Funny Story

On our way to Moscow on July 5th, we changed planes in Atlanta. We walked to our gate at the very end of Terminal E, and discovered that it was absolutely freezing there. Just 2 gates down it was fine, but there at the end it was probably around 60 degrees, if not colder. We were there only a short while, and I was already very uncomfortable. I went to the gift shop and bought a sweatshirt not only for the gate, but for the flight. I've realized that international flights are usually colder than domestic ones, and in our last-minute rearranging of our suitcases my jacket inadvertantly got moved to our checked luggage. As I was taking off the tags, I saw a woman shivering under a lightweight scarf wrapped around her shoulders, and I made a comment about how cold it was. She simply smiled politely so I knew she must be Russian. I held up my sweatshirt with a shrug and a smile, and she went straight over to a man (I assume her husband), and started talking and gesturing towards me. About 10-15 minutes later I saw her walking down the hallway towards our gate wearing the same pink sweatshirt! We laughed and pointed at each other, and enjoyed our little "bonding" moment. I never saw her on the plane, but I'll probably always remember her. Even with different cultures, languages, and customs, we will always be more alike than different from people around the world. Let us always remember that.

Here I am wearing my Atlanta sweatshirt by some beautiful fountains right outside the Kremlin. (Thanks for the tip, Cindy). This sweatshirt came in handy more than once. Even though it was July, the weather was still quite cool -- upper 60s and lower 70s.
Steve took this picture as we flew over Greenland. It looks like the mountains are coming up out of the ocean, and we think it's a pretty cool picture. I was asleep at the time, so Steve just leaned over me with the camera!