Season II, Episode 1: East Bound ‘N Down
A recent time ago, in a town far, far away DW and I met Candidate #3, a little boy almost 13 months old. Before we returned from Orenburg to Chicago, we signed what looked to us like a petition to adopt him.
Two months of waiting passed. Then the phone rang with an agency representative on the line. “You are scheduled to be in court on June 7. You will leave for Moscow on June 3 or 4.” We had a moment of
anticipation - eagerness tinged with skepticism that this was for real, not just some cruel trick. True enough, the hearing date is authentic and we started preparing to depart.
With just our luck, our 90-day double entry business visas expired just a few days after our estimated date to depart from Russia. So we sent our passports to our agency along with new visa applications. As you would expect, we spent much on the next two weeks preparing for our return to Orenburg.
On June 3 we headed for O'Hare Airport and boarded a Lufthansa Flight LH 431 on a 747-400 bound for Frankfurt. Our travel agent was able to get us business class tickets for a little less than the price of the exclusive photography rights to the Hilton-Lasts wedding. We sat in a bulkhead row of three seats. I lucked out and drew the middle seat. However, when the door closed, the gentleman to my right got up and moved into an empty row behind him. I hopped into the aisle seat he just left faster than a Michael Jackson juror looking for a literary agent.
The flight to Frankfurt was uneventful, except that the power outlets at the seats in our row did not work. The battery on our DVD player was dead so it would only play audio. Our DVD player needs battery power even when plugged in. I’m guessing it always runs off the battery and re-charges at the same time if plugged in while playing. I couldn’t re-charge in our row so I scrounged an empty seat a few rows back with an operational outlet, plugged-in, left the DVD player to charge, and returned to my seat to try to get some sleep.
Unlike our first trip, I did not get much sleep. I reclined my seat, put on the blinders, and stared off into the blackness trying to empty my mind. It took me a long time to fall asleep, but I did lose all sense of time. At least the blinders worked well. DW got me a pair made out of that Tempurpedic material at Brookstone. They really conform to the contours of my face, especially the upper part of my cheeks and do a very good job keeping the light out.
Finally I fell a sleep. Not long after I awoke to the sound of people walking around and serving breakfast. Just coffee and a couple of croisssants for me. BTW, they served excellent coffee.
About 90 minutes later we landed in Frankfurt. The Frankfurt airport is big. Our flight from O'Hare arrived at gate B11 and our flight to Moscow departed from Gate C59. We laid over in Frankfurt for about two hours. The main part of the “B” terminal is pretty good. It has lots of dining, including McDonalds, and shopping, duty-free being the mainstay. And they accept US Dollars, at least at the Press Relay news-stand and convenience store.
A couple of hours later we were boarded a bus to go out to our aircraft for Lufthansa Flight #3182 to Moscow. Note here that this bus was pretty roomy and had ample seating. That’s a big difference from the busses that ferry passengers from the terminal to the ramp at Russian airports. There we at least two other pairs of PAP’s aboard our bus. Not wan wanting to intrude, we didn’t talk to them however. If you’re reading this, please send me a PM.
The flight from Frankfurt to Moscow took approximately three hours. We flew in the business once again, but its really just economy class with the middle seat left open and a little more food and beverage service. All in all, not worth the extra fare for a three hour trip on. I listened to lesson 26 of Pimsleur's Russian II on my iPod and watched the first half of the original Smokey and the Bandit on the DVD player.
As we approached Moscow, the anticipation started to build. With deplaning, passport control, baggage claim, customs, etc., it's an anxious time. DW and worked out a few techniques to contain the anxiety of international transportation.
First, to ensure we have everything with us as we prepare to leave some stopping point (e.g., security check-point, passport control, airline check-in) we've given a number to each bag among our compliment of luggage. We've split the bags between us and given each respective bag a number. We numbered the bags increasing with the size of each bag. DW's purse is her bag #1, her backpack #2, etc.
Before we leave any stopping point, we each count off our respective bags and touch the applicable bag as we count it off. We found this to be quick, easy and does a good job of ensuring nothing gets left behind. I assure you, a hasty “got everything?” before moving on is sooner or later (more likely sooner) to be followed shortly by an “oh sh*t!! I forgot my [__________] at the [___________].”
Second, I wore those travel cargo trousers with pockets on the side of the leg; the GRT model manufactured by Columbia. They're great for carrying a lot of things in easy reach and the leg pockets are easy to get into while sitting in an airline seat and good for holding boarding passes, etc. They are also easy to wash and dry fast. Moreover, they have a secret hip pocket on the left side with a zipper for concealment and security.
