Pictures!

Check out my pictures on flickr. Make sure you click on the "i" before the slideshow to see my captions.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/30543737@N00/sets/72157600573414371/show/

I Heart Moscow

I leave for the airport early tomorrow morning, so this will be my last post from the road. I'll post pictures of the trip by Sunday.

Moscow is gorgeous and glamorous. Fun, fun, fun. Today I went to the Kremlin and Red Square. It is truly exotic and like nothing you've ever seen before. Some tourists from Tajikistan stopped and asked to take their picture with me. I guess they've never seen a black supermodel in person before.

Greetings from Smolensk, Russia

Hi all,

I have just arrived in Smolensk, Russia, crossing over from Belarus today.

I am loving this trip, although I am excited that the end is near. On the plus side, I've had the opportunity to meet cool people doing amazing things. Unlike the rest of the run to date, everything is highly organized. All meals are arranged by our tour guide, so the teams are spending lots of time together and I'm getting to know some amazing people. On the minus side, I have been attacked by bed bugs at sub-standard and sometimes scary hotels. I will be very excited to see my bed again.

Here is what my days have been like lately. We wake up and eat breakfast together. Breakfast usually consists of some kind of salty meat, like salami or ham, with vegetables like cucumbers or tomatoes. Then they bring out a larger egg dish. I quite like this baked egg dish they make, which is like an omlette but it has flour and cheese. There is juice and I drink multiple cups of tea. The Russian word for tea is chai.

Then we hit the road. Lately we've been driving 5-8 hours a day. Today we sat at the Russian border for about 3 hours waiting in customs. I am traveling in a van with a photographer and videographer, and they had to declare all of their equipment. There were stray dogs in the parking lot that I played with. I tried to feed them fried cauliflower that were part of a boxed lunch I got, but even the stray dogs wouldn't eat that.

Then we drove some more. Sometimes there are bathrooms, and sometimes there are no bathrooms. I've become very skilled at peeing in the woods and have packed a roll of toilet paper in my bag. We have water in the van, and I always try to have snacks at my disposal. Yesterday at the market in Minsk I bought a salami and have been munching on that.

We arrived at our hotel, which is large but not fancy. Dinner is at 8pm, so I am reading a few emails. I finally seem to have Internet access, so I have been trying to get some stuff done for work.

I'll eat, maybe go to a local bar and do the whole thing over tomorrow.

I am having fun out here but I really miss my little Millie. Yesterday I saw about 10 stray kittens, so I pet them all and took their photo.

The Russians are not very friendly, but I've learned a few Russian words, and it always helps when you try to speak the local language, even if can only say a few words. There are two Russians in my car. One is named Dmitri, or Dima. He's Russian but has lived in Seattle for 11 years. He takes care of us on the road and filled out all the paperwork at customs today. The other is Sergei from Siberia, who is our driver. He doesn't speak a lick of English, but we all manage to communicate and get along nonetheless.

As much as I miss home, I am a bit sad that I am not traveling through Mongolia and Siberia. These places are truly unique and it would have been a great experience.

Sorry for the rambling email. More later!

Mini Update

Hi all,

I am in Minsk right now, the capital of Belarus. I haven't had Internet service for a couple of days, and you may not hear from me for another 2-3 days.

Today I went to this awesome market and bought some pastries and salami. I heard that someone on our team was taking pictures and the police made them delete them. It is quite nice and clean here, but you are always being watches by the authorities.

Yesterday I went to a WWI memorial in Bresk that was amazing. I wish I could upload photos...maybe in Moscow. Unfortunately there is just not enough time!

I will upload all photos when I am back next week!

-d

Bicycling Through the CZ

Today I biked 10 miles in the Czech Republic, mostly uphill. I am exhausted and going to bed soon.

A team of runners has their own van, and each van has a bicycle. I decided to pull it down and ride. I am not Lance Armstrong, but I have been known to ride my bike on the treacherous hills of NYC, so I figured the Czech countryside would be a piece of cake.

