Winter in Moscow can be beautiful, cold, dark, glittery, and wet all at once. Most days are spent in an overcast gray with a world of white covering the ground. The fresh snow is lovely to see, glittering beneath the streetlights and beams of fluorescents escaping through shop windows. On warmer days (here meaning days that reach above 9F), the snow melts and transforms Moscow into a wet, slippery world of mush. However, those days pale in comparison to the days when one walks out of her apartment to a world that, quite literally, glitters. The snow falling from the sky is small specks of glittering white powder that cover the ground. The sidewalks turn into sparkling pathways while from the sky more pixie dust falls to my shoulders. Moscow confuses me with its mix of beauty and gloom juxtaposed in a world of concrete and metal.

In this manner, Christmas and New Year appeared, waved in greeting, and then departed. I desperately missed being home with family this Christmas, as it was my first Christmas away from them. I did enjoy a large breakfast with my American flatmate Kris, at which point we exchanged our gifts and laughed together, followed by a dinner with some Russian friends later that night.

The highlight of the holiday season, however, appeared in the form of a girl named Rachel Sibley. She arrived on a plane December 31st after a crazy, spontaneous decision to come out to visit me in Russia for twelve days. Somehow, her visa and flights were organized in the span of two weeks, which can only be attributed to Godly intervention. (Honestly, no one I know here in Russia has ever seen a visa organized so quickly.) Rachel and I have been friends since our freshman year at university. We briefly spoke about the possibility of her visiting last summer, but we never expected it to happen so soon or so fast.

Having one of my best friends here was the best gift I could have received. I enjoyed sharing my life in Moscow with her. It’s nice to have someone from home fully understand what I am talking about. Explaining to people why I wanted to return to Russia is difficult. Essentially, I fell in love with the people, and the exact same thing happened to Rachel. She understands now, and having someone who knows and can share those same experiences with me is worth more than gold.

Rather than explain it all in words, here are some photos of our adventures:

Celebrating New Year with Rachel (and Pres. Putin in the background)

Rachel and I standing with a large symbolic cannon in the heart of the Kremlin

Within the walls of the Kremlin, the various buildings showcase beautiful architecture

One of the best sights in Moscow is Tsereteli’s Art Gallert. He is an incredibly gifted artist, and this photo is of his painting palette and current unfinished artwork. 

A glimpse at some of his beautiful artwork. He also hosts a masters class, where aspiring artists may come in and paint alongside him, learning and creating together

This larger than life sculpture is of the Romanov family completed by Tsereteli. The year in the background (1918) is the year that the family was assassinated.

St. Basil’s Cathedral is my favourite place in all of Moscow. I loved sharing this place with Rachel and exploring all the odd corridors and rooms found within its walls.

Rachel on the winding stone staircase in St. Basil’s

Climbing the winding stairs of St. Basil’s

Rachel’s last metro ride was on the Sochi Olympics Train. It was beautifully decorated inside and out.