Well, all of you who feared this would happen can wag your beards and say"I knew she would come to no good!" On the train from China, my train family tried to warn me that I needed a Belloruss(White Russia) Visa. "Bosh, !"I said. surely my travel agent has everything under control. Larry, who stayed at the same hotel as I and was on the same Kremlin tour, tried very hard to find me a Bellorus visa, to no avail. All the Russians we talked to said "Nyet, Nyet! No being ridiculous, is all same country!" Well, "Da Da, damn it."

Getting ready to cross the border into Poland, the Belloruss Gestapo demanded my Belloruss visa "Vere are your papers???" When I did my very best little old lady, I know nothing shtick, they simply started hauling my luggage off the train. I went back to get the rest of my things, the train started up, and away we went, bye bye keyboard and riding helment. Then the train stopped about a mile farther and the boys in blue boarded the train to round me up. We had to walk back to the headquarters in pitch black, stumbling along. I kept a careful eye out for cattle cars but did not see any. Got back to office and went through the red doors that said " Official business only, Do not enter" Yoiks! I was interrogated for about three hours by various officials, non of who could speak English, as it was the middle of the night and the English speakers got the day shift.

I held fast to my "Ya ni znayou nichevo" (know nothing, I aint coppin' to nothing) routine, making them laugh and loosening them up a little. They could not understand why I was traveling with a piano(key board). They were pretty sure I purchased it in Moscow. "why would I buy a Russian piano, I countered. I don't speak Russian very well at all. I could not understand a Russian piano. "They figured out I was either a smart alexei or really dumb. Hahaha, little did they suspect I was BOTH! (sending this much so far, just in case)

Any how, about 2:00 in the morning they escorted me to a hotel straight out of a Humphrey Bogart movie. Crystal chandeliers, marble steps worn down by years of feet. Persian carpets, statues, no elevator. I do believe it has not been remodled since Humphreys time. Only cost me about 900,000 Belloruss money( about35$). The next day an ordeal of no one knew where I was supposed to go. I found the Belloruss Embassy, but the door Troll groweled at my and sent me on yet another wild goose chase. By now it is 12:00 noon and the train for Paris is at 2:00 pm. I went back to the Door Troll, who after growling at me even more fiercely finally took pity and escorted me in. There was a citizen there, not hired who volunteered to help me. She was angry that this happens to people and wanted to show a different face of Belloruss. She found a college student who spoke English and after an hour of being redirected, found the place, got my Visa, whisked me back to the train station and put me on the train to Koln Germany as there was actually no train directly to Paris that day. Of course my train ticket was no longer any good and I had to buy a new ticket. Now I am sitting in a Starbucks at this huge mall in the train station. It's the only place with WIFI. God bless Starbucks and God bless Lydia and Ekaterina. I wish them the greatest good fortune and long happy life(Live long and prosper). Got here at 5:30 this morning and leave for Paris at 8:30. Have missed my two days in Paris, but will go back there in January when I go see Maria Chris and Ty in England. The Eiffel tower will keep no doubt. I am out the cost of my ticket from Belloruss to Paris, two nights at a very expensive hotel ( three stars, Good Lord what did a Five star cost?) and personal transport to the hotel and back to the airport. As I get to Paris at about midnight and my plane leaves at 8: in the morning, I will cut my losses and go straight to the airport after debarking the train. Don't care, do not care, I AM OUT OF BELLORUSS!!!!!. Actually it was very beautiful, flowers still in bloom. We passed through a huge indoor outdoor open market, full of flowers, sausages, all sizes of fish, living and dead. Huge halves of pork that Sylverster Stallone was chopping up on a huge old tree stump, old ladies knitting socks, young women walking around in the mandatory spiked thigh highboots and mini skirts. We passed an ancient Villa surrounded by a 15 foot high wrought iron fence. In the beautiful grounds there was a tree that had died and was carved into a four foot high elephant, painted Walt Disney Blue. Catch you guys at the Airport in Paris. Thank God and Grey hound I'm gone from Belloruss1Next time I will be ready for them. Love you all.gracie