Leaving Moscow

Today I leave Moscow, in probably the most unexpected fashion ever. After two weeks couch surfing with the lovely, curses-like-a-sailor Masha, following my failed attempt to leave Russia with S7 on June 15th and a week of getting on fellow Irishmen's nerves on Sukharevskaya, I have decided to hitch-hike with Masha to Riga, from where I have a flight booked to Dublin. She is in the shower as I write, and soon we will go to the MKAD and hitch a lift to the other side (about 40 km), from where we can get on to the main road west, via Volokolamsk, Rzhev and Velikie Luki to the border at Sebezh, from where the road to Riga continues via Rezekne and Jegavpils. Masha at once proposed that we hitch there together, as she has a year-long Schengen visa, and is a professional hitcher (which we discussed with the Swiss girl and a Mexican until 5 am today over vodka). So I expect few problems, apart from the size of my suitcase and my fatigue. All in all the 950 km should take us 14 hours, according to the expert.

Leaving Moscow has been a milder version of leaving Nizhny. I don't feel as attached to here as I did to NN, but I will definitely miss the metro. Today I heard the last, for a long time, Уважвемые пассажиры, при выходе из поезда, не забиваете свои вещи. But depending on how tonight's hitch-hiking goes, I could be back in the winter by Ryanair to Riga and thumb to Moscow... This country has been home for a year. I will be back.