After finally getting a 7-hour night's sleep (we've been running on 4 and 5 hour nights.) we spent the day exploring this new place. It was pleasantly hot, the air was clean, and the food was delicious. I also really enjoyed not seeing a single American tourist. However, while the Americans might be lacking, the Russians seem to flock here in droves. In fact, it's such a popular escape from the cold Russian winters that you see Russian writing in menus and even some street signs.

Additionally, it was wonderful seeing some of the countryside and rural parts of this country. While this place is a tourist destination, it's also still a predominantly farming and fishing village. You will not see large cruise ships docking anywhere near the beaches here.

Something I've very perplexed by that perhaps someone could shed some light on is that there have been numerous instances on this trip where I've been asked by people on the street to be photographed with them. At first I thought it was a little strange, but cute. My thought was that I'm a foreigner and therefore, they wanted to get a photo with someone who comes from so far away, but then I realized that there are plenty of other white tourists here who they aren't asking to be photographed with so I'm not so sure that's the reason. There are three possible scenarios that I can think of and perhaps someone else could provide insight as to why so many people have approached me for a photograph. 1. Seeing an American is a complete novelty (I've kind of ruled this out, but perhaps it is actually the case.) 2. I'm some kind of freak of nature. 3. Very frequently I'm told by strangers on the street, cashiers at check-out counters, wait staff at restaurants, and any other number of people and places that I look like Sarah Jessica Parker. Since all white people look alike, perhaps they thought I actually was SJP. It seems like a stretch, but at one point on this trip I actually had to stand there for 10 minutes while a series of people waited to get photographed with me! It felt like what I imagine being a celebrity feels like.

Quite a few people have figured out the first destination, but no one has correctly guessed where this second destination is, so keep emailing me!