Post Script to June 13

What a day (and a 36-hour day at that)!  After an early morning rise on June 12 to catch a bus, connecting flight, or car ride to JFK for the early afternoon flight, we landed just after 6 a.m. Moscow time, where it took more than an hour before we were able to clear Customs and meet our local guide, Yulia.  From there, we loaded our luggage and boarded our mini-bus for a city tour, consisting of visits to Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, Victory Park, and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.  We were able to check into our hotel at around 3 p.m., but then Andrea and I, along with Yulia, took the Metro to the Luzhniki Stadium, to get Andrea's FAN ID replaced at the FIFA Accreditation Centre, as it did not arrive at her home address in time.  Notwithstanding that the subway stops are in Cyrillic and the trip involved a transfer of lines, we were able to figure out where we needed to go and get back to the hotel in about an hour.  Then, after a quick shower and change, everyone (except one who shall remain nameless) met in the lobby at 6 p.m. to go to dinner at a nice nearby restaurant for some Georgian cuisine.  Everything was great, including the food, service, company, and shared first-day reflections of fellow Golden Bears!  Day One on the ground is in the book, and we are looking forward to tomorrow's opening ceremonies and World Cup kick-off match between Russia and Saudi Arabia.  By the way, you can also check out our Twitter feeds at @CISBatWNE and @wneRUSSIA2018.