Round 5: Off to Ekaterinburg June 1 to June 11

[Al_C]

Meanwhile, back in Ekaterinburg (I think that is where this thread started), yes I am here and have been here now for a day and a half.  I had a 14 hour stop in Frankfurt, which was an interesting city.  I know that I promised a post from there, but I wore the laptop battery down on the plane, so I had to wait until I got here so I could charge the damn thing.

But I am here now. my lady and I are having a wonderful time, and it is late at night so I don't want to keep her waiting.

Will post again soon.

[Andrew]

Outsider art.....we don't (in general) in this country go for stuffy do's, however they do occur but let's be honest, things like that are to see what new Benz the Jones's bought and nothing more 
Think we better give this thread back to Al_C .  Apologies.

[Al_C]

Ekaterinbrg City Center:



There are many more photos, but I canonly post so many.

It is a hot day today, 86F (30C) to be specific.  And of course us American air conditioning addicts suffer withdrawl here.  At least it is not humid.

Notwithstanding the heat, I am having a grand time.  My lady is being so attentive to me that it is just blowing my mind!  And to top it off, she is showing me off to her friends.  I think I made a real hit with her.  One of her friends is coming to her apartment tonight, and the two of them plan to cook dinner for me.

One question to the etiquette experts out there:  We went to a concert two days ago on tickets she bought before I arrived.  She is not hurting for money and can afford the tickets, and so can I.  Should I offer to pay for them?  The money is not a problem; I have it.  I am just concerned that she might be insulted if I make such an offer.  Is there a safe, diplomatic way of making the offer?  I don't want her to think of me as cheap, but I also don't want her to think that I believe her to be some sort of rag doll, helpless without my money.  She values her independence, and I find it to be a great quality as well.  What should I do here?

I have some photos of the lady, but I will need her permission before I post them here.

Internet service here is pathetic, at least compared to the Verizon Fios I have at home.  I am on a G3 modem that keeps cutting out.  Oh well!

[Al_C]

With Elena's permission, here are two photos from Thursday, one of her alone and one of the two of us:

[Ade]

With Elena's permission, here are two photos from Thursday, one of her alone and one of the two of us:

Is it just me or do you look a little bemused there?

[SANDRO43]

One question to the etiquette experts out there:  We went to a concert two days ago on tickets she bought before I arrived.  She is not hurting for money and can afford the tickets, and so can I. Should I offer to pay for them?  The money is not a problem; I have it.  I am just concerned that she might be insulted if I make such an offer.  Is there a safe, diplomatic way of making the offer?  I don't want her to think of me as cheap, but I also don't want her to think that I believe her to be some sort of rag doll, helpless without my money. She values her independence, and I find it to be a great quality as well. What should I do here?

Personally, I would not offer to pay for the tickets, but buy her some flowers (or something else) costing roughly as much and attach a note saying at the end something like "... and I hope you enjoy this as I enjoyed the concert with you." .

[UTRO]

Hope the Registration went well? I have gone to see Sveta with Tourist Visas, Private Visas and  Business Visas.... I stayed at her place every time and every time she Registered me at the Post Office. She was called into the Internal Affairs Ministry about 6 weeks after I left last summer and interrogated.... not because of anything over the different Visas I used.... but rather because we failed to realize that we had to mail back the little paper voucher that you carry around with you after registering. Before leaving Elena, make sure you give this back to her to mail back... that is if she was the one who Registered you?

[Al_C]

Hope the Registration went well? I have gone to see Sveta with Tourist Visas, Private Visas and  Business Visas.... I stayed at her place every time and every time she Registered me at the Post Office. She was called into the Internal Affairs Ministry about 6 weeks after I left last summer and interrogated.... not because of anything over the different Visas I used.... but rather because we failed to realize that we had to mail back the little paper voucher that you carry around with you after registering. Before leaving Elena, make sure you give this back to her to mail back... that is if she was the one who Registered you?

Thanks for the tip.  The registration at the post office went like a charm.  As it turns our, Elena had four years of experience working for a marriage agency, so she has all of this down to a science, having done it for the agency's clients in the past many times.

[Al_C]

I'm back home in New York now and still in one piece (although it is 4:30 A.M. and I am up because of the damn time zone shift).

Ekaterinburg is not as developed as the cities I have been to so far (Novo, St. Pete and Moscow), but it has its own charm that was a pleasure to behold.

It was damn hot there, and I am talking 90+ for most of the time.  Fortunately, most of the cars I was driven around in were air conditioned, but home air conditioning has not really caught on there as something people want.  Even folks with the money for it don't have it.

But still Elena and I had a great, productive meeting.  We made a good emotional connection and talked about our expectations of a life together, which were mostly compatible.  She asked many questions about New York, including where work for her skill (teaching English to native Russian speakers) would be.

Now Elena wants to come here for a visit.  I know the odds for her getting a tourist visa are small, but she is determined to try, and there is no harm in the effort.  She seems to think that her present employer, a language school, can push buttons about her need to immerse herself in an American environment to enhance her status with Russian ladies seeking to learn English in order to live in the United States.  If it works, I am all for it.

One hassle that I did not need was that my bank shut down my credit card and my ATM card when I tried to use them, so fast that I did not get even one use out of each.  The only card that did not shut down was American Express, but AE is a white elephant in Ekaterinburg, accepted almost nowhere.  I had to call the 1-800 number from Elena's home phone ($$$) to get the ATM card turned back on.  Lesson learned:  Bring cash.  Forget the plastic.

As to what to see, the city has the usual panopoly of tourist attractions, like the theater, restaurants, stores (including a huge air-conditioned Mega Mall), as well as some unusual ones like the burial place of the last Czar and his family, once hidden during the Soviet era but now treated as a holy shrine.

Pics will come later, since most are still on my camera.  As for now, I am going to the beach for a day of relaxation.  More later . . .

[Taz]

One hassle that I did not need was that my bank shut down my credit card and my ATM card when I tried to use them, so fast that I did not get even one use out of each.  The only card that did not shut down was American Express, but AE is a white elephant in Ekaterinburg, accepted almost nowhere.  I had to call the 1-800 number from Elena's home phone ($$$) to get the ATM card turned back on.  Lesson learned:  Bring cash.  Forget the plastic.

Actually that isn't exactly the lesson that should be learned. The lesson to be learned is inform your card companies before you go. Tell them exactly where you will be and how long you will be gone. Add a one or two day buffer on your return in case you get held up. Call and tell them when you have returned.

I of course take cash as well. I use mostly cash as I hate using cards any more than possible because of all the extra fees BUT you better have one or two as a backup...