Culture and Conflict

Chinese aciieed! (Cultural translation: smiley faces were the symbol of acid house dance music in late eighties Britain but they had dots for eyes instead of lines :) I decided to go to the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow to check out the paintings and take in some culture. Outside the gallery were about 150 benches that had been decorated by young artists, hence the smiley faces. After looking at paintings for 3 hours my back and legs were aching; fortunately I'd seen some pictures I liked of dark Ukrainian landscapes, peasants, paupers and the Crimean war. Some of the portraits of the tsars and aristocracy had expressive features, particularly the eyes, but I was under whelmed by the subject matter and preferred the pictures of the proletariat.
After the gallery I headed to Victory Park, Moscow's largest Second World War memorial and unintentional skatepark. Symbols of victory
and suffering.
I came back to Victory for a skate on my last day in Moscow but it was slightly comic as I'm so out of practice. Skateboarding has kept me young at heart but I think my days of streetskating are numbered; all future skating will be conducted in the sanctuary of skateparks other than as a form of transportation.
The park looks down over the city and is used for cycling, rollerskating, skateboarding or just hanging out. Public drinking is everywhere in Russia and there are numerous vans and stalls to grab a beer or a snack.
Or you could always go to Church.