This is my last day in Saint Petersburg: I leave this afternoon for the temple in Moscow. Tomorrow, I begin a ten-day, four-city lecture tour of the Ukraine. I will visit Zaporizhzhya, Kiev, Odessa, and Kharkiv, return to Moscow on the 25th, and fly to Delhi and Kolkata a day or two later.
I have been here at the temple in Lakhta, on and off, for a little over three months — since just before the Baltic Sea froze for the winter. It has been a pleasant stay. With the no-nonsense Vijay Raman Prabhu in charge, everybody knows what they have to do, and everything gets done right.
I like Vijay Raman Prabhu; everybody does. Despite his sometimes bluff manner, everybody knows that he cares for the devotees and that he always has their best interests at heart. I have a long talk with him, appreciating his hospitality and service.
Many devotees gather to see me off — Ananda Vardana, Makhanchora, Yasoda Nanadana, Joytir Moy, Divya Sundar, Ragalekha, Nava Gopi, and Urmilla — and I thank them all and appreciate their dedication and service to the mission.
Amrita Krishna Prabhu drives Ashutosha Krishna Prabhu and me to the Moskovsky railway station. It is a warm day (2°C) so the roads and sidewalks are full of slush. The train pulls out of the station at four o' clock.
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