Day 11: I remember

I really missed home today. I cannot ignore the fact that today is 9/11. I think every American remembers the exact time and place they were when they found out about the terrorist attacks. When I finally arrived to the hotel in Minsk and got WiFi, I went online to read about 9/11 news. It somehow comforted me and made me feel better seeing people back home honoring the fallen. In Europe, it’s just another day.

This morning we left Moscow at 7:45 and headed to Minsk. We made a lunch stop at this lovely hotel in Smolensk that had a nice restaurant. The hotel had a nice covered area outside and beautiful greenery. I knew that this would be the only opportunity it’s I would have to spread Chris’s ashes, so I went behind a nice patio area and found some beautiful flowers and spread his ashes there.

The route to Minsk was mostly farmland. It was quite a contrast to Russia. Nice to see rolling hills for miles and miles though. We arrived to Minsk at 7pm and I went straight to my room to rest. I never really recovered from being sick last week and it seems I may have overdone it yesterday being out late. I am definitely feeling the effects today. We had a group dinner at 8pm and enjoyed the company of two couples. One from Florida, and one from Melbourne. After dinner, now at my room, I plan to rest and be up early again tomorrow. Tomorrow is the trip to our final stop, Warsaw.