ALOHA EVERYONE!!!
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY LAST BLOG, AS I WAS WRITING AND UPLOADING PICS AND VIDEOS, THE FLASHBACK WAS REALLY COMING TO ME HARD AND I TRULY WENT INTO MEMORY LANE AND TO ME THAT IS WHAT I STRIVE FOR WHEN I TRAVEL, TO CREATE HAPPY MEMORIES FOR LIFE!!!
SO NOW I WILL BLOG MORE ABOUT MY MOSCOW TRIP. SO MY PREVIOUS BLOG I SHARED AND SPOKE ABOUT MY FRIENDSHIP WITH ANDREW AND ELVIRA. DURING OUR MANY CONVERSATIONS THAT EVENING, ANDREW ASKED IF I WAS FREE THE EVENING AFTER AND I SAID I CAN BE FREE, WHATS UP???
I WAS INVITED BY ANDREW AND ELVIRA TO HAVE DINNER AT THEIR PLACE.
SO I'LL SHARE ABOUT THAT BUT FIRST I'LL SHARE ON WHAT I DID DURING THE DAY.
DURING THE DAY I MET UP WITH DAD TO HAVE HIM TAKE ME TO A PLACE TO GET SOME GIFTS TO BRING BACK FOR MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. AND AGAIN I AM SORRY FOR NOT TAKING PICS OF THE PLACE I WENT TO, BECAUSE AS SOON AS I GOT THERE, I WAS LIKE A KID AT A TOY STORE. THERE WAS SO MUCH TO LOOK AND BROWSE. AND THIS WAS NO OVER PRICED TOURIST TRAP EITHER. I WAS THERE FOR ALMOST AN HOUR AND I DID GET SOME AMAZING GIFTS TO BRING BACK.
AND THEN WE HEADED TO A LIQUOR STORE SO I CAN TAKE SOME VODKA TO LONDON FOR ALICE BECAUSE THEY DON'T SELL THE BRANDS OVER THERE.
AS SOON AS WE ARRIVED... ANOTHER TOY STORE FOR ME... BECAUSE I LOVE VODKA!!!
VODKA VODKA VODKA
MARBLE MARBLE MARBLE
I'M IN HEAVEN!!!
DAD PICKED TWO DIFFERENT BOTTLES FOR ALICE PICTURED BELOW...
AND THEN FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON, DAD AND I PRETTY MUCH CHILLED AND ENJOYED THE WEATHER AND REFRESHMENTS.
WHO ARE YOU TEXTING???
CAME ACROSS A COOL JEEP TOO.
OKAY NOW ITS TIME FOR MY EVENING DINNER DATE WITH ANDREW AND ELVIRA. MY MIND WAS RACING AS I'M IN THE METRO MEETING UP WITH ANDREW. I'M THINKING ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT IS THE LIVING LIKE COMPARED TO OURS. THE BLUEPRINT, HOME DECOR, AND THE FOODS... WHAT IF I DON'T LIKE IT OR WHAT ARE THE MANNERISM, ETC.
SO HERE GOES...
SO I MET ANDREW AT A METRO STATION AND HE SAID WE NEED TO GET SOME BEERS... I GOT THAT COVERED BECAUSE IT IS THE LEAST I CAN DO AND HOPEFULLY IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR A HOME INVITE.
AND THEN WE GOT AN UBER AND OFF WE WENT... NOW THE JOURNEY TO THEIR PLACE WAS A GOOD 20-30 MINUTES RIDE. SO I'M LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AND ENJOYING THE VIEWS AND RIDE ALONG, TRAFFIC WAS CONGESTED BUT I'VE SEEN WORST IN HAWAI'I. BUT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE ARE NO LONGER ON THE HIGHWAY AND WE ARE ON GRAVEL ROADS, I THEN LOOK AND SEE NOTHING BUT INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS AND IT WASN'T VERY WELL LIT EITHER. THE CITY LIGHTS BECAME DIMMER AND I GOTTA BE HONEST, WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING??? I WAS A LITTLE BIT SCARED TO BE VERY HONEST, NOT AT ANDREW BUT THE UBER DRIVER. HE DIDN'T SPEAK OR GREETED US VERBALLY UPON ENTERING HIS VEHICLE. HE LOOKED A TAD BIT ROUGH, MAYBE HE BELONGS TO AN UNDERGROUND COMMUNIST PARTY, HECK I DON'T KNOW. BUT I DID HAVE CONCERNS, AS WE CONTINUED TO THE DARK ROADS, ITS BUMPY, WE ARE CUTTING THROUGH DARK ALLEYS AND STUFF. THE MOVIE "HOSTEL" STARTED RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND... THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE ARE BACK ON SMOOTH ROADS AND THE CITY LIGHTS IS BRIGHTER THAN EVER. THE RELIEF I FELT WAS VERY HUMBLING. AND THEN UBER DRIVER LOOKS AT ME WITH A SMIRK AND SAYS, "SHORTCUT" IN A HEAVY RUSSIAN ACCENT (STILL INTIMIDATING). AND THEN HE STARTS SPEAKING TO ANDREW IN RUSSIAN AND THEY START LAUGHING AND YAPPING AWAY WHILE I'M STILL IN SHOCK.
