Moscow
27.05.2007
Moscow was a quick trip--I felt like one second we were there, and the next second we weren't. But it was interesting, to say the least. It was such a city of contrasts--so beautiful, so ugly, so clean, so dirty, so rich, so poor, so modern, so primitive. One second you are walking amongst high-end, expenseive shops and buildings, and the next you find yourself in the midst of a bleak, soviet-style high-rise housing development. It was a strange feeling to be surrounded by such old, rich, historical sites like the Kremlin or St. Basil's Cathedral while trendy attired young Russians walk by. Russia is a country in an obvious, somewhat awkward transition, and it makes me wonder whether or not these vivid remnants of the past will ever be able to blend smoothly into the modern present. I feel as if this two camps are at constant odds with one another. Yet, the city is certainly humming with people, with culture, and with history. Perhaps this strange combination of old and new has come together in a way that works, or perhaps it is simply a matter of time before one side gives way to another. Time will tell...
