This was a week of going here and going there--some near and some far. It was Transfer Week, which is always a little crazy, and also moving week for us.
As usual, Monday and Tuesday were pretty quiet. Except for calls to Sister Siri about Cultural Events. (See the end of this blog post.)
Wednesday we did our far travel--to Narva, Estonia, for our last visa trip. Stake President Leostrin was our van driver. He is a fabulous tour guide in St. Petersburg, but this time of year the tourist business is pretty slow. He can use his nice van to drive us volunteers to Narva. We left at 6 a.m., so we mostly slept during the 2.5 hour drive. But on the way back we enjoyed talking to him about what tourist sites we have missed during our time here. He also told us about when he was a child and Estonia was part of the USSR. There was no border crossing at Narva--it was like going from California to Nevada. There is a nice beach on the river near Narva and their family would go there and swim from one side of the river to the other--maybe 50 yards. He also shared a bit about his experience as an army draftee before his mission. He was assigned kitchen duty and was surprised to be chosen as aide to one of the seven top generals in Russia. That didn't last long when the intelligence authorities found out he had American friends because he was a Latter-day Saint. But it works both ways. Evidently one of the Russian Latter-day Saint church members was recruited by a Russian intelligence service, and he asked why, since he was a Latter-day Saint. He was told that since he was an active Latter-day Saint, they knew he would be honest and trustworthy.
We got across the Estonian border and back with no incidents, except Ken was asked to show his 'old' passport when entering Estonia. The woman wanted to see his Russian exit stamp.
We were in the early group and arrived back about 12:30. There was a second group who left at 8 a.m. and were running two hours behind us. So, while we waited for them to return, other volunteers started to gather for Transfer Meeting, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. It's fun to have them all in the Office visiting with us and each other.
Some of the Elders did not go on the visa trip, but their companions did go. That leaves them with not much to do all morning. So eight of them were assigned to clean apartment #335 in anticipation of our moving in there on Thursday. Sue had been in there a few days before to look around. It was pretty gross.
Eight Elders were assigned to clean. Elder Pentreath gets the prize for cleaning the bathtub. It's a big 'spa' tub and had 6" to 8" of brown all the way around the base. He got it clean, bless his heart.
We don't know how the other seven (who shall remain nameless) spent their time, but that apartment was NOT clean!! The five sisters who went to Helsinki to the Temple for their visa trip came back there on Wednesday night, arriving about midnight, to sleep. They thought it was too dirty for us to move into and did a bit more cleaning, but they didn't really have time.
Mom lurkers! Teach your sons (and daughters) to clean!! One of my kids said, when in college, "Mom, why do you have house cleaners now that we are all gone? There's not nearly as much mess." The answer was easy: we wanted them to all learn to clean (and cook.) Once they were gone, WE didn't want to go back to doing all that housework by ourselves. So, cleaners: Move the couch and beds to vacuum under and behind. Wipe down the walls and the kitchen cupboards, inside and out, with hot soapy water. Dust off the shelves with the clutter removed. Collect and take out the trash. Etc., etc., etc. [Enough of the rant.]
Elder and Sister Peck do an inspection of each apartment during each Transfer. They give out a "golden sponge" award at Zone Conference for especially clean apartments, and a "grungy sponge" award (in secret) to those who need to work a bit more. Pecks say the quality is getting better, but still needs work from a few of the Elders.
Transfer meeting is pretty short--just exchange SIM cards in phones for those who are moving, and a few words from President Rawson. Oh, and it's preceded by a pizza lunch for everyone.
And, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. We said farewell to Elders McOmber and Cummings on Wednesday afternoon, too. We first met with them in the MTC almost two years ago and have traveled this path together. They are fine young men!
We realized we've taken lots of photos in our apartment with the Murphy bed UP when we had Monday night dinner guests. But we'd never posted one with the bed down. This is a common morning scene--Sue is up and moving. Ken is in bed looking at his phone, working on Duolingo. One of us is NOT a morning person.
Thursday was moving day! But we got so involved in the process that Ken forgot to take pictures. That's unusual!! Instead of our usual 1 p.m. Office Staff meeting, the Rawsons, the Pecks and the two Assistants, Elders Thieme and Meek, came over to help us move down the block. The Lord does provide. President brought up the car from the basement, and just then a parking spot opened up right across from our door! That never happens! We got our six suitcases and about six more big shopping bags all into the car. President drove the 170 Smoots* (315 yards) from one apartment entrance to the other, everyone helped unload and take it all up to the 6th floor.
