Humongous. That's the first word I think of when I think of my new surroundings in Moscow, Russia. I've lived in some pretty large cities, like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., but they pale to me in comparison to Moscow. I didn't realize just how huge this place was until I was flying around it on my Singapore Air flight a few days ago. Looking out the window down onto Moscow, I could not even see the middle of the city, and the buildings stretched as far as the eye could see. Little did I realize then, but I was looking down into a labyrinth - a maze of streets, metro lines, and rivers leading to and fro. As I've begun exploring the labyrinth,above and below the surface, I notice just how many people there are. They are everywhere! It seems like I am am always walking around someone on the sidewalk, or in the grocery store, the plaza, the metro, or crossing the street. Crossing the street is a whole nother matter entirely - the drivers here are reckless, with little to no regard for anything or anyone else. Cars are cut off all the time (which means horns are non-stop blaring), the white lines on the road mean nothing as a 4-lane road is turned into a 6-laner, stoplights hold little sway, and the sidewalks aren't even safe for walking, because the cars drive there, too!
Along with the crowds comes a constant noise, yet you can't pinpoint it to just one thing, the masses certainly make noise, but the vehicles and all the construction going on contributes as well. The minute I walk outside it reminds me of a 2010 World Cup match, with those annoying horns blowing every second of every game. It's just constant noise that you can't escape! So all I do to 'escape' the noise is cover it up with more noise. I'm glad I brought my iPhone and my in-ear headphones, they are keeping me sane. But I may need a bigger playlist, I'm thinking about the size of Moscow.
1 comment:
That sounds pretty awesome! I would love to go there sometime. Maybe in a year or two if you are up for it again.
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