07/08/18 I went straight to the hostel to drop my bags and struggled to find it but a kind gentleman took me to the front door. 3 sets of stairs with my suitcase and a broken back were maybe a necessary pain before finally meeting the English chiro who relieved me straight away. Hooray!
I also found the travel agency to pickup my train tickets for the rest of my Russian trip then I met Clarissa, 23, German who is sharing the hostel room with me.
08/08/18 I went to a second adjustment session with the chiro who can already see the difference in the way I walk.
I bought a support belt for my back and even though it cost me a fortune I can already see the results. It looks like you are going to follow me everywhere for a while, dear new friend.
Clarissa suggested a boat tour for €5 which I accepted, so we took the metro and crossed the park before being stopped by a random guy who was attracting tourists towards his boat. It kinda looked legit so we paid for the tickets a bit more then what we initially planned for. The tour was great as we saw big famous buildings from the boat, including the art centre which holds a Banksy exhibition that we might visit tomorrow. On board, a guy was taking random pics of people, including us. I thought maybe he was creating fake Tinder profiles but he came back later with printed magnets to sell with our faces on it. How much waste this guy is creating on his own?
Later, we stopped by the beautiful St Basil’s cathedral (named after the smallest tower of the cathedral) and went to a Russian pancake place (I swear it was not my idea, but if you know me, you know I could not refuse such an invitation). Outside, street artists in old costumes were offering photos of us in their company so Clarissa and I played their game for 5min, then of course they asked for money. I gave them 30% of what they asked for and as we left we were called bird names ?.
09/08/18 Clarissa and I agreed on the plan for the day so we went together to the markets where we bought little buns filled with various preparations and we bought some fruits. We ate in the park next to it despite the fact that there was no bench to sit down. A group of old men were playing dice on top of a trolley.
We stopped by the train station so Clarissa could exchange her ticket for Kiev and we took the metro to the art centre for the Banksy exhibition which was really good. Many original pieces came from private collections and there were reproductions and street photos of Banksy’s street art. There was also a video to illustrate his art and news facts he used as a source of inspiration.
Another session with the chiro to adjust my broken backbone and I was supposed to meet Clarissa at the theatre for the national show ‘Kostroma’, which seemed to be a really promising dancing show but they were not performing that night so we went for dinner in the top 1 ranked cheap restaurant on trip advisor. It happened to be a burger place with a nice atmosphere, very dark though. The burgers were good and I tried a peach cider.
Next we looked for the Shrodinger’s cat bar I suggested, a secret bar next to our hostel who serves cocktails in all sorts of glasses, cool and surprises (Clarissa drank in a cup made of Lego and there was light in my lightbulb glass). As a photographer was working onsite for their website that night, the staff was making cocktails so that pics and videos could be taken in action. But as those cocktails were not ordered by any customer, we received free drinks ?.
10/08/18 A last visit to the chiro this morning before I leave Moscow. I am going to Red Square for the last few pics then it will be time to buy some food for the 27h train. As per the doctor’s advice, I took a taxi to the railway to avoid carrying my bags through the metro stairs.
Goodbye Moscow, I wish I didn’t have to spend so much time (and money!) on my back problem (medicines, sessions, belt), I could have seen more of the city, but I am glad my back is in a much better shape.
