EUROPE EXPRESS

I came back to Europe already exausted from changing places every day so I felt as if I just came out on the surface of the Baltic Sea like a qork in the water. I wish it was a bad hangover from a Baltic vodka that made me so tired rather than just a psyhical weekness. 

I wanted to cross from San Petersburg to Helsinki, from the East to the West which is always harder than the other way around. I felt discriminated from the very beginning in San Petersburg when I wanted to book a bus ticket to Helsinki, Finland - a country of a Santa Claus. I couldn't get the reservation done online and I needed to contact an operator who told me that Serbian passengers are a subject of a thorough checkup what keeps the busses for a long time on the border. Shortly, the agency doesn't accept Serbian citizens for a passengers. It sounded like: "Pets are not aloud on board!!! There was, fortunately, one more agency Lux Express which didn't have such a discriminative rules. It turned out to be better that way because Lux Express accepts Serbs plus offers a very comfortable bus with movies and music on board. From that moment, Lux Express would take me down Eastern Europe whenever it was possible.

On the doorstep of Finland, I showed one of the passports I have. Officer asked me if I had another one and I showed him Serbian passport. I was told to wait for a while until they were checking both of my passports. I was waiting half an hour in the office full of mosquitos. The immigration point is in the middle of the forrest and my flesh was a feast for the bloodsuckers. The operator from descriminative agency crossed my mind because I was holding the bus. Maybe, from now on, Serbian passengers can't travel from S. Petersburg to Helsinki with Lux Express either. 

When I arrived in Finland, everything was just fine. Actually, this country can change a name into FinEland. Nothing much happens. Everything is working and everybody exactly knows where they are going to. Only I didn't know where to go. I was walking for a while, got some pictures of the city and soon it was a time to embark on the ship. I appeared two hours before the embarkation and I still missed the ferry to Estonia, because I took the wrong entrance. My money was refunded but I had to buy more expansive ticket, double of a price I had paid. 

I crossed the Baltic Sea by ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Even if it was a night trip, I could see clearly the line between a dark blue color of the sea and a very light blue color of the sky. As the boat approached the cost of Estonia, after midnight, the sea and the sky got exactly the same color. In this part of the world, days seem to be like a hyperactive children resisting to fall a sleep and when eventually eyelids are closed they won't stay sleeping for too long. 

All around me were people with a blond hair, pail ten and a blue color of the eyes matching a color of the sea that had brought me here. 

The old town of Tallinn gives a nice picture of the medieval period. It was hard to imagine how Vikings managed to get through all the narrow street or passages of a castle with such a heavy equipment made of iron. I could imagine, though, all the area falling down while they were passing through. A helmet with horns is a tourist attraction and I tried it on even if I know that actually these tough guys had never worn such a thing. I looked just like a Viking with a helmet, more scary than pretty. Some woolen wear (sweaters, ponchos, scarfs) displayed in the market area would sooth me much better.

Summer uprising was announced by The International Festival of Visual Arts, flowers, music, beer and cider which all together added some colors into the cold medieval walls. 

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Lux Express brought me to Riga, the capital of Latvia. My biggest fear, almost a nightmare is this one: I will come to a place, I will not find anything interesting and I will leave with an empty camera. It has never happen so far even if European cities don't really inspire me. This means I should stick to the nature but I'm afraid I'll become something like a yeti spending too much time alone.

List of movies on the bus was more interesting than any city so far. The further I traveled the better it was because I was watching more and more movies. I even enjoyed watching movies that I had already seen. It was a totally new kind of experience. I stayed in Riga only few hours, just as long as it took me to find Lux Express to Lithuania. 

I visited three countries in less than 24 hours: Estonia, Letonia and Lithuania which is  my record so far. 

It was a night when I came to Vilnius, such a strange name for the capital of Lithuania. It was a Friday night, I went to the supermarket and I noticed that all other costumers were buying an alcohol: beer or wine. Instead of alcohol from the supermarket I took a walk around the city. The city was not dirty, but it was not perfectly repaired like other European capitals. I could smell some artistic and vagabond spirit in the air. It is not a surprise why murals are flourishing here. It is one in particular that has shaken the world a little bit - the one with faces of Putin and Tramp exchanging their body juices as a symbol of an Eastern-Weatern political connection, interest and profit. That's why I liked it. There were some wholes of the dark past but with announcements that the future is not too bright, either. If it was, there wouldn't be so many people hanging out with an alcohol... I guess. 

My next destination was Belarus, the only one among all these countries that is land locked, therefore it doesn't enjoy a Baltic splashes. Belarus doesn't belong to united system of Europe and there's no Lux Express. I didn't know what to expect from the country which president has been holding his position for more than twenty years. He just doesn't get enough. I was surprised that Minsk looks like a city of the twenty first century until I came to some communication problem because I hadn't met a person who was willing to talk to me in English. I would start a civilized conversation with "hello", word and it was the end of conversation because they would just turn their back to me as if I was contagious. Adele is probably not the most popular singer here, what I totally agree with. Regardless Adel's pathetic song, I thought it would be a polite way to start the conversation. Eastern rules might be different!!!!

