Info/Amenities at Moscow Airport?

[Robin Garr]

Believe it or not, I've got a really long layover coming up there, and wonder if by any strange chance any of you have spent time at Moscow Airport and can give me a hint what to expect in terms of amenities. I'll be flying in from Atlanta around 10 a.m. and not flying out for Tbilisi until around 8 p.m.

Should I bring plenty of books? :/

[James Roscoe]

Is this a Georgia to Georgia trip? (I make myself laugh even if no one else does.)

Are you doing the Vodka offline?

[Robin Garr]

Is this a Georgia to Georgia trip? (I make myself laugh even if no one else does.)

It <i>is!</i>

Are you doing the Vodka offline?

Not if I can help it!

[James Roscoe]

Is this a Georgia to Georgia trip? (I make myself laugh even if no one else does.)

It <i>is!</i>

Are you doing the Vodka offline?

Not if I can help it!

Is it the Georgia to Georgia and back to Georgia trip? Will Georgia be on your mind? Could you take the midnight train to Georgia? Would the vodka offline help get Georgia off your mind? Would the vodke offline help you forget all these less than memorable puns?

[Robin Garr]

Would the vodke offline help you forget all these less than memorable puns?

Aw, crap ... trip's off, it looks like. Last-minute budget problems on the Georgia end. Things are apparently really, really rough over there.

Too bad, Robin. Sorry to hear that. :-(

Robin! I've got bad news for you. I've always had to go through Moscow when flying to and from Syria. Going there, I only have a two hour wait. Coming back, it's ten hours.

It's boring - bring books. It's uncomfortable - there aren't enough chairs and they're really uncomfortable.

On the plus side, there is a nice music shop there where you can buy (but the last time I was there, not listen to) some rare old recordings of Russian opera transferred onto CD! I've bought some absolutely fantastic recordings from the 50's with the great Melik-Pashaev conducting! Having bought them has eased the pain of being there.

There is a café upstairs where one person makes a decent espresso. If you can handle several espressos they let you sit in the café for quite a while. But there's some strange rule I guess, that they herd you out if you don't order - even if the place is empty and there are dozens of empty seats.

It's bearable, but learn to make a cushion out of your baggage and bring a few good books. I'd suggest Tony Anderson's Bread and Ashes - a great travel book on Georgia!

-Otto-

[Robin Garr]

Robin! I've got bad news for you.

Thanks, Otto, but ... waaaahhh!! The trip is off. Money problems. Apparently things are getting <i>really</i> rough down there, thanks to the boycott.

Thanks, Otto, but ... waaaahhh!! The trip is off. Money problems. Apparently things are getting <i>really</i> rough down there, thanks to the boycott.

What a pity. I think it would have really, really interesting (but maybe more so for Paul B. ). The few wines I've tasted have really whetted my appetite as they've been unique - in a positive way. Very personal stuff. Also, I've always wanted to visit the country because I have a fascination with Caucasian languages which is almost on a level with the Near Eastern languages! I'd have loved to hear a report from you.

[Robin Garr]

What a pity. I think it would have really, really interesting (but maybe more so for Paul B. ). The few wines I've tasted have really whetted my appetite as they've been unique - in a positive way. Very personal stuff. Also, I've always wanted to visit the country because I have a fascination with Caucasian languages which is almost on a level with the Near Eastern languages! I'd have loved to hear a report from you.

Same here, Otto ... I was even browsing a Georgian-English phrase book, in slack-jawed incomprehension. It's a very unusual language, even with its own alphabet - not Cyrillic - as I'm sure you know. I regret that it won't work out, but the possibility is open for another time.

I've had a few Saperavi reds from Georgia in the US and didn't hate them, but I doubt that they were the best the country had to offer.

[James Roscoe]

Damn, just when I was getting more puns together. I was going through my old Little Feat collection.