DID I JUST GET "PUNK'D"???
REGARDLESS I JUST SMILED AWAY AND LAUGHED ALONG AS WELL AND WE FINALLY ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION. THANK GOD!!!
SO WE ARE FINALLY AT THEIR HOME, ITS DIFFERENT BUT VERY TOUCHING WITH PAINTINGS, PLANTS, BEAUTIFUL CURTAINS, FLOOR RUGS, FURNITURE IS SLIGHT DIFFERENT IN STYLES, MORE OF A DARK PALETTE BUT WITH THE LAMPS AND LIGHTING, IT BRIGHTENS UP THE DECOR. I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE PICS BECAUSE OF PRIVACY.
SO ON TO DINNER...
MUST HAVE BEERS!!!
AS SOON AS I ARRIVED AT THE DINNER TABLE, I AM GREETED TO THIS!!! I DO NOT KNOW THE NAMES OF THESE DISHES. BUT THEY ARE SO MANY TO EAT!!! I SAW FRUITS, APPETIZERS, BREADS, SOUP, SALADS, AND MANY MORE!!! ENOUGH TALK, LET THE PICTURE DO THE TALKING!!!
"THE STORY OF THE GREEN ONIONS AND DARK RYE BREADS"
WHEN I SAW THIS DISH I WASN'T SURE IF I WAS SUPPOSE TO ADD ONIONS TO MY OTHER DISHES OR THE BREAD FOR BUTTER(WHICH I DIDN'T SEE ON THE TABLE)
THIS IS THE STORY I WAS TOLD BY ANDREW...
THE DARK RYE BREADS AND GREEN ONIONS IS A SYMBOL OF REMEMBERING THE FAMINE THAT RUSSIA ENDURED MANY TIMES IN THE 20TH CENTURY WHERE OVER 5 MILLION PEOPLE DIED OF STARVATION. THE RYE BREADS AND GREEN ONIONS WAS THE ONLY FOODS AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME IF YOU COULD EVEN AFFORD IT, OTHERWISE IT WAS BASICALLY WHAT YOU FIND IN THE WILDERNESS SUCH AS GRASS, TREE BARKS, ROOTS, BERRIES, FROGS, EARTHWORMS, BIRDS. IT WAS A VERY SAD AND DIFFICULT TIME.
SO OUT OF RESPECT AND REMEMBRANCE, THIS SPECIAL DISH IS A REMINDER THAT WE MUST ALWAYS BE THANKFUL AND NEVER BE WASTEFUL WITH FOODS.
VERY TOUCHING AND IT DEFINITELY HUMBLED ME AND I'M MORE THANKFUL THAN EVER.
OKAY NO MORE TEAR JERKING FROM HERE ON OUT. MORE YUMMY DISHES TO ENJOY!!!
I BELIEVE THIS IS CALLED "BLINI" OR RUSSIAN PANCAKES... ITS NOT LIKE AMERICAN PANCAKES BUT MORE COMPARED TO A DINNER ROLL/BREAD STYLE.
AND THAT IS NOT A PUMPKIN, ITS A MELON AND IT IS SUPER SWEET AND THE BEST MELON I EVER ATE!!!
MY DINNER WAS THE BEST EVER AND I ASK MYSELF HOW MANY HAWAIIANS LIKE MYSELF ARE BLESSED TO EXPERIENCED A HOME COOKED RUSSIAN MEAL IN A RUSSIAN HOME MADE BY BEAUTIFUL FRIENDS??? I DON'T KNOW THAT ANSWER, BUT I DO KNOW THIS, I WILL NEVER FORGET THE HOSPITALITY, THE LOVE, THE ACCEPTANCE, THE OPEN ARMS AND HEARTS FROM ANDREW AND ELVIRA.
AND A HUGE SPECIAL SHOUT OUT OF "LOVE, MAHALO, AND ALOHA" TO ELVIRA FOR MAKING ALL THESE AMAZING DISHES!!! I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS EVENING AND WHEN YOU ALL DO VISIT MY HOME, I WILL DO THE EXACT SAME BECAUSE OF OUR WONDERFUL FRIENDSHIP!!!
THANK YOU!!!
THANK YOU!!!
THANK YOU!!!
WE CONTINUED TO TALK AND LAUGH THE EVENING AWAY AND THEN IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO HEAD BACK TO MY HOTEL.
ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH ANDREW AND ELVIRA FOR HAVING ME OVER FOR DINNER. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BOTH SOON ALONG WITH YOUR BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL AS SOON AS I CAN TRAVEL AGAIN.
MY HEARTS & BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL!!!
NEXT UP... IMAGINE DRAGONS CONCERT!!!
STAY TUNED!!!
AWWWRITE!!!
WAIPA
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