Moscow, Russia - Quite adventurous indeed! I went to a salsa club last night and learned how the Russians get dooowwwn to this famous South American stuff. It was heart pounding, mind numbing fun! A dance instructor started things off, then dancers with a Carnivale kind of Brazilian flare (massive wings and brightly colored costumes), then came a drinking contest! Two teams of four people each took their turns at a bottle of vodka, one pouring, the next person drinking the vodka, the next eating a lemon, the next pouring, and so on... Needless to say, it was extremely funny to watch! And yesterday, I took the ornate metro (each station has its own flare, with marble, stain glass, statues, beautiful mosaics, one - Komsomolskaya - is epic. Recommended to all tourists, this station is unforgettable.) Yesterday, I also got to take a look at the city from above near Peter the Great's Log Cabin and a lovely church with bell players. All the women are dressed to the T, the 9's or whichever you prefer. It's made me want to shop like crazy just to blend, but - it's the most expensive city in the world - so I've given that up! For now, I think I'll be glad to get back to St. Petersburg to get the conferences started. I'll admit, though, a few weeks without a warm shower sounds scary. Eee! Ahh boiled shampoo water, ahoy! Chicago, Chicago, what a wonderful town... :)