I have wanted to go to Russia from when I was very young. My dad even offered to pay for me when I was maybe 13 years old. I think he was convinced that once I saw the “evil empire” up close, I’d renounce my interest in the country. The Soviet Union fell some years later, and I sort of regretted not taking him up on his offer because I would have been able to see the country in the final years of its occupation by Stalinist fools – assuming I could have even gotten past the airport. We lived overseas in the middle east, so it wasn’t particularly far – compared to the States. Now, I wonder if I’ll ever make it over there – married with children and all.