Back On Watch

Flew back yesterday from Moscow, just in time to pour some bourbon and light a cigar for the 4th.  17 hours combined (Moscow, Domodedovo--Frankfurt, Germany--D.C., Dulles and SeaTac, Seattle) in the air will do a trick on anyone.  I will write about this in depth soon. Moscow, as always, is a plethora of senses, her scale is beyond comprehension of those who never experienced this metropolis. It ranged from 85 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit with sick humidity most of the time. Traffic, skyscrapers, streets, humanity moving in gigantic flows, Chinese are everywhere (holy crap!), glitz, misery, enormous wealth, fuck..g Starbucks where they torture you with interrogations including what kind of roast (light, medium, dark) and other things you want. Girls? My son will not recover from that for a long time, I know;-) 

We caught bells' tolling in Kolomenskoye  and took elektrichka beyond Moscow. So, my advice:

1. Don't go there in Summer, unless you are lucky to catch a break temperature-wise;

2. They will treat you to espresso anywhere from BP gas-stations to some shitty dive; 

3. Scale! Paris, Berlin, NYC--don't even compare. Imagine LA and Orange Counties combined and packed with high-rises and humanity. Distances are colossal, Wi-Fi is everywhere, including famous Moscow Metro (you can call from  from 300 feet underground)............

Ah, yes, when in Kremlin--Vlad was there, the standard was there. Beer is everywhere, hotels are fine (our Holiday Inn was superb, and girls at front desk--holly molly!!! This is for young people, I am happily married for 33 years, I mean it). It is THE happening in its most concentrated form.......

   

Soviet, American, British, French Allies in Victory Park in Moscow. 

 To be continued.....