40 Lessons Learned from Traveling Around the World

40 Lessons Learned from Traveling Around the World (in no particular order)

As mentioned in my about page, in October of 2016, I left the comforts of my home and full-time job in Minneapolis for a 5.5 mo trip around the world, visiting 6 continents and 23 countries. Since then I’ve had a lifestyle shift- meaning I currently ‘live abroad’ primarily in Rome, though travel several times a year to my home in Minnesota as well as to and in between my partner’s home in Azerbaijan. Essentially this shift shook me out of routine and opened my eyes to many life lessons that has shaped my views on the world… as well as some small tidbits that might make some days a little more enjoyable.

Rather than going through the stress of dumping your belongings and parting from your loved ones and pets, I thought I’d spare you some time and money with the Spark Notes of what I learned from my experiences.

I wrote this following list after the first trip in 2017 when I lived out of a backpack not much larger than one you’d take to school, and below you’ll find the lessons I’d add now:

Things learned from a solo trip around the world (in no particular order):

Groceries are almost always cheaper
Greeting new people w/ kisses is so sweet and everyone in the world should do it (though it ends up being awkward if it’s not the same expectations for both parties)
People (mostly) are good and are (almost) never their government
Always use public transportation when commuting from an airport when possible- it is insanely cheaper and usually completely comfortable
You actually don’t need a ton of different outfits in order to feel appropriate for the world if you are smart about layering
Living minimalistic eliminates some stresses and teaches you great lessons on materialism, but will still cause some other stresses or discomforts
It’s good to be direct and say no when you mean it
Plantains are always a good side dish
Purchasing oranges and bananas is never wasted money
It’s possible to appreciate things and let them enhance your life without having them/buying them
There will always be more stuff
Getting rid of material items you’re attached to is important, and a slow lesson to learn
A lot of people in hostels only stay in hostels, and because of this you often don’t get the best understanding of what a place is really like if you don’t connect with locals
Laughing because of stress is always the best way to handle it
Planning ahead transportation is always cheaper than leaving it to the last minute
Veggies and fruit are always a good purchase
If you can get it done now, you absolutely SHOULD. You might not have the opportunity again.
It’s OK to not be in control of your day
It’s OK to collaborate (and often quite rewarding)
Sleeping enough is incredibly important- especially if you can wake up naturally
Rinsing with cold water will always feel insanely healthy and awakening- regardless if it actually is
Squeezing lemon or ginger into water is a small way to make it delicious all day
Forgetting to take said piece of ginger out of your water bottle means you may get stopped and almost fined by New Zealand customs
Tasks can get done just the same without overthinking and stressing about them
Writing is therapeutic when stressed
If you see a cute pen in Taipei with a cat on it, buy two- you’ll definitely use it up and be sad when it runs dry in a few months
Expect to make mistakes, so you don’t stress when they happen
It’s better to be clean + have clean clothes on when going to sleep (vs in the morning)
Seaweed can be incorporated into many more foods than you might think
Having an anti-bacterial water bottle is the most valuable item when traveling *though I’ve recently learned its actually really unhealthy to be drinking all your water in something copper-lined, whoops!
Headphones prevent people from talking to you
If you feel a man (or anyone who could cause harm to you walking alone down a path) is approaching you and you sense he’s about to say or do something uncomfortable, a great pre-defense is to snap up your gaze as if you are locking eyes with a friend just past him and possibly wave. He’ll assume he’s not alone as he thought.
If Uber is illegal in a country you’re in, then don’t use it.
When traveling longterm add to your budget the cost of sending items back to family for space reasons
Things I’d add now that over a year has passed:
Always be humble and assume you could be wrong
Having an open mind without preconceived prejudices will lead to the best solutions
Remember to show your friends you appreciate them
Hosting is a wonderful way to show love
Take a walk once a day to clear any chaos from your brain
Kicking around a soccer ball is always a good idea
Maybe every year it would be beneficial to reevaluate and life lessons. Every day I feel I’m adding some thoughts to my Notes app, or jotting down something on my notebook.

