Da - Di Mosca

Hey once again, today is actually another New Year day for Russian people! (it’s the first of January once again according to our old calendar, and we do celebrate New Year twice) Yeah, I know it’s crazy, we celebrate Christmas twice and New Year twice, we just love celebrating :)! But unfortunately right now I’m sitting in front of my computer screen and am listening to the rattling of fireworks outside! It’s so irritating! I mean when one is trying to concentrate, it’s unfair that other people are celebrating!!! UGH!!! :( I’ve got to memorize all this stuff about European law by Tuesday, ‘cause on Tuesday I’ve got an exam!!! But I just can’t put myself to work!!! I remember once I didn’t have to work on this day either. I actually celebrated but it all ended up pretty stressful for me. On my way home from some party I accidentally realized that I didn’t have the keys for my apartment! It was already midnight and the metro was going to close pretty soon, so I just had to figure out very quickly who could put me up for the night! The other problem was that I couldn’t reach anyone by phone to ask if they were at home ‘cause I had forgotten to charge my handy and it was literally dying! Finally I made up my mind to go to one of my friend’s place and, oh, thanks God, she was actually at home and though very surprised at my sudden appearance, happy to be my shelter for the night. So as one of the Russian proverbs says: all is well that ends well (всё хорошо, что хорошо кончается). Вот так. Всем спокойной ночи, Ciao, Ania

Yes indeed, I am writing to you from the glamorous Moscow suburb of Savyolovskaya, where the office of Independent Media, the owner of my employer (The Moscow Times - www.themoscowtimes.com) is to be found.

I am living with Pietro, and our landlady Olga, in a lovely Stalin-period flat on Prospekt Mira, 5 minutes to Prospekt Mira metro station. We both love Olga - except when she's telling Pietro he can't have girls to stay, or spending the whole time in the living room (her bedroom) despite telling us she would be away evenings and weekends.

Actually, when I first moved in she was lovely. Her sister from Belgium was also there on a visit, and it was like I had two extra grandmothers for a fortnight - they bought me chocolate, made me tea, made my bed, and even invited me for dinner one night with some other guests of theirs, in the living room (on the menu was smoked salmon, smetana salad, sour cream and potato salad, and various meat delicacies).

Things are quiet now as I'm only working 3 days a week or so at the newspaper, but soon, like in November and December, writing will start flooding in and I know I'll be very busy! Right now I'm writing articles on a Viking-period re-enacting group, a foster village in the Moscow region, and the revival of Jewish klezmer music in Moscow. Pietro and I speak in Russian, but I'm dreadful! It's so slow learning... hello to you all, ali alastairgee@cantab.net

Howdi all and sundry !
As promised, I bring you the final group email of 'the journey' from the place I left on June 2: Darwin, just to let you now I'm still in one piece. Sorry its taken so long, but I've been pretty busy lately: eating, admittedly. Mum makes a mean Christmas pudding.

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Hey all!
So this is the last one from Europe (sniff sniff) as I fly out tonight at 1745. I think I'll have time for one more from Darwin, so keep your cursers away from your Filter buttons a little while longer. Lire la suite de l'article...

Howdi all and sundry...
I stepped off the night bus from Budapest this morning; I only spent 2 nights there, but there wasn't a bus available today, and I figured I needed at least 2 nights in Prague. As it is, I'll have three. Insufficient for the second most visited city in Europe, maybe, but there's always next time.

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Yeah, sorry about leaving the last one mid-sentence. As usual I lost track of time and chose to fire off what I'd done rather than not send anything.
Normally I'd buy more time but I had a night train to catch .... from Gdansk to Sczecin, near the German border. The plan was to get another train from Sczecin to Berlin, which I did (with about 2 mins to spare), arriving here at 6 am this morning. No gassings, though as usual in Poland the conductors woke me up every so often to check my ticket.

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Howdi....
So I'll have only spent 6 hours here when I get on a train for Sveshin (?) near the German border with Poland tonight. I'm not looking forward to the trip, actually. My one Polish train ride, last night, was far from comfortable: no beds or bunks (unlike in Russia/Ukraine, where you get beds on all intercity train). When the train stopped in Warsaw, I as woken by lots of banging and shouting, and suddenly the train was packed with a) skin-head soccer hooligans in green and yellow (not sure what team that is, proabbly Warsaw or Gdansk) and riot-police with helmets, body-armour and batons. No fighting, but lots of shouting, banging on the door of my compartment etc. Plus, my LP warned about people being gassed and having all their gear stolen on that route. Not cool.

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Howdi all ...
... from snowy Lviv, on my second last day in the Ukraine. Got a rtain to Krakow Poland tomorrow morning. I'm feeling refreshed after a night in a hotel and a midday shower, so will sleep in the 'waiting hall'  of train station tonight. You can do anything there: undress, snore, whatever ... except lie down. That would put the ladies runnnig the rest rooms (with beds) upstairs outa business.

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Quickie...
Yeah, got off the bus in this 200,000 person west Ukrainian city. So far, I'm impressed: the centre is large and clean, lots of neon, stone buildings, narrow, widning streets and broad boulevards. Clearly, there's more money here than most Ukrainian towns: on a per-capita basis, perhaps second only to Kiev.

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