Meanwhile in Russia...: The Moscow Sixteen

Well I finally returned from our trip to Tula and will be staying in Moscow for the remainder of my trip, which is only 16 more days!! Our trip to Tula was a nice weekend visit to the countryside of Russia. It was very beautiful with lots of nature and forests all around us. Our hotel was very nice, we even had a TV!!!
So I guess I should rewind back to Friday since I haven't told you about it yet! Well we had classes and then had the entire afternoon free! So some friends and I headed to the WWII museum. It was absolutely beautiful and interesting. I learned a lot about the war and that Russia lost approximately 26 million lives. After that we went hunting for a Chili's. Yes, there are 3 or 4 Chili's in Russia!! Go Capitalism!!! :) Well, we kind of got lost but ended up in the Arbot which is this really cool street with no cars. There were tons of souvenir shops and American chain food places, it was like a mini America! After practicing our Russian by asking for directions we found the Chili's. It was definitely the best burger of my life!!!
The next morning we had to wake up at 6 am to catch our train to Tula. It took almost 5 hours to get there and the train was rather crowded. However, I ended up sitting next to a Russian girl and her father. Once she realized I was American she started talking to me in English and we had some really good conversations. Finally I asked her how she had learned English so well and she said she was never taught it she just reads a lot of books and stuff on the internet and this was actually her first time to practice speaking!!!!! I was highly impressed!! She also told me some sad stories about WWII times and how her father's family was almost tortured to death and how many other Russian families have similar stories and that's why they are excited to celebrate Independence Day which is this coming tuesday, June 12.
Once arriving in Tula it felt like a little Mexico almost. We all crammed onto this bus (pictured below) and headed off to Tolstoy's estate. His estate was beautifully set in the forest with lots of trails and lakes to roam around. It was definitely a break I needed from the hustle and bustle of city life!! After that we went back to our hotel, which was by far the nicest place we have stayed yet! It was so nice to only share a shower with 2 people instead of 16!!! We also had a TV! I watched a show called Happy Magic, which is basically the Russian version of American Idol for magicians.
This morning we went to the Kremlin of Tula where we walked around and went in a weapons museum. Then we got on the train and headed back for Moscow!!! Now we're back to our normal schedule of classes, so I guess I better get some sleep! :)