When I was young, it was the end of the cold war and Russia was a country to be afraid of. In my imagination it was a dark grey country, cold and war-torn. People lined up for bread and other groceries which were scarce and next to impossible to afford. The threat of war or attack from the Russians was something we were definitely aware of- whether it was a real possibility or not.So, even 20 some years later, to hear I would be going to Russia- Krasnodar to be specific- raised a number of different thoughts and concerns. I knew of course the Russia I had heard of had seen a lot of change over the years, but the unknown is just that- unknown. That's why travel is such a good thing- travel opens our eyes to other possibilities, other thoughts, cultures and priorities.
Travel into Russia was the first challenge. Corrupt baggage handlers/ check-in personnel/ airport workers nabbed us for "overweight luggage" and although there was an exorbitant fee for said extra luggage, they- the people at check-in could handle that for us IF we wanted to pay them in Russian rubles or even better "Euros". I am unhappy to say that we did pay the extra fees as it is next to impossible to complain- report- or prove otherwise when you don't speak the language.
On our way to the terminal where we would catch the plane to Krasnodar, the airport bus we were on pretty much blew up- smoke roiling out of the back of the bus, oil leaking everywhere. We ended up walking the rest of the way to the terminal baggage in tow- of, and it was what 5:30 in the morning.
Our hotel, a major high rise building across from a major theatre,
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