Last Days in Siberia in Magical Realism

After the awards ceremony Mo bought a bottle of vodka from the bar, then we walked to the dorm. Had a couple of shots there, then walked to the post-Gala disco. (We were on this compound where the Siberian Olympians train - it has everything.) Everyone was dancing, really letting loose. We danced for a few hours, alternating between the dance floor and the lounges, because the dance floor was crazy ridiculously hot. Then we met up with some of our other friends and headed back to the dorm around 4am.

Hung out there for maybe an hour more, there was some talk about going for a skinny dip but it didn’t come to fruition. I ended up crashing in my friend Laurent’s room because Ranie was so sick and coughing constantly and he had two extra beds. He was adorable and tucked me in with tons of blankets and pillows. He is Belgian and very sweet which was SUCH a nice remedy to all the soul-sucking horrible self-destructive Z drama. The next morning he woke me up, we went to breakfast, and then headed back to get packed. Mo overslept and barely made the bus to the airport (bad girls of winterswimming!)

Tyumen to Moscow flight was uneventful, then we all hung out by the baggage carousel. Said goodbye to everyone except for the handful of us staying overnight in Moscow, including Z and his daughter. It was super-awkward having to hug him (I had to literally force myself to do it) and sad to say goodbye to her. Sadly I am sure I will see him again, but probably not her. We went to dinner in Moscow that night and I was literally falling asleep standing up, (!) so left dinner early and went to sleep.

The next day we did champagne brunch again, complete with live harp music. It was fab, and after a full night of sleep I finally felt somewhat normal again.

We went sightseeing a bit around town, and then before I knew it it was time to head back for my flight:

I took a cab to the airport and said goodbye to Moscow, realizing I had seen barely anything of the city. I hope to be back soon though. Flight to Paris, got into town on a cold rainy night. Took the train in and then Metro to Montmartre, rolling my suitcase uphill in the rain. Still loved it!

Proceeded to spend the week in Paris, doing absolutely nothing. It was glorious. Lots of long walks, some in the rain…good food, red wine and coffee at charming cafes, a little shopping and a few intriguing conversations with strangers. It was just what I needed after the whirlwind of Russia.