On a semi-related note, if you are looking for an awesome interactive coffee table book, one of my favorite purchases is the booklet box by Stefan Sagmeister- “Things I’ve Learned in My Life So Far:”

Stefan Sagmeister Things I've Learned in My Life So Far

30 Fascinating Facts about Azerbaijan

****Note: this was the first step to one of my websites that is live now! Check out: GoTravelAzerbaijan.com for much more information about the country and traveling there! :D ******

In middle school geography when we were tested on all of the countries in the world, I'd remember Azerbaijan by thinking the 'point' that juts into the Caspian Sea was in the shape of an "A."

To be honest though the name is all I really knew about this country until a little over a year ago before meeting my partner who is from there. Now, I have a deepening appreciation for this small in size / big in history country and want to let everyone know how interesting it is! From what I've found rounding up information for this post there honestly is not that much content out there on the web written about Azerbaijan, which is a shame because there's a ton to say.

So with Onar's help (and the internet) I've compiled some of my favorite facts about Azerbaijan. This list is most likely going to be part of another project we have in the works, so stay tuned. [EDIT: as mentioned above, that project is Go Travel Azerbaijan]

First two questions out of the way

The first two questions that come up about Azerbaijan is 1.) How do you pronounce it? and 2.) Where exactly is it?

If you ask someone from Azerbaijan (written Azərbaycan) the name it will surely have the correct pronunciation and flair it's meant to, but if you are a primarily English speaker asking how to pronounce it you could follow this and be totally fine: Ahs—air—bai—shun (emphasis on each is pretty equal).

Azerbaijan has its own culture of course, but by location alone you can get a sort of rough idea of the different histories in this part of the world. It is part of the Caucasus region (meaning between the Black Sea and the Caspian) with Georgia and Armenia, and the three largest countries it borders are: Turkey (Just barely from its exclave on the west side, but they share a good amount of cultural similarities), Iran (Azerbaijan borders used to end more south into Persia which is current day Iran), Russia (they were a part of the Soviet Union a couple times):

So now that you know the 'where', I present to you 30 Fascinating Facts about Azerbaijan:

(Scroll to the bottom for my resources and also a few more links/youtube videos I reccomend!)

1.

The capital Baku is the lowest lying capital in the world, at 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level (If you're curious what is the highest, it is La Paz of Bolivia!)

2.

Baku is known for being incredibly modern with architecturally impressive buildings (it is referred to as "The Dubai of the Caucasus") but unlike Dubai, Baku has a deep rooted history and is one of the oldest in the world- they put great care in preserving and cherishing its walled Old City (or "Inner City) that dates back as far as the 7th century (including a UNESCO World Heritage site) nestled in the middle of it all.

3.

Their nation symbol is the "buta" which would be a singular paisley shape. It's used in a lot of their art, logos, tapestries, and rugs.

4.

Azerbaijan is home to the most mud volcanoes in one country (400) - They are warm but not hot- you could swim in them but there'd be nowhere to shower off! (business idea?)

5.

Azerbaijan has 9 different climates out of the possible 11! From snowy mountain hiking, to bright green rolling hills, to tropical, and semi-desert, there's a variety of climates to experience within this one country.

6.

Because of these climates, each region in Azerbaijan is known for specializing in a produce. One area might be famous for their watermelon, another for their lemons. Other specialized produce include potatoes, pomegranates, grapes, apples, and cotton.

7.

There is a cave in West Azerbaijan where evidence was found (tools, paints) from the very earliest of humans- 300,000 years ago! For comparison the famous Lascaux Caves in France are approx. 20,000 years old.

8.

It was one of the leading countries to welcome equal voting rights for women in 1918- 2 years before the United States and the first country in the East.

9.

It is a part of the stretch of land between the Caspian and Black Sea officially known as the Caucasus. People from here (as well as Georgia, Armenia and this part of Russia) are ‘Caucasian.’

