Sorry this is late but I just returned from a short trip to Romania.

I stepped out to a gloomy overcast day. The days are surely getting shorter; sun rises at about 9 or 10 setting at about 4 or 5. However, I want to explore Moscow so here I go…to the Kitchenette Restaurant. The newspaper reviews stated it was a Turkish place with western flare. Well…the western flare pointed to burgers, pizza, and pasta but it had no Turkish food. Oh well…I liked the food anyway. The comfy seats, smooth jazz, and funky design signaled time to relax, watch the people walk by, and breathe. The fragrant jazz tea and then the spicy penne arrabiata. I saw it being delivered in a large plate thinking it would be American size. NOT! Russia portion size…smaller. I savored each bite while sipping the calming tea. It was cold outside!

I walked and walked and walked. Lo and behold, I saw parking meters! I don’t remember seeing them. I almost took a picture because they are that rare! No…I focused on photographing statues, of which there are a lot! This composer playing his instrument. That author sitting pensive in his chair. This musician standing broadly with his guitar strapped to him. I liked best the artist with wings ready to take off and soar into the sky. As I walked towards it I saw a man through some bread at the statue. I thought weird until I got closer to it seeing a pigeon sitting on top a bouquet of roses lying on the ground. With its regal perch it looked at the bread in “disdain” and left it alone. It “was too regal for bread”. I chuckled and went on.

To see a person wearing a cow outfit advertising for the My My (“Moo Moo”) restaurant. I stood, mesmerized to see the mascot walking here and there with its black and white colors…and then a pink utter for the world to see. That utter bounced back and forth and back and forth. I cracked up! How hilarious! Five minutes later I found the artistic where I had just seen the comedy. I entered the store to stand in place. Oh my! Talk about Victorian art combined with grocery shopping combined with holiday spirit. The high high ceilings, lovely lovely murals, curving meandering molding, large large ceilings, and Santa Clause riding into “the sunset”. I took photo after while people pushed their carts filled with chicken and bread and chocolate.

The cold called to me so I left to yet more statues. I passed the Hermitage garden where people kept asking me for directions for me to keep saying “I am sorry” to see their eyes widen in shock and walk on. Soon I found the Decorate Art Museum where I have wanted to go for awhile. Stepping into the temporary exhibit of quilts sent me back to my time at the Amish quilt auction. Only these quilts were much much more varied and avant guard. I loved how they experimented and manipulate. One quilt covered a small house I wanted to enter. One had points “stretching and moving” where I wanted to as well. One blended dramatic material in swirling patterns enthralling my eyes. I kept walking passed the traditional wood carving; geometric and precise to a “tee”. I passed daily furniture enriched with paints red, blue, and more. However, my jaws dropped when I entered the room. Wow! Russians are well known for detailed paintings incorporated into lacquered boxes. Talk about tiny. I could never be sooo detailed with my paint brush. I felt emotions from those boxes. I felt intensity. The work of art cannot be described completely without seeing them.

I left that museum to go to another museum in an upper floor. The guard at the top told me to buy the ticket at the bottom. I went to the bottom where the woman pointed to the closed ticket counter telling me to buy a ticket upstairs. My hands went in a flurry telling her I was told to go downstairs. Finally she went with me to the stairs. I walked to the middle while she stayed below yelling to another woman who told her I had to buy my tickets at the bottom while the woman at the bottom told her it was closed. Back and forth and back and forth. All I wanted to do was buy a ticket! FINALLY, the woman at the top gave up telling me to walk upstairs while really not wanting to sell me a ticket. She wrote the amount. I had exact change. She breathed a sigh of relief but then asked me if I wanted to buy a photo ticket. No. She asked me again. No. She asked again. No. She FINALLY accepted my answer. Sure enough, I didn’t need to take any photos of stalls within the room. None of the grocery store selling snickers and mars…none of the woman karaoking…none of the woman “walking” a stroller in a cross walk to be met by a life size cell phone…none of the motorcyclists hanging out. These stalls were supposed to depict Russian lifestyle. Hah! NOT! Once again…I shook my head and laughed my way out of the museum that took me longer to buy a ticket than to visit!

I left to go to take the tram passing this person and that person. While waiting, a man came up to me yet again asking for directions. I said I knew no Russian to see him say “you speak English”. I said yes and quickly walked away from him because he wanted to talk some more but I didn’t. Something about him put me on edge. He stared at me after I stopped then gave up. To top if off, the tram didn’t show so I had to take the metro home…but not before admiring the blue and white lights encircling the trees in the park in front of me.