Cheese, cars and planes

We have been away from mad Moscow for 3 very busy weeks. First to the sea in France then to Slovakia. I ate mountains of French cheeses, sea food and cakes and have returned a lot fatter than when I left hot smoky Moscow. We returned to Moscow airport yesterday. As per usual, the passport control was busy slow and there were lots of people dressed in full Scottish kilts etc which was bit surreal to see in Moscow. They must have been a group of bagpipe player's sent over at great cost to entertain Putin's or one of his merry thugs at some private political party.

Our baby bag was stolen while we waited for a the taxi. The thief would only be rich in biscuits, nappies and milk but that the second time that has happened to us in Russia We had booked a large taxi car to collect us from the airport. It was booked before we left but instead the taxi driver arrived 45 mins late in an old Honda that was not an estate car. We then had to negotiate another taxi and he strapped one of our cases into his front passenger seat and I had my child on on my lap. Child car seats here don't seem important to Russians and I am not even sure its the law for children to us them in cars here? The taxi ride back took 4 hours on a trip that should only take 45 mins in a normal city. The fight from Vienna to Moscow was just over 2 hours!

Today, there is cold heavy rain and the remont (reconstruction work)  that has been going on below our flat for over a year, still continues. The banging will go on and on and on. We will stay put in our rented Moscow flat as its cheap by many standards at 2100 euro a month the landlord seems normal and has not put the rent up. Another contractual year as begun for us from September to September for work here so we will take it one day at a time here as the thought of staying here for our 3 years contract is a hard pill to swallow and I am not sure its mentally or financially possible to think long term here in Moscow. The only positive thing I can say about coming back here is the heat and smoke have now gone but I am not happy to be back.