It started off quiet and flat, and quickly became a heart-thumping, sweat-inducing affair. Our Italian drivers told me that I couldn't do it...that they had tried yesterday and it was just too hilly. I wanted to quit desperately, but I knew they would tease me relentlessly if I did.

So I stuck with it, but I will sleep like a baby tonight.

Forget Paris

I love Paris. Love, love, love. I now have a second favorite city - Krakow.

Who knew Krakow would be so spectacular. It manages to offer the world's oldest medieval square with a hip, youthful vibe.

It is gorgeous. And even better, it is dirt cheap. RUN to Krakow, my favorite city yet on this tour.

Vienna Lady

Hi all,

Today was such a busy day! I had five media interviews in Prague, then drove to Vienna. I'm going to take the subway and find some dinner shortly. I'm having a hard time installing pics - I will try again after dinner. Stay tuned.

-d

Who Art Thou, Prague

I type this from the lobby of the Hotel Ibisi in Prague, where I arrived at 6am. Although this was my first day in Eastern Europe, it didnt feel that much different than a day in New York. Please forgive any grammar mistakes...this keyboard is formatted differently than ones in the US.

First, I crashed in my hotel room for the first half of the day. I was exhausted before I flew, and that only got worse. I slept for about five hours after I arrived.

I have to say that if I had flown eight hours soley to visit Prague, I would have been sorely disappointed. Prague is indeed a lovely city, but very American. My hotel is located directly across the street from Pragues largest shopping mall. The mall is home to stores such as Sephora, Quicksilver, Bennetton and Gap. Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson are pumped into store speakers.

I later decided to walk around town. Young Czech men played hip hop while whistling at me. Seriously...did I travel 8 hours on a plane for that? I can get that at home. I traveled via subway to the heart of Prague, expecting more, but it was a pretty, if simple, tourist center. I finished the night at an Italian restaurant, where I had a glass of wine and a Hawaiian pizza.

The good news is that there are lots of dogs in Prague, so while most people were admiring the old buildings, I was playing with dogs. Curiously, all the dogs here are muzzled. I assume that it is because 1) by law, all dogs must be muzzled, or 2) this is a country of exceptionally vicious dogs. Im thinking it is a law.

I suppose it was a nice way to get acclimated to Eastern Europe, although in the end it was pretty unremarkable.

Im exhausted. Pictures, and hopefullý proper punctuation, coming shortly...

VISA - AND NOT THE CREDIT CARD

I'm ashamed to admit that, although I've known of this trip for nearly two months, I just renewed my passport two weeks ago. My diligent intern spent three hours waiting to pick it up at the passport building in Tribeca. And I just received my visas for Belarus and Russia today. For the record, that is not entirely my fault. The Russians arbirtrarily decided that it was some holiday and closed the embassy for FOUR days! Armed with visas, it looks like the Marlboros won't be necessary, although I'm still convinced they will come in handy and plan on buying a carton on the cheap at the duty-free store on the way to Prague.

I leave in less than 48 hours, haven't packed a thing and have a sink full of dirty dishes. There's nothing like the last minute for motivation.

Tonight is my last night with Millie. I'm going to miss that little furball something fierce.

MARLBORO WOMAN

I am staunchly anti-smoking, but I'm not above packing a carton of Marlboro Reds in my bag. There's nothing like good American cigarettes to expedite you through the border of Belarus.

ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ITEMS?

I'm leaving in almost four days exactly! Yesterday I decided to raid CVS for essentials - Tums, Advil, band-aids, dental floss, shampoo, etc.

However, I am just certain that I've missed something.

What are your travel essentials? What am I missing? Help!

Clean Water Baby

Did I mention that Hilary Swank kicked off the Blue Planet Run last week at the UN?

Where exactly will I be going?

