This post will be the beginning of my trip report to Russia. I have made many trips to Russia in the past, but this was the first trip for me in almost 3 years. During this trip I went to Moscow, Tver, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod. I was in Russia almost three weeks and all I can say about that is that I wish I could have stayed longer. Alas however I had a life to get back to and so I returned to TEXAS late last week. I will present this report in segments and I will attempt to keep them short, because that is easier to digest.
With that in mind, I will now cover the first part of the trip. Upon arriving in Moscow I was greeted by Maxim and Ludmila in Domodedovo (KDME). After knowing Maxim for almost two years it was cool to meet him and Ludmila in person. It was kind of like seeing an old buddy from a long time ago. Maxim, Ludmila and I went to their apartment in Moscow, where we were met by another member of the 3102 forum, a guy named Vadim. In the end, Vadim, Maxim and Ludmila were the most gracious hosts anyone could ask for. I was amazed by their kindness and generosity. Good folk to be sure.
So. We hung out for a while, ate some traditional Russian food and talked cars. Maxim admitted to being a fan of the Chevrolet Caprice (or Cavalier, I don't remember which now) which was something I could not comprehend. So I teased him about that a bit, all in good fun. Soon thereafter Vadim drove me to Tver where I had non-automotive related business to take care of. (I work for a Russian business on the side) I remained in Tver for a few days and then Maxim and Ludmila came to pick me up and bring me back to Moscow. Maxim and Vadim taught me a lot about driving on Russian roads. I wasn't aware that there were so many speed cameras along Russian highways!
Once back in Moscow, Maxim and I formulated a game plan for finding parts for my 3102. First item on the agenda however was to meet with other members of the 3102 forum at their garages. I had the pleasure of meeting two guys, Ivan and Michael, both of whom are 3102 enthusiasts, plus a handful of their friends. It was a lot of fun to hang out with these guys and talk about technical aspects of our cars. We call this "talking shop" in the USA. I learned more about the production series of my 3102, which is to say that there were indeed different "versions" or "series" of my Volga model. I learned which year each seires began (and learned that there wasn't a clear date for such distinction really) and what the differences were in each series. This was both intriguing and satisfying. I felt as though I was being given several puzzle pieces to help complete the picture, so that was good stuff. After seeing their 3102s in person we went to a local McDonalds and hung out for a while. I presented my ideas for implementing an air conditioner in my 3102 by drawing a few diagrams on the back of a Big-N-Tasty box. They agreed that the approach that I had in mind would work, but the air box from a 31105 that has the evaporator included isn't a popular part in Russia, so it might be difficult to find despite the fact that they still make them as a new part. As it would turn out, that was indeed the case. But I am getting ahead of myself.
So the night ended all too quickly. I could have talked shop with those guys until the sun rose the next morning. And then talked with them some more. They were friendly, knowledgeable and courteous. I feel confident that if they lived around here or vice-versa that they'd be buddies of mine, no doubt.
Ok I will stop there with the first installment. More soon. I have pictures that I can post, but I would like to get permission from Maxim, Vadim, Michael, Ivan and all others prior to posting.
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РОССИЯ отчет о поездке - ЧАСТЬ I
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