I caught 'Stalin' sneaking in to the Ohotniy Ryad Metro Station with two cappuccinos this morning - like Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell at Disneyland, everyone wants a photo with him and 'Lenin'. I had some time before my presentation and decided to make my "must see" stop at Red Square. Tourists and locals alike still line up to see the real "Lenin under glass" in the mausoleum near the Kremlin walls. They now, however have to go through metal detectors near one of the Kremlin Towers first. I stood in line my first trip to Russia and that was enough for me.There was a lot of construction next to the GUM (the State Department Sore) side of the square, but not much else has changed. 
I was picked up by Ekaterina, one of the TsAGI press attaches, in a very shiny Audi SUV. It took 45 minutes to get across town to the TsAGI Moscow offices. Since I had a PowerPoint from a couple of UVU classes I taught earlier on, I was able to modify it for this presentation.
The ladies from TsAGI came into Moscow just for this meeting - about two hours away. They all seemed to enjoy learning about my Olympic and Dignitary hosting experiences...I have enough stories to fill an hour, but held back the urge. They were not surprised when I told them that Russia was the most "demanding" of all the countries I managed.
Anna walked me to the Metro station and then offered to show me around Moscow for awhile. We decided to see the Christ the Savior Cathedral. It closed at 6pm and we just missed it, so all that was left to do was wander the gardens and the bridge over the Moscow River. Tired legs carried to the metro. I picked up a few piroski - cabbage, potato, and cheremuha berries - for dinner and settled back into "monastery life" at the hotel.
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