longest. journey. ever.

Only 49.5 hours after I departed Iowa, I finally arrived in Nizhny Novgorod. Between weather in Chicago, Volcanic ash, missed connections, lost ticket conformation (on the airlines part), plus the person who usually books my travel being on vacation, it's been a crazy journey. I think we can mark this one in the books as my longest journey ever. Literally, it's even longer than the time I drove to Vegas.

Still somehow, I have all my travel documents, wallets, passport, and both phones!! If you know my track record with holding on to my important items, I think that you'll agree that this was a small miracle. But anyways, finally, here I am.

Destination: Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Purpose of the trip: Business

Hotel of choice:
• Hotel Volna
• Saying “of choice” is a little bit of a stretch considering it is more or less the ONLY option

Hotel evaluation:
• Well, it’s a little like evaluating your own home, so this is difficult.

• Staff: The staff is friendly and knows me by name. However, we often times struggle to communicate. It’s happened before that I’ve had to order food by drawing a picture of it, but this is my weakness that I don’t speak the language… not theirs.

• Food: The menu hasn’t changed in the 2.5 years that I’ve been traveling here. Everything more or less tastes the same, so sometimes I make up dishes of my own. I went through a phase about 2 years ago where I ate sunny side up eggs overtop of buckwheat with hot sauce for dinner every night (??).

• Amenities: They fitness center has been “Under Construction” for the past 4 months. I’m expecting a World Class Gym once they finish. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be disappointed. However, recently, they’ve given free wireless access to all rooms, which is awesome. It used to be that I had to sit in the lobby and pay by the hour.

• Sleep: The sheets are a little scratchy and I sleep on a twin bed. Also, I don’t usually sleep for about the first 5 nights that I’m there. However, they do leave me a chocolate on my pillow every night, which is always a special little treat.

• Also, after being in Iowa, the German businessmen with mustaches beer bellies just don’t compare…