*(An actual unit of measure, originated at MIT based on the height of a Utah student there. Look it up.)
Ken did take one photo of the bedroom--not to be confused with the living room--which is down the hall. It's a full-size mattress on a queen-size bed, and we have much less closet space, but that's OK. We're only camping here for two weeks.
Friday afternoon we did our usual Hermitage. Afterwards, at President Leostrin's suggestion, we went to see the "original" Winter Palace of Peter the Great. We didn't even know it was there! In 1976-1985 or so, while doing restoration work on the Hermitage Theater, archeologists found remains below of the 18th-century home of Peter I. A few rooms have been restored and furnished with Peter's belongings. So, the big part of the current Hermitage Museum is the Fourth Winter Palace.
After Peter died, his wife had a death mask made--common practice in this time before photography. They also made casts of his hands and feet. Then a full-size wax model of Peter was created. It now sits there on a small throne in this, his old Winter Palace.
And as we were leaving, this is the view out of the window. We were thinking how different St. Petersburg is after 300 years. That tower in the middle of the photo is the Gazprom tower. It is 10 km (6.2 miles) outside the city--but still looms large over the city that Peter founded. He would love it! He was such a forward-thinking innovator. (And this was taken at 5:50 pm. Notice how light it is outside. Spring comes.)
As we left the 'big' Winter Palace, we saw all the snow plows working on Palace Square. They were going around in circles with plows on the front and big roller brushes between the two sets of wheels that break up the ice/snow, and then they drop salt/dirt mixture out the back. It's quite a system.
That night, Sue had a craving for blini--Russian crepes/pancakes. So we went to Teremok for dinner. You can get them either with meat/veggies in the middle, or sweet stuff. The English version of the menu said Teremok is one of the eight best fast-food restaurants in the world, according to CNN. You can see the two big round griddles in the photo. They start with batter on the left one, let it cook for just a minute, then flip it over to the right griddle to cook on the other side.
They add the filling, fold it up, and yum! Sue had one with salmon and cream. Ken had one with bacon, potatoes and pickles. And we split a third that was apples and caramel.
After dinner we went back to old apartment to do Internet and watch TV. Our last chance. The new apartment has neither.
Saturday was really busy! We started the last-ditch cleaning of the old apartment. We'd done a lot the week before, but we still needed to finish the kitchen. You can't really do that room until cooking is finished. And Sue had one last cooking project--lasagna for the Stake party later Saturday. (See below.)
Just then, President Rawson called us and told us to look at the Church Website and our emails. The big announcement came out about volunteers able to have family video chats much more often, etc. That is a huge change for us, and we're not sure how we are going to handle it. It won't start here this week. We only have two computers in the office that can be used for this, and we have very few hours when volunteers can be here when it's not the middle of the night for their families. President Rawson is writing some guidelines and sending them to the volunteers in his weekly letter. Then they can share that with their families. We'll have to do some figuring out... .
While Sue was cooking, Ken went to the Post Office. One of our Russian Sisters got word that she had a package at the local post office that was set to go back in two days, but she serves outside the city down south in Kolpino. So she couldn't come to get it until Monday, but it would go back on Sunday. Another Elder had a box at the same office, so Ken picked up them both. The Elder's box was 5.5 kg (12 lbs), so he took the babushka cart. He stopped to take a photo of a snow and mud berm. All winter we get snow, the street crews sand the sidewalks, and then shovel to the edge. [Repeat. Repeat again. Repeat several more times.] Then the snow starts to melt out from under all that dirt. Now, as you can see, there are layers of dirt piles with a little snow underneath. Not so pretty... .
The apartment got cleaned, the lasagna got cooked--and doing both of those things at once turned out to be a challenge. We've mentioned before that we can't run more than two appliances at a time. So the washer and dryer had to take turns. One or the other could be going. Then when it was time to put the lasagna in the oven Ken had to stop vacuuming. But it all got done, and we were only a few minutes late for the party... .
It was the annual Stake Married Couples Party!! This is an amazing event. Every stake should do this. Last year the theme was the Wild Wild West, complete with saw-horse pony and cardboard cactus. This year it was Fairy Tale Land.
There was a great crowd from all the wards.
They have a great way of organizing the party. People are put into groups of 8-10 for each table. Then that group brings its own food! We brought lasagna. Pecks brought fresh bread and drinks. Serebrennikovs brought salad. Rawsons brought dessert and all the plates/cups/napkins. This party started at 3 p.m. and was scheduled to be finished at 9 pm! We had to leave early (see below), but it was still going strong when we left just before 7.
