My seasonal depression begins during the Summer Solstice. For most Western people June 21st marks the beginning of summer, but for me it is the end; in fact, it’s the official first day of “Winter Is Coming.” * * * Living in Moscow means you can’t just assume that you will get all the trappings…
Moscow is an incredibly green city. It has 120 parks in total – 120!!! – and the whole 20% of the Central district is taken up by park spaces. A week doesn’t pass without me taking a walk in a park, no matter the time of year. With so many to choose from, there is…
March 8th is the International Women’s Day. In Russia it is also an unofficial start of Spring. The reason for this association is probably the custom of giving flowers to all the women in one’s life – family, romantic, platonic, professional. The resulting abundance of blooms everywhere screams “Spring Is in the Air!” In reality,…
I told you Moscow had Easter Eggs galore this year. Can you pick just one? (Each egg has a name when you click on it and view as slideshow)
Moscow REALLY turned up Easter this year. Word on the street was, city officials have decided that with all the #sanctions, ruble woes, Ukraine and endless winter the people needed some extra cheering up this year. And so, Christmas decorations stayed up all the way through March, only to be immediately replaced by Easter decorations…
“Denis Ovechkin, please return to the spot where you forgot your granny!” This quaint call booms over a massive, boat-and-duck-peppered reservoir. The female announcer’s voice is strangely soft and personal, nothing at all like the detached manner in which a shop’s manager might ask “the owner of a red Toyota Corolla to come to the…
May in Russia is about Labor Day and Victory Day, about eating outside and smelling the roses (well, ok, lilacs and tulips mostly). It’s about long days, first thunderstorms and getting the taste of Summer up ahead. Russian Spring – April Russian Spring – March Russian Winter – 2 Russian Winter – 1 Russian Autumn –…
Parks, forests and other green spaces take up more than one third of Moscow’s territory. So it is to be expected that, to the delight of everyone but the most severe allergy sufferers, May in Moscow is all about tulip beds and dandelion meadows, fragrant lilac bushes and blossoming chestnut trees.
Last week I was asked what is my favorite place to go to in the Spring. My answer might seem frustratingly vague, but here it is: my favorite place to be in the Spring, in Moscow is…an outdoor cafe. It doesn’t matter where it’s located, or the kind of food it serves, or how good…
From the white of the remaining snow to the green of new foliage, from yellow buds mat’-i-macheha, to red Easter eggs, April is when Russian landscape starts to get its color variety back. More Russian Seasons & Nature in Russian Art: Russian Spring – March Russian Winter – 2 Russian Winter – 1 Russian Autumn –…
Home & Away 