Moscow then Tula

Moscow is a wonderful city but there are more soldiers, guards and watchmen keeping eyes on me and my video camera than Fort Knox. I'm usually guilty of being the voyeur and peeping through windows and doors but here I am, the subject being studied closely. What a turn of tides. Still, there's no denying how commercial and cosmopolitan this city in just 16 years. There's all the worst of our fatty American fast food restaurants like KFC, McDonalds and Sabbaro's. There's all the best of the world's posh boutique runway stores like Prada, Louis Vuitton and all things Paris. There's all things individualized like tattoos, pierced noses, chains, goth dress and purple hair.

Following our short stay in Moscow we headed for the reason were here - Tula. Albany and Tula, Russia are sister cities that share in learning about each other's heritage, culture and traditions. Moreover, it's a city learning how to make democracy work by observing Albany in action, how we have grown, matured and developed over 2 centuries.

Tula took about 3 hours to drive to early Wednesday morning. Gas stations are a new novelty for Russians - many who learned to navigate the country after the fall of communism. Surprisingly, gas is priced equivalent to ours despite the abundance of reserves they export. When I asked about global warming and alternative fuel sources the young people agreed that "the U.S. created the problem and now they should solve it.". I swallowed my pride and admitted that they were right.

Today (Thursday) was full of surprises that shattered many preconceived notions. But you'll have to wait till tomorrow because my 5 shots of Vodka are catching up with me and my brain is spinning out of control. Until I'm sober again, dobre vieche!