St. Petersburg Stake has a band, and they are really good. They practice at the Stake Center every Wednesday night. The lead singer used to be a professional hockey player. His father is the guitarist on the right. There is a keyboardist hiding in the back right, and drums and another guitar. They played "Hotel California" just for us.
Each ward also did a skit--5 to 15 minutes--based on a Russian fairy tale. (Think Road Shows for adults.) They were very clever, and some done in rhyme. This was our favorite costume. The character had a Segway inside the barrel and was running all over the hall. The small cans along the bottom were spewing 'smoke' from dry ice.
There was also a "photo booth" area with a castle backdrop and a miniature of a typical stove from a Russian village peasant hut. It was also spewing dry ice smoke. In real life the stove heated the house. Baking was done in the slot down by Ken's right knee. The parents' bed was always on top of the stove. We dressed as members of the royal household.
President and Sister Rawson have really come up in the world!
Our wonderful friend Kostya Serebrennikov was the DJ for the evening. He would play a song or two, the band would play a song, then one ward or two wards would do their skit. Then he'd start over again. During the songs everyone got up and danced. At one point there was a couple who got us all doing a Russian folk dance together.
Here is a short video of the dance and the Stake dance band.
We had to leave early to come up to the Mission Home and have dinner with our newest St. Petersburg Mission Senior Couple. Max and Marilee Wood are from Delta, Utah, and they will be here serving in the office as our replacements. We have two weeks to teach them everything we know. They are already catching on fast and will do a great job. They have the desire to serve, and that's the most important qualification. They are also going to do a blog, so we'll pass on that information to the parent lurkers (which will include us!) when we get it.
It's what keeps the Mission interesting! Here is a sample.
Q. Which bus do we take from the chapel in Vyborg to get to Monrepos Park?
A. Oh dear, Google Maps doesn't do bus routes in Vyborg. It only tells how to walk the 5 kms. But Elder Packer is here, and he used to serve in Vyborg. He says take the same bus that you take to [name of some ward member]. That's the 16. ["Perfect!"]
Q. What are the hours of Peter & Paul Fortress today? [asked at 3:45 pm]
A. 10 am to 4 pm. Winter hours. That's daylight.
Q. Any other ideas for what we can do this afternoon?
A. Try the "Grand Mode" of Russia--model trains and scale model of Russia. Open until 8 p.m.
Q. What cultural events are on before the end of the Transfer? [That's tomorrow!]
A. Nothing at Mikhailovsky Theater. [That's the one with 200 ruble tickets 1 hour before showtime.] How about Philharmonia Hall? Tonight is a percussion group. Tomorrow night is violin/piano.
Q. We are planning on a cultural event tonight. What time will it be over?
A. No idea, it's not on their website. Here's the phone number, you can call and ask them.
Q. [9:45 pm] I'm packing to go home. Will they weigh my carryon? Or can I pack it full?
A. They don't usually weigh it--but there are no guarantees, and they may do it. Be prepared to jettison stuff or pay overweight fees.
Q. I want to mail a letter to a friend serving in Armenia. What's the Mission Office address?
A. Vratsakan #5, 0051 Yerevan, Armenia
Q. Zimbra [the Volunteers' email client used in Russia] isn't working! Rebooting computer doesn't even help.
A. Clear cookies and history and passwords... Still no good? Now the password doesn't work to get into Zimbra. Call Tech Support in Moscow: It's an 8-800 number.
Q. Why can't I get my iWatch to connect to WiFi? [From a Senior Elder, obviously...]
A. I've no idea. I need to ask Big Brother Google: Turn off Bluetooth on both iWatch and iPhone. Turn off watch. Turn it on again. With Bluetooth off, it will auto connect to WiFi on the phone. Then turn Bluetooth on again.
Q. How long will it take by taxi from our apartment to the train station to Finland tomorrow?
A. 25 minutes. [Thank you, Google Maps! It is great for giving drive times and also bus/subway routes and times.]
Q. I'm just back from going to the dentist. Can you please email my Mom with this report...
A. Of course!
Q. I need a phone number for a store that is holding shoes for me. [Call taken at 8:55 a.m.]
A. Oops--I'm still home in the new apartment, and we don't have any Internet since we moved yesterday. Call me back in 20 minutes when I'm in the Office.
