place2place

one of the sistahs

Peter's sister Nina is visiting and it's great. No matter where we are, Niger or Russia, she comes to see us so we can watch the American Idol finale together.

blue sky, yellow shoes, red square

Nina and I visited Red Square yesterday, spring has been officially approved there, the ice skating rink is gone and lilac trees bloom around St Basil's. We had Pierrier, fancy chicken salad and espresso at GUM.

We walked up out of the metro behind this woman in the yellow shoes. She was walking fast and then paused, leaned into this guard and without missing a beat, he lit her cigarette before she hurried on. It was a beautiful little Moscow mini-drama with excellent costumes and choreography, it made me swoon.

who's your mamichka?

This just in from Moscow Mom:

 Hey! You're in this month's Aeroflot flight magazine! The blogs they quoted this month -- in translation -- and showed image-captured blog headers of are yours, mine, Expatress at thebeetgoes on, and Kate (fromrussiawithlove) in St.P! They quoted your experience at the banya when you didn't have an elf hat and then smelled like coffee.

marble track #124

Karl and Stefan. These guys play together so well. They go to different schools, but today both schools have the day off for Victory Day.

To do today: more minutes on iPhone so I can twitter. Pizza production. Figure out plan to watch Victory Day parade, 100 tanks and heavy gear, 1000 piece marching orchestra, military fly over amid fireworks. Nothing says peace like ballistic missiles.

rough re-entry

Back in Moscow. Depresssed. Kitchen demolished by people supposedly replacing counters. Mess all over the house. Kitchen sink on bathroom floor, microwave on toilet. Can I go back to Budapest?

best day ever budapest

Let me just say Budapest is ridiculous.

TDY housing, tolerable, huh? First time sleeping in a world heritage site, the castle district of Budapest.

We have to eat these pastries every morning.

Flowers for sale everywhere, lily of the valley, $1 a bunch. So many people carrying bouquets, the metro smells like flowers.

Then you have to look at this architecture all the time.

Even when you have coffee. And then musicians right by your table will start playing Strauss, which is such a bother.

Then you have to walk around the castle walls, then because you are always thirsty in Hungary, a glass of Hungarian wine at an outdoor cafe. Cheers! You gotta come back.

A few more of our pictures of Budapest here.