May 2001

    I posted the previous story here less than a month ago - and promised there that the next one would be a story of green. I mentioned in that last posting that the first decade of May traditionally is a season of holidays. The timing is perfect! For all those families who seriously depend of food produced at their dachas' vegetable gardens, the days off work give the chance to do some gardening. For devoted city dwellers, urban types who hate digging, planting and other agricultural procedures, this is the rare opportunity to see Moscow lazy and not too crowded.

   The weather this year was so nice and kind that early May was looking and smelling like June. Fresh foliage and all sorts of flowers - tulips, apple-trees, lilac, bird cherry, horse-chestnut trees and even oaks - made better decorations for the season than any man-made items. So easy to keep the promise of making the story green ;-)

   This is the story where pictures make much more sense than words - so mostly pictures will be in this report of the first half of May 2001.

As always in my stories here, you can zoom in on any picture. Just click on an image and a larger and better quality photo will open. Many of the photos are worth looking at in a postcard size.

   Fountains and flowers are always good for taking pictures, fresh air of the parks and riverbanks promises the first chance to get honestly suntanned - and people occupy almost any patch of clean and bright grass in the city.

   Fortunately, almost all along Moskva river winding through the city there are good places to enjoy the lazy time of May vacations. They say May suntan is more healthy and beautiful than a midsummer one... and stays longer too.

   Parks of all types and sorts are crowded at this time. Meditative trails and paths of a Japanese garden (the place is my favorite one for years, you can find here a couple of pictures taken there in 1997...) or noisy rides in an amusement park - there are just the right offerings for every taste.

   Gorky Park and Neskuchny Sad, famous and traditional recreational areas, are very popular among Muscovites of all ages.

   Of course the story of long and sunny holidays in Moscow cannot be limited to only Moscow pictures.

   Even those Muscovites who for some reason resent agricultural work at their dachas - or have none - will not spend all the long and warm May holidays in the city. For at least a day everyone wants to leave Moscow behind. A bike or a train, a car or a bus would take you to the emerald fields and gardens in blossom, as if covered by thick and puffy white foam...

   Bicycles are abundant not only on the trails in the woods around Moscow or countryside roads (speaking of countryside roads - there is a story about one of them posted 2 years ago). On holidays, when traffic is low, there are lots of them all over the city. Actually, not only bikers, but even road workers take advantage of light traffic - and the picture below shows it.

I am too lazy now to describe each photo. Here are a few of them - assorted with no special idea. Just take a look ;)

   Vorobievy Hills, the high and steep river bank in front the building of Moscow State University (MSU) is the right place to enjoy outdoors almost in the middle of the city. The observation point overlooking the entire city is a part of any good bus excursion across Moscow. However, it is an attraction for Muscovites, not only visitors. MSU students living in the dorms not too far away also like to hang out all over the place. On a sunny May day, they do it with all possible gadgets.

   Moscow, unlike St. Petersburg, cannot boast about white nights even in summer. In early May, nights are early enough and dark. Well, it makes the moon look more impressive, of course. (Maybe it is just proud to float above the White House with Russian flag and MacDonalds that needs no flags to be recognized anywhere in the world.) And golden light of sunset makes the city look magical.

   Anyway, summer has come early in 2001- that means we will have to see more grimaces of weather soon. Hopefully, not snow - but inevitably some cold rains and too much overcast skies. And only later the real summer will come, and with it, the time for the next illustrated story here... See you! Some time in late June...

Andrey - asebrant@online.ru