20 minutes later--Sue in the Office: Oh, No! I left my phone in the apartment!!! (So Sue called back on office landline and gave him the number he needed. Then traipsed back to the apartment and found the missing phone... .)
Q: Is [insert here name of some famous or obscure touristy destination] open on Mondays?
A: I'll look it up for you. (This is a common question, because each place is closed one day each week, and they rotate. The Hermitage is all closed on Mondays, the Russian Museum is closed on Tuesdays, St. Isaac's is closed on Wednesdays.)
As usual, Monday and Tuesday were pretty quiet. Except for calls to Sister Siri about Cultural Events. (See the end of this blog post.)
Wednesday we did our far travel--to Narva, Estonia, for our last visa trip. Stake President Leostrin was our van driver. He is a fabulous tour guide in St. Petersburg, but this time of year the tourist business is pretty slow. He can use his nice van to drive us volunteers to Narva. We left at 6 a.m., so we mostly slept during the 2.5 hour drive. But on the way back we enjoyed talking to him about what tourist sites we have missed during our time here. He also told us about when he was a child and Estonia was part of the USSR. There was no border crossing at Narva--it was like going from California to Nevada. There is a nice beach on the river near Narva and their family would go there and swim from one side of the river to the other--maybe 50 yards. He also shared a bit about his experience as an army draftee before his mission. He was assigned kitchen duty and was surprised to be chosen as aide to one of the seven top generals in Russia. That didn't last long when the intelligence authorities found out he had American friends because he was a Latter-day Saint. But it works both ways. Evidently one of the Russian Latter-day Saint church members was recruited by a Russian intelligence service, and he asked why, since he was a Latter-day Saint. He was told that since he was an active Latter-day Saint, they knew he would be honest and trustworthy.
We got across the Estonian border and back with no incidents, except Ken was asked to show his 'old' passport when entering Estonia. The woman wanted to see his Russian exit stamp.
We were in the early group and arrived back about 12:30. There was a second group who left at 8 a.m. and were running two hours behind us. So, while we waited for them to return, other volunteers started to gather for Transfer Meeting, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. It's fun to have them all in the Office visiting with us and each other.Some of the Elders did not go on the visa trip, but their companions did go. That leaves them with not much to do all morning. So eight of them were assigned to clean apartment #335 in anticipation of our moving in there on Thursday. Sue had been in there a few days before to look around. It was pretty gross.
Eight Elders were assigned to clean. Elder Pentreath gets the prize for cleaning the bathtub. It's a big 'spa' tub and had 6" to 8" of brown all the way around the base. He got it clean, bless his heart.
We don't know how the other seven (who shall remain nameless) spent their time, but that apartment was NOT clean!! The five sisters who went to Helsinki to the Temple for their visa trip came back there on Wednesday night, arriving about midnight, to sleep. They thought it was too dirty for us to move into and did a bit more cleaning, but they didn't really have time.
Mom lurkers! Teach your sons (and daughters) to clean!! One of my kids said, when in college, "Mom, why do you have house cleaners now that we are all gone? There's not nearly as much mess." The answer was easy: we wanted them to all learn to clean (and cook.) Once they were gone, WE didn't want to go back to doing all that housework by ourselves. So, cleaners: Move the couch and beds to vacuum under and behind. Wipe down the walls and the kitchen cupboards, inside and out, with hot soapy water. Dust off the shelves with the clutter removed. Collect and take out the trash. Etc., etc., etc. [Enough of the rant.]
Elder and Sister Peck do an inspection of each apartment during each Transfer. They give out a "golden sponge" award at Zone Conference for especially clean apartments, and a "grungy sponge" award (in secret) to those who need to work a bit more. Pecks say the quality is getting better, but still needs work from a few of the Elders.
Transfer meeting is pretty short--just exchange SIM cards in phones for those who are moving, and a few words from President Rawson. Oh, and it's preceded by a pizza lunch for everyone.
And, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. We said farewell to Elders McOmber and Cummings on Wednesday afternoon, too. We first met with them in the MTC almost two years ago and have traveled this path together. They are fine young men!
We realized we've taken lots of photos in our apartment with the Murphy bed UP when we had Monday night dinner guests. But we'd never posted one with the bed down. This is a common morning scene--Sue is up and moving. Ken is in bed looking at his phone, working on Duolingo. One of us is NOT a morning person.
