Last time we looked behind us in Vietnam.

Today we’re going to look behind us – in Russia!  As you already know, Russia is a very interesting and diverse country.  And our ‘look behind you’ photos today are not going to contradict that.

Winter

First of all, Russia can get cold in winter.  Really, really cold.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been to Siberia, where it can get down to -45 degrees C or more (the January average is -25 degrees C).  But Moscow can still get down to some very low temperatures in the winter months.

Which means that you have to dress accordingly.  A wander around town reveals some very elegant winter wear.

It’s quite typical to see women wearing fur coats here.  Young or old, fur coats are always in fashion once the cold weather arrives.  And, as winter isn’t very long in Moscow (although some people would argue that it’s too long), you have to take advantage of the cold weather and wear your fur coat everywhere while you can.

Even to the park.

For my Russian friends reading this, as you can probably guess, we don’t have fur coats in Australia.  And, for Australians, a fur coat is something that you would wear to the theatre or to a 5-star restaurant, not something to put on to go for a walk.

And then, suddenly it’s spring.  It’s still quite cold but the fur coats have been carefully stored away and out comes something a bit lighter.  It usually rains a lot in Moscow in spring.

At other times of the year, when the weather is more reasonable, or even hot, anything goes as far as clothing is concerned!  Let’s look at some of the possibilities.

Summer

First, we have some friends walking to the park.  It’s quite a warm day, and they’re probably going to meet some friends for a ‘shashlik’ party.

This young couple is already in the park, celebrating something with a bottle of champagne.  Or is it ‘Sovetskoye Shampanskoye’?

And these women, in the same park as the couple above, seem to be wearing matching pants.  What a good idea.

One last park photo – a fisherman.  I’m not sure the fish are so abundant here, or that the water is clean enough to consider eating any fish that is caught, but there are always fishermen here in the parks.  It’s nice to see them.  A reminder for us to take some time out for some quiet moments sometimes.

Now, we’re out of the park and back in the street.  Can you see the cat?

And this woman is surely going to the airport – an Aeroflot flight attendant.  A very smart uniform.

I don’t know what this little boy and his dad have in their suitcases, but it looks like it could be something very important.  I love that the boy looks so confident and grown up with the task he’s been given.

It’s nice to see such a colourfully dressed woman in the street.  Her complete outfit makes a bold statement.  I don’t know what that statement is, but I was happy to photograph her when I saw her in Tverskaya street one day!  Those shoes!

Look behind you!

And finally, there are no words for this one.  Or maybe just a few.  This photo was taken near Moscow State University a few years ago.  They were obviously celebrating something – maybe a Hen’s party (any Russian readers have any ideas?).

So, that’s Moscow for you.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it.

Don’t forget to look behind you because you never know who’s there.

And let me know if you recognise any of your friends (or yourself!) in any of the photos in this post!

~ Cheryl

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