Saturday

this past saturday we ventured out to a market (have to get all my gift and souvenir purchases made before i head to the US this weekend!) and then to a graffiti art show.  pretty typical moscow day, i'd say.  you can see for yourself...

this is the entrance to ismailova...a replica of a medieval village, complete with the village market...which has a proper flea market side, and of course, rows and rows and rows of matrushka dolls, soviet antiques, fur hats, and any other russian souvenir you could want.

this is the proper flea market side.  it was freezing.  only 18 in the middle of july!!  and spitting rain!!  come on moscow!  where's the sun?!?! 

soviet-era dishes.  and probably some from last week.  whatever will sell!

the pin guy!  this guy is the best.  he has SO many pins from soviet era...sports, relations with the US, propaganda, military, etc.  he also had a fine selection of pins from the 1980's olympics in moscow.  collectors items!!  i took this picture in the hopes that lonely planet will post it as a part of their "in the wild" series on their facebook page.  

cool graffiti art show in an old sugar factory in my neighborhood.  i think the video camera is a rip-off of some banksy street art, but the rest of it was pretty cool.

this guy is also spray-painting a tiny car.

gotham city!  this is "moscow city"...the new business district.  

sunset from my bedroom window last night.  finally, the sun!!  as it is setting...

starting to.  

A Birthday in Russia

well, i must say, if you ever get the opportunity to celebrate a birthday in russia, do it.  russians LOVE birthdays.  they are serious about them.  and they are generous and loving and eloquent.  they don't just toss off a quick "happy birthday!" as they pass you in the hall.  they seek you out.  and give you a kiss on the cheek, and wish you a hearty congratulations.  and then, they stand before you, look you in the eye, and tell you all of the things they wish for you in the coming year.  luck, success, to stay true to your heart, believe in yourself, love, happiness, there is no end to what they wish.  and everyone does it.  at first i didn't realize how serious this is.  i kept saying thank you and then attempting to sit down.  but they kept going, so i learned to stop, listen, and take it in.  they are very sincere.  and it is beautiful.  and they do it one at a time all day long.  a tradition i'd like to keep going when i move back home!  how incredible is that!  and they give FLOWERS!!  fresh flowers are one of my most favorite gifts ever.  just such a sweet expression of love and joy.  so several of my female colleagues gave me sweet bouquets tied with a festive ribbon.  and my parents win for figuring out how to send me flowers!!!  a beautiful basket of summery, sweet flowers.  i was so touched!  and then my closest colleagues collaborated to buy me a gift certificate to a fancy russian banya.  kind of like a spa...but they scrub your skin to the bone, and beat you slightly with branches.  and plunge you in an ice bath.  the russians are a little, um, intense.  but it's supposed to be amazing!! :).  i can't wait, regardless.  so very generous. so yeah, have a birthday in russia.  you will feel like a queen.

here are some pics from the day:

these are tasty perogi.  like pies.  anne knows i LOVE cherries, so she picked up 2 cherry pirogi and 1 plum one.  this is another russian tradition.  typically the birthday girl/boy brings treats in for the ENTIRE office.  they must break the bank, seriously.  i am fortunate that i did not have to do that, and anne so generously brought in pies for our department, and whomever else happened to be lucky enough to stop by.  

this is anne and i sampling the goods.  very nice.

sasha, anne, myself and julie-ann chowing down.

the flowers mom and dad sent!!

these are all the flowers from co-workers, and the gift certificate they made me for the banya.

birthday dinner!  these are fancy bruschetta pieces...with crab and avocado and i don't know what else.

birthday dinner out crowd: campbell, julie-ann, luba, sasha, jason, me, anne.

so it was a great birthday, even though i was far away from my family and closest friends.  my russian and international friends did a pretty darn good job at making me feel special and loved.  i thank them from the bottom of my heart.  was a fantastic day.

