One Year Wedding Anniversary

Jerel and I marked our first wedding anniversary on July 1 (ahem, yes, 3 weeks ago!). We had both been hankering for time with mother nature, so we celebrated with a weekend getaway to small lake just outside Moscow (Bear Lake). We weren’t quite sure what to expect as the venue had no website but the prospect of a wooded lake setting within easy reach of Moscow lured us in despite the uncertainty.

In terms of setting and facilities, ‘The Club’ delivered what we had hoped for. We had a spacious room with a balcony, overlooking the forest and lake, where we enjoyed relaxing and rowing about. The lone restaurant was very pleasant, serving tasty food, and offering a scenic patio with comfortable couches. We were pleased to find the hotel and restaurant staff to be unusually eager to accommodate such inept Russian speakers.

When it came to atmosphere, on the other hand, it wasn’t quite what we had in mind…the constant techno music (even at breakfast!) was just a tad disruptive. On the upside, our fellow guests treated us to a glimpse of the fun side of Russians, typically well-hidden behind a serious facade. We greatly enjoyed watching as they laughed and danced the night away to songs like ‘The Ketchup Song’, aided by seemingly endless rounds of vodka shots.