Days 240-241 – Moscow – Mixed feelings

Moscow made depressing impression on me this time. It is very sad as I have always loved this city with all my might. Loved its energy, its spaciousness… I haven't been to Moscow for a couple of years, and all of a sudden I don't find this love inside me anymore. Olga has started telling me five years ago that Moscow is changing, and not for the best. I guess, I have finally realized it myself. Something is off. The atmosphere is not right. People look somewhat aloof, as if they are not part of this city anymore, or rather as if they don't want to be part of it.

Being with Olga is always great though, depressing city atmosphere or not! So for the two days we spent together we focused on each other and her little daughter Masha, although we did run around Moscow quite a bit in the attempt (always successful despite many obstacles* we found on our way) to accomplish various household tasks.

I cannot help but love Moscow while Olga is still here.

*Unpleasantries

• Turns out that the standard rate for the manicure / pedicure combo in Moscow is $120 (!!!). Compared to $25-30 in NYC it's pretty steep to put it mildly. The funny (read "sad") thing is that there are absolutely no clients in those salons; such things always bewilder me – wouldn't it be better to lower the price and actually make some money? I would think it's a money laundry of some sorts, but it's difficult to imagine so many "laundromats" around the city.
  
• I had to pay in cash for my South Africa trip in Moscow (the credit card transaction would have cost me 7% more for whatever reason). Fine. But why did I have to spend 40 minutes (!!!) at the travel agency over there is a mystery to me. This is a classic example of when the Soviet sign was replaced by the new capitalist one, but it didn't really change the Sovdep essence of the business: nobody pays attention to you, the girl who was supposed to take my money is openly taking a personal call right in front of me, nobody has any normal reaction to your appeals to common sense. I couldn't shake off the impression that Vand International Tour
  doors double as a time machine, transporting you to the Russia of 1980's.
  
• Variations on the theme above…