We have been home for over a week and miss our soon-to-be daughter. The judge in Voronezh has given us a lot of additional paperwork that must be completed prior to our court date and return trip.

We had a great time on our trip. We quickly learned how illiterate we were! We expected Russia to be more suited for American guests. We were wrong. It is very difficult to get around if you do not speak Russian.

Moscow
Our weather was perfect. Most days the temperature was at or above 70 degrees, though it cooled off at night. The temperature plummeted to 35 degrees (during the day) on our last day in Moscow. We were met at the airport by our Michael, our Moscow host. He took us to a place to exchange some US Dollars for Russian Roubles. At the time of our visit, the exchange rate was roughly 23.5 Roubles to the dollar. We had a few hours before our train, so he brought us to a long street that is an open air mall. This mall is actually 3.5 miles long. We saw a group of Hare Krishna's singing (there is a photo in the slide show). We did the touristy thing and ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe (check out the picture of the Heinz ketchup bottle in the slide show).

We needed bottled water for our 12 hour train ride and found a little store near where we parked. We grabbed 3 bottles of water. Imagine the look on David's face when he took a swig of water and discovered that the water was actually seltzer. Brushing our teeth with seltzer was another interesting experience.

The Train to Voronezh
Michael brought us to the train. Our sleeper compartment would fit inside most people's closets. The windows did not open nor was the air conditioning turned on (though it looked like there were A/C ducts). We are amazed that our cell phones never lost service despite traveling through rural areas. David did not sleep very well on the train.

Voronezh
When we arrived in Voronezh, our guide Ludmilla and our driver Alex came on board to help us with our bags and drove us to our hotel where we could finally shower after nearly 2 1/2 days of travel. When we came downstairs Ludmila showed us a picture of our baby girl.

Our first requirement was to visit the Ministry of Education where we needed to sign a document giving us authorization to visit the orphanage. They also showed us an updated picture. We were also introduced to Ludmila, our interpreter. Yes ... we had 2 Ludmilas (Ludmila 1 and Ludmila 2).

We crowded into a very small Chevrolet import and made the 30 minute drive on roads that had holes that were so big, they actually looked like craters. We finally arrived at the baby home.
It is in a rural, wooded location. The grounds are picturesque and appear to be well maintained.

We were directed to the room where we met the child we flew 5,000 miles to meet. Our daughter was placed on a chair. It actually took a few moments for us to realize they brought our baby into the room. There was no fanfare ... they simply put her in a chair and she sat there like a doll. We were not fully aware of her arrival as the doctor was explaining about her medical background.

Even though it was 70 degrees outside, the staff would not open the windows or doors in the meeting room. They prefer to keep the children warm. Our little girl was dressed in a knitted sweater and hat. She also had several layers of clothing underneath.

We spent an hour with her and had to leave because it was her feeding time. It was one of our best hours. We came back the next day. She appeared to recognize us on the second day. We spent another wonderful hour with Ilyssa.

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM FOR A PHOTO SLIDESHOW.