minats_zone

Hi there, It was an unforgettable experience when three of us - Marina, Kostya and myself went to Sergiev Posad for blessing yesterday. It took us almost 6 hours plus the drive there and back so we got back home by late in the evening. My overall impression was really strong and very good as the priest (Otsets German) really does wonders to people. He read prayers, gave his comments on them and used holy water and a cross to drive all evil spirits from people away. He is all Moscow (and, probably,Russia) famous person and lots of people gathered there for this procedure. He does not charge any money for that and I'm really glad we still have such priests in Russia. I think they do a great job helping people with many problems, including health problems....

Hello everybody, It's 3 days now since we got back home from SF CA. The flight was smooth but really tiring as we had to change in Atlanta and after 5 hours of the first leg we continued flying another 10 hours to Moscow. But the good news is that we got our baggage in Sheremetievo quickly and were driven straight to our dacha by Stanislav's chauffeur. Moscow met us with a sunny day which, however, was folllowed by grey skies and cool weather. But we're used to it here and I don't complain. It's promised that an Indian autumn is on its way... We're still recovering from a jet lag (11 hours of time difference!) and this has proved to be not so easy when you get from West to East. Love all my holiday recollections and miss all of you...

Hello, These days we are very busy doing both interesting and unusual things. Yesterday it was our trip to Muir Woods (Red Woods) which are families of Giant sequoias of different age. Some trees look almost dead but other look pretty young. We took a trail going uphill and spent 2,5 hours hiking but didn't reach the 'Ocean View', though it was promised at the beginning. The trails are steep and we were wearing wrong shoes (sandals) so we failed to continue. Hopefully, next time we'll do it as the place is really unique. We even saw deers in the woods and they are not afraid of people. Well, today we've had a big brunch with Andy's family in Berkley, at the seafront restaurant. It was booked for us by Andy's Dad and Mom. We went there through the 7-mile Bay Bridge where we took some photos. The brunch was really good and the family seemed to be very friendly and welcoming. Andy looks like his Mom but his brother Anthony - like their Dad. We ate brunch walke

Hey there, Our visit to San Diego is already over and I must admit it was amazing!!! We arrived there by UA on Saturday morning and flew back to SF on Tuesday morning. Everything we saw there was really very interesting and unusual. On arrival we hired a car (Cruiser) and Olia was a driver. We didn't have GPS so it was a bit confusing to drive around but then Olia got used and she could drive around easily. The city is pretty big and it spreads out for long distances. To put the long story about our stay there short, I'll try to mention the most impressive places we visited: SD Zoo (world famous!), Coronado Island and the beach, Mission Beach, Little Italy (with lots of Italian places for eating),Las Americas shopping area (just next to the boarder with Mexico) and Seafront Village, just in the downtown SD. As for the Zoo, it may take several days to learn about it better, but we had only one day within which we managed to see some major things - Pandas in the Zoo are few and w

Hey there, After some foggy and windy days in SF, it was so nice to plunge into the warmth of Santa Cruz, which is some 65-70 miles to the south of SF. First we passed San Joze, the capital of Silicon Valley, then started pushing through a twisty uphill road . Though it was pretty narrow and had only two lanes on either side, we reached Santa Cruze within 1 hour. The place itself is very interesting. I think it's for a summer vocation and entertainment as there are big rides like rollercoasters,big wheels and other attractions just on the beach. However, people don't swim in the ocean there as the water is rather cold. I saw few people swimming in wet suits and riding the boats, though. We walked around for a while and had a nice lunch in the seafood restaurant. This trip was really good as we enjoyed the sun, splendid view and good food there. Now we're looking forward to going to San Diego for three days with Olia as she managed to have some days off work. We're flyin

Hey, there, It was a big day yesterday - Olia's birthday. Since morning she has been cleaning and tydying the flat expecting guests, but we ended up going to the restaurant in the center of SF which serves international cuisine. We drove there by our rented car - KIA Spectra. Slava and I decided to return home earlier than Olia and all friends, who continued later on, well beyond the midnight. The food there was really great but the service was a bit primitive (waitresses not very smart and gracious). I exp[ected more eleborate service in such a restaurant in SF. Anyway, we spent a great time there and returned safely home by car using GPS as it was very late. The GPS took us through fog and mist of July SF. Now I'm very happy we got GPS with a car. Happy birtday, Olia. You are a good daughter!!! And I'm a lucky Mum...