10.

Its land once stretched further south into what is now Iran and it was part of the Silk Road Trading Route.

11.

Because of this border receding, more Azerbaijanis live in Iran than Azerbaijanis that live in Azerbaijan

12.

Their national fruit is the pomegranate (nar) and there are several festivals throughout the country dedicated to the delicious fruit that grow abundantly there

13.

The language "Azerbaijani" is a Turkic language. (Meaning the language family that spans across pockets Eurasia). If you speak Azerbaijani, you can probably get by in other Turkic language-speaking countries from say Kazakstan all the way to Turkey. Since there is no Rosetta stone for Azerbaijani, you could study Turkish and you'd at least have an understanding of the sentence structures and concepts.

14.

During the Soviet Union their alphabet was in Cyrillic, but when they got independence in 1991 (4 months before the USSR collapsed) they switched back to the original Latin-based alphabet. So some elderly Azerbaijanis have a hard time reading their own identification card since they used Cyrillic their whole life!

15.

Many people in Azerbaijan are fluent in Russian, and increasingly more (especially the younger generations) are very good in English. It's not uncommon to meet someone able to speak in at least 4 languages. (Azeri, Turkish, Russian, English) Many will watch movies or YouTube channels for example in Russian or Turkish.

16.

Azerbaijan was the first democratically run Muslim-majority country- the country is secular in terms of political operation and often historically lead the Muslim world in progressive politics.

17.

The majority of citizens in Azerbaijan are Muslim but they pride themselves on being welcoming of other religions- they were a place of sanctuary for Jewish people in WWII and have Synagogues and Churches in addition to Mosques.

18.

Tea is served often and always with some kind of sweet- commonly, if you go out for example, you will be served your tea with jelly.

19.

Baku currently hosts Formula 1

20.

Azerbaijanis pride themselves in their hosting if you are a guest in their home- they want you to feel comfortable and just like family. And, full of delicious food!

21.

In Azeri culture, taking care of your family members is highly valued. It is respected and encouraged for example for young adults to live with their family after school and/or college until they get married. It might be seen as 'weird' if you live in the same city as your parents but in your own apartment.

22.

Azerbaijan's east coast along the Caspian has a handful of unique natural phenomenons that hold strong historical significance. For example, on the 'beak' of the land that curves into the Caspian just north of Baku is a Zoroastrian fire temple. A constant source of natural gas in this area caused fire to spontaneously come out of the ground in 7 places. This 'eternal flame' has been recorded to exist as far back as 730 AD and just recently went out in 1969.

23.

Food! Popular abundant produce and dishes: pomegranate, walnut, lots of "greens" (meaning fresh green herbs- dill, cilantro, parsley, mint, green onion...), grapes, figs, watermelon, cherry, eggplant, lamb, saffron, cucumber, tomatoes, dolma (stuffed cabbage, grape leaf, tomatoes, eggplant or peppers), shish kebab, homemade yogurt, garlic.... etc. In general there's quite a variety and the dishes have much more complexity and layers to them say compared to Italian cuisine which typically uses the same few ingredients in different variations. This can by tied to the large variety of foods available within the country due to having 9 climates.

Below is an Azerbaijani cook I love to follow, Feride Buyuran! She has an Azerbaijani cook book called "Pomegranates and Saffron":

24.

The Caspian Sea on the east border of AZ is the largest lake (by surface area) in the world. Technically it's a lake not a sea. The northern Russian part of the Caspian is fresh water while the rest is salt water. Do you know what the largest *freshwater* lake (by surface area) is in the world? Lake Superior!

25.

Innovators in oil- The oil wells drilled in 1846 at Bibiheybat in the Baku region were the first mechanically-drilled oil wells in the world. Much of the wealth from the country historically has come from oil. This is also why they were so valuable to the USSR.

26.

