoes.
Beer, schnaps, wine, aquavit, lager, champagne, vodka, vodka, vodka - oh, yeah, and Pepsi.
A gamut of history, castles, cathedrals, palaces, ships, museums, food, music, people and culture.