5. Moscow Times

Hectic Moscow. Its huge distances, endless metro rides, and massive avenues (which are tough to walk due to construction or just poor urban design) coexist with incredible buildings, theaters, restaurants, and everything else a massive capital city offers.

My friends Fob & Yuka hosted me at their home in the south, about a 40-minute metro ride from the center. It was a beautiful, comfortable apartment with a great workspace for my mornings, and an automated coffee machine! I also met the biggest cat I’ve ever seen, who lives there with a normal-sized companion. They kept me good company.

Five days in Moscow go by fast. Because of the distances, you only really trek to the center once a day. Still, I managed to do quite a lot:

• Walked around the classic central spots and grabbed craft beers with friends.
• Attended a folk music concert invited by my friend Dasha.
• Visited the music museum, where I met Julia. She kindly let me rehearse on her home piano the next day, a lifesaver, as I hadn’t played seriously since the festival in St. Petersburg.

The weather was nice but slightly colder than St. Petersburg. You can really feel summer saying goodbye to Russia.

On Friday afternoon, I headed to Vnukovo airport for my next stop: Ekaterinburg.