Spring timmmmmme for Mos-cowww and Ruu-ussiaaaaa

В конце концов, весна пришла!!!  Слава богу...

Spring in Moscow means a lot of elements of life here that I haven't seen yet are popping up like daisies (or how I imagine daisies pop-up...haven't really seen any flowers here that aren't wrapped in wax paper and sold for a small fortune on the street). 

I've managed to mentally and photographically compile a small list that seemed like it might be worth sharing. 

So without further ado, first impressions of SPRINGTIME in MOSCOW:

Rollerblades.  Everywhere

The mullets!  Oh, the mullets...this is not a springtime phenomenon, but lately they seem to be taking over the city. 

Как дела, ladies?

Many couples have taken their PDA (emphasis on the P) from the metro escalators to the streets.

Much like the couples, the Moscow strays (cats and dogs) have moved their activities from the metros and переходы (underground crosswalks) to the streets above.  I KNOW I KNOW I shouldn’t try to make friends with them.  Sigh.

A cute kitty I found on Космодамянская наб.

A larger portion of the drinking in Moscow has been moved from excessively-heated, stuffy apartments out into the gorgeous spring weather.  This has led to an increase in scenes like the one below:

I see the same old situation by this same bench every thursday.  Someone takes humpday (night) pretty seriously, I guess. 

Мороженое!! (Ice cream!)  Little stands like Айсберри (Ice berry- transliterated) are finally making some money- and deservedly so. 

No, I did not take this picture.  But вот!!  У нас есть visual representation!

Hooded crows.  Ok, not sure if these are new but I didn't see them around in the winter.  Actually I'll check their migration pattern on wikipedia to verify- and to make sure I can avoid any possible contact with them in the future.  They are terrifyingly huge and have the coordination of pigeons, which have a tendancy to mistake your face for sky and fly directly into you.  Or maybe that's just me?   Sorry Moscow, but you have some stupid pigeons.   

Terrifying.  Taken from afar, just how National Geographic photographers capture images of equally dangerous animals...like lions.

Переход singers!  I’ve heard all sorts of traditional Russian songs and folk tunes in the metros and переходы.  A friend of mine in Petersburg actually has a really wonderful story about singing and playing guitar recently on Невский проспект with a friend.   I’m a fan.

A marked increase in daydreaming students- but who can blame them?  The weather is gorgeous, everyone can feel summer approaching, and motivation is harder to come by. 

Lovely 8:45pm sunset on the Moscow River.  

That's all for now I guess.   More later!