May 2000 (Part3)
Leaving Paris
Although Mommy was much worried, departure day eventually arrived !
She finally left Paris Charles de Gaulle airport by an Aeroflot flight
which took off from Paris at 1pm. It is my Jean-Paul who drove her to the airport. Do you know my Jean-Paul? He is Mommy's father... Mommy said that she once
was a little girl, very long ago... I pretend to believe her but of course, I know it
can't be true...
Well, eventually Mommy left on May 23rd 2000 for Moscow and there Sasha, Alla and Marina were waiting for her. Of course they were holding a little sign so that Mommy could know that they were there for her...
Sasha was the driver and he was very nice, the others were nice as well but not as nice as Sasha...
When Mommy arrived at her hotel, (the Holiday Inn, not far from the airport but in the middle of nowhere) Alla and Mommy went through all the official papers of Mommy's dossier. Alla imediately said that one very important document was missing and Mommy was very worried but fortunately she had brought copies of all her documents with her, so everything could eventually be arranged... But Mommy was not happy at all because of course she had sent all those documents long ago and when she had asked if they had everything they needed in Russia she was only told vague answers.... Never a simple yes or no....
The day after her arrival, Mommy would have liked to fly immediately to Novosibirsk but the people in Russia insisted that she should see the staff of the French Consulate first.... Mommy was sure it was not true but she had to give a phone call to the Consulate so that they could confirm that they didn't want to see her before the judgement which was to take place in Novosibirsk..... This is what Mommy had been trying to say all along.... But the only thing the Russians could say is: 'with the Americans, we have to go to the Embassy first....' And Mommy had smoke coming out of her ears trying to explain that France is a different country with different laws.....
Anyway, since Mommy had to wait a day, in Moscow she decided she might as well visit the city, and she went to see Basil's Cathedral on the Red Square. After having heard about it so much she absolutely wanted to see it 'in the flesh!' And she was not disappointed, it was gorgeous !!! |
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And eventually, on May 24th Mommy took the night flight to Novosibirsk. The flight was comfortable enough, the food was the same that what had been served on the Paris-Moscow flight and the film as well was the same. Something about a glorious episode of the World War II in the Red Army with a blond and plumpy heroin who died at the end... each time Mommy took a plane in May she was shown the same film, she was always hoping that the brave heroin was going to find a way to escape (after all, after four reruns of the same story, she might have, but no.... She always died at the end....)
Of course, Mommy didn't sleep much during this flight because she knew that she was going to meet ME...
When she arrived in Novosibirsk at 5 am, Vladimir, the driver was waiting for Mommy.
The hotel was called Tsentralnaļa Gastinitsa. (which means 'Central Hotel') The room was not elegant but rather spacious, spotlessy clean and it was actually a suite, with a twin bed room and a lounge where you could arrange a kind of makeshift bed if need be. There was a refrigerator (which delighted Mommy!) and the staff was friendly although not English talking (even less French talking !!! ) Very near the hotel there were a cybercafe and a supermarket where you could find all you could need...
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Here is the hotel...
There were very noisy roadworks around the corner and when they would stop it was
the hotel's disco which would start playing the same songs all over
again, every night..... Hhhmmm..... We could have done without !!! |
