What. A. Day. I’ll start at the end and say that we walked 17k steps today, according to my phone.

We had a lazy morning where Millie drew and Nick and I attempted to do some research about our next stop. She has new thing where she chooses scenes from her books and then recreates them.

Once we were all hungry enough we headed out for some late breakfast. We once again struggled to order from a Russian menu. I’m not sure why I hadn’t downloaded everything to my translate app so that I can use it without WiFi or data, but now I have. And will do for every upcoming stop!

We walked through town to the Ark of Bukhara. Everything was bustling to get ready for the opening of the biennale this evening. Installations were being built, buildings were blocked off, and lots of people were wearing lanyards of different colors depending on their role: artist, security, press, volunteer, etc.

We tried to enter a building to see an installation but were turned away because it wasn’t accessible until the official start of the show at 6:30 this evening.

We took our time getting to the Ark and stopped at a rickety little playground. It was very hot today and we welcomed the many breaks.

When we arrived we headed in and learned about the history and the different quarters. We saw the mosque, the stables, the embassy, etc. I was most amazed by how much of it was still ruins to be uncovered. Millie of course groaned at the very mention of the word “ruins”.

While we were there Millie remembered it was Friday and then was hyper focused on ice cream until the precious nectar hit her lips. Luckily there was a gelato place right outside. It always makes me laugh how she complains of fatigued legs until she is motivated by something and then she runs ahead of us.

She chose the worst flavor imaginable, bubble gum.

We went to see the dungeon, where the Emir would lock up prisoners. She was fascinated and asked a million questions. I knew she would learn a lot on this trip but I did not predict how much she would learn about prisons and executions. Nick tried to be like “yeah things used to be a lot worse than they are now” which unfortunately led us down a line of questioning of what else was worse. And somehow we found ourselves explaining how women were drowned during the Salem Witch trials. I digress.

We continued our walking tour of Bukhara and saw all the sites – big mosques, little mosques, minarets, squares, madrasas, and more. Everywhere we turned there was something beautiful to explore.

Millie was a champ all day, zero complaining. It was hot and so much walking and she just went with it. She asked to take this selfie with the building.

We took breaks wherever we felt like it, including a round of Go Fish inside the mosque.

After a brief rest and cool down in our apartment, we headed out for dinner. We ate in the central square and once again Millie went to town on some dumplings. I was worried about what she’d eat when we get to China but I’m not anymore. We got a fruit plate for dessert and this gigantic platter arrived.

And yeah Nick shaved his beard and took off his glasses and hat. Felt like I was cheating on my husband until I got used to it.

We finished eating just after 6:30, right as the art venues were opening. As we were leaving our table, a parade of puppet animals walked by with musicians escorting them. The streets were packed and full of energy.

Her face says it all. We were amazed. Once the procession had passed, we ducked into the old building which by now had been transformed into art galleries and installations. In one of them there was a group of women in traditional dress singing and dancing. Millie watched for about 10 minutes, mesmerized.

I didn’t know what to expect but I loved all the art. I’m so glad we saw this towards the end of our time in Uzbekistan so we could appreciate and notice cultural and historical significance woven into the work.

We got to talking to a fellow American who asked where we were from. When we said Austin she smiled big and told us she had been the curator of the Blanton for the last ten years. Small world! Millie fell in love with her and asked if they could have breakfast together in the morning.

We watched a family of artists create ebru marbling prints and Millie whispered to us “I really want to try doing that”. Eventually they offered her a turn and it made her whole day. She was grinning ear to ear and took it so seriously.

She walked all the way home holding it up so strangers around us could see her work, and then insisted on signing the back of it. She really wants to be an artist. And a mom.

It was a really special evening and I had a couple of moments feeling choked up by how amazing it is that art brings people together like this, and how lucky we are to be here.