Getting to Moscow, June 15-15

Herb dropped me at CWA so that I could get on the10:30 flight to Chicago.  right away things got tight when an American flight was delayed. This caused several passengers to jump ship and go on United.  this made flying standby not a good idea as I did have a deadline and could couldn't wait around for an open seat so I bought tickets to Chicago on American and to New York on Delta.  The flight to Chicago went fine.  I fund the gate for the flight to New York and waited.  In the meantime, the weather in Chicago and others parts became quite stormy with lots of rain and lightening.  Ohare airport actually closed down for a while.  Just as I went to check the departures board, I got a call from Herb to say that Delta had called our house and indicated that my flight was cancelled.  When I checked the airport departures board I saw that many flights were cancelled.  Delta had rebooked me to New York through Minneapolis arriving in New York the next day at 6:30. This would cause me to miss my flight to Moscow. I called Delta's help desk and finally got flights that would get me to JFK in time for the Moscow flight.  I had to take a cab to Midway airport on the other end of Chicago and at 6 am fly to Atlanta and then to JFK at 12:57 in time for flight to Moscow if all were on time.  Fat chance that would happen so I then spent over an hour on the phone with Gate 1 Travel getting flight to Moscow changed to five hours later.  It was after midnight by the time I got to Midway airport and the flight to Atlanta was already at 6 am so I sat it out with many others in the same dilemma. Lo and behold my flights to both Atlanta and JFK were right on time so I was on time for the flight which I had changed to later.  With Betsy help at JFK before I arrived, I was able to run over to terminal 1, plead with Aeroflot to change my ticket back and get to the gate as the plane was boarding.  At JFK the terminals are not connected so if you have to change terminals, you go through security again.

This picture is a selfie I took at ohare of a very helpful and friendly worker and a young girl from Maryland trying to take her grandma to Milwaukee to visit family.  She and grandma ended up on a bus and a trip that should have been quick and easy became an ordeal.  

 

The flight on Aeroflot was great and on time.  We were met at the airport by a driver who took betsy and I took our lovely Marriott hotel in Moscow.

We headed out for a walk as we would not meet our tour till tonight.  Our hotel is only about a mile from red square so we decided to take a walk.  This is an entrance to a subway station and also underground way to cross the street. Nice decorations!  The pigeons liked them too.

 

 

Above and below are some pictures from red square.  Temp is in low 50s and a bit of rain.  

 

This is a beautifully built wall around the kremlin.

 

Found a shop with Russian souvenirs 

 

Nice hats for sale

 

Tomb of the unknown soldier just outside the kremlin 

 

We needed an ice cream after all that walking. Delicious chocolate cone for 50 rubles, about $1. Our first bargain

 

As we finished our lunch we asked our waitress. For the bathroom.  She gave us these tickets so we could use the bathroom for free.   If was a bit away from the restaurant.  If no ticket, it will cost you 40 rubles.

 

This is one of our new friends 

 

Russian beer with lunch.  Quite good.

 

Tonight we meet the rest of our group and will have dinner with them in the hotel.