Background.  I am 60 years old, retired and divorced after 27 years of marriage and with two grown sons.  I started dating FSU ladies three years ago.  My first encounter was in Cyprus, next in Ireland, than Spain and finally in Russia. (Strongly recommend Cyprus.)  I have visited Moscow three times.  I have dated three Russian ladies.  Two of whom have gotten married, one to an American and the other to an Englisman.  I feel like a cupid.  I am rather proud of the fact that these two ladies have wished to remain friends and that we correspond regularly.
The third lady, actually the first one I met, is a mature lady who I am very fond of.  At first we contemplated marriage.  I tried to get her a tourist visa so that she could experience life in America.  Even though I accompanied her to the US Embassy in Moscow, was willing to sponsor her and even offered to post a bond, the visa was denied.  She almost panicked when the officer was about to stamp her passport with the visa denial.  I managed to convince him to allow us to withdraw the application, no stamp.  The officer suggested a K1 just so she could visit.  He assured me that it could be used more than once if the first 90 days was not an adequate amount of time.  I wonder!
We then tried to get married in Moscow.  We went through all the Russian bureaucratic hoops, actually not too difficult.  Then we both realized that at our ages and with our commitments to family and friends, it was probably not going to work.  Together we came to the decision that we would rather remain close friends, lovers actually, and see each other as often as possible but retain our separate lives in our own countries.

With that introduction the story of my recent trip begins:

I flew direct from JFK to Moscow on Delta.  Previous flights had been from Newark on British Airways with a nice layover in London.  I always extended my stay in London with no difficulty on the same ticket.  I much prefer the BA arrangement, if you can afford the time and London prices.
I arrived on Saturday the 27th of April and returned on the 12th of May.  I was in Moscow for May Day, Orthodox Easter and Victory Day.  All very impressive.  The city was clean and the weather fantastic.  Probably because of the holiday and the lovely weather, many Muscovites had left town to go to their dachas.  Consequently there was very little traffic and the air was clear, no noticeable pollution.  I staid at the Moscow Marriot Royal on Petrovka Street, near the Kremlin.  I used Marriott points earned while I was a business traveler.  The hotel is excellent and the staff outstanding.  I had a little difficulty with my visa and the staff held my hand and dealt with the bureacracy for me all the way.  No I am not a shill for Marriott, just a very satisfied customer.  We went to a ballet at the Bolshoi, uncrowded museums and some lovely parks.  As a cold war veteran I was very interested in the military museums.  I was pleased to see reasonable recognition of the Lend Lease Aid and the effort of our and the British Navies and Air Corps to get supplies and equipment to the Soviet Forces.
Each time I visit Moscow I see tremendous improvement.
I will spare you too many details.
I do not want to overstay my time on the forum so I will close now, but if anyone would like more info. I will be happy to respond.

Please tell me about you experience in Turkey.
I am very interested in visiting the Med. coast resorts and Istanbul.
I here it is great. Any negatives?

On my three visits I spent most of my time with my friends' families.  I wanted to establish a relationship with all of them.  A lot of time was invested with the US Embassy and Russian bureacracy pursuing the visa and marriage process.

I visited most of the most popular museums and theatres.  Went to two performances at the Bolshoi, the opera Aida and the ballet La Fille Du Pharon. Coincidently both plots take place in Egypt, fabulous costumes, great performances.  If you have not experienced the Boshoi go quickly.  It will soon be closed for at least three years.  It was built on a wet spot and it is settling.  Have your Russian friend buy the tickets, also for museum admission.  The Russians charge foreigners more, lots more.  For Russian art the Tretyakov gallery is the best.

I got my fill of cathedrals and icons.  Too much idoltry for this protestant.  My favorite was the rebuilt Christ the Savior, near the Kremlin.  Most likely because of its history.  One caution, if you attend Orthodox services as I did on Easter, the churches have no pews.  You stand throughout the whole service, ouch.

As a cold war veteran I was most interested in the Armed Forces Museum near the Dosteyevsky Museum and the Central Army Theatre.  Unfortunately the Gary Powers, U2 exhibit was closed for remodeling.  Historic revision?  I must admit one of my most memorial moments was standing in the middle of Red Square and looking at the platform where Stalin and Khrushev stood.  When I served on an ASW Destroyer in the Med. trying to track the Ruskie subs who were shadowing the 6th fleet I never imagined I would make it to that spot.  "Bury us" will you!   If you share my interest do not miss the Victory Park and the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, impressive and moving.  We in the west have little appreciation for the tremendous suffering Russia endured from Hitler's invasion.  D' Day and the Bulge were side shows compared to Stalingrad and Kursk.

One of my favorite adventures is to wander about the old city, in the day time!, to discover interesting places.  One day I discovered the only Anglican Church in Moscow.  There had just been a wedding and the chuch yard was littered with kopeks.  I retreived them and put them in the box to pay for the refurbishment of the church.  I guess in Russia they throw kopeks instead of rice.
 
I am an eclectic gourmet and love to find new and interesting restaurants.  Moscow has some great ones.  I was amused to find one modelled after an American speakeasy named The Real McCoy, my name.  It is located near the US Embassy, across from the Barrikadnaya Metro Station.  One of the best Russian meals I had was at the Kitezh-Town Restaurant on Petrovka Street.  I missed taking the river cruise.  Next time!  Hope this helps.

JR

I have a question for you... you mentioned that at your stage in life that it you weren't looking to get married?

So... what takes you to the FSU then? Are you just looking to date women? Or are you thinking you might find someone that you really do want to marry?

So don't worry about that! At least you've been there!

There are no rules here except a very few:

1. Don't use this board for blatant self-promotion
2. Don't carry arguments form other boards onto this one
3. Endless Personal attacks will eventually get you banned

I am not aware of any others.

However, I think that Jim Rome's two rules are always good:

1. Have a take
2. Don't suck

Anyway... welcome aboard... feel free to post any time