The hidden pocket is good for passports, nicely balancing concealment and easy access. Now I know some of you are thinking “they told me to have all that in a money-belt”. Well those of you who've been to Russia already know how often you need to present your passport, especially on a second trip when you go to official to official for document after document. Instead of looking like DW and I were suffering from the worst case of the crabs ever or digging through our respective tops like chimps scratching their underarms while trying to get into a money-belt, I just un-zipped the secret pocket, withdrew our passports, and presented them to the applicable official.
We landed at Sheremyetevo II (Шереметево II), deplaned, and met the “fast-track” representative we hired through Andrei Belitsky's VIP-Lite service at Peace Travel. Our “fast-track” representative took us to the front of the passport control line and we breezed through to baggage claim much to the irritation of our former aircraftmates still standing in queue at passport control.
Because our aircraft from Frankfurt had few other passengers, “fast track” service probably was not necessary. But who knew when we bought the tickets and hired Peace Travel's “fast-track” service. We sure needed it on trip #1 when we arrived on Аерофлот from JFK. Two suggestions if you decide to use a “fast-track” service:
1. When you reserve your VIP-Lite service, tell Andrei at Peace Travel that you would like the adoptive parent discount. It's usually $10/person off of the $90/person price.
2. Ensure that whomever is picking you up at the airport knows you are using "fast-track" service through passport control and customs. This is so they know to expect you to emerge from passport control and customs rapidly and they calculate that speed into their arrival at the airport to meet you.
3. Ask your fast track representative to deliver you to whomever is picking you up at the airport after you emerge from customs. If you have the mobile phone number for the lady or gentleman coming to the airport to pick you up, they have not yet appeared, and if you don’t have a mobile phone that works in Russia, your “fast-track” representative can call your pick-up for you. That way you won’t take the chance of being left alone in the airport.
In the next episode, Nungesser and DW drive from SVO II to the New Arbat Street (ул. Арбат Новый), search for a Stardogs, stroll Old Arbat Steet (ул. Арбат Старая)and New Arbat Street, eat Cossack Saussage, Shop at the Seven Continents, an afternoon at Pasha's dacha (Дача Паша), a visit to the Moscow Country Club, and arrival in Orenburg (Оренбург).
Nungesser and DW in the Frankfurt Airport, Terminal B
Two months of waiting passed. Then the phone rang with an agency representative on the line. “You are scheduled to be in court on June 7. You will leave for Moscow on June 3 or 4.” We had a moment of
anticipation - eagerness tinged with skepticism that this was for real, not just some cruel trick. True enough, the hearing date is authentic and we started preparing to depart.
With just our luck, our 90-day double entry business visas expired just a few days after our estimated date to depart from Russia. So we sent our passports to our agency along with new visa applications. As you would expect, we spent much on the next two weeks preparing for our return to Orenburg.
On June 3 we headed for O'Hare Airport and boarded a Lufthansa Flight LH 431 on a 747-400 bound for Frankfurt. Our travel agent was able to get us business class tickets for a little less than the price of the exclusive photography rights to the Hilton-Lasts wedding. We sat in a bulkhead row of three seats. I lucked out and drew the middle seat. However, when the door closed, the gentleman to my right got up and moved into an empty row behind him. I hopped into the aisle seat he just left faster than a Michael Jackson juror looking for a literary agent.
The flight to Frankfurt was uneventful, except that the power outlets at the seats in our row did not work. The battery on our DVD player was dead so it would only play audio. Our DVD player needs battery power even when plugged in. I’m guessing it always runs off the battery and re-charges at the same time if plugged in while playing. I couldn’t re-charge in our row so I scrounged an empty seat a few rows back with an operational outlet, plugged-in, left the DVD player to charge, and returned to my seat to try to get some sleep.
Unlike our first trip, I did not get much sleep. I reclined my seat, put on the blinders, and stared off into the blackness trying to empty my mind. It took me a long time to fall asleep, but I did lose all sense of time. At least the blinders worked well. DW got me a pair made out of that Tempurpedic material at Brookstone. They really conform to the contours of my face, especially the upper part of my cheeks and do a very good job keeping the light out.
Finally I fell a sleep. Not long after I awoke to the sound of people walking around and serving breakfast. Just coffee and a couple of croisssants for me. BTW, they served excellent coffee.
About 90 minutes later we landed in Frankfurt. The Frankfurt airport is big. Our flight from O'Hare arrived at gate B11 and our flight to Moscow departed from Gate C59. We laid over in Frankfurt for about two hours. The main part of the “B” terminal is pretty good. It has lots of dining, including McDonalds, and shopping, duty-free being the mainstay. And they accept US Dollars, at least at the Press Relay news-stand and convenience store.
