April 4, 2010
Spring comes to Moscow
Spring has arrived here in Moscow at last! The snow is gone, and the temperature is finally consistently above freezing! It still goes down to around 2-5C (32-27F) at night, but the days are reaching temperatures around 9-12C (47-54F). We're in the annoying period of spring where the temperature gets drastically warmer in the sun/during the day, but still cold in the mornings and at night, and even in the shade, so you still need a warm jacket. Oh well, in a few more weeks it should get warm enough to finally put the winter coat away!
It's interesting for me to watch the city go through its spring transformations. Growing up in the suburbs, things are different. Spring in the suburbs means people working outside on their yards or maybe preparing their gardens, doing some repairs on their houses, and the first signs of children playing outside. Public parks get flowers planted and some things get painted, if they really need it. Here, children play outside all year round (which I think is wonderful – kids shouldn't just sit around during the winter!), so the sound of children playing doesn't associate with spring at all. All the work is done by migrant workers, it seems, rather than the citizens. Moscow doesn't like its workers to be idle. Two weeks ago, they were chopping ice and shoveling snow, now they're painting things. Literally, anything that can be painted is being painted! They're even painting the manhole covers and trashcans!!!
Everything really does look nice with a fresh coat of paint – but the smell… well, that is anything but nice. They're using a really heavy duty oil based paint, and it's got such a terribly strong odor. The places that they're painting in the sun are the worst – the hot sun just exacerbates the smell! Add that to the pollution from all the cars… UGH! Moscow is not good for the lungs, I think.
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3 comments:
Hi Ashira! Spring at 2º to 5º C is a weird concept... or should I say moscovite? ;))
Blogtrotter Two is having a MED break. Enjoy and have a great week!!
Hi Ashira!
Waiting for you in Turkey... ;)
Enjoy and have a great week!!
Hi Nomad!
My name is Nick, and I am the Web Editor at Hg2 – a luxury city guide publisher based in London.
Hg2 is our slick abbreviation for A Hedonist’s Guide… - a luxury city guide series coveted by travellers who value both style and substance when it comes to soaking up a city. We’re not about the most expensive shops, bars, restaurants and hotels – we’re about the best. All our guides are compiled by writers living in each city, with content that is packed with insider knowledge and a voice that is irreverent, inspired, and, above all, intelligent. And at just the right size to slip into your Louis Vuitton carry-on, a copy of Hg2 is just as important as packing your passport.
We are currently in the process of launching our new Website, which will feature online versions of our iconic guides, a fully-comprehensive online store, a filtered hotel booking service, an exciting community forum and well-written, expert travel news and features published daily on our own blog. This should go live in the next few weeks.
In addition to producing our own news, we are looking to source content from other blogs that are based in (and focus on) the cities we cover, from Berlin through to Miami. We’re looking for content that exhibits real ‘insider’ knowledge, covering the very best a city has to offer from the newest restaurant openings to the latest art exhibitions. If you know about something, have been and rate it, we’d like you to share it with our readers. The tone should be personal, and truly reflective of each city’s individual voice.
In exchange for regular content feeds from your RSS, we propose that we give you a prominent visual presence on our newly-launched Website. There will be three distinct tabs in the revamped ‘About Us’ section; one for the Hg2 team, one for our writers and one for our bloggers. You will be featured in the latter, complete with an icon/avatar of your choice, a two- or three-line summary about you and your blog, and a link back to your Website. Not only will this drive our discerning readers to your site with an inbound link, but it will also enable you to target a largely travel-orientated demographic. What’s more, the partnership will increase your profile as a blogger/writer with an official Hg2 title assigned to you as our official source in your particular city. It’s a great opportunity for those looking to make the move into professional travel writing, and for those seeking more exposure.
Once you have agreed to the partnership, your content will appear in the ‘News’ feed boxes on our Website. Naturally, we will not be using all content sent by bloggers and reserve the right to edit/amend the copy to fit in with the word count of these boxes and style of our brand. In any case, reprinting your content word for word will result in us being penalised by Google and affect our ranking (Google favours the site that has printed duplicated content first).
We are extremely respected in the industry with a dedicated readership of style-conscious travellers, and we believe that the proposed partnership would benefit both of our brands. No work is necessary on your part, just your permission. If you are interested then please get in touch and we can move forward with this as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Nick Clarke
nickc@hg2.com
www.hg2.com
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