In their defence, they are massively underpaid and living in the world's most expensive city so it was no surprise they kept stopping me for being foreign in a built up area. I was their foreign ATM machine. They'd poke my chest a few times as they looked over my passport and I would dispense 500 roubles. It was like a game in the end and quickly stopped being intimidating and became more of an eye rolling running gag.
It was warm down there in winter and large groups would be huddled around drinking the world's best vodka. I learnt quickly never to try and out drink a Russian. They start young
And if you try to keep up - you will not survive. One of my friends once told me his doctor had told him his heart would begin to miss beats if he didn't have his first beer before midday. Hmmmm. Give me the name of that doctor.
The is a picture I took of the food store near my home. I am pretty sure it is known as Gastranomie No. 1 by Russians and I am not sure what it once was. The guilded everything makes me suspect it may have been the Tzars food hall. Anyone know? But it was here I learnt to love the Russian character and my Russian friends. I took a new close friend to this store. He wasn't wealthy, in fact he was very poor and often went without because he simply couldn't afford three square meals a day. I told him he could buy anything he wanted and as much as he wanted. There was so much food, everything high quality, some fresh, some beautifully prepared and cooked. Pies, cakes pastries. What did my friend Alexis want? He bought four large baked potatoes.
Another time, during a minus twenty degree blizzard style day, I asked another friend if he'd ever want to move away to another country. His reply came in his deep booming voice - "No, I love Mother Russia." I did a double take because it sounded like a line of propaganda from a film - but he meant every word. Russia was and is a special place and I will always love my time and my Russian friends and always smile when I see a Russian, like so many I met and had wild times with.
They had character and spirit and were all universally cheeky and naughty from time to time. That's the Russian character. Like Ivan Ukhov...
He just won the high jump at the Olympics - and he looks like he just doesn't care. Flowing hair and a bit of attitude, during the final he lost his singlet and had to jump in a ratty old Tee-shirt with the number from his sports bag pinned to the front of it. Then the commentators started talking about his infamy on Youtube. Apparently he turned up drunk and competed at a major competition I had to look it up.
The story goes he had just been dumped by his girlfriend and drank his sorrows away. Blind drunk, hardly recovered, he turned up to compete. That's just so Russian. My only surprise on seeing this footage is that he didn't do better. I have seen Russian's do remarkable things when drunk. I would have thought he'd have jumped a personal best. But his effort still made me laugh! Respect Ivan! And congratulations on showing us that you can be an elite athlete, win a gold at the Olympics and have just as many hiccups in life as the rest of us.
Scott Norton Taylor - Inner City - Ebook for Kindle, Epub Sony, Palm or online!
Reviews: From Amazon
Scott Norton Taylor - Inner City - Ebook for Kindle, Epub Sony, Palm or online!
Reviews: From Amazon
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Posted December 1, 2012
Great read.
A story filled with with love, hate, violence, peace and so much more. 538 pages of wondering what will happen
next. A FULL story from start to finish. Thanks to the author for sharing a great work with the readers.
Posted July 8, 2012
Couldn't put it down...
For this to have been a free book, it was wonderful. The author keeps you on the edge of your seat. I couldn't
put this down. I think this would make a great movie!
Posted April 20, 2012
Amazing
Perfectly written with great detail it was thought provoking and asked the fundemental question of would you
stick up for what you believed was right even if you would be killed for doing so.
Posted April 5, 2012
This book is AWESOME! it keeps you wanting to read the entire ti
This book is AWESOME! it keeps you wanting to read the entire time. It tells of 2 worlds, and both are
extremely unique. One of the best books I've ever read!
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