But....back to the Church of the Spilled Blood, and my episode with the "Stalinesque" lady at the door. The sign at the front ticket booth read that foreigners needed to purchase their tickets inside the church.  No problem..... it's quite common for them to charge foreigners a higher price, and so I went inside the church ready to pay the $12. admission (everything is expensive in Russia). There, the lady rudely told me that I couldn't buy my ticket with her...that I needed to buy my ticket at the front ticket booth. No room for discussion with her!  She dismissed me and sent me and a French couple quickly out the door. So..... back I went to the counter outside where, despite my arguments (and pointing to their sign), the agent proceeded to tell me that I had to go inside the church to buy my tickets no matter what the sign said.  Of course, this was after waiting for a good bit of time in each of the lines (and Russians don't seem to understand the concept of orderly queuing up in a line!). A sympathetic person in line at the next ticket window heard my problem, and fortunately decided to help me, explaining that since this was Russia, there were always "new rules... for today."  It turned out that she was a Tour Guide for a group of Italians, and she told me to mingle in the middle of her group and she would sneak me into the church, but I had to "be very quiet" about it.  So as we single-filed into the church,  I was trying desperately not to be too conspicuous, pretending to chat with my "fellow Italians" as we walked past the lady at the door.  That's when I dropped my glasses  (.... and, of course, in MY mind, the clatter of my glasses echoed throughout the chamber, and nearly woke up the saints inside!!!!)  I picked them up directly in front of her, quickly scooted inside, and avoided any eye contact (and avoiding certain imprisonment and banishment to Siberia!!!!)    Well.... I got away with it..... even though I did go to Siberia myself on the train a few days later. 

    Despite the very cool and somewhat inhospitable reception we received from the Russian people initially, I found that once we got away from the cities, the townsfolk were very nice.  Galina, the lady who welcomed us into her home for two nights in Listvyanka, was very dear.  Both Alec and Alex on the train to Yekaterinberg were very friendly once we broke through the language barrier.  My discussions with Alex were extensive..... talking about politics, economics, family etc.   I guess that is part of what traveling is all about  ...... reserving judgement of other people until you've had the chance to really dig a little bit deeper than just an initial impression.  The lesson that both Alex and I came away with after our discussions was that "people are really the same everywhere."  .... and my travels have reinforced that belief.