On Popular demand I have some more of Konstantin’s photos for you. He took some time and walked around town to take more shots for you last weekend. It seems he is an early riser ;-) Konstantin shows you Moscow in spring time. We don’t really have autumn or spring here. It just turns from winter to summer within a week. One day it’s -4 C and soon after you have +15 and more. I guess -4 C as it is now is a Russian spring already, compared to the -15 C winters, but I miss the warm air and the smell of flowers in the air. Don’t get me wrong. I am from the mountains and I love winter and snow, but at one point its just enough and we had a long cold winter this year. Not only in Moscow.

It’s a bizarre view in Moscow these days. The snow is slowly compressing to ice and melting away during the sunny hours at daytime. The mountains of snow on the sides of the streets become ice rubble and look quiet strange. It seems spring is starting to fight “general winter” already, but especially this year the general came in quiet strong and seems to have no intentions to leave.

Thanks for the photos Konstantin!

City Life in Spring

Kremlin

Near Bibloeteka

Residential Building on the River Banks

Cathedral of Christ Saviour

Cathedral of Christ Saviour on the River Side near Kropotkinskaya

Below Pushkinskaya

Mayakovskaya Area

Mayakovskaya Area

Mayakovsky statue

The statue of Mayakovsky, a mayor Russian poet said to be depressive. This area is known for its writers and poets. Just nearby at the Patriarch Ponds you’ll find a statue of Bulgakov who lived here as well. Just take a walk through the backyards and little streets surrounding Mayakovskaya in spring or summer and you’ll feel real Moscow city life.

Here is a link with more info on Mayakovsky. They even have some MP3 readings of his poets and stories:

http://mayakovsky.com

Germany’s rental car company Sixt just launched a new campaign and its excellent. I have just seen banners on Spiegel Online which were saying that there is a new rental car company with even better prices than Sixt. It took only a few seconds until I understood that it is a parody, but I still clicked on the ad, because I wanted to see where it leads me to.

After the click I got transported to “GibsNisch.de”, which is a slang for “not possible”. There you’ll find a page, which looks alike, a cheap copy of Sixt.de, but with better cars and a model sitting on the hood of a Chrysler. I like the R&B style they use. Very creative. The message in the room is clear and open: “We have even lower prices than Sixt”.

Now click anywhere? The whole thing is falling apart and they tell you that there are no better prices than at Sixt. I just love it. It’s so well done. It includes a viral component (send to a friend) and brings the message across. Respect for the Marketing guys at Sixt. It is risky to do some none (or soft-branded) advertising, but this one works and its good you trusted your agency.

As I always say, in most cases bad advertising is not bad, because the agency didn’t do good work, but because the business people in the marketing department of the client got too much involved into the creative and the agency needs to please the one who pays (or at least signs the bills). There would be much more good and creative advertising, if the agencies would have more freedom and trust, but than again its a natural behaviour I guess. Everybody thinks of themselves as being creative (in some sense) and which advertising manager wants to get fired for a bad or risky campaign.

I don’t know the background of this campaign, but it seems to me the marketing people and the agency have a good relationship. Good work. More advertising like this please ;-) Anyone knows the agency who did this?

Links

http://www.gibsnisch.de

Here’s something for your weekend. “Don’t date him girl” is a site about cheaters. Reading through the pages is very entertaining and sometimes frightening in two ways. First, what people can do to each other and 2nd how stupid and naive some girls are to fall for it. Well, I guess there are man who are naive and stupid in that sense as well. And by the way? Where is the “Don’t date him man” site? Get it started and list all these heartless bitches and gold-diggers that broke our hearts and made us to the unemotional rocks we are. Just kidding ;-) Enjoy your read…

One more thought? Maybe this is the natural reaction of women to the new “pick up artist” movement? PUA’s were meeting for quite a while in certain Internet newsgroups (A.S.F.) to disucss their tactics and methods. They discuss mistakes and help each other to refine their methods. While some of them argue, that it is only to be able to find a (or the right) women, others do this as a sport, probably forgetting that they may hurt feelings while the are on their ego trip. Well, if you are interested in this check one of their leaders - Mystery - sites or Fastseduction.com, but be aware that you might end up on dontdatehimgirl.com ;-)

Links

http://www.dontdatehimgirl.com
http://dontdatehimgirl.blogspot.com

Mystery Method
http://www.mysterymethod.com

Fastseduction.com
http://www.fastseduction.com

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Moscow is unfreezing. It seems to get warmer. I am still in Germany and I have left, when it was way below zero and we had tons of snow. We had 1 m of compressed snow in the city and in some areas you had 1.5-2m high windlips near the streets. As I said, in the centre of Moscow.
The first wave of warm spring air just arrived last week. According to the forecast it should be gone on Wednesday, when I am back in the city. We expect -6 C then. Well, I guess I bring some warm clothes.

Enjoy the first spring impressions of Konstantin Leibovitch and as always I say THANK YOU to Konstanin for sending us his great photos.

Some of you may have wondered why I don’t post stories here anymore. Did I finally get shut by some angry club-owner or what happened to me?

About two weeks ago I got a worrying phone call from my Mom, who lives in Germany. My grandma didn’t feel that well. She has had cancer and just recently the situation got worse. Thanks to Swiss-Air I have been able to book a flight, which took off only 3 hours later (for a reasonable price) that day. Even though we had fierce weather in Moscow, Zurich and Bavaria, I have been in time to say Good Bye to my grandma before she died the next morning. I am in Germany now and the past 2 weeks were hard and full of work, that’s why I didn’t get to write anymore stories for my blog.

I will get back to my blog as soon as I can. Please come back and check for more soon.