September 2006
(13th September 2006)
In the museum of the Russian Revolution (metro: Tverskaya), a leaflet in English tells the visitor to be sure not to miss the tea-set presented to Brezhnev (or Kruschev?) that features a portrait of a communist leader on each cup. Two cups have black smudges where the faces of out-of-favour leaders have been rubbed out. It has been pointed out to me that ...
(11th September 2006)
Five days later. Five more days of toilets and five more days of Moscow. Added together, they come to this: I would like to leave now. Moscow is probably a fascinating place to live in, but for visitors, it's not easy. Not that it has not been fascinating. I have met Malaysian toilet architects, a Sri Lankan who is installing sanitation in tsunami-ed ...
(6th September 2006)
What is it about Russia that makes it so Russian? I arrived last night, after a thirteen hour trip from my flat to Moscow. London City is my favourite airport, because it costs me £1.50 to get there by overland train, and it takes half an hour. And because it's like a coach terminal only with small planes with propellers and, in the lounge, seats ...
(3rd September 2006)
Since I began researching my book, I have received on average one helpful anecdote, tip or book/documentary reference per conversation. I have received them all gratefully. Also, suddenly I see the topic of my book everywhere. This morning, I was reading The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists, which begins with Samuel Pepys accidentally elbowing his wife in the face, in ...