Out with the old in with the new - AKA Posting Season

August 15-21, 2016

Starting my fourth week in Moscow so I’m feeling more like a resident than a tourist even though I am constantly pulling out my phone to snap a picture of something that catches my eye. Have I told you all how spectacular this city is and I have only seen a corner of it! If you can swing the airfare, you really need to come here and see it for yourself!!

Heading into the office on Monday morning, the rain is coming down in sheets. I’m sure I am quite a sight in my poncho carrying an umbrella. I just wish that I’d thought to pull on my Bogs too as my Birkenstocks are no match for the rivers rushing down the roads and sidewalks. I was checking to see if animals were pairing up and headed for a boat but the rain eventually stopped later in the day once the largest single day rainfall in Moscow forever was reached. 

After work, I head to the salon for a colour and cut with the Master.  She doesn’t speak English and my Russian is very rudimentary but with a little help from the receptionist, we communicate reasonably well. The idea of an emulsion to tone down the blonde highlights is met with horror so the approach to highlights is quite different in Russia; a second colour is applied with a flourish to the top layers of hair. I’m not sure who is more nervous me or the Master until I ask her to cut off a few inches. At that point, she is a bit panicked. I was more worried about the colour!

Overall, I am pleased with the result though it is a bit darker than I had expected. No worries, just a bit early with the Fall colour! Sadly, my promise of a selfie is not fulfilled though I promise to show off my new do as soon as I can get someone to take a decent picture!

June through September is posting season and the time has come for one of my Trade colleagues, Dan, to reunite with his family in Canada. They had left a bit earlier to get things settled at home. Wednesday night was good-bye drinks and dinner for Dan and Manuel, another colleague heading back to Ottawa.

We are headed to Strelka Bar. The restaurant is located on an island in the Moskva River behind the beautiful Christ the Savior Cathedral. 

The menu offers a range of interesting options for both food and libations. I haven’t tried borscht yet and the version served at Strelka - venison borscht with pampushki sounds like a promising initiation. Venison is deer; borscht is beet soup but what the heck are pampushki? The best accompaniment for borscht other than the requisite sour cream it seems – little garlic rolls that are indeed great for dipping and making sure that not a drop goes missing.

The borscht does not disappoint. The venison provides some smoke to complement the earthy flavour of the beets and the addition of a bit of the sour cream results in a luscious pink lake in which the garlicky fluffy pampushki take a dip! More please... As the sun dips below the horizon the beautiful cathedral is bathed in pink as well. 

Heading home, I remember that my housekeeper was going to make spring rolls today when she was cleaning. I open the door to the smell of Mr. Proper (aka as Mr. Clean in Canada) and fried food. There are a couple dozen plump pork egg rolls in the fridge so Eva and I each try one and judge them as very tasty. I send Eva home with a half dozen and put most of the rest in the freezer so I can enjoy them a few at a time.

Friday and I am finally getting my own Internet. I decided to go with the fastest download speed (1 GB/sec) which comes with >100 “free” TV channels for the low low monthly cost of $35! My other service appointments have spoiled me so the cable guys arrive just after 11:30 for our 10:00 am appointment. 

The installation process is complicated by my selection, as new wiring is required to support the higher speed internet. After 90 minutes, I have my own internet, 98+ Russian TV channels and two English news channels. I’m going to need Apple TV to stream Netflix!! 

Back to work to salvage what’s left of the day and then it’s time for Canada Club and a final good-bye to our departing colleagues.

Saturday is a lazy day. Eva and I have brunch in her apartment while she awaits her water cooler delivery. When the weather clears up we decide to head out for groceries with the little red grocery trolley bag that Nathalie had left with me so we can “carry” a bit more. We head to the closest АЗБУКА ВКУСА which is a couple km away and requires navigating three flights of stairs on either side of a tunnel under a boulevard; not bad with an empty trolley bag but a bit more challenging when we’ve stocked up.

En route we pass one of the derelict buildings in the downtown core that are draped with “cloth” so that it looks like the building surrounding it – a brilliant solution to something that could be an eyesore for a long time. 

We make it to the store and back with our provisions. I make myself a nice plate and settle in for a quiet evening while Eva heads out to join some colleagues for dinner and a show. 

Or so I thought! I'd forgotten that the final Tragically Hip concert was that night at 8:30 EST (3:30 am here in Moscow). Over the past few months I have been moved by the grace and courage that Gord Downie has shown in facing his mortality and I did not want to miss his final gift to Canada and his fans; a concert that is sure to be a seminal moment in Canadian history.Nothing for it then; I decided an earlyish night would work if I set an alarm and then had a nap after the concert.  

I awoke in the wee hours of the morning, found the CBC feed and settled in to watch history unfold. The concert was unforgettable and my words will never do it justice other than to say I was glad that I was there when Gord gave Canada his all and then some.

On Sunday after my nap, Eva, Alex and I set off to Gorky Park to check out the Pho restaurant that we saw last weekend. As we entered Gorky Park, we came crossed the start line to the Adidas Urban Tri; complete with a portable pool and tents dedicated to spinning, yoga, relaxation.

There was also a hair salon/manicure station; maybe that's why it is considered an Urban Tri?! I noted again that Muscovites don't do "early mornings" on the weekends so there were more people lounging and getting beautfied than anything else.  A colleague arrived later when the activities were in full swing. Maybe I have to sleep in on the weekends too to experience Moscow properly.

We were on our mission to check out the Pho at the restaurant under the pedestrian bridge. For 500 roubles ($10.00) each, we were treated to a veritable feast; giant bowls of fragrant broth full of beef, fresh noodles and a cornucopia of vegetables and herbs and fresh shrimp rolls that brought me back to last year's trip to Vietnam with Ken. We all agreed that a redo would be needed before this outdoor cafe closed for the winter.

Awash in pho we headed across the pedestrian bridge to the Arbat in search for some Russian champagne. 

View of Christ the Saviour Cathedral from the pedestrian bridge

Mobile Coffee Shop

More beauteous onion domes

We walked a fair piece and finally came to the Metro station and it was time for my first ride on a Russian subway to Arbatskia Station. Can't wait to explore the metro and see all the glorious architecture of these underground transitways.

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Along the way, we found this beauteous mansion decorated with scallop shells that I need to revisit so I know what it's about.

   
Off to Seven Continents for a few bottles of liquor for the guests and then the long walk home. Having walked about 15 kms, we arrive back to the building exhausted and that's all for this week!!