Minsk and Warsaw

Minsk, Belarus

Once we got to Minsk, we stopped at a terribly sad sculpture representing the Jews that were killed there during the World War. The sculptor did an excellent job showing their vulnerability and hopelessness while being marched to their death. After dinner, several of us went out for a walk. It was a gorgeous evening, and it was wonderful to see the local people taking advantage of the day in the park. People were playing, talking, kissing, and enjoying life.

Warsaw

We got another early start on the road, leaving Belarus, heading for Warsaw, Poland. They are holding a European soccer competition there at this time, so there should be plenty of excitement and soccer fans. It rained, but it was a good day for rain since we were on the bus. God has really blessed us with good weather on this trip.

Ndalahwa always got to be the lucky one that the security guys gave a hard time before letting him cross the border.  We were warned that they would also check at least one piece of luggage. Christiane announced to her colleagues that she bet they would take her luggage out of the 40 pieces. Not long after, Xavier asked Christiane to come outside because they did, in fact, choose her luggage! 

After almost 12 hours of travel, we finally made it to Warsaw. We had a short devotion, given by Christiane, reminding us that God's strength is perfect in our weakness. After worship we headed out to find food and other means of entertainment. Last night Ndalahwa had worship for the group, reminding us to walk the walk of being a Christian. So often we know the scriptures, know what to say, tell others what to do, but neglect to show kindness to others. It was an excellent reminder now, as we are sharing this trip with with 24 other people. Tonight Bill joined us again for the rest of our tour. Welcome back Bill!

Today we got to sleep in!!! And we gained an hour coming to Poland. We had a wonderful array of food for breakfast and got on the bus at 9:00 am for our tour of Poland. Anna, our local guide, took us to Chopin's memorial where we had a group picture taken of our whole travel group.  We also explored the Ghetto and Old Warsaw. 

Early afternoon we met for study group to discuss our textbooks as well as our experiences at the universities on this trip. Rozenia had very good thought for us for devotion, reminding us that only God knows the heart. We had the rest of the afternoon/evening to spend as we wished, getting acquainted with Warsaw. The people are extremely friendly, everyone smiling!

Moscow and Novogorod

After checking out of the hotel in Saint Petersburg, we were able to take it easy until we got on the bus around 2:30 to begin our journey to Novgorod. Part way there, we found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam. It delayed us a couple hours, but got a really good look at the small villages we passed through. We arrived at the hotel for supper, then went on a tour at 9:00 pm and saw the Kremlin of Novgorod.

Visiting the Kremlin in Novogorod

We began our trek to Moscow at 7:30 am. We ran into some traffic again which slowed us down, but we had anticipated a full day on the bus. We stopped for lunch on the way where we got to eat outdoors in a quaint, tent covered area. We had salad, soup, an entree, and dessert (apple filled bread rolls). The temperatures are rising as we continue our way south.

After we got to Moscow, and checked into the hotel, we met for worship, led by Shawn Collins. At 8:30 pm, several of us went on a tour to see the artistically decorated metro stations, ending up at the Red Square. What a memorable trip!

We woke up early to tour Moscow, ending up at the Kremlin and the Red Square. We were there on their Independence Day, and they had big plans for their celebrations.

Several people got to tour the inside of the Kremlin before we had to meet at the University of Moscow. We took the wrong exit off the metro and ended up walking for an hour to our destination at the university! We definitely got our exercise! :) Faculty and several students were there to meet us to talk to us about their education system. Since it was a holiday, they didn't have school, but came just to meet with us, which was highly appreciated! We enjoyed the time spend with them.

View of the majestic Moscow State University

Library of Moscow State University

While a group of us was sitting inside the Kremlin walls, a man approached Timothy, hearing him speak English, and when he noticed Timothy's Andrews University t-shirt, he announced that he was an Adventist! He was there traveling with a group of boys from Georgia-Cumberland Academy that were homeward bound from a mission trip in China. They had just spent 6 days on a train to Moscow. As the rest of his group joined him, Hilda noticed one of the chaperones and realized she knew him from her days at Southern Adventist University. What a small world, and what a way to catch up, in Moscow!

Saint Petersburg - Russia

We got to St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia. Natasha was our local guide. We started in a large souvenir shop and gathered all kinds of goodies. Natasha showed us many of the churches, palaces, monuments, and the Hermitage Museum. Some of us got a tour of the museum, which was spectacular. In the evening we had the option of touring St. Petersburg by water, the "Venice of the North". Beautiful night! It doesn't get dark during June, it is referred to as the "white nights".

