Hello again! I was debating whether to write anything more on
here, because I don’t really see the point unless you are compelled to do it,
but then I remembered some VERY important issues that need addressing. Mostly
involving food. People who have read this before are just bound to be shocked
by that. Aha.
So, here I am looking out of my window/at the wall of photos in my
bedroom back in leafy Surrey. It is only half five but I am hungry, and there
is nowhere I’d rather be than a place called Corner Burger.
This, my dears, is a place of dreams. The hope it offered kept
Charlotte and I alive for a whole week of work.
Is this not contentment? (How can you not be content when you have
a strawberry daiquiri cheesecake in front of you?)
Avocado in a milkshake? Who knew? Horizons. Expanded. Waistline
also.
DO IT.
Another place you should definitely go to/choose your hotel
depending on its proximity to it is ‘I love cake’.
Need I say more?
Jamie is certainly impressed. Yes, that is a Snickers cookie you
see before you.
In other foodie fun, or fattie adventures:
We made a return visit to the amazing Ukrainian restaurant that is
Taras Bulba
Much kvas was consumed, although we didn’t get to see the waiters
dance this time.
Ana got violent with some shashlik
And Rhiannon and Jamie showed me their favourite secret spot to
eat Indian food and take in an amazing view, including of their Moscow home,
MGU.
Before you say that all we do is eat, there was time in between
all of this to squeeze in a little bit of culture.
I finally made it into the Cathedral of Christ
the Saviour or Храм Христа Спасителя (little Russian victory punch
in the air)
It was really very
beautiful. In that building it kind of hit home for me just how vast and
diverse Christianity is. Apart from the words ‘Христос воскресе’ (totally know Church Slavonic) or ‘Christ
is risen’, it all seemed quite unfamiliar. Even if I don’t subscribe to the
importance of adorning the interior of a church with gold or crossing myself or
kissing the feet of the statue of a saint, it was an eye-opening reminder of
how many different ways people can express their faith and adoration. Turns out
that not everyone is so into this kind of thing:
Even if it is
ridiculously fun. (You should all come)
We also had a wander
round the Fallen Monument Park and visited the Modern Tretyakov Gallery.
Something I wish I had
taken a photo of is the signs on some less than obvious pieces, stating ‘This
is a sculpture’. Oh, it just looked like a bench to me. But we loved it.
Desperately wanted to
steal one of these windmills in Gorky Park, but settled for a classic Russian
Lakomka ice cream instead.
One Sunday I also went
on a solo explore around Victory Park and saw some pretty impressive monuments.
Whilst there is also a museum, the park itself is set up like an open-air
museum, and is definitely a place worth having a look round.
Her solution to this was, in her words, “Lashings of alcohol!”
Which is how this
happened:
Excellent.
I felt somewhat like this man when I got home.
A bit flat really. Although probably not as much as him, given that his cake looks like it has seen better days. (Moscow life lesson: do not microwave chocolate mousse cake)
The melancholic edge was
taken off leaving Moscow as I went almost straight up to Cambridge for May
Week.
Suffice to say that
Queens’ May Ball was incredible!
Here are some of my most
favourite girls.
Bastille!
Not a bad place.
I cannot believe that
so many of my friends are graduating on Friday, and thus becoming real people.
How on earth did this happen? And why would Cambridge decide to give these
reprobates a degree? It’s beyond me.
Summer promises to be
busy, with some family time in Greece, a return trip to Moscow (hopefully or
perhaps unfortunately with the much-needed addition of a Russian language
course) and, fingers-crossed, a Paris reunion, not to mention the small matter
of writing a dissertation that is worthy of a comment of more than “Ha!” by my
supervisor.
Will let you know if
anything exciting happens xxx
