Кристмас в Москва (Christmas in Moscow)

As a kid, I remember gazing at the huge yellow blotch on the world map and wondering what it was really like in Russia. We couldn’t telephone anyone up there behind the dreaded Iron Curtain to find out. Russia was just this enormous country on the map that was forbidden to all Westerners. So, of course, I wanted to go there.

As a kid, I also noticed that the country was shaped like the profile of a walrus.

Yesterday, I noticed an advertisement on a cab that American Airlines now has direct flights from Chicago to Moscow. I checked it out and, sure enough, you hop on a plane here and hop off in Moscow ten hours later.

What makes it even better is that the flight is on a 777 which is a really smooth airplane to fly on.

My workplace gives us lots of paid time off during the holidays. We close down on December 23 and don’t open again until January 5.

I think by now all my readers know how much I dislike warm weather. I embrace winter wholeheartedly. I’d be getting to visit that big, forbidden, walrus-shaped yellow blotch on the map.

Oh, and those two years of studying Russian would finally come in handy as well.

Yep. Christmas in Moscow. My idea of a great holiday.