Speaking of crude oil, did you know you could have a bath in it? There's a specialty spa in Baku that lets visitors soak for 10 minutes in warm Naftalan-rich crude oil (yes it is black and looks like chocolate syrup). It's believed the Naftalan has healing properties for ailments such as arthritis.

27.

People in Azerbaijan typically celebrate Nowruz (known as the Persian New Year) which is in the first day of Spring and celebrates new life. The origins come from the religion Zoroastrianism, one of the world's most ancient religions that put a strong value on the life giving value of fire and water. For modern-day Nowruz, they will enjoy delicious foods and socialize while a large fire burns down to coals. Once this happens everyone takes turns jumping over them to get rid of bad luck. Below is a scene you will see at Nowruz with fresh grass and 4 pastries:

28.

Baku is home to the Baku Museum of Miniature Books- the only museum of miniature books in the world.

29.

Azerbaijan is known for their variety of rug designs. Just as the climate is diverse in different parts of the country- rug designs are as well. Some rugs might use bold straight color blocks of red, fuscia, and blue, while other rugs might have smaller details in the design such as patterns with the buta (paisley) and use darker earthier colors. There's actually a museum in Baku constructed in the shape of a rug that features the various styles and goes through the history of this important part of their culture.

30.

Azerbaijanis have a 'saying' for everything. "In Azerbaijan there is a saying..." is something I'll hear almost every day. They all rhyme too, but in English of course they don't sound as cool: "You can't make a soup with cheap meat" (You can't build something quality without using quality 'ingredients') "You can't hold two watermelons in one hand" (One should focus and appreciate what they have, if they get greedy and try to have two things then they will inevitably loose both)

Azerbaijani homemade cheese and pastries

Of course there's many more I could write, like their tasty and beautiful handmade walnut cardamom desserts, and homemade cheeses, but I was getting tired and I assume all you are tired too if you made it this far.

Thanks for reading, and if you are looking for more info do check out our website!

Here are some more resources to check out if you are interested!

Some of the mountainous nature of Azerbaijan:

The City in the Sky: http://gulustan.info/2016/02/6567677/

Geography Now episode about Azerbaijan:

https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/xonca-is-to-novruz-what-trees-are-to-christmas-2018-3-21-0/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkic_languages

https://www.azerbaijan.com/v/geography/

http://www.branobelhistory.com/themes/society/the-pivotal-role-of-azerbaijan-oil-and-baku/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowruz

Simply Icon Packs: Royalty Free Indie Icons

Simply Icon Packs

Any web designer will tell you how often they are using and searching for icons.

There are several places on the web that offer free icons, but typically either you are required to give credit on your page or the icon isn't part of a comprehensive matching pack, meaning you might find one icon communicating what you need but the net one you find might be a different style. On top of that, often any free or paid for icon styles are limited and you tend to see the same files on many websites.

These consistencies and uniqueness are important when doing high end work, so when I myself was searching for icons to use with my projects it hit me that I could simply draw my own.

Initially I felt I didn't have time to make them myself, but as I increasingly spent more and more time searching for the perfect icon solutions to no avail, it was clear that I couldn't afford the time not to. This ensured each icon was in the same voice, plus after creating a handful based off need within a few months of freelance design work, I had close to a completed set that I could easily use for future projects. Plus they are customizable, so I could change the width of the line, or use of color/no color depending on what I was working on so they were appropriate to the brand still.

Having these ready to go has saved me so much time in my designs, on top of that often clients are delightfully pleased to see more visual communication tools when they didn't expect it.

My partner, a developer, insisted in the value of icons like this from indie designers and encouraged me to make something with the concept. Since I'm basically always excited about starting new projects out there in the world I gladly accepted the challenge.

Hence- the birth of Simply Icon Packs!

