There is no doubt. I loved Moscow. I've been running into old friends who read our blog, are friends on facebook or simply had a conversation with me, and they often comment "You loved Russia, didn't you?" Yes, I did. I threw myself into the past two years. I explored the city, popped into churches and took every opportunity to visit Red Square. I made friends and was involved in the community. So yes, I miss Moscow and most things associated with it. Here are a few of my favorite things that, in my mind, make Moscow a unique place in this world.
1. Onion domes - Gold, light blue with stars, and black domes fill the city sky. It's difficult to go anywhere without being graced by the domes.
2. Church bells - More often than not, it is a Russian Orthodox holiday for some saint. The bells ring throughout the day. It's comforting, not harsh to the system. The musical sound floats in the air.
3. Red Square - Every opportunity I got, I popped over to Red Square to just walk around and soak in the awesomeness of the place. With St. Basil's on one side, the Kremlin and the department store, Gum, on other sides, it feels magical.
4. Women carrying bouquets of flowers - Flowers were expensive in Moscow, yet seeing a woman walking down the street, carrying a bouquet, was quiet common. The flowers are very carefully put together in a half sphere shape with greenery and netting around the outside. The designs are very symmetrical and tight. The stems are tightly wound together, making the bouquet easy to carry.
5. The circus - The Russian circus is nothing like the three ring circus we know in America. Watching the circus is like watching a piece of art come to life. Every move is very carefully choreographed. Typically a live band accompanies the show. The top performers in the world are here, showing off their skills.
6. The ballet - For the cost of a movie ticket in America, I could go to the ballet. I took full advantage of going whenever possible. The Russians are known to be the experts in ballet throughout the world. It's in their blood and in their history. Although the Bolshoi is the top theater, several other theaters have shows of outstanding quality. Traditional government funding of the arts has made ballet affordable to the public.
7. Blini - Many countries in the world seem to have their own version to pancakes. Basically, think crepes. I'm sure that in the traditional recipe there are subtle differences, but to me they were the same as crepes. And who doesn't love a good crepe?
8. Khachapuri - Georgian food is popular in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Kabobs and dumplings are great, but my favorite is khachapuri. The easiest way to describe khachapuri is cheese pizza. The crust is a bit different, it's lighter and melts in your mouth. The cheese is more of a ricotta and mozzarella mix. Traditional khachapuri has a raw egg in the center. You're supposed to rip off some bread and sort of slosh it around in the raw egg before eating. I ordered mine without the egg.
9. Tarragon lemonade - You can add raspberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade, basil lemonade and mint lemonade to my favorites. I didn't care for the fruit juices in Colombia with fruit floating in them, but I like the way these fresh herbs and fruit complemented the lemon flavor.
10. The metro system - I loved not having to rely on my car to get me around. The Moscow metro is safe, cheap and convenient. The different lines are laid out very well so that you can get any place in the city with typically only changing lines once. Cars come every 30 seconds or so, so there is never a long wait. The stations are beautiful. The architecture reflects the era the station was built in. Art telling the history of the country, graces the walls, columns and celilings. Most of the lines still have the old cars which I felt added a feeling of longevity to the system. Often old Soviet music played over the tinny speakers, also adding to the enjoyment of simple transportation.
5. The circus - The Russian circus is nothing like the three ring circus we know in America. Watching the circus is like watching a piece of art come to life. Every move is very carefully choreographed. Typically a live band accompanies the show. The top performers in the world are here, showing off their skills.
6. The ballet - For the cost of a movie ticket in America, I could go to the ballet. I took full advantage of going whenever possible. The Russians are known to be the experts in ballet throughout the world. It's in their blood and in their history. Although the Bolshoi is the top theater, several other theaters have shows of outstanding quality. Traditional government funding of the arts has made ballet affordable to the public.
7. Blini - Many countries in the world seem to have their own version to pancakes. Basically, think crepes. I'm sure that in the traditional recipe there are subtle differences, but to me they were the same as crepes. And who doesn't love a good crepe?
8. Khachapuri - Georgian food is popular in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Kabobs and dumplings are great, but my favorite is khachapuri. The easiest way to describe khachapuri is cheese pizza. The crust is a bit different, it's lighter and melts in your mouth. The cheese is more of a ricotta and mozzarella mix. Traditional khachapuri has a raw egg in the center. You're supposed to rip off some bread and sort of slosh it around in the raw egg before eating. I ordered mine without the egg.
9. Tarragon lemonade - You can add raspberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade, basil lemonade and mint lemonade to my favorites. I didn't care for the fruit juices in Colombia with fruit floating in them, but I like the way these fresh herbs and fruit complemented the lemon flavor.
10. The metro system - I loved not having to rely on my car to get me around. The Moscow metro is safe, cheap and convenient. The different lines are laid out very well so that you can get any place in the city with typically only changing lines once. Cars come every 30 seconds or so, so there is never a long wait. The stations are beautiful. The architecture reflects the era the station was built in. Art telling the history of the country, graces the walls, columns and celilings. Most of the lines still have the old cars which I felt added a feeling of longevity to the system. Often old Soviet music played over the tinny speakers, also adding to the enjoyment of simple transportation.
11. Winter activities - Because of the long, dark, cold winters, Russians know how to enjoy being outside despite the weather. They take full advantage of ice skating, skiing and dancing outside. Even though summer is beautiful in the city, winter was my favorite. People just bundle up in their long fur coats and hats and don't think twice about the cold.
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