Arli Sochi

... It is the usual story with the socialist regimes - lots of officialdom, multilayered processing, lack of grace and politeness and duplication seem to be the order of the day. We were given a guide called Anna, a very attractive young lady of 24 from the Ural area who and wasn’t shy about telling of her personal life when questioned by nosy guests. We took a trip out to the future Winter Olympic site at Krasnaya Polyana in the Caucasus ...

... together. I'd forgotten that, "People drink because they want to do the things they don't feel free to do sober." - J.Breen philosophy I was stronger the second time I saw her. In response to the story of her recent broken heart, I told her "Love" is just a negative feeling that comes from loss. I detailed my nomadic love life, saying that dancing with someone can be an expression of romance. She agreed with me. And she told me to keep in ...

... learn to greet tourists with at least a smile if nothing else. A couple of people we were with saw two policemen nearby and told us they were going to ask to take a photo with them. One policeman walked away when he saw our friend coming and the other refused to have his photo taken. See what I mean? Doesn't take much to be nice. I can imagine it would be a pretty place in winter as the mountains are visible from the port.

Yesterday we were in Sochi, Russia. Sochi is no St. Petersburg. I wasn't able to get off the ship because I don't have a Seaman's Book yet. Apparently I didn't miss much. The weather was rainy and kind of cold, and there is nothing to do in Sochi. It is not a common place for cruiseships to go to, and I think this company is reconsidering going there as a port. I took a few pictures from the ship that I will ...