Simply Icon Packs logo

The goal of the logo was to make sure "Icon Packs" was most clearly visible from a distance with "Simply" having some more personality. I'm able to use the "Loop & Laurel" symbol as the crown of the logo- providing a subtle link to my two names without being overt. I did some research on other icon making firms out there, and decided on the Italicized Serif font as a way to differentiate to make sure I am my own brand. I actually really like how the Loop & Laurel logo acts like a crown because it reminds me of the word royalty, and I want people to remember these icons are royalty-free and CAN be used for commercial purposes. (Of course they can't be redistributed or sold though). I also like how "Simply" is set up to potentially down the road be a new entity.

140 Modern Business icons- Simply Icon Packs

Something that sets me apart from other icon options is I prepare the icons for color- they are ready to be used as-is but they also may be edited to specific brand colors.

I also offer custom icon add-ons in case a business knows they have specific concepts to communicate that wouldn't be included in the general pack.

Currently, as of July 2nd, I have 2 icon packs available on the website (a simple SquareUp site for now) and also on my new Creative Market page! (I'll write more about that later)

140 Modern Business Icons color + no color (Simply Icon Packs) - Includes for free any future additions (I plan to add 10 more in the near future). Great for developers, designers, hobbyists, etc. Anyone that could benefit from having a ton of visual communication tools on hand.
25 Italian Food & Drink Icons color + no color (Simply Icon Packs) - Perfect for branding, packaging, store signage, menus, sky's the limit! Great for business owners, designers, bloggers, etc.

For now I am working really hard on creating lots of icons! My notebook currently has a page of Travel-related icons that I'll be polishing and bringing them into the computer.

I also want to have fun with mockups of the icons- they can really tell a story of how these icons may be used.

Italian Food and Drink (SimplyIconPacks.com)

So that's it! Wish me luck on creating lots of new icons. It's fun for me to make them (the best part is adding the color). I hope as an indie designer I can figure out how to find people that would be interested in these. (Marketing is my least favorite thing.....unfortunately)

Thanks for reading,
Danielle

How One Raccoon Lead to 1100+ Page Views in One Day

The Wild #MPRraccoon Ride

The thing about opportunity is you often never know when it will show itself!

In case you hadn't heard, on June 12th and 13th 2018 in St. Paul Minnesota a raccoon astonished onlookers by scaling a 25 level building. She attracted attention globally as we awaited to hear that she hopefully safely reached of the roof. Most the attention started on the 12th, and I happened to hear of the situation (living in Rome not Minnesota remember!) since I was plugged into a great radio show episode on the Colleen & Bradley Show by my previous employer myTalk1071 discussing the Suicide Epidemic. (A tad ironic that I was not listening to MPR, but another talk radio station of the Twin Cities!) When the episode was over there was some breaking news about the raccoon!

By that time it was evening for me. I called to my partner about it and we excitedly watched the few videos that were up. We headed to sleep and were hopeful about the Raccoon's fate in the morning.

When we woke up, around 10am Rome time it was still 3am in St. Paul so no one was up yet to report about it.

I sat at my computer, without too much freelance on my plate, and was considering how inspiring and odd this situation was- particularly after the very recent tragic news of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain ending their lives still paining everyone- this news of the MPR Raccoon was so genuinely pure and wholesome. At that point, since we hadn't heard about the fate, it had brought people together over the love of this animal. There's something about raccoons too, that are just so adorable but menacing with their grippy hands. (The cutest combo)

Everyone had pure love and hope for this animal, and I was inspired to make some art while most people following were asleep and I awaited the news. To be grim but honest, at this point I didn't know if I would be creating a memorial or inspirational commemoration.

The raccoon drawing started from a photo I found, I used it as a base and drew over it and added my own extra fluffy touches with the smudge tool.

The building was something I started with an image as well- I edited out the UBS logo for simplicity and used the smudge tool as a base for turning it into a more oil painting quality. It was a bit repetitive and painful to get every single window, but I'd rather make sure the building was accurate than make a different interpretation of it. From there I added my own shadows and highlights.

