First Workday After Vacation

Meeting repeat clients and photo shooting of famous monument.

The pleasure of new working days or home, sweet home...

Today, October 6, 2010, the work days after my 10 day vacation in Turkey, which I spent with a great pleasure with my wife near the solar town Alanya, began. As usual for a person who is engaged in individual businesses and lives in a large metropolitan area I've got a lot of urgent matters and there was no time even to rest yesterday. It was necessary to answer many letters that were received from my friends and potential customers, as well as to do some work about new design of my website, and of course, there were some chores. The only free day I withdraw for "the acclimatization" flew very fast, because I felt bad and a lot of things had to be done ... But today I got up brisk with wiliness to work because I had to meet my regular customer from Belgium Bert and his assistant Kazuko, who once again came to Moscow on a business trip for his quite famous in Europe company Glacio, that produces a wonderful and very delicious ice cream.

So, I want to share with you this news, dear friends. I would like to tell you how passed this uncomplicated, but fairly extraordinary and busy day of the common Muscovite, that has an individual business as the English speaking guide driver and photographer. I hope it will be interesting to you. Besides you will find out why you see a photograph of the famous monument by Mukhina, who in 1939 won the Grand Prix in Paris and was for many years one of the main symbol of the Soviet Union, together with the news.

After checking the regular correspondence early in the day I finally was able to talk via Skype to one of my friends from America. We talked for a long time, about half an hour; I showed her how I live, and our beloved pets - Russian Toy Terrier, Chihuahua, and even bald (hairless) cat - Donskoy Sphinx. But then I had to go to pick up my uncle from the hospital and to drive him home, and Pier was very tired after work and taking care of her children. So, I nearly ran to the car because I was going to be late. To my happiness there were few cars on my way and I quickly reached the hospital within 15 minutes. I even came earlier than I had to and waited until my cousin would come out with her father from the cardiological department of the hospital. I even managed to help her and my uncle to get into the car and then I drove them home. Making sure that everything is all right, I said goodbye to them and hugged my dear 77 year old uncle. After that I rushed to the Domodedovo airport, which was at the other end of the city. There was some time before the arrival of my clients from Belgium, about 2 hours, but knowing the situation on the road that may be in the city, I was a little nervous. Probably anyone who tries to do his job on time and properly faces these sentiments, but life contingencies can happen and prevent it. On the ring road (Ring Road), traffic was intense and not fast for such a wide road, highway. But I'm fortunate and I went to the airport even half an hour earlier and had time to go to a small restaurant for lunch.

Meeting with dear friends and remarkable way home

I met the representatives of the company Glacio at the airport; we hugged according to the Russian custom, because we knew each other for a long time and became good friends. I would like to note my admiration for the small, punctual and very inquisitive Kazuko, the Japanese woman, an assistant of my client, which is not only a good business partner, but also knows several languages, including Russian language, she is learning now. You know, you may laugh, but I always want to meet her with a bow according to the Eastern tradition. She is very straightforward and friendly, pleasant to communicate with. It is pleasant to respond to her some "baby", but at the same time extraordinary questions. With Bert we have common themes about the photos, he, like me, enjoys photography and he has the same camera (Nikon D300) and even the same lens of my camera as mine!

On the way to the hotel there was heavy traffic (it was rush hour) and we had plenty of time to talk about the news, about our rest and work, what happened in our countries (about policies and important events), and of course Bert was very interested how we felt in Moscow in August, when it was an extraordinary heat and there were many fires in the Moscow region, because of which the Moscow region and the city were shrouded in acrid smoke ... Bert even mentioned that he wanted to see the location of fires in the east of the capital and make a few shots there . This time, Bert decided to stay at the hotel “Cosmos” which is situated on the north of Moscow near the famous Exhibition Centre (formerly ENEA). He said that he would stop and look at the huge hotel built during the Soviet era. Of course as a guide, I immediately gave him the historical background to the All-Russian Exhibition Centre, and even remembered with a smile, the impressions of my another regular customer from the States, Johnny Weir, who stopped several times in this hotel during his competitions in figure skating . That is almost verbatim the words, impressions of Johnny about this hotel: “you will feel like at the railway station (train station).»

The visit to one of the greatest monuments of former USSR – the Sculpture of "Worker and Kolkoz Woman"

When we were just a few kilometers from the Hotel “Cosmos”, it began to get dark and the sky lit up orange through the cumulus clouds. By the way, the weather today was beautiful in spite of the cool air. It was sunny and dry, the air was pretty fresh for the big city and there was almost no wind. And we unanimously decided to stay on the road near the famous monument by architect Mykhina "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" to take some pictures of this giant and impressionable for any man monumental work of art, which became a symbol of the Soviet Union for many years. The monument is a dynamic sculptural group of two figures with raised hammer and sickle above their heads. The sculpture of the boy and the girl represent the owners of the Soviet land - the working class and collective farmers. They uplift highly the emblem of the Soviet Union – the hammer and the sickle. The statue became a symbol of Soviet and Russian film studio “Mosfilm” in 1947. We took some pictures and walked around the huge monument. Then we got into the car and within minutes we were already at the hotel “Cosmos”. Saying good-bye, Bert asked to leave in the trunk a box with examples of varieties of the ice cream of the company Glacio, which was packed with dry ice, and was necessary for tomorrow's business negotiations. I leave the car parked near the house, outdoors and the temperature at night is fairly low than in the days, so I was really glad to help my client. It is quite natural, considering how I like this man, and his ice cream. It is truly delicious and has the highest quality! I was delighted to learn that soon it will be with us in Russia.

New great shoots of the monument – the dream comes true.

So, I escorted my clients to the hotel and was going to drive home, but I could not leave thoughts about to make more photos of "Worker and Farmer". I was dreaming for a long time to take picture after its opening after reconstruction (in November 2009), and today I had a good chance - the weather was perfect, the camera was in my hand, and it was the time when the illumination in Moscow was turned on. Parked near the monument, I decided to wait a bit for illumination become more spectacular. And you know, I was just happy when it happened and just could not stop pressing the trigger of the camera again and again. I was just running from the one side of the giant monument to another, frightened to miss the right moment when the sky was still blue and the lights of the lamps became brighter and brighter. My perseverance was rewarded: most of the shots were just wonderful. When I came home in an hour I uploaded them to my computer and show the best ones to my wife and friends through the Internet, I decided that the best of my shoots should decorate the news. It was quite difficult to make the choice and you'll understand why when I prepare a separate album on Facebook with the best photos from this photo shoot, but I hope that this picture you will like as much as me and my friends. I am sure that tomorrow when Bert sees these pictures that I made after we said goodbye, he will be a little envy, and will come out with Kazuko from their hotel to walk and to do night shots of the monument one night.

After returning home in a good mood and with a great desire to write the news for my website, and show great pictures of the famous monument "Worker and Kolhoz Farm Woman", I was not able to start work immediately, as urgently needed to take my mother to my uncle’s place to take care of him. When I returned home after midnight and spent some time with my wife, I started writing the news story about the first day of work after a holiday as a Moscow guide and driver, which has a wonderful hobby - photography.

Sincerely Yours,
Arthur Lookyanov
Your Personal Guide & Driver in Moscow