An Odyssey into Russian Reality (Part 2)

Approaching from the water in our little boats, the island reveals its beauty and austerity slowly, in towering layers, the harsh landscape crowned with golden spires. Our invincible menfolk have been rowing heroically, without complaint, for several hours, and now … Continue reading →

Odyssey into Russian Reality (Part 1)

(If I had known how long it would take, we would never have gone.) We ride out of town and keep going north, the firs and birch trees flashing past in mile upon mile of forest. We grind through the … Continue reading →

Ode to the Orchard

This gallery contains 5 photos.

We arrive at the rain-sodden Kolomenskoye gardens. Gold leaves drip and splatter songs of autumn up to the sky; the smell of the season’s musk fills each breath. In the distance, metallic waves of city sound sing restlessly, but right … Continue reading →

Ruslan and Lyudmila

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(Letter from Russia, No.1) Dear Ruslan, Like the lady Lyudmila, I have learned the art of not being seen. A turn, a flip, a tilt of the wizard’s hat (she knocked it flying off his head in a scuffle,) and … Continue reading →

Living in Culture Shock

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At the heart of the bilingual family flares the eternal flame of potential misunderstanding. Any group of people anywhere in the world has scope for miscommunication, but in the bilingual home this potential is magnified. On top of this there … Continue reading →

Sign of the Times

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You’re in Moscow and you need a cab? Are you a long way from the nearest metro? In a hurry? Simple. Stand on the street looking like you need a taxi, and somebody will stop, pull over and wind down … Continue reading →

Jam on the Bridge of Doom

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The Bridge of Doom measures time. It is an iron-framed concrete calendar of my days in this city. For six years I have walked across this bridge on an almost-daily basis, in all weathers, every season, and every frame of … Continue reading →

Holding Back the Rain

This gallery contains 9 photos.

CITY DAY 2011 When the city of Moscow celebrates, the Mayor sends people in aeroplanes high up above the city to commune with the clouds so that it won’t rain on our parade. This sounds like a metaphor, or the … Continue reading →

A Place for All Seasons

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The sun is bright but there is a crispness in the air that I love. I remember this from my childhood: the turning of the season with the promise of things fresh and new, as the clearer air of impending … Continue reading →

Lost Secrets of a Secret Palace

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I regularly walk close to one of Moscow’s best kept secrets. You might wonder how it is possible to hide a 3.2 hectare site upon which sits a large, ornate Palace designed for Catherine the Great, no less, and I … Continue reading →