(But yes, I know this is a day late)

Outside Which Radisson Hotel?

You are standing inside a 200 meter circle
 The edge of the circle is a 5 meter high platform for sitting
 The center is a
complex and everchanging
fountain
This circle is a monument to the Union of European Nations
 You feel
  As an American 
  A little left out.

You are facing away from the center of the circle
 But inside its perimeter
Looking towards the impressive, new Hotel
 Which a nervous couple entered and was glad that its employees spoke English

Turn a little to the left
 (We’ll go clockwise)
And you see the grand entrance to a significant train station
 Which is very large and clean inside.
 You are standing near the entry point for many visitors from other European countries.
  Daily.
A little more to the left and you see steps
 Going down
To a significant subway station
 The subway here is called the metro
 This station is the junction of three different underground trains

A little more to the left
(now you have turned 90 degrees)
And you see a tall wall which hides construction from the road beyond.
Cross this road and you will see a familiar looking building which has a familiar looking sign
 If you look carefully the sign says in Cyrillic – “Macdonalds”
  This was the first place the nervous couple went, because
   Unlike other well seasoned travelers
  They wanted something familiar

Another turn to the left and you see the disorganized random parking lot for the train-station
 Actually you have been looking beyond this for awhile
 But we will disregard it
  And keep turning.

Another turn to the left
 (now you have turned 180 degrees)
and you see a park.
 It is filled with trees and benches and the remains of a bonfire
 This would be a pleasant area to walk through if it weren’t so filled with litter
  And party leftovers

For the remaining 180 degrees you see river
 The primary river for this capital city
 The river for which this city was named
  The couple toured this river with their college choir
   before they were a couple
    they were both less and more nervous then.

And when you have made your way almost full circle
You see a bridge, with impressive architecture, interesting to walk across
 Where you might note a police officer tossing his cigarette bud into the river
 Where you can see
  From opposite sides
 A University and a hotel which look very similar
  And a restaurant that looks like a Viking ship
   What?
This bridge might be a good way to visit the city center
 Rich with history and religion and shopping
  You might find very cute dresses for two new sisters

But don’t think
Now that you have come full circle
That you have seen it all. 
No. Try looking down.
You see that a three year old girl is holding your hand.
 She has blonde hair
  They kept it short at the baby home.
 She is your daughter, but you don’t know her.
And since she speaks a different language, you may wonder what she is thinking
 Clearly she is interested in the dancing waters of the fountain.
  Indeed she wanted to climb into it.
 And she has looked in wonder at much she has seen in the last twenty-four hours
 And she seems to be cheerful, but 
Does she have any real idea what is happening?
 And to the degree that she does, does she have truly joyful feelings about it?

My suggestion is that you pray
 To the God who made both her and you
Pray for peace for her and wisdom for yourself