View of the Hermitage Museum, the largest art collection in the world

Exploring the Peter and Paul Fortress

One of the highlights of the day was visiting Saint Petersburg State University, with more than 50,000 students, and with a record of seven Nobel Prize winners. Our group took a picture in front of the university's main building, constructed on a decree of the Tzar Peter the Great in 1724.

Visiting the sumptuous hallway in the Twelve Collegia building: one of the longest academic hallways in the world, where each participant was given a token by the university staff

 Book discussion about globalization in higher education

The impressive architecture of Saint Petersburg, situated on several islands of the Neva River delta and crossed by more than one hundred canals

Shawn's family enjoying our boat cruise through the city canals

 Enjoying the "white night" in Saint Petersburg: it never gets dark in June!

Timothy shared an experience about missing the bus one day in St. Petersburg. He and his roommate Ndalahwa had gone to eat lunch, and were on their way back to the meeting point an hour early because they know the bus is timely and doesn't wait. On their way, they saw a few drawing artists. Timothy asked one how long it would take to draw his picture, and thinking he had time, sat down for the artist to draw. Well, the artist severely underestimated the time it would take, and the guys missed the bus, then chased down another bus that looked like ours. Eventually they made it back to the hotel with the help of a Russian and the subway. 

Welcome

Helsinki

After our tour and lunch, we went to the harbor to get on the cruise for our travel to Helsinki. It was a 16 hour cruise with a variety of options for entertainment. Some dancers performed in the center the " Jungle Rhythm" which was geared towards kids. Our youngest traveler Kendall was pulled in to join the performance. She did a great job!

We arrived in Helsinki around 9:45 am, got on the bus and picked up our local expert guide, Ulla, and toured around the city. Helsinki is on a peninsula, surrounded bu the Baltic Sea. It has only been an independent country for about 100 years. We were dropped off in the city square for lunch, and then met at the University of Helsinki around 2:30 pm. We had an excellent presentation by three of their professors. Then we all went together to an Italian Restaurant, then made our way to the hotel for worship, led by Bill.

University of Helsinki

Class presentations on the System of Higher Education in Finland

Stockholm

Leaving Denmark, we took a ferry to Sweden and continued driving through the beautiful country to Stockholm. During our drive, the tour guide told us about some of the history of Sweden. In the morning, we woke up to a beautiful sunny day! 16 degrees Celsius already by 8:00 am. Praise God! We picked up our local expert guide, Rune Lemon, who shared information about Sweden. Most buildings are 6 stories tall or less because there was a rule that buildings couldn't be higher than the royal palace. The queen of England refused to stay at the palace while visiting because it has one more room than the Buckingham Palace.

Days 3 and 4 - Enjoying Copenhagen

The day began with a 6:30 AM wake-up call, followed by another delicious Scandinavian breakfast. We had to be on the bus by 8:00 AM sharp. We almost made it! It was 8:02 when everyone was on board. Our bus was brand new! We are the very first excursion for this particular bus.

Our guide, Hazel, told us about the history of the places we visited or drove by, including the Tivoli Gardens, the Stock Exchange, the Little Mermaid, a Russian church, and the home of the Royal family. We watched the Royal Guards performing their duties. We were warned not to get too close! One tourist was getting her picture with a guard, and he barked at her that she must stay 1 ½ feet away. It was quite exciting. Hazel had jokingly warned that if we got too close, they’d aim at our knee caps. She told us that when Bill Clinton visited recently, he had 26 security personnel around him, but when the Prince of Denmark leaves his home, he only keeps 2 security personnel.

After the bus tour, we were dropped off downtown Copenhagen. We split off in smaller groups for various activities: shopping, sight-seeing, exploring. Some hiked up the Round Tower, others enjoyed an outdoor art gallery. Some enjoyed local cafes and gorgeous outdoor plazas to relax. Our youngest members, Noah and Kendall, made purchases in the Lego store, which they had been dying to go to! The bus picked us up later to take us back to the hotel, where many took advantage of the Jacuzzi hot-tub located on the top floor, outdoors, with a view of the city. All in all, it was a great day!

Saturday

We began the day with a wonderful breakfast Buffett at the hotel, then we met for church in hotel room 433 (the Marinho's). We were all snug and cozy as we sang songs together in multiple languages and heard a message from our spiritual coordinator, Renaud. Then we walked about a mile to find lunch in sunny weather.

After lunch, we were free to spend the day as we wished. Some napped, others went for a walk. The majority of us caught the train to downtown Copenhagen for dinner. We took lots of pictures and enjoyed the scenery. We ate outside even though it was rapidly cooling down! The restaurant offered fleece blankets to the customers, so it wasn't unbearable. Tomorrow we will be woken up at 6:30 AM so we can eat breakfast and be ready for our bus tour of Copenhagen. Stay tuned for more information of our exciting study tour! :)