Now they don’t do things the same as everyone else here in Moscow. From the stuffed animals languishing outside the supermarket door to the women standing on street corners selling their own clothes or any other household object that comes to hand. Go to the local department store and a pair of pants could cost you a month’s wages. Yet the place has certainly got something about it. And I think I know what it is, it’s the babooshkas. I’ve warmed to these tired old crones who’s way of life was swept away by the events of history as they walk the streets looking confused about everything that’s going on around them. Not for them the shiny world of Eurovision costumes or tasteless music. They’re just trying to eek out an existence. They quite often gather in churchyards, clinging to one of the few recognisable symbols of their former life. The reason I like them? Because I know many similar such beings living in Ukraine who have gone through the same. So here’s a toast to the babooshkas!
Elsewhere and things are getting really strange in the land of Eurovisionia. I found an object so disturbing in my pigeonhole that it almost defies description; a CD/DVD combo of the Dutch entry. The song and De Toppers are wrong enough in themselves, but when you open up the case of this monstrosity it pops up like a novelty birthday card and sings their song to you in all it’s horrificness! We have decided that we are going to find a patch of open ground somewhere, douse it in lighter fuel and burn it whilst it is open and they are singing. It’s the only way to rid the world of these foul demons. All of this will of course be filmed for your enjoyment 🙂
Other delights gifted to us have been a bag of women’s makeup. Now I know a firm that makes these is sponsoring the whole shin-dig but surely after 54 years people would have realised that a large percentage of the assembled journalistic mass are in fact men. Some of them it is true have been known to enjoy putting on the odd makeup, but this wouldn’t be the first thing that sprang to mind if you were going to consider a gift. Keeping in with the theme, Hadise from Turkey has given us her CD/DVD combo in a compact complete with mirror. I am starting to get a complex…..
And so onto today and the sightseeing tour we booked onto. Well unique is the only way I could describe this. Half an hour while they took a bizarre sort of register as the rain tipped down. Then we set off, “on your left is de treffic jem, a common feature of life in Morscow.” An hour later I was beating my head against the window and still waiting for my first sight. We had in fact looped round ourselves and gone back to the press centre. When we had passed a church everyone got so excited that they all rushed to their respective windows expectedly full of hope. The reason ? Today was the day of the practice for Sunday’s VE Day celebrations and all the main roads were closed off causing mayhem. You could however if you looked carefully in the sky, see”the mig and de helicopeter” flying past. I envied them their ability to move. Our poor guide struggled to find anything of interest to talk about to fill endless chasm of time. Bless her she tried but she was fighting a losing battle. She promised to get us an hours city centre tour added to our Kremlin tour next week. It’s all free anyway as they seem to like us, so who can complain ?
Keep the weirdness coming dear Russians, we’re lapping it up!