A couple of hours later we were boarded a bus to go out to our aircraft for Lufthansa Flight #3182 to Moscow. Note here that this bus was pretty roomy and had ample seating. That’s a big difference from the busses that ferry passengers from the terminal to the ramp at Russian airports. There we at least two other pairs of PAP’s aboard our bus. Not wan wanting to intrude, we didn’t talk to them however. If you’re reading this, please send me a PM.
The flight from Frankfurt to Moscow took approximately three hours. We flew in the business once again, but its really just economy class with the middle seat left open and a little more food and beverage service. All in all, not worth the extra fare for a three hour trip on. I listened to lesson 26 of Pimsleur's Russian II on my iPod and watched the first half of the original Smokey and the Bandit on the DVD player.
As we approached Moscow, the anticipation started to build. With deplaning, passport control, baggage claim, customs, etc., it's an anxious time. DW and worked out a few techniques to contain the anxiety of international transportation.
First, to ensure we have everything with us as we prepare to leave some stopping point (e.g., security check-point, passport control, airline check-in) we've given a number to each bag among our compliment of luggage. We've split the bags between us and given each respective bag a number. We numbered the bags increasing with the size of each bag. DW's purse is her bag #1, her backpack #2, etc.
Before we leave any stopping point, we each count off our respective bags and touch the applicable bag as we count it off. We found this to be quick, easy and does a good job of ensuring nothing gets left behind. I assure you, a hasty “got everything?” before moving on is sooner or later (more likely sooner) to be followed shortly by an “oh sh*t!! I forgot my [__________] at the [___________].”
Second, I wore those travel cargo trousers with pockets on the side of the leg; the GRT model manufactured by Columbia. They're great for carrying a lot of things in easy reach and the leg pockets are easy to get into while sitting in an airline seat and good for holding boarding passes, etc. They are also easy to wash and dry fast. Moreover, they have a secret hip pocket on the left side with a zipper for concealment and security.
The hidden pocket is good for passports, nicely balancing concealment and easy access. Now I know some of you are thinking “they told me to have all that in a money-belt”. Well those of you who've been to Russia already know how often you need to present your passport, especially on a second trip when you go to official to official for document after document. Instead of looking like DW and I were suffering from the worst case of the crabs ever or digging through our respective tops like chimps scratching their underarms while trying to get into a money-belt, I just un-zipped the secret pocket, withdrew our passports, and presented them to the applicable official.
We landed at Sheremyetevo II (Шереметево II), deplaned, and met the “fast-track” representative we hired through Andrei Belitsky's VIP-Lite service at Peace Travel. Our “fast-track” representative took us to the front of the passport control line and we breezed through to baggage claim much to the irritation of our former aircraftmates still standing in queue at passport control.
Because our aircraft from Frankfurt had few other passengers, “fast track” service probably was not necessary. But who knew when we bought the tickets and hired Peace Travel's “fast-track” service. We sure needed it on trip #1 when we arrived on Аерофлот from JFK. Two suggestions if you decide to use a “fast-track” service:
1. When you reserve your VIP-Lite service, tell Andrei at Peace Travel that you would like the adoptive parent discount. It's usually $10/person off of the $90/person price.
2. Ensure that whomever is picking you up at the airport knows you are using "fast-track" service through passport control and customs. This is so they know to expect you to emerge from passport control and customs rapidly and they calculate that speed into their arrival at the airport to meet you.
3. Ask your fast track representative to deliver you to whomever is picking you up at the airport after you emerge from customs. If you have the mobile phone number for the lady or gentleman coming to the airport to pick you up, they have not yet appeared, and if you don’t have a mobile phone that works in Russia, your “fast-track” representative can call your pick-up for you. That way you won’t take the chance of being left alone in the airport.
In the next episode, Nungesser and DW drive from SVO II to the New Arbat Street (ул. Арбат Новый), search for a Stardogs, stroll Old Arbat Steet (ул. Арбат Старая)and New Arbat Street, eat Cossack Saussage, Shop at the Seven Continents, an afternoon at Pasha's dacha (Дача Паша), a visit to the Moscow Country Club, and arrival in Orenburg (Оренбург).
Nungesser and DW in the Frankfurt Airport, Terminal B
DW at the "Golden Arches", Frankfurt Airport, Terminal B
Nungesser at the "Golden Arches", Frankfurt Airport, Terminal B
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