My trip and story, 4 - Russian Ukrainian Belarus Travel Music Woman Dating News

	The Russian Meeting Place: A place to meet people and talk about all things Russian... International Discussions about Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Travel, Music, Russian News, Ukrainian culture, Belarusian Dating, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kiev and other intelligent topics about life in the former Soviet Union.

Pages: 1

My trip and story, 4
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: Jutman

Week 4.
Its is Wednesday and I try to call the visa department at the Embassy one more time. But only get the taped information. Then I sms a friend and ask him to find the main telephone number to the Embassy. But we had to go out. When we returned, the time was up at the visa department, but I tried the Embassy main number. They answer and told me, the visa department has open 24 hour at the phone. I try again, and the same tape for xx time in 3 days. After the lunch at the Embassy I tried again, the main number and the lady transferred the call to the visa department. A man took the number and in 10 seconds, we got the answer. Yes, she has got visa approval. I was of course very happy. Strangely my lady was not. She was afraid and nervous. The most foreign she had been was to visit family in Belyarussia.
Anyway we went to the center of the city and go to internet cafe. Here was there Tuesday a reply from the Embassy. "There was no reply from the Danish immigration office". This mean that the reply would have come Wednesday and honestly, if I had seen this message Tuesday or Wednesday before my call, I would NOT have made the call. She later told me, that she would properly had stopped the relationship without seeing my country AND she would not have made the travel alone.
Thursday went by talking about Denmark, small shopping and it was hot in the city so no desire to walk etc. We also went to buy train tickets to Moscow, so we would arrive Monday 9,50 AM. The first time my lady forgot to take the passports. Here I learned that Russians has 2 passports. Anyway back to the apartment and get the passport and into the train station. Here we learned that the regular train was sold out, but for our luck, they put an extra train in line THAT day, to an extra high price. (like 80 USD for 2 persons). This day I also called my travel agency in Copenhagen and ask them to make a booking number at the same airplane as mine, = Monday. And then cancel my ticket from Samara to Moscow. No problem was the answer.
Friday we start shopping for her. She need a bag, first she only wanted one, but I told her she also needed one for her papers and other hand baggage you keep with you all the time. She need some good shoes and get 2 while were at it, and some for me too. In the evening we meet the family one more time. We had a good time. My lady is still nervous and ask me, please. What about if I stay. I believe she was serious until I asked her about the cat (which she does not own, but have to feed since its a part of the flat). Then she told me that she already Wednesday has made deal with her landlady and now I understood she was teasing me. ( A note: she has a pokerface, as a jurist they have training at the university and several times during my visit I could not tell if she was teasing me or she was serious).
That day was the big shopping day. I had of course to buy souvenirs. In the end I also got her a camera. She was / is very happy for that camera. The next day, was laundry and packing day. I needed to but the last souvenirs and need to get money for the Moscow trip. So a day without anything there was interesting. Except I need to pack my Samovar I got from her family. That was a problem. When we were shopping, Friday I need a bath-weight to see how much baggage we had. Oh boy, too much. Until I discovered I was looking at the pounds, not the kilo. Anyway we ended with a little more than 40 kilo to 2 persons. Some airlines are very strict with that, but before I had no prblem with Aeroflot and had no problem this time either.
The next day went by we did the final packing, after bath. Wait, check for papers an so on. I “forgot” a pair of socks, so I know I will return to her city. However she discovered, but let them be. But she say now she know and I LET them be there, the superstition do NOT work. Finally time to leave. We got a taxi and wait almost 1 hour at the station. The train left as planned. The train was actually good. Wide in size, so you can sleep well. The only problem is the noise from the tracks – very terrible. It was a 4 person coupe. She was the only woman. And on the train there few women. The trip to Moscow went fine, with no problem. We slept of course badly but except for this, no problem. Well, my nerves were thin Monday morning. A half hour before station the train stopped for 10 minutes. But it ended to be at the station as planned.

Here the nerve damaging part begins.
At the station she talked with a taxi company. She made for me a good deal. For 100 dollars, the driver will take us the Embassy, wait, then take us to the Aeroflot to get tickets, then back to Embassy for final papers and of to the Airport. We had 5 hours before Airplane took off. Anyway 10,30 AM we were at the Embassy. Have to wait outside, and we start to talk with some people. Here we told we a taxi waiting. (at this time, we already told him he get 20 dollar extra for waiting). Then the lady told us, you go first and in to the Embassy and get the papers. What is the Danish Embassy doing. They see if its the same person on the picture at the application. Take about 10 seconds. Get papers for travel agency. I asked the man some questions, and told him we had a taxi driver waiting, because we got a booking for the airplane later that day. Then he smiled and told us, that the visa was from tomorrow. I asked – do you think we can work this out. Then he smiled again and said, yes. Off we go. Taxi driver had some problem find it, but located it. However this was Intourist he found, not Aeroflot. But they gave us the right address and we went. Outside there was no parking, but the driver “find” space. Outside I noticed no visa card sign. I told my lady this, and she asked the guard if they visa. If not, we had to find a bank. But they took, only by computer. We wait for maybe 10 minutes. At the desk it turns up that the travel agency in Denmark, cancelled all my ticket and not only from Samara to Moscow. Fortunately there was available tickets, and lucky us. We got seats next to each other. When we left Travel agency it was 11,50AM. 12,10 PM we arrived at the Embassy again (they close visa, 1 PM). But there was people waiting. But after 5 minutes, the man from the Visa come out and point at us. “YOU” come inside. Inside he told us, that we have to wait 15 minutes before the papers was ready after seeing the tickets. We waited 17 minutes. Off to taxi and Airport. As you can see the time was now 12,43 PM ( 1 minute to go to taxi). And take was 3,55 PM. But traffic in Moscow – help. At a time we drove maybe 2 miles in 40 minutes. In front of trucks and busses where there was no space. Then the driver became angry. He took the pavement, busline and finally came by the bad traffic and ended at the high-way. At 1,50 PM we arrived at Shemetyevo. Even some time before the start check-in. We gave the driver all the dollars I had, 145. At check-in and passport control there was no problems.

Story continues in the part were we are in Denmark.