Summer in the City...Moscow style!

who knew that july was the rainiest month in moscow?!?  apparently lonely planet, and any other guidebook, but i guess i didn't read that part.  oops.  oh well. we've managed to have a pretty decent time of it, despite the torrential downpours that happen near daily.  seriously.  it threatens to storm every day, and it pretty much makes good on the promise.  and the skies are crazy beautiful here because of it!  summer here reminds me of summer in nyc.  everyone is desperate to get out of the city...and if they can't, they are desperate to FEEL as if they are.  terraces and rooftop bars are all the rage.  park life is buzzing.  music festivals abound, as we know from my last installment.  my russian summer is about friends, food, and never knowing what's going to happen around the corner.  just like you never know when it is going to storm.  so i always have my umbrella, and hopefully my sense of adventure.  here are some pics:

vodkas ready for tasting at a dinner party we hosted in our apartment.  Drova is a nice one...but I think Baikal is still my fave.  

i made cookies!!  it was a bit of a challenge without proper brown sugar, but no one seemed to mind.

campbell, hugh and trish.  some of our resident aussies.

gerri and matt (canadian) and valie (greek).

gerri made her own chili-infused vodka!  apparently it was very strong.  i didn't taste it that night, as i was still in recovery from the intestinal thing.

ok.  i have NEVER seen this before.  so apparently there are these stations around town where you can get your own natural milk.  it's like getting the milk directly from the cow...but thru a machine.  so this is jason, self-labeled food nerd and health nut, getting some fresh milk.

first you buy the plastic bottle.

then you buy the milk.

and the machine "moo's" when the milk starts to pour out!!  incredible.  right in the middle of the city.  i don't know how they do it.  

the view from my kitchen!  of a sky, after a passing storm.  that is one of the seven sisters buildings on the left, and the russian white house on the right.  we see putin coming and going in his fancy helicopters.

fruit!!  summer here is full of delicious, sweet summer fruits.  russian cherries and strawberries are the best i've ever had.  and i've never had a donut nectarine before!!  tasty.

this is the hot look in Moscow Summer '13.  i haven't cut off any jeans...yet...

dark-chocolate and sea salt covered fresh fig.  at one of our new fave restaurants.  Oldich Dress and Drink.  it has a vintage clothing store at the front of the restaurant.  very fancy, fun clothing.  it's kind of like if an anthropology had a bar attached.  totally hipster-trendy, but very tasty.

we came across the protests the day Navalny got convicted!  reports said 10,000 people were there...um, not what we saw.  but we didn't stick around.  we were a group of americans, working for a governmental agency...prob not a good idea to get caught up in it all.

but i did get a sticker!  it says "change russia.  start with moscow.  NAVALNY."

police cars and buses ready to round up any miscreants.  allegedly they hauled off 58 people.  but i didn't see any violence.  they also said protesters shut down traffic on a major thoroughfare.  again, i didn't see that.  i saw people holding signs and clapping, and cars honking in support.  pretty tame.

dressing up at Oldich Dress and Drink.  Jason and Jess (american) and our new russian friend Nikita.

pre-gaming it on a friday night in moscow.  i don't think i'll drink vodka on ice again!  i like it cold, straight up now.

it looks JUST like the picture!  again, fresh fruit is everywhere.  this is in a jazz club we went to to hear fantastic ragtime jazz.  one of the best performances of When The Saints Go Marching In that i've heard.

the band.

drinks out on a rooftop terrace.  liza and sasha (russians, sisters), zheniya (russian), and nikita (russian).  

oh yeah...when my russian failed me.  i ordered a latte with 2 shots and a piece of cake.  and that is what i got!  sigh...

stormy sky over the seven sister that is the former hotel ukraine, now a radisson, and located right across the street from me.

cocktail on the rooftop bar of said seven sister.  looking at the new moscow "city center."  new business district.

view of the white house.

me at a very exclusive table.

sasha (tired from the previous night's activities) using jason as a pillow in the very fancy rooftop bar.

sunset and stormy sky is a gorgeous combo.

the science and technology building bathed in sunset rays, under a threatening sky.

more storm and sunset...from our evening cruise on the river.

campbell, sasha, jason and i crusing on a boat!

the church of christ the savior.  scene of pussy riot's arrest!  it is a very imposing building.  and it is gorgeous at this time of night.

coming up on the kremlin and st basil's at night.

so there's a little bit of what we've been up to the past week, when i'm not working, or watching episodes of damages with gerri.  (we are hooked!!).  it's a pretty fun city in the summer, actually.  you never know what is going to happen.