The background flowers:

I had previously been sketching different nature in our yard- particularly magnolia leaves and flowers:

Screen Shot 2018-07-02 at 7.15.04 PM.png

Screen Shot 2018-07-02 at 7.10.04 PM.png

The low quality, yellowy scan is what ended up being the background magnolia. I used it as a rough base for the smudge tool then added my own extra shadows and highlights.

In process of drawing I was checking and refreshing the news- HOORAY! The MPR Raccoon successfuly reached the roof (*shewwww*)- so then I guess that means I was making an inspirational commemoration afterall.

I thought the design was really cute (especially how fluffy the raccoon turned out!) and decided to mock up the design into a shirt and tote with my fulfillment company that I normally use for Hip My Trip.

By the time I completed these designs and added them to my shop, it was about 2pm Rome time, 7am St Paul time and we were about to eat lunch. I knew this was prime time to share something as people in St Paul were waking up so I was nervously hurrying and letting my lunch of yummy frozen pizza (it's so good here!) get cold.

To be honest, I was nervous to share because in my mind it was a big enough occasion to make art for but I was worried maybe other people would think I was silly and brush it off. And- if that happened oh well, I did make it just because I wanted to, but an artist does love an audience afterall! It's quite validating to be shown appreciation since most of us have at least some level of self-worth complex, just saying.

So on the 13th at about 7am St Paul time I shared my post on Instagram and Facebook, suggesting if anyone feels like it they are welcome to share the post. I think a large part of my success was being 7 hours ahead- I had much more time to spend effort on it which added to the surprise slight irony factor as well.

The only way I can describe the rest of the day is 'chaotic excitement.' The post on FB was shared 70 times total (this is in the first few days, but most were in the first day), a handful of times on Twitter (my partner Onar was working Twitter- he was responding to so many people that were asking about any t-shirts available, bless him!), featured in an MPR News article, and on top of the social spread- M A N Y people were actually clicking on the links to the T-shirts and tote bags.

The first sale was about an hour after posting I think- one shirt! I couldn't believe it, and had to figure out what to do when selling something in my shop since this was the first time that happened. (I had just set it up a few weeks earlier). 20 minutes later a second order came in- this time for T W O canvas bags! My partner kept saying he believed I'd sell a lot but I didn't think that would happen. I ended up netting about half my rent money for the month! Pretty darn exciting for a freelancer.

I was guessing many people were visiting my site but wouldn't know until the next day when the analytics were tallied. I first checked Google analytics and it said something like 60 unique visitors. That's more than usual, but I thought maybe it would have been a bit more with the amount of times it was shared. Then it hit me- since I just set up my shop I hadn't added the Google Analytics code to that page yet. Drats! But then I remembered Squarespace has its own analytics which was making more sense:

Screen Shot 2018-07-02 at 8.00.39 PM.png

If you couldn't guess, since this site is primarily functioning as my portfolio for freelance work I do N O T get many views/unique visitors a month. For some this number would be crazy low, but for my level this was crazy high!

All in all, this whole experience of following the plight of the MPR Raccoon, being inspired to make art, and being met with such positive feedback about it has been such a fun ride!

I don't think an opportunity like this would happen again, I see it like a once in a lifetime fluke thing, so I'm just going to appreciate that it happened and go on with my day.

I did learn a lesson in timing and effort.

I believe if I was even 4 hours later to post this design in the day it wouldn't have had nearly an impression. (Of course- that wouldn't be the case if I had a ton of fans and people that followed my work- but I don't. I'm just one independent freelance designer still figuring out a 'style' with a constant identity crisis in what I share.) A breaking news story like this needs to be acted upon right away if you want to be leading rather than following. I actually learned this while working at myTalk, maybe listening to them inspired me in more ways than one.

Also I believe it's worth putting effort into something if you really believe in it- and it shouldn't matter whether or not you anticipate feedback. It's those times you aren't really trying that hard that end up being more impactful in the world.

