Borscht, Anyone?
Well, it was way too expensive and a lot of trouble, but we finally have our Russian visas! Instead of having to appear at the consulate in person … twice, we hired a guy who did it somehow without us being involved at all. This is the standard practice among people who actually get their visas.
Since I don’t make a habit out of photographing and displaying my passport, here is an example of what it looks like (it’s a sticker that takes up a whole sheet):
Russia is a very difficult place to get into, and then to tour, but I expect it to be well worth the trouble.