Last day. Last post.

Well, at least the last one from Moscow. I am sure I will have a couple of updates from the U.S. regarding the whereabouts of uploaded photos and perhaps audio clips.

Anyway, today was our last day in Moscow. Tomorrow really doesn't count as we will leave for the airport at 9am when it will still be dark, and then customs and all that check in stuff really doesn't count as "being in Moscow." So we had a free day for our last day, and the five of us each kind of did her own thing. That being the case, I can only really update you on what I did which was go on a photo walk and shoot some film and digital images in the really clear, freezing, FREEZING, sunny day. I think today was the most beautiful and sunny but also the coldest day we have had yet in Moscow.

Carly, alas, could not join me for today's adventures -- she was "illing with a temperature" as her Russian English-language students would say -- so I went одна, but at my own pace and took in all the beautiful old architecture around the Arbat, Gogolevskii Bulvar, and Patriarch Pond.














We all met up again in the evening for a final hurrah -- Aisling, Jess, Emmy & I had dinner at "Mu-Mu" (i.e. "moo moo," a cow-themed Russian cafeteria style restaurant) and then Aisling, Jess, Galina & I went back to the "Mexicanskii bar" near the dorm where we first went on one of our earliest evenings in Moscow, over two weeks ago. I forget if we told you about this or not, but the bar is not exactly accurately Mexican themed per se, but more "Russian interpretation of Mexican" themed -- it involves a lot of Aztec masks and a black light. Last time we were there though they played the Mexican/Cuban/Miami rapper Pitbull, much loved by all of us and rarely heard in Russia, so we were won over. When we went back though for our final drink out in Russia (and to drain the remains of our rubles, our poor waiter, a nice guy from Tajikstan who is a fellow student at RGGU, got a fairly sizable tip by Russian standards.... entirely in our remaining change), they had a real live mariachi band with at least one member who actually spoke Spanish. They band wandered around the bar and played for the customers, and they grew attached to our table as a) we were the only ones who clapped for them after every song and b) three out of the four of us can speak at least elementary Spanish (guess who took Latin in high school?).

It was a fun, pleasant last night out in Russia, and now all of us are falling asleep early since tomorrow is going to be a long, long, loooonnngg day. We leave at 9am for our 1pm flight, hope for good weather so our flight isn't delayed and we miss our connection, and we should be back in the U.S. about 26 hours from now.

Good night, it's been fun.

-- E.B.