So that's my fun story about the #MPRRaccoon that went viral- may the story and She Who Persisted go down in history and never be forgotten.

Thanks for reading!
-Danielle

Two Weeks in Moscow, Russia

Growing up in the USA even after the dissipation of most Cold War tension I was still subconsciously influenced to view Russia (and its citizens) as 'scary communists' and certainly not a place to explore as USA citizen. While conversely I observed an embrace of capitalism and too many uses of the USA flag in fashion to count, it is true that Russia still has tight border control in and out of the country for most citizens outside the former Soviet Union making it challenging (ie inconvenient and expensive) to visit!

There are a few ways to see the country within 72 hours- either getting a pretty painless transit visa at a consulate that doesn't require sponsorship- or without a visa entirely through some cruises that may pass in St Petersburg. But to stay longer than that, as I did visiting my partner's family in inland Moscow, it takes a proper visa requiring planning exact days and accommodation months in advance and a hefty (over $200 if mailing) price tag for a single entry.

This is why I wanted to share my 2 week experience in Moscow, because it's a place not many people would necessarily get an inside perspective on, and some of it may be surprising.

WHY I was there:

To visit my partner's sister and family (husband + 2 daughters). After only actually 'dating' for a collective month, it was decided I'd a) return to Rome to move in with him and b) come with to his annual family visits to Moscow and Azerbaijan. It sounds crazy I know, but sometimes you just listen to your gut and go with it. We spent 2 weeks in Moscow (these dates could not be changed after getting the visa) then one month in AZ.

HOW we got there:

Cost (one way): $160 with Air Serbia

Route: Rome > Belgrade, Serbia (w/ day long stopover- see below) > Moscow

WHAT surprised me the most:

First of all there were not just malls, but really NICE malls everywhere. I had a completely embarrassingly misguided assumption that Russia was, and is currently, communist— and furthermore that most its citizens were content with this and they despised western capitalist culture. (I know I'm an ID10T, send me the judgement and snark...) This couldn't have been further from the truth. While the government might hold on to some ideals from socialism, they clearly are using capitalism (in the business sense) as part of their economy. I saw many Western brands but also Russian brands too. I can't tell you how many H&M's, english words, and USA flags I saw. Of course keep in mind I was in the capital Moscow and can only share from that perspective. The downfall- I couldn't find ONE shirt with cyrillic on it. Mostly everything was written in the Latin alphabet, in English. A bummer since I really wanted to take home a shirt with Russian on it. (I was learning Russian on Duolingo before the visit and was in love with the aesthetics their alphabet)

GUM- This building in the Red Square is a massive mall.  Shopping, restaurants and an extensive grocery store on the on the bottom level. — GUM- This building in the Red Square is a massive mall. Shopping, restaurants and an extensive grocery store on the on the bottom level.

Second, I was surprised with all the images of Putin holding cute baby animals. In a bookstore I saw a calendar with the cover being Putin holding a baby leopard cub, and countless magnets made of the image of him holding his Caucasian Mountain puppy. Putin couldn't hurt anyone I mean look at him momentarily father that adorable furry creature!

You can tell by the blurriness of these photos I snapped these discretely!

And third, I was amazed at how beautiful the metro stations were. I had heard this ahead of time, but I wasn't prepared for every little detail of every station to be so emaculate and intentionally designed. I wish I had a better camera to capture them at low lighting, and I regret being shy about rushing to take these, but you can get the idea:

WHAT we did:

The purpose of the trip was for visiting family, so much of our time was spent relaxing, conversing, and eating the most delicious home cooked Russian-inspired Azerbaijani food. We also were able to treat the little ones by taking them to museums and parks, which Moscow has a ton of being in the middle of the boreal forest. We were happy to explore different parts of the city and we could also help out Onar's sister by giving her a break from watching them.

This was the meal we were welcomed with.... WOW is all I can say. So delicious!!!

