They have been planning this trip since 2012—when they did not attend the Summer Olympics in London.
So nothing was keeping Michael Koran and Jeff Daniel, a gay Chicago couple, from sporting red, white, and blue for various sports they are attending in-person during the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Yes, they are in Russia—and loving the experience, so far.
"This has been a bucket-list item for both of us and we really felt we missed out on London, so we said we're doing it," said Koran, 28, who lives in Lakeview and works as a bartender at Sidetrack and is the lead intern at Margie Korshak, Inc.
Daniel, 43, is a consultant.
They attended the opening ceremony, and also will attend ski jumping, team figure skating, alpine skiing, women's hockey, speed skating, and curling.
They flew from Helsinki to Moscow with the Finnish President and First Lady, plus their secret service. Then, in Moscow, they hung out with the parents of the U.S. Women's Hockey Team players and Carl Quintanilla of CNBC. Plus, Koran had his photo taken with Steve Langton from the U.S. Bobsled Team and the mother of U.S. snowboarder Shaun White, among other celebrities.
They will be in Russia for 12 days.
"The whole experience is just remarkable," said Koran, who described the atmosphere as "excitement everywhere."
"Everyone is so happy to be here and everyone from here is so proud to be a part of this."
Koran said their Sochi hotel is "very accommodating" and he definitely would recommend it—unlike the online photos circulating of others' accommodations.
"Moscow's airport was full of Team USA fans, so we felt A-OK [immediately]," Koran said. "Once we got to Sochi, it was like the party had begun. Coca-Cola had a group of 50 people outside the exit doors standing there cheering and passing out Coke while welcoming everyone to Sochi. [It was] so insane."
Koran said the weather has, so far, been perfect—temperatures in the low 50s and sunny during the day.
When asked about Russia's anti-gay propaganda laws, Koran replied, "We are trying not to scare ourselves; we've invested so much in this trip that there's no turning back now. We are smart travelers and will be cautious, but we can't say we're not nervous."
Terrorism also is a hot topic surrounding the Sochi Games. "Again, we'd be lying if we said we didn't have concerns," Koran said. "One thing that has kind of put us at ease is the accommodations are a bit of a ways away from the Olympic Village and we are bussed to and from any events, so unless something happens specifically while we are at an event, we should be safe."
Koran said that there are police officers and military soldiers "literally every 20 feet, standing guard on the route from the airport to our hotels. We could not feel more secure." He said they have been "totally" safe.
The two also watched the passing of the Olympic Torch, been to the Olympic Village, and more.
Koran admitted that he's been shocked by the patience of people who don't speak English, and how eager they are to try and help you. "I know, from personal experience, how hard it is to play the [game of] charades to figure out what someone is asking for. But they are eager to try and use their limited English to help us figure out what we need," he said.
Koran said the Olympians he's met so far are as excited—just to be recognized—as they are for the brush with greatness.
"It's not like NBA stars who want to be left alone because they're hounded all the time," Koran said. "These athletes are just now experiencing celebrity status and are soaking it up."
When asked if they've met any other LGBT, Koran said, "Hmm, not that we know of. It's still early in the trip."
"We travel a lot and are smart travelers, but we weren't prepared for differences from airport to airport and I lost a lot of good hair product," Koran added, laughing. "Guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles."