-"Hello", I said to the lady at the information desk.  "No" , she answered with no hesitation.

"What no?", I asked, " what hello?" she said... 

-"Do you have a cold bottle of Schweppes?", I asked a vendor lady at the supermarket. "Ne ponimayu" (I don't understand), she answered showing me with her hand to get lost from the window, turning her back to me and serving another customer. I was so irritated by her act that I told her some very rude words in my language so she could spend some time asking herself what it meant. Not every single person from the rest of the world speaks English but everywhere I go people make an effort to understand and to explain me what I ask even if they need to use simply their hands. Honestly, I would be devastated if I knew that people from my country just blow away the strangers who need any help. Speak Russian so everybody understands you!!! Still, the attempts to communicate was the only action that happened me here. 

In the style of socialist's ideology of public possession, streets of Minsk are so wide, basically there are all boulevards alike. I couldn't feel intimate with the city with no passages or hidden streets or corners. 

Missing some movie time, I came to Poland where Lux Express operates in a full speed. Poland treated me with a very nice sunrise so it wouldn't be polite from me to spare only a day here. The fog that coverd green surfice looked like some hunted place calling me to reveal what had happened in the past. 

Warsaw was completely destroyed city once and now it looks very, very modern with only a small part of the old town reconstructed in the old fashioned style. Maybe, for such a cities, listening about history is more interesting than site seeing and I had my friend Anna Maria to talk about history. I found some restaurant with Ex-Yugoslavian food. The waiter told me the music is also Ex-Yugoslavian. I brought Anna Maria inside to hear the music and she asked me if that was a kind of music that usually truck drivers like to listen when they are on the road. I just nodded.

Getting far from the coast of the Baltic Sea, heading to Krakow, one of the oldest and the most famous city in Poland. I didn't have a map of thecity and my main sign for orientation was a smell of fresh pastry: croissants, pretzels, bread and rolls that was coming from Jewish quarter. Since I came this far, I needed to get ready to face the the history evidence of human suffering that is exposed in Auschwitz. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. None of this was possible to hear or to see in the past except huge gray cloud that used to cover this small village. Even if I saw in person the roads made of human ash I still can't understand what humans are able to do to each other. Ghost of the past that will always follow humankind. 

After some turbulent period of time, It seems that Europe has decided to retire. But I didn't. I still have some errands to run!!!

RUSSIA:KEEPING UP WITH MILAN

If Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky put all their efforts together they wouldn't be able to create such a character as Milan is. All the forrest of Siberia and all the squid from the oceans wouldn't be enough to provide a paper and ink necessary for such a task. Presenting such an interesting character may put me in the top of the world's most precious literature all along with these two masters of writing. 

Milan's Curriculum Vitae is full of degrees from the most prestigious schools in management: Switzerland, Paris, Singapore which resulted working for one of the most famous consulting companies. That is only a professional side of Milan. "Every day" Milan is either late, or makes it the last minute. He visited more than ninety countries in the world and there's not a single one where he didn't forget or loose something valuable. In case he doesn't drop his belongings on the street, somebody will rob him, for sure. He came to Cuba with no cash at all and he just went to the Serbian Consulate to get the money from Consul as if they were long life palls. When he sent his mother to pay back the money on the certain address in Belgrade it turned out to be the address of the famous Serbian actor Velimir Bata Zivojinovic who was a Consul's father. In Brazil, he was distracted by some guys who stole all his valuables with some business documents at the hotel reception. In China, he hooked up with some girls and he spent a half of day with them in a pleasant conversation but at the very end he needed to pay a hundred dollars for one cup of tea. In Africa, locals needed to cut the grass because he had lost his camera with some very important photos. In Bahamas, our tour was delayed because he left his bating suite on the balcony and the wind blew it away. 

But, no matter what happens, he just keeps going and he always gets his things done, nothing ever slows him down. 

I just can't imagine him surviving in very competitive world of his profession, where there's no room for hot blooded creatures.

Milan comes from my hometown where he met my husband over thirty years ago and they have never lost the contact. It is only a week difference in their birth dates and probably Zodiac or who knows what keeps them together. I don't know how I would define their relationship, but I can assure you, it is complex. They are more then friends, cousins, or brothers. They would spend hours and hours talking on the phone, no matter which side of the world they are or the time zone. Subject of their "small" talk is always related to the neighborhood where they grew up, local soccer team and the life philosophy that they are very fond of. In my opinion, it is just a dull person business. When I hear them talking on the phone I just leave the apartment immediately.  

