Moscow | Being 42

May 09 2016

By the Moscow River

Monday 9th May 2016, 2.40pm (day 1,719)

So here I am back in Moscow, and the city thus appears on the blog for the first time since 29th October 2014, 558 days ago. The weather that day was glorious, and so it was today too. It was a public holiday here, Victory Day, but only the oligarchs and Putin confidantes get to hang around Red Square watching the tanks roll past these days, so I just worked a bit and wandered out in the early afternoon to take in the rays by the Moscow River, along with several thousand of the locals.

The bridge in the background has two decks, by the way — upper for the road, lower for the Metro red line (line 1).

Tagged 46, gallery, Moscow, Moscow River, photography, photos, Russia, selfie

Oct 29 2014

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Daily Post, Urban scene

Sunset skyline, Moscow

Wednesday 29th October 2014, 4.30pm (day 1,161)

A landscape, almost. The weather in Moscow today was glorious, totally unseasonal, and here the setting sun catches these blocks that tower around the fringes of central Moscow like the monoliths in Monument Valley, some from the Communist era but many rather newer than that.

Tagged 45, evening light, gallery, Moscow, photography, Russia, sunset

Oct 27 2014

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Daily Post, Urban scene

Scaffolders in front of GUM

Monday 27th October 2014, 5.15pm (day 1,159)

Sometimes the shot just waves at you and cannot be ignored. What this scaffolding was for, heaven knows, but it was being built this evening, on a grand scale, in front of GUM, the huge shopping mall which lines one side of Red Square (it stands for Glavnyi Universalnyi Magazin, or ‘Main Universal Store’).

Tagged 45, gallery, GUM, Moscow, photography, Red Square, Russia, scaffolding

Oct 13 2014

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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

Global Education Futures forum — youngest attendee

Monday 13th October 2014, 12.15pm (day 1,145)

Moscow was the destination of yesterday’s flight. I came here to attend this event, a forum involving some of the world’s greatest and most innovative educational thinkers, plus me. And this little darling, in the arm of her father Pavel, one of the organisers. What is she pointing at? The red rectangle which appears to be growing out of his arm? More likely the other delegate’s lunch. Don’t get used to pictures of Moscow — I’m flying home again tomorrow, though I am back here in two weeks.

Tagged 45, baby, gallery, Global Education Futures, Moscow, photography, Russia

May 14 2014

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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Cossacks

Wednesday 14th May 2014, 7.50pm (day 993)

My hosts/friends at the Moscow School (the organisation that is the reason I come to visit Moscow so comparatively frequently) invited me to come to this event at the Russian Army Theatre this evening. Lots of folk dancing and its associated benefits like beautiful women, beautiful costumes and manly men doing manly things with swords, like these guys. And not done for the tourists either — in fact Russia is one of the few places in the world where this kind of cultural event is still seen as a normal evening’s entertainment, there were lots of families here tonight.

I still can’t quite grasp the nature of the Cossacks, are they a separate ethnic group, something one is born into, or a cultural choice one makes, sort of like declaring oneself a Celt or a Gaul? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure most of us would like an excuse to pull a face/pose like these two guys now and again.

And, by the way, I have one week left until day 1,000.

Tagged 44, Cossacks, dancing, gallery, Moscow, photography, Russia, Russian Army Theatre

May 13 2014

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Daily Post, Urban scene

Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoe, Moscow

Tuesday 13th May 2014, 1.30pm (day 992)

Second Russian church in three days, and another very beautiful building. This one is on the UNESCO World Heritage list and stands in the park of Kolomenskoe, overlooking the Moskva (Moscow) river, to the south-east of the city centre. It was built in 1532 to commemorate the birth of an heir to the throne, who turned out to be Ivan the Terrible, so perhaps the appeal to divine providence didn’t really work in this case. Bearing that in mind the storm clouds gathering around it this afternoon seem kind of symbolic.

Tagged 44, church, gallery, Kolomenskoe, Moscow, photography, Russia

May 12 2014

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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

Craig in the bar (and smoking)

Monday 12th May 2014, 9.55pm (day 991)

I am here in Moscow with three colleagues and since they heard about this blog they seem all day to have been competing to be featured on it. Craig wins 🙂

Posted also for the novelty value of being taken in a place where it is still legal to smoke in bars and restaurants. Apparently a ban is due to start in Russia in a few weeks, but looking at how many people here still do smoke, I wonder how well it will take.