Thursday was moving day! But we got so involved in the process that Ken forgot to take pictures. That's unusual!! Instead of our usual 1 p.m. Office Staff meeting, the Rawsons, the Pecks and the two Assistants, Elders Thieme and Meek, came over to help us move down the block. The Lord does provide. President brought up the car from the basement, and just then a parking spot opened up right across from our door! That never happens! We got our six suitcases and about six more big shopping bags all into the car. President drove the 170 Smoots* (315 yards) from one apartment entrance to the other, everyone helped unload and take it all up to the 6th floor.
*(An actual unit of measure, originated at MIT based on the height of a Utah student there. Look it up.)
Ken did take one photo of the bedroom--not to be confused with the living room--which is down the hall. It's a full-size mattress on a queen-size bed, and we have much less closet space, but that's OK. We're only camping here for two weeks.
Friday afternoon we did our usual Hermitage. Afterwards, at President Leostrin's suggestion, we went to see the "original" Winter Palace of Peter the Great. We didn't even know it was there! In 1976-1985 or so, while doing restoration work on the Hermitage Theater, archeologists found remains below of the 18th-century home of Peter I. A few rooms have been restored and furnished with Peter's belongings. So, the big part of the current Hermitage Museum is the Fourth Winter Palace.
And as we were leaving, this is the view out of the window. We were thinking how different St. Petersburg is after 300 years. That tower in the middle of the photo is the Gazprom tower. It is 10 km (6.2 miles) outside the city--but still looms large over the city that Peter founded. He would love it! He was such a forward-thinking innovator. (And this was taken at 5:50 pm. Notice how light it is outside. Spring comes.) 
As we left the 'big' Winter Palace, we saw all the snow plows working on Palace Square. They were going around in circles with plows on the front and big roller brushes between the two sets of wheels that break up the ice/snow, and then they drop salt/dirt mixture out the back. It's quite a system.
That night, Sue had a craving for blini--Russian crepes/pancakes. So we went to Teremok for dinner. You can get them either with meat/veggies in the middle, or sweet stuff. The English version of the menu said Teremok is one of the eight best fast-food restaurants in the world, according to CNN. You can see the two big round griddles in the photo. They start with batter on the left one, let it cook for just a minute, then flip it over to the right griddle to cook on the other side. 
They add the filling, fold it up, and yum! Sue had one with salmon and cream. Ken had one with bacon, potatoes and pickles. And we split a third that was apples and caramel.
After dinner we went back to old apartment to do Internet and watch TV. Our last chance. The new apartment has neither.
Saturday was really busy! We started the last-ditch cleaning of the old apartment. We'd done a lot the week before, but we still needed to finish the kitchen. You can't really do that room until cooking is finished. And Sue had one last cooking project--lasagna for the Stake party later Saturday. (See below.)
Just then, President Rawson called us and told us to look at the Church Website and our emails. The big announcement came out about volunteers able to have family video chats much more often, etc. That is a huge change for us, and we're not sure how we are going to handle it. It won't start here this week. We only have two computers in the office that can be used for this, and we have very few hours when volunteers can be here when it's not the middle of the night for their families. President Rawson is writing some guidelines and sending them to the volunteers in his weekly letter. Then they can share that with their families. We'll have to do some figuring out... .
While Sue was cooking, Ken went to the Post Office. One of our Russian Sisters got word that she had a package at the local post office that was set to go back in two days, but she serves outside the city down south in Kolpino. So she couldn't come to get it until Monday, but it would go back on Sunday. Another Elder had a box at the same office, so Ken picked up them both. The Elder's box was 5.5 kg (12 lbs), so he took the babushka cart. He stopped to take a photo of a snow and mud berm. All winter we get snow, the street crews sand the sidewalks, and then shovel to the edge. [Repeat. Repeat again. Repeat several more times.] Then the snow starts to melt out from under all that dirt. Now, as you can see, there are layers of dirt piles with a little snow underneath. Not so pretty... .
The apartment got cleaned, the lasagna got cooked--and doing both of those things at once turned out to be a challenge. We've mentioned before that we can't run more than two appliances at a time. So the washer and dryer had to take turns. One or the other could be going. Then when it was time to put the lasagna in the oven Ken had to stop vacuuming. But it all got done, and we were only a few minutes late for the party... .
It was the annual Stake Married Couples Party!! This is an amazing event. Every stake should do this. Last year the theme was the Wild Wild West, complete with saw-horse pony and cardboard cactus. This year it was Fairy Tale Land.
There was a great crowd from all the wards.
