To Russia for Lunch

On Monday, I had the unique experience to go to Russia for a little shopping and lunch with some wonderful ladies.  Never, did I ever imagine I would go over to Russia just for lunch.  That was before I moved within 10 miles of the Russian border.  The town we visited in Russia, Vyborg, actually was part of Finland, but was lost in war to what was the U.S.S.R.  I may have mentioned this before, in the winter of 1939/1940, Finland and Russia fought the Winter War.  The respectively tiny Finnish army effectively held off the Russians.  They lost land, but were able to maintain their freedom.  Fire and Ice is an interesting movie about the Winter War.  If you are interested in WWII history, or even if you are not, it is definitely worth your time.

Vyborg is less than 50 miles away from where we live in Finland, but it took us over two hours to get there.  To go into Russia, we have to clear Finnish and Russian customs and then a couple Russian checkpoints along the way.  It can be a little nerve wracking crossing the border.  The always serious Russians even have those fur hats on!

Round Tower (ca. 1500)
This is the building where we had lunch.

My yummy salad!

Broscht
Delicious! And I didn't even think I liked beets.

The ladies at lunch.
Eating here, like our trip to Vyborg, was a trip back in time.

 Life is an adventure full of twists and turns.  There are adventures to be had that you can't even imagine for yourself, made all better when you encounter great friends along the way.