Day 1, Moscow: Lessons learned

Today was a big day! Up at 4 (darn sleep schedule) and now heading to bed at about 8. I'm loving Moscow. It's incredibly diverse, old buildings that seem to be abandoned but aren't, cars that should have been abandoned but somehow still run, the very rich and the very poor, and the expensive and the cheap. Wow. Kim and I trekked our butts all over town and now we are exhausted...but looking forward to another full day tomorrow.

For now I'll sum up some experiences by sharing the important Muscovite lessons I learned today.

1. Unlike in many cities, in Moscow, the strategy of taking two rights to arrive at a destination and then taking another two rights to return to the start afterwards DOES NOT WORK. Do not be fooled by the squarish looking block on the map. You will end up "lost" and wandering far out of your way to get back on track.

2. The Cyrillic alphabet, although it shares some characters with our alphabet, is completely different. While pronouncing things as they seem to read and giggling about it is highly entertaining (and probably won't get old), it won't get you anywhere in the long run. LEARN the ALPHABET.

3. The little red man with his hands on his hips (see below) means DO NOT WALK, and the countdown is telling you how long you have to wait before the friendly green man with the sexy strut (see below) gives you the go ahead.

4. Super is a super adjective.

5. When a cashier is yelling numbers at you, just keep putting down more different bills and coins until she stops. Then count your change CAREFULLY.

6. Surprisingly, Russian food can be quite tasty. (More to come later in a special food and beverage issue.)

7. The pigeons here are even dumber (or smarter?) than those at home. They are not frightened by anything.

8. Lack if sleep will make you loopy and will cause fits of laughter over things that just might not be all that funny.

9. It's hard to go to sleep when it's light out. Channel your seven-year-old self to help with that one.

That's all for now! Other photos are: Kim's little beer and my big beer, St. Basil's Cathedral in the Red Square and me with a creepy statue at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art.

TTFN,
C