After arriving in Moscow, I met the kids at Babushka’s dacha (summer house) about 3-4 hours north of Moscow. It’s a magical place for kids: fresh air, berries and mushrooms to pick, the banya (bath), a lake for swimming, and endless white nights — meaning late bedtimes.
After two weeks of country living, the kids seamlessly returned to busy, loud Moscow for a week of site-seeing and playgrounds.
These kids can travel. They sleep on trains, make quick friendships (in Russian), and play quietly on airplanes. On the way home I READ A BOOK. I was alone with a just-turned-3 year old and a 5 year old. A huge difference from last year’s flights from Asia. (Frankly they were better for 10 hours on a plane than they often are on the 30 minute drive to Grammy’s.)
