Travel day from Munich Aug 23

Tuesday, August 23

We wake up early, about 4:00 AM, still on jet lag time.  We finished packing and went down to the lobby to use the internet, checking e-mails and to write the blog.  The checkout clerk Barbara Wolff is the person who called and put pressure on the airline to get our bag found and delivered to the Sheraton.  We expressed our gratitude.  We do a final room check, collect articles for departure and almost forget the mouse pad.  We leave the hotel about 6:30 AM, luggage in tow and Barbara informs us about the lift to the underground.  Further, she tells us to take the underground not the Bahn.  Because of construction, the S7 train is not always running.  Lucky information for us. 

At the underground level, David gets turned around and has to look at the map to be reminded which direction we want to travel.  Bonnie, always the navigator, convinces us that her way is the right way.  We board the U5 and ride 1 stop past the train station as Barbara suggested.  People all around us are ready for work, more dressed up than over the weekend.  Women are wearing heels

We walk some distance to the lift and up 1 floor to the S Bahn level and find the platform for S1.  David is worried about our perhaps expired train ticket.  This is the one we purchased for 10 euros (normally 19.95 euros) from someone on day 1 while traveling from the airport to Munich.  He shows it to 2 women Bahn employees by pressing it against the window of the train station ticket office.  They tell him that it is expired and one of the women came out of the booth and took David up stairs to buy a 19.95 euro ticket to get us both to the airport.  We acknowledge her kindness and wait for the train.  By the way, we are not checked by anyone for our ticket while riding the subway for the days invalid.  The S8 is obviously the airport train and there are lots of people with luggage jamming up the seating area.  We leave my bags near the exit door from the train.  Folks are on and off the train at every stop.  We are now out in the open countryside, but still seeing large office complexes and other buildings near the train.  We pass field of corn and mown hay, and then see another set of buildings. 

Arriving at the station, we all get off as it is the end of the line.  We take our bags up the escalator.  David asks for the Air Berlin counters location.  He is directed to terminal 1 section A, a long walk through the terminal.  We find the Air Berlin counter and start to wait in the wrong line.  I see a sign “checked bags for ticket holders.”  David asks an agent who gives us one of those looks and sends us to the international area where we are checked in for obviously international travel to Moscow.  It is amazing how many ways Moscow is spelled.  The line is long, but moves quickly.  Some people crowd in and David is annoyed, but quiet.  He is worried that we have too many bags when the young woman in front of us is instructed to consolidate her luggage before a boarding pass is issued.  The agent issues our boarding pass, is friendly and tags our two big bags.  We each have two other carry-ons plus my small fanny pack.  David puts my fanny pack in his back pack and we all leave happy.  We wait in the security line.  The female attendant is not friendly and barks orders, “Don’t put your bag in plastic bins, send them through on the belt.”  We take off jackets, but do not have to remove shoes.  We pass silently through the metal detector, but even so, we are met by people who wand us and pat us down.  The agent has David get out the camera so he can look through it.  He also checks the laptop.  David feels thoroughly violated. 

We stop by a little coffee shop near the gate.  I fill my water bottle in the restroom.  I order a warm apple strudel for breakfast.  David has a breakfast sausage sandwich.  We thought it all tasted pretty good.  We moved to the gate with some disagreement about where to sit.  A child in the boarding area is unruly and continues his misbehavior on the flight.  The attendant sells earphones for 3 euros, but I have one stashed away.  The video monitor repeatedly shows an ad for a “Shadow” show.  Finally they show a “Goofy” cartoon about an Olympic event, but then revert back to the “Shadow” ads.  I feel very restless on this flight.  They served free sandwiches, either cheese or sausage.  People clapped when we landed.  We are given chocolate as we leave the plane. 

We go through Russian immigration; the agent asks why I am in Russia?  Then where I traveled from and my method of travel.  Silly question in that we are in an airport, ??  She asked if I had another pass port.  I don’t know where she was headed with this interrogation, but when David stepped up to the next window, the agent compared thoughts and let us through.  Without David I might still be answering questions.  At baggage claim, my bag was one of the last off the plan.  We began to worry about it being lost, but it finally appeared.  We walked through customs in the “nothing to declare” lane without incident, then walked the gauntlet of taxi drivers looking for business and tour representatives with their signs, but saw no one looking for us.  David went back a second time and saw no one.  I walked through again and by this time our driver had arrived with David’s name on his sign.  He helped us to the lift (elevator) down to parking level and out to his car.  His job is professional driver, is married and has a 1year old daughter Elena.  His English is not good, but he tries to point out churches, Moscow river and government buildings.  He is studying English on the internet.  He is an officer in the Army reserves.  He likes sports, soccer but knows nothing of the NFL. 

The drive across Moscow takes over 2 hours.  Traffic is terrible; drivers cut each other off and move into lanes without signaling.  We have several close calls.  The driver says there are 4  million cars in Moscow, most of them in front of us as we try endlessly to get to the ship.  The driver says that the traffic is bad because there is a fire somewhere on the route.  At last he says “we are here” and drives through a wooded park like area to the river where many cruise ships are docked.  Our boat is called “Russ” and we do not see the name, but he helps us unload luggage while a women with a cruise director’s badge comes to show us that we need to walk across the ship closest to the dock, to reach our ship sitting on the other side.  She says, “Everyone is waiting for you” and I think we are late, but the reception desk is crowded.  People jostle each other rudely.  We get our key but find that we are not with a tour group but instead traveling independently.  They finally find our reservation. 

We check out the cabin.  The AC is noisy.  The bed is marginally long enough for David.  We explore the ship and go topside for something to drink while we look at the Moscow canal, which is the waterway our ship is on, and chat with other travelers. 

Dinner will be at 8:00PM so we head back to the cabin to unpack.  We head to dinner and have to make some effort to find our assigned spot.  The hostess has all the passengers listed in her cell phone.  She walks us to a table that she says will be ours for the duration of the cruise.  David greets the waitress and she brings an appetizer, ham rolls stuffed with tomatoes and potatoes.  Very tasty.  There are 2 kinds of bread.  The second course was consommé with flower shaped croutons.  Entre is chicken breast in cream sauce.  Dessert is a banana flan served in a pretty dessert glass.  After dinner we have a meeting to learn about optional tours.  Two conflict. I am disappointed to miss out on the Russian Dance Show, but it is at the same time as the Russia By Night Tour.  We get ready for bed and crash!!