My room in Moscow

My room has two single beds, a divan, a single chair and a coat tree in the corner.  The light is a single bare bulb in the high ceiling.  Pipes run across and up the wall, and the window leaks cold air.  There is ornate crown molding along the ceiling that was painted over at some time in the past and a large lavender and gold tapestry on one wall

The bathroom is shared, and the toilet is in a closet.  This all sounds kind of awful, but it is surprisingly comfortable, and the heater seems to keep up with the cold air from the window.  I slept well last night, and when I woke to rain on the window, I decided to stay in bed a while longer.  This place has the fastest internet I have had so far, and it is secure.

The apparent owner of the flat is a tall, slender woman who speaks English, fortunately for me.  When she discovered my name, she asked if I have family here, because Irene is a common Russian name.  It was odd to pay for my four nights in thousands of rubles, but the exchange rate is about 39 Rubles to one dollar.

To get in to this flat, I first have to use my magnetic fob to open a large metal gate, then walk around back of the building, in a small courtyard shared with neighboring buildings.  I enter a code in the panel by the door, which lets me in the building.  Up the elevator to the 5th floor, then walk down a half flight (the elevator is on the landings, not on the actual floor levels-perhaps a more recent addition), and unlock the flat door.  Then I have a separate key to my room-no idea if it is actually keyed differently from the other three rooms here, but I operate on that assumption.  The only other people here are the young man who let me in the first day and his girlfriend.

It's home, sweet home for a couple more nights.