From Moscow With Love

I arrive safe and sound in Moscow this morning. This will be a shorter post, because a) I'm jetlagged and have been up for many hours due to kid kicking my seat for the duration of my flight and b) I'm not on my own computer.

It's amazing how authority is embedded into the lives of lots of the people here. For example, at JFK after they checked my visa, I needed to go and get my boarding pass. So I waited at the desk. Everyone else was free to enter the lounge area and/or board the plane. Yet, every Russian who passed through the visa checkpoint queued up behind me. For no other reason than I was in line. I cannot comprehend.

Never before have I seen such a stark difference in behavior/dress/appearance between different generations. You have armani jeans next to an elderly woman with a headscarf. And the younger generation looks so much more vibrant. I'll elaborate more on this I'm sure as I spend a few more days in this city.

After arriving and dropping my bags I went straight to Red Square. Actually, first I had to learn how to navigate the metro. Then I went to Red Square. It is huge...and relatively empty. But coming around the corner and then seeing St. Basil's, it was breathtaking. I must admit I always thought it looked a bit "kitsch" in pictures, but it's amazing in person. Of course, naturally, I then proceeded to take lots of pictures. Some of which I'll post later when I'm on my own computer.

I spent the rest of the day wandering around the city center and then lounging in a park outside of the Kremlin. It was way too hot to do anything else. But I'll keep you posted on my adventures here.

Questions? Comments?