СТАРБАКС И KРАСНАЯ ПЛОЩАДЬ

Business Class Lounge in JFK

Well, the fight was thankfully non-eventful with the extra leg room and completely reclining seats contributing to our reasonably elevated comfort level.  It was a very welcome change to be able to walk off an aircraft after 9 hours and not be crippled.  The service was outstanding (as to be expected) and it was indeed lovely to have metal utensils, china plates and real glassware with which to enjoy a 5 course meal replete with champagne, cocktails and red wine.  I watched 2 movies, bugged you-know-who and drank about 2.5 L of water which meant I was in/out of the toilet most of the flight.

Our view out of the living room window.

We were met at the airport and were taken directly to our temporary flat -high ceilings, hardwood floors, lots of windows and two full bathrooms.  Our flat is in a building that looks out across a private tree-lined park towards the Moscow River and faces the British Embassy. 

The view from the kitchen window.

Through the back windows we can see the stunning Radisson Hotel building which used to be one of Stalin’s “Seven Sisters” high rises.  We have a small balcony off the dining room that looks out towards the river.  We will be fine here until our permanent flat becomes available in a month’s time.  It will be nice to receive our own things at that point as well.  We have a temporary “pack up kit” that will do until our sea shipment arrives some time after we are in our permanent home in the same building a few floors down.  I figure that it will take me about a month to settle into daily routines and to figure out where the best grocery shopping is anyway.  I’ve already explored two stores and so far am not entirely sold on them.  I’m sure I’ll find something that will work.

I have, however, in true Sandy fashion already found my local Starbucks -this was day 1’s priority.  This is significant in that not only do I know where I can I get my beloved lattés BUT I can stay connected to the world via wifi until we get sorted out properly in September.  This means email, blog updates and Skype phone calls.  So don’t judge -Starbucks still beats Tim Horton’s on that front.  While walking down the СТАРЫЙ АРБАТ (Old Arbat -a pedestrian street kind of like Sparks Street in Ottawa) we passed a McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway and 2 Starbucks! 

I was kind of overwhelmed on day one since sleep had eluded me for the most part during the flight and we arrived at about 8AM local time and hit the ground running.  We tried to stay awake as late as we could yesterday but succumbed to sleep at about 2PM for what was meant to be a 2 hour nap.  I swear I set the alarm clock.  It turned out that those 2 hours morphed into a 6 hour snooze.  When we finally roused, we watched the movie RED to stay awake and finally went down for the night a bit past midnight.  The sun goes down very late here and the night sky is lit up by neon signs advertising various banks and other enterprises.

I finally got my act together this morning at 11AM and I do believe that I have gotten over the jet lag.  It is always easier heading east than it is heading west.  Having been here more than 24 hours, I decided that it was high time that I see Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral.  Off we went to experience the metro and join the Sunday tourist crowds as we all gawked at the magnificent architecture and pomp and circumstance of KРАСНАЯ ПЛОЩАДЬ.  It took my breath away and I still cannot believe I was there and I can go back any time!  Mother Nature must have been as overwhelmed as I was because She shed tears of joy for me -loosely translated, the heavens opened up and poured down on us, forcing us to enter ГУМ (upscale shopping mall) for a quick peek around.  All I can say is that I won’t be spending my 1,000 РУБ/week there! 



After a couple of wrong turns and an aborted transfer from one line to another, we found ourselves properly oriented and able to both decipher and effectively negotiate the simple and very efficient underground metro system.  It all seemed so simple on a Sunday afternoon but I’m not sure I’m quite up to the task of commuting during the weekday rush hour.  It may quite possibly take me three years to get up the nerve to ride the subway before 10AM.

I wonder what excitement tomorrow will bring?  I’m on my own all day as someone has to go to work tomorrow and I’ll be left to my own devices.  I have a metro card and some cash in my pocket...I can find the local mall, grocery store and 2 Starbucks cafés.

Things I have noticed in the first 24 hours:

1) Pedestrians yield to traffic and NOT the other way around.
2) I am very obviously NOT from around here.
3) rubber bottomed flipflops + hot day + long walk = blisters on the soles of your feet
4) The sun comes up early and sets late in the summer.
5) 1,000 РУБ does not go very far at all.
6) I think I’m going to like it very much here.
7) I am very obviously NOT from around here.