St. Petersburg Stake has a band, and they are really good. They practice at the Stake Center every Wednesday night. The lead singer used to be a professional hockey player. His father is the guitarist on the right. There is a keyboardist hiding in the back right, and drums and another guitar. They played "Hotel California" just for us.
Each ward also did a skit--5 to 15 minutes--based on a Russian fairy tale. (Think Road Shows for adults.) They were very clever, and some done in rhyme. This was our favorite costume. The character had a Segway inside the barrel and was running all over the hall. The small cans along the bottom were spewing 'smoke' from dry ice.
There was also a "photo booth" area with a castle backdrop and a miniature of a typical stove from a Russian village peasant hut. It was also spewing dry ice smoke. In real life the stove heated the house. Baking was done in the slot down by Ken's right knee. The parents' bed was always on top of the stove. We dressed as members of the royal household.
President and Sister Rawson have really come up in the world!
We had to leave early to come up to the Mission Home and have dinner with our newest St. Petersburg Mission Senior Couple. Max and Marilee Wood are from Delta, Utah, and they will be here serving in the office as our replacements. We have two weeks to teach them everything we know. They are already catching on fast and will do a great job. They have the desire to serve, and that's the most important qualification. They are also going to do a blog, so we'll pass on that information to the parent lurkers (which will include us!) when we get it.
Sister Siri (AKA Sue) gets asked lots of interesting questions each week from volunteers who don't have access to smart phones or the Internet.
It's what keeps the Mission interesting! Here is a sample.
Q. Which bus do we take from the chapel in Vyborg to get to Monrepos Park?
A. Oh dear, Google Maps doesn't do bus routes in Vyborg. It only tells how to walk the 5 kms. But Elder Packer is here, and he used to serve in Vyborg. He says take the same bus that you take to [name of some ward member]. That's the 16. ["Perfect!"]
Q. What are the hours of Peter & Paul Fortress today? [asked at 3:45 pm]
A. 10 am to 4 pm. Winter hours. That's daylight.
Q. Any other ideas for what we can do this afternoon?
A. Try the "Grand Mode" of Russia--model trains and scale model of Russia. Open until 8 p.m.
Q. What cultural events are on before the end of the Transfer? [That's tomorrow!]
A. Nothing at Mikhailovsky Theater. [That's the one with 200 ruble tickets 1 hour before showtime.] How about Philharmonia Hall? Tonight is a percussion group. Tomorrow night is violin/piano.
Q. We are planning on a cultural event tonight. What time will it be over?
A. No idea, it's not on their website. Here's the phone number, you can call and ask them.
Q. [9:45 pm] I'm packing to go home. Will they weigh my carryon? Or can I pack it full?
A. They don't usually weigh it--but there are no guarantees, and they may do it. Be prepared to jettison stuff or pay overweight fees.
Q. I want to mail a letter to a friend serving in Armenia. What's the Mission Office address?
A. Vratsakan #5, 0051 Yerevan, Armenia
Q. Zimbra [the Volunteers' email client used in Russia] isn't working! Rebooting computer doesn't even help.
A. Clear cookies and history and passwords... Still no good? Now the password doesn't work to get into Zimbra. Call Tech Support in Moscow: It's an 8-800 number.
Q. Why can't I get my iWatch to connect to WiFi? [From a Senior Elder, obviously...]
A. I've no idea. I need to ask Big Brother Google: Turn off Bluetooth on both iWatch and iPhone. Turn off watch. Turn it on again. With Bluetooth off, it will auto connect to WiFi on the phone. Then turn Bluetooth on again.
Q. How long will it take by taxi from our apartment to the train station to Finland tomorrow?
A. 25 minutes. [Thank you, Google Maps! It is great for giving drive times and also bus/subway routes and times.]
Q. I'm just back from going to the dentist. Can you please email my Mom with this report...
A. Of course!
Q. I need a phone number for a store that is holding shoes for me. [Call taken at 8:55 a.m.]
A. Oops--I'm still home in the new apartment, and we don't have any Internet since we moved yesterday. Call me back in 20 minutes when I'm in the Office.
20 minutes later--Sue in the Office: Oh, No! I left my phone in the apartment!!! (So Sue called back on office landline and gave him the number he needed. Then traipsed back to the apartment and found the missing phone... .)
Q: Is [insert here name of some famous or obscure touristy destination] open on Mondays?
A: I'll look it up for you. (This is a common question, because each place is closed one day each week, and they rotate. The Hermitage is all closed on Mondays, the Russian Museum is closed on Tuesdays, St. Isaac's is closed on Wednesdays.)
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