Thursday Feb.15th Arrive in Zheleznogorsk

We rode the train through the night and arrived in Zeleznogorsk at 6:40am. We were met by our co-worker JM and our translator Sergei. We piled our bags into a small car and drove to the hotel. We had to temporarily check into a room (Presidential Suite) and wait for our rooms to be prepared. I was going to take a picture of the room, but I actually thought that we were going to get to keep the room and get another one like it. They moved both of us out later.

We went to site and did the meet and greet, but the respect for us was shown by allowing us to go and get cleaned up and caught up on sleep. I had the same clothes on since Monday morning. Socks were changed in Frankfurt because my feet were killing me.

We arrived back at the hotel by lunchtime and they had a cot and a bed for us. PA hung out and watched a movie as I showered and went and had lunch with Sergei. After lunch, I went and had a nap….4 hours later I was awoken by the dinner phone call reminder. That was the best sleep I had in years. Just that tired is all. Drool everywhere kind of tired. Haha.

We went down to the lobby and we were to hand over the keys to the presidential suite and we were given keys to the next two rooms on the same floor. Big difference. Half the size, no shower curtain and no little shaving kit, housecoats or slippers. Oh well, decadence for a few hours is okay. The hotel clerk as she gave me my key was able to spit out a few words in English to me. MINI BAR. I had a water and had to pay up. So, 15 rubles later, I was into my new room. Nice all the same, just not as big or with all the fancy attached to it.

We had dinner as a group and then got acquainted with the other crew with conversation after. By 10:30 we were all asleep.