Day 36 - End of the Line - Free Time in Vladivostok

Getting in at 7:00 am we were way too early to check into our hotel, so we had breakfast, stored our bags, and went for a long five mile hike around the coastline and into town. 

At the beachfront we stopped for a coffee. It was then we realized we were being stalked by a young fellow whom we had sought directions from a couple of miles back. KGB???

When he knew he had been discovered he very shyly approached  us and asked for our photo. We invited him to join us and had a grand chat using his recently learned English, our terrible Russian, and our mutual translators.  His name is Ashwan and could not have been more pleasant and fun to talk to. He is a 19 year old computer programming/IT student and loves America.  We exchanged contact info and invited him to visit us some day. He simply beamed!!!

We wandered the downtown area next before heading back to check in. A short nap was followed by another stroll along the other side of the peninsula up to an awesome bridge and back around to a restaurant near the hotel. It was a great first day in Vlad.