Countless cups of tea a day, and not one cup was without sweets! The Solomka are candies from Soviet Union era, they kind of laughed that I wanted to take a photo of them because they're so plain/common. Also I'm 100% in love with Onar's sister's or… — Countless cups of tea a day, and not one cup was without sweets! The Solomka are candies from Soviet Union era, they kind of laughed that I wanted to take a photo of them because they're so plain/common. Also I'm 100% in love with Onar's sister's ornate dishes for everything.

VDNH:
You can't visit Moscow without experiencing VDNH. It's an insanely large park with beautiful fountains, gardens, food, and cosmonaut themed attractions. It used to have amusement rides but they've since been taken down. The bottom two photos are from opposite ends of the park. Space exploration is definitely a huge sense of pride in Russia, rightfully so. Even though the US was the first to land on the moon, the Russians were first with basically everything else. (And let's not forget how their socialism set high standards for gender equality leagues before the US- the first woman in space was Soviet Valentina Tereshkova in 1963, 20 years before Sally Kristen Ride who was the 3rd woman in space after another Soviet female cosmonaut in 1982.)

This fountain in VDNH is comprised of 16 different prominent females from the different countries part of the Soviet Union.

Orlov Museum of Paleontology: Because of the extreme conditions in Siberia, dinosaur fossils were preserved significantly better here than other parts of the world. This is the reason why this museum is unique and super impressive. I unfortunately didn't take many photos, but here are a couple of the entrance and inside:

Parks! Like mentioned above, Moscow is situated within the boreal forest (same as northern MN) and it is integrated into the city with many large and impressive parks. We walked around Tsaritsyno Palace, which was the palace of empress Cathrine the Great. I don't know if 'park' is really the right word because while there were several units of the palace with beautifully landscaped terrain, much of this place was a straight up forest of pine trees. We stumbled on an open area that was a free dance class for anyone that wanted to join. We also went to Gorky Park which is more of a place young people hang out- there was a ton of art and interesting activities going on.

Moscow Planetarium: The first half was spoken and all in Russian (so Onar understood but not I) but the second half I had headphones of Neil deGrasse Tyson narrating the film so it was all worth it.

And of course.....
The Red Square!

Not the stereotypical angle of the Red Square, I'm sure you agree with me the flowers are too beautiful not to show.

Red Square's night market, white intricate booths with (fake) flowers lined all over.

A few last extras:

Soviet Union era notebooks- also something people found funny I wanted to take photos of! They are all a different variant of robin's egg blue and very simple. Russian school kids these days find these sort of dorky/basic and prefer more exciting de… — Soviet Union era notebooks- also something people found funny I wanted to take photos of! They are all a different variant of robin's egg blue and very simple. Russian school kids these days find these sort of dorky/basic and prefer more exciting designs with swirls and cats and stuff, as kids do.

Most delicious Russian fast food, Teremok!!!

In conclusion

Moscow was a wonderful city to visit for the parks and museums, and most importantly the family we spent our time with. I would never want to try to summarize an entire place from one small experience, and I recognize that visiting a city for a few weeks in no way means I understand what it's like to live there or how their citizens feel, but I did enjoy how much nature was in the city in the form of free and quality public parks. We spent way more time in malls than I ever expected to with my wildly wrong assumptions about Russia's political stances, and left with a respect for the culture and the people particularly about their early adoption of gender equality that came from socialist belief systems.

When I was younger and felt a indistinct sense of fear about visiting Russia, I was doing what is unfortunate human instinct to mistakenly group the governmental relations of a country with the citizen relations, when in reality they are often separate. We're all people with the same desires and fears who happened to be born somewhere in the world. Despite what happens to be our ruling government's opinion about how best to serve their citizens, if any of us sat down for tea with a stranger from anywhere in the world we would find infinite more similarities than differences.

Hope you enjoyed a little peak into some time in Moscow, Russia!

Thanks for reading,
Danielle

Also:

RELATED: How Travel Actually DID Cure My Mind (and How it Didn't)