Back from Russia (first post)

Well, last night, after a long return flight back, I have finally arrived back on Terra Firma here in the US. The flight process was a very long one - even I have trouble figuring out how it all adds up, and so I thought I would put an accounting of it all here. The arrangements below are not the fastest way to get from here to there, that is for sure, but I wanted to use a frequent flyer ticket (50K miles will do it),and they did not have an optimal routing. But as they say, beggars cannot be choosers... Here is the chronology, all adjusted to Russia time:

• 00:00 Friday 17 Aug: Sergei picks me up in Novgorod to drive to the airport in St. Pete. Nina accompanies me as an "interpreter", but of course also as a friend who wants to say good bye. Gwendolyn does not make this trip, as she is still recovering from a cold, and is also not stupid - who (except Nina and Sergei, I guess) wants to drive through the night, drop me off, just to drive back home again to see the sun rise? We stop our way to pick up my visa registration (a long, but unexciting story), and arrive at the airport at 0300. As flight registration does not open until 0410, we wait around in the car, eat apples and cookies, and drink tea. Nina decides to start adapting to St. Pete life, and orders a Mocha coffee.
• 0400 Friday - Chuck finally disappears through airport security, which lets Sergei and Nina start their trip back home. I register for my flight, and sit and wait in the terminal, trying not to fall asleep.
• 0620 Friday - Plane takes off from Pulkovo. I get a bit of sleep I guess.
• 0900 Friday - Plane lands in Frankfurt. I sit about for just less than 5 hours waiting for my next flight. At least Frankfurt has nice lounge chairs, so I actually got an hour of sleep for so.
• 1415 Friday - My flight to Charlotte, NC departs from Frankfurt. This is a long flight, no doubt, and I am in a middle seat. Unfortunately for my body thinks it is mid-day, and I can't really sleep.
• 2320 Friday - Flight lands in Charlotte. I go through passport control (no problem), then try to claim my bags to take them though customs. My two bags were not there - they have clearly been lost somewhere. I finally give up, and proceed to my next gate. Now I get another 4.5 hour wait for my next flight. I eat "dinner", try to sleep. This only sort of works, as US airports are not as civilized as Frankfurt, and only have standard airport seats you cannot lie down in.
• 0245 Saturday - I finally leave Charlotte to fly home. Despite the translation from Russia I find so amusing, airplanes do not "fly by themselves" - they need a crew. And we did not have one at first - we had to wait for them arrive on another flight which itself had been delayed. Welcome to air travel in the US.
• 0630 Saturday: Flight arrives in Rochester. I wait to collect the luggage I know will not be there, and then file my missing bag report, and drive home.
• 0720 Saturday: (local time, 2320 on Friday) - I finally arrive home after a brief stop in Wegmans, drug myself and go to bed.

So, there you are a bit over 31 hours door to door, and 44 hours later since I had gotten up on Thursday morning, I am finally delivered, safe and sound.

I did manage to get about 5 hours of solid sleep, and so far am feeling a bit disoriented, but generally healthy. Time to start organizing my day.