Notable quotable

Never a dull moment when you hitchhike with a random stranger in Moscow. Yesterday I bravely tested the Moscow hitchhike taxi system for the first time on my own. Normally I roll with my British co-worker and fellow non-Russian speaker, Karim. If ever in a jam with the cabbie having no idea where I want to go either Karim and I whip up some creative version of charades or I end up calling my Russian co-worker and put her on the phone with the driver to explain. 60% of the time it works every time. But yesterday, in my effort/desperation to catch the Barcelona-Madrid superclasico match at the local pub, I tested the waters by hailing a cab by myself. The driver thankfully spoke English. Minimal, but still light years ahead of my Russian. We had a choppy yet pleasant conversation about soccer, sports, and a few random things in between. He explained to me the rivalry between Moscow’s two biggest soccer teams CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow. We chatted about hockey and the plethora of Russian stars in the NHL. The line of the night came when he told me that his favorite NHL team is the San Jose Sharks.

Cabbie: “My favorite team….. is….. San Jose Sharks.”

Me: “Oh really! Why’s that?”

Cabbie: “Because…..(makes a claw gesture with his right hand)….SHARKS!”

Some snapshots of Moscow below.

You know a country is turning capitalst when......

Scene from a Saturday night of clubbing

Kremlin walls along Red Square

View from a bridge spanning the Moscow River: Kremlin on the left, St. Basil's Cathedral on the right, both separated by Red Square

Kremlin walls along the Moscow River