I recently returned from vacation in South Korea. While there, I hiked a “mountain”, ate lots of kimchi, and explored an island to the fullest extent possible. This time, I explored Nizhny Novgorod as much as I could in one day. Here I go…

I woke up trying to get over a cold I recently received but still focused on exploring! The walk to the Kremlin led me to the vegetable stalls along the way to the main boulevard. All of a sudden, I came upon the Kremlin walls “holding back” the noise from the buses whizzing by. I saw an entrance to walk along the wall. I entered the museum to give the woman my ticket. She kept gesturing to all my other tickets I needed to see the rest of the wall. It took me several minutes to figure it out because she kept talking to me in Russian while I kept saying I knew no Russia. Finally, I understood she wanted to tear off all my tickets to the other wall sections. I told her no…that I wanted to give my tickets to the other woman along the path. She gave up and let me go…I felt free to see a museum talking about animals in the area filled with stuffed animals.

I walked the walls. The small outdoor museum of old USSR military vehicles pointed to me. I heard the laughter of Russians enjoying their time…until I made a turn to the deep deep stairs. The woman almost fainting to the ground while being assisted by a man holding a cigarette while they climbed the steps let me know my path was going to turn steeper. It did. Fortunately, I went done but my heart beat hard nonetheless. Of course, I had to stop to take photos…and to rest. This angle and that. My legs congratulated me when I made it to the end!

I left the kremlin grounds towards the Volga River turning a corner. I saw a man lying on the ground very disheveled with blood on the ground from his forehead. I thought the shopkeeper who was outside would call the police b/c the man might have been seriously injured. After about 15 minutes I returned to the area to see him STILL on the ground with no one helping him. All of a sudden, a police car two lanes over moved to be next to him. I thought someone would come soon so watched from afar. 15 minutes later the officer STILL had not left his car and no ambulance showed up. The man was still in the same exact position. I hoped they were going to help the man soon.

Disheartened, I turned away to find solace in a calm, quiet place. I found it at an eclectic restaurant letting me “travel” to a place far from Russian society for a time. Tea to smooth the soul. Scrumptious pork and buttery mashed potato to smooth the human. The artful display made the meal even more healing. The waiter, who was to intern at the Russian Embassy in Germany, had plenty of questions when he found out I worked at the US Embassy. Did I have to report my movements to the Russian govt.? Yes, I do to almost every place I traveled to more than 40 miles outside Moscow. He said he had to as well. I told him the Russian govt. was one of the most restrictive countries I have ever traveled to. He chuckled a bit in shyness while also professing his excitement to join the international sphere with the Russian govt. I wished him luck to then focus on my scrumptious chocolate dessert with my mind still on that man I saw lying on the ground earlier.

I hiked back up the hill after I entered the Kremlin. I passed the kids jumping on the military tanks. I played with a museum’s funky artwork. Then, I couple of museums I vaguely remember with one standing out; the one the wedding party took over. The wedding party followed me from room to room only to stop in a wonderfully artful room where the bride and groom posed “here and there and here and there”. I took photos around their photos. Then I entered the grand ballroom to see they took it over. I sat watching them dance to the camcorder, move to each other for their “grand pose”. All the while the grand molding enveloped them and the mirrors reflected their “grand outfits”. I loved watching them giggle, smile, and prance in a place meant for celebration. 

I returned to my hotel via the pedestrian walkway. People bounced with the excitement of a Saturday night while I meandered with the tiredness of walking all day. Then, I discovered the restaurant to return me to today’s lifestyle. Dance MTV hovered over my booth while I ordered a Russian burger. OK it was with its cooked meat and somewhat stale lettuce, I favored the flavored fries instead; this as I watched the teenage couple sitting in front of me practically inseparable with their crush for one another. Such sweetness of the young!