Where I hope to visit.....first stop...or Для России с любовью

   Hello All,

  Yes...my first stop would be "to Russia, with love"....taking a twist from a James Bond title.  In my younger years, I grew up in fear of Russia...with the Cuban Missile Crisis that occurred before I was born...and even though our two countries created a "hotline" to deal with future events in more personal manner....there seemed to be a gulf between us.  I was fearful until about the 5th grade. My teacher was from Russia, and had immigrated to the US after the second World War.  He taught us a Russian word...maybe every day, or a few days apart...not so much how to write, but to pronounce and say. It was a great experience to hear the language...and to learn some of it.  I am not fluent by any means.  I spoke it for the first time when I deployed to Bosnia...and was shown a different dialect from the people in Croatia and Bosnia. Not a very big difference at all.  The people there saw that I was trying, and it made them more comfortable with my presence.  As I grew, especially after the 5th grade, I wanted to learn as much as I could about Russia. I am still far from being expert on their history, but know for certain that they have some incredibly beautiful cities and people that are as warm at heart and full of spirit as anyone I have known.  I would like to visit St. Petersburg and Moscow, if only to name a couple of cities.  I want to see, talk and experience the largest country in the world...that is Russia.  It is my hope, should I be elected president in 2016 that I would visit Russia within my first year, also taking along my family and some friends.  I also hope that my blog readers from Russia may comment on here and let everyone know of other cities or terrific things to see and do in your wonderful country.  Bless us all and thank you!