Milan was my guest for so many times since I moved to America. All my husband's friends are my friends and I was glad to host all of them, especially Milan. I tried to make him feel like at home every time he stopped by. He showed up regardless we had other guests or not. There was a time when he slept with me and my husband in the bed. I felt uncomfortable in my apartment and I freaked out because Milan couldn't realize that it was not very good moment to stay. I needed to tell him that he needed to leave which was a very unpleasant situation for both of us. Milan had left and I didn't see him for a while.

After some time out of America, Milan came back, you can guess where... It was all right to accommodate him for some time but Milan felt again very comfortable at my place. He was so comfortable that during his business conversation he turned off the fridge and he forgot to turn it back on. When he wanted to make something to eat, he spilled the lentil all over my kitchen and I still keep finding it. I would came back from work and I would find a chaos in the apartment while my husband and Milan like two spoiled teenagers were just laying on the sofa listening the music. I was struggling with two Leos and I needed an iron hand of Stalin to hold them under control.

Milan finally moved to his apartment with his girlfriend but he took my cooking pot with him without letting me know. I spent days looking for it when my husband told me that Milan had taken it. I was pissed off, but the fact that he finally moved away made me happy. It didn't last for a long time when Milan came back again to my apartment because his girlfriend had her family visiting NYC and there was no room for Milan in HIS apartment. Milan was supposed to stay a day or two but he had brought in his suitcase and I realized that he would stay for a while. I recently got rid of him and he was coming back again. I really had enough and I told to my husband that I didn't want roommates anymore. My husband didn't want to let Milan go, so I kicked them both out. My husband came back but Milan didn't. 

Since then, the situation between me and Milan has been intense just like the political situation between America and Russia.

Now, on this trip my husband wanted to take me to Moscow. He's been there two times already and I knew that this visit is not about me seeing Russia but him seeing his friend, cousin, brother.... I got a chance to pay Milan back for all my suffering and I had some ideas how to do it. But, instead I decided to relax and enjoy Moscow and Milan's hospitality. He lives near station Beloruskaya which is on the circling line of the metro system. That line was added when Stalin, according to anecdote, put his cup of coffee on the already designed scheme in front of him. That is exactly how I imagine that Milan is getting his business done, with some spilled milk or coffee.  

Milan greeted me with a warm hug and he greeted my husband with a warm kiss. I just rolled my eyes and two of them started laughing. We become a gang again.

It is not a coincidence of Milan's choice to live in Russia. This country is made of the opposite sides: cross and star, art and ideology, iron and gold, just like two sides of Milan. 

He took us to Lenin's Mausoleum on the Red Square, the only place he didn't visit before. While the whole Moscow was walking slowly scared of waking up Vladimir Ilych Ulyanov, Milan was running like a crazy to get there on time leading two of us. We came in just a minute before closing. It was so Milan...

It was a weekend and people were spending the time outside by the river Moskva having a dinner, or dancing salsa. Parking place in front of Lomonosov University was packed. People inside of their cars were smoking hookah and drinking vodka. Milan said that he had never seen so many people having fun out of bars and we came to a conclusion that it might be an effect of the actual economic crisis in Russia. 

When we reached Gorky Park, Milan told me that he is getting enough of Moscow and he is waiting for the wind of change. Even if his blond hair and blue eyes are perfectly matched a description of a Russian, his spirit doesn't match a conservative spirit of a province that is overflowing this metropolis. We met a group of Serbian actors who came here to play a soccer game and Milan spotted a son of his favorite soccer player and get into a friendly talk with him. Everywhere else but in Russia it would be a strange concept of artist playing soccer. Milan is very passionate about soccer and he made a site of all stadiums around the world that he has visited. Of course, somehow he lost the navigation of his site at one moment and of course, he has found it after a while. That is exactly how we called a night, watching a final game of Champion League with Milan's friend. It was not the way I wanted to spend my time in Russia but I have to admit that it wasn't so bad. When it got a little bit boring for me I fell a sleep and I woke up again for the penalty shoots at the end of the game. 

I told to Milan I wouldn't leave Moscow without eating caviar so we went to supermarket to get it. I wanted to eat specifically black caviar but my wallet told me that this time only red caviar would be on my plate. Caviar is held under the key in the supermarket and I almost broke the door trying to open it. In front of the supermarket, Milan dropped his wallet. After several minutes he went back to pick up his wallet which was patiently waiting for him. 

Breakfast was as pleasant as my staying in Moscow with Milan. After all, he is really a good person, ready to help anytime. He will never say something he doesn't mean. He is so different from people his profession and that is what I like about him. His work is not all he has in his life so all this recklessness is probably necessary for keeping some emotions that are not allowed in business. So far, I realized it is only me complaining about him. Milan has never complained about me. He accepts people the way they are. If you ever meet him, you'll recognize him because there's only one Milan I'm writing about.