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…
My awesome Crimean vacation had to end some time and then it was back to work — and back to Moscow. Contrary to popular assumptions about the discomforts of spending the summer in the city, there are some unexpected opportunities to be found in this experience, especially in Moscow. Last month I wrote about how…
As Summer draws to a close, the Russian landscape begins to reflect a quiet sadness, before experiencing a new jolt of energy in the Golden Autumn. The harvest, chilly mornings and heavy clouds, tired green foliage and first fallen leaves, the rain and the last rays of proper summer sun – this is August in…
Don’t worry, the Crimean Saga will pick back up in August, but for now it’s time for our monthly art lesson. This year we got a full-on, classic July here in Middle Russia: all month long and for another week to come the temperatures have been breaking 30C (it’s toasty 34C today – nearly 100F),…
So bright, so warm, so fragrant. Wildflower meadows, bright nights, fresh strawberries. June in Russia is absolutely glorious. Russian Spring — May Russian Spring – April Russian Spring – March Russian Winter – 2 Russian Winter – 1 Russian Autumn – 1 Russian Landscape throughout the Year (because I finally lugged my lappy to the…
“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…
I have never been to a Russian summer camp. I was the spoiled brat with a rented dacha, but I would see the camp kids — there was a Young Pioneer Camp at the edge of the village where I spent my summers — and seethe with jealousy: of freedom from grandparental supervision, of bonding…
Having missed the once-in-three-hours train to the Tula region this morning by literally two minutes, my sister and I decided to not let the 30C-weather, and packed swimsuits and a picnic go to waste, and make it a beach day. By the virtue of being situated on the Moscow River, Moscow has several decent, public…
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