I've been pretty vague about where I'll be traveling, up until now. Here's the complete list:

Czech Republic:
Teplice
Budyne n.O.
Prague
Benesov
Tabor
Trebon

Austria:
Schrems
Horn
Stockerau
Wien 18/06
Wilfersdorf
Vienna

Poland:
Oswiecim
Krakow 20/06
Kielce
Radom
Warszawa 21/06
Siedlce
Biala Podlaska

Belarus:
Brest 22/06
Baranavicy 23/06
Minsk 24/06
Berazino
Sklou
Orsa 25/06

Russia:
Jarcevo 26/06
Safonovo
V’az’ma
Moskva 27/06
Moscow

Where's Millie?

You all know I'm slightly obsessed with my cat. Just slightly. So the obvious question is: What happens to Millie while I'm gone? I would have been devastated to put her in a kennel, but fortunately two very kind souls have volunteered to keep her while I'm away.

Millie will be fostered by my friends David Perez and James Wilkie. They are animal lovers and kind people. After a career in technology, James is studying to become a full-time social worker, and the two do loads of volunteer work for the gay community. David's insightful blog, Gay Conservative Liberal, features commentary on politics, gay issues and the world at large, and has received acclaim from TIME magazine and the Manhattan User's Guide.

I couldn't have asked for better feline foster parents. I'm sure Millie will fall in love with them.

PLAYLIST SUGGESTIONS???

My iPod will be get used on the daily, and I'm all about the playlist. Playlists should have a theme, such as a genre, time period, or general mood. Any suggestions? What would you listen to traveling in a car? Leave your playlist suggestions in the comments section.

I hate the idea of doing special shopping for this trip, but the truth of the matter is that I do need a few new things. My summer wardrobe consists of ratty tees and the same pair of cargo pants. It works for weekend trips to the diner and bookstore, but this summer I'll be traveling in a car for two weeks, while simultaneously working. I need portable, comfortable clothing for running around town and getting in and out of cars all day, but I also need to be comfortable. Here's what I bought today.

THE SNEAKS
Nothing screams stupid American than running shoes. It's a dead giveaway. I found these terrific shoes at the Puma Store in NYC's Union Square - a perfect combination of ballet flat and sneaker, perfect for jeans, skirts, cargo pants, etc.

THE PANTS
I would never wear sweat pants, but I live in jeans. And while I'll certainly pack them for the road, they're not the best option for super hot days. They're also really heavy and take up a lot of space, and I'll need every iota of room in the ONE duffel bag that I'm allowed to bring on the road. These Columbia cargo pants, purchased at Parragon sports, are nearly weightless and I'm sure will be a staple on the road. I got them in khaki and navy.

THE TANK
The Old Navy Perfect Fit tank top. Multiple colors. A summer staple. Enough said.

The Basics

From June 19 - June 30, I will be traveling throughout Europe on what basically is the best business trip ever. I'll be doing the publicity for The Blue Planet Run, an around-the-world run from June 1 - September 4 to raise awareness and funds for clean drinking water. A team of twenty runners will run around the world, 24x7, for 10 miles a shot.

The unprecedented, 15,200-mile Run will circumnavigate the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere and, according to the Run route revealed today, travel through 16 countries including Ireland, England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Canada and the U.S. Cities and towns along the Run route will host local events to raise awareness and inspire action among their citizens.

I will be traveling with the runners from Prague to Moscow, including the great cities of Vienna, Krakow and Poland, and even the country of Belaruse, which Leonardo has informed me is the "most authoritarian government in the world."

As a side note, in Belaruse we'll have an armed security caravan traveling with us, at the cost of $16,000 per person, each day, for three days. I question whether this is really necessary. I think that if I were kidnapped, my abductors would soon tire of my incessant whining and questioning and would pay to *return* me to the run, but I guess we are trying to avoid that situation all together.

Along the run I'll be handling all of the publicity needs, including arranging interviews with foreign press and the twenty runners. I've met most of them already, and they seem like very accomplished people. You know the kind. These people accomplish more before 9am than I do most of the week, so I'm looking forward to quizzing them and determining a way to break out of my lazy stupor.

Over the next week I'll be blogging about my preparations, and I'm sure that these posts will be positively riveting. Please leave comments and questions for me. I'll be checking in every day and could use the company when I'm sitting in a car for four hours a day in Poland.

Peace out.