I landed in Moscow, Russia at 7am on a Saturday morning. 
It took 3 days, 3 planes and 14 time zones but I had finally made it!
My new Russian friend Igor helped me make my way into the city where I was greeted by Darren and his very own Russian friend Evgeniy.
To say I was exhausted would be an understatement. Destroyed comes a little closer. I wasn’t alone though, Darren had spent the night sleeping at the airport in Riga but we both knew that we had to stay awake to adjust our internal clocks.
Evgeniy, who was born in Ukraine but now calls Moscow home, offered to be tour guide for the day and got the ball rolling.
We hit up a delicious Ukrainian/Russian restaurant for lunch where the waiters dressed in traditional attire and the food was delicious. That said, after a couple days of airport food my standards weren’t exactly high.
The afternoon was spent freshening up, buying some groceries and checking into our hostel.
We would be staying at the cozy Chillax Hostels. Not only was it in a great location but it felt like you were at your friend’s house. I felt very welcome, met a lot of fellow travellers and in super expensive Moscow, the price was right!
Oh, and the beds were comfy – perfect for my sleepy head!
We also picked up a SIM card for my phone.
To all my Canadian blog buddies – 100 minutes and unlimited data for a month including the SIM card = $20. No commitment. Yes, we’re being ripped off at home.
But I digress…
As it was a Saturday, Evgeniy said we needed to experience Moscow’s famous nightlife and we gladly obliged. The thing is, no one goes out until midnight at the earliest (ie. way past my bedtime, jetlag or not).
To fill the gap, we were taken on a beautiful walk around Moscow at night.
The city is beautiful!
Our first stop was the stunning Red Square. Possibly the most popular attraction in Moscow, and deservedly so, it is packed full of history and tourists.
My favorite part was St. Peter’s Basilica.
Lit up at night, it looks like it’s made of candy.
We snapped a few photos then continued walking through the streets, over bridges and down alleys before getting our dance on at a massive club. 
The multiple floors and rooms were packed full.
Music pounding.
Drinks flowing.
Everyone was having a great time.
I don’t know whether it was the jetlag or the atmosphere, but when I looked down at my phone, it was 6am.
6 AM?!?!
I had to get home – pronto.
Something about seeing daylight before going to bed throws me right off.
As we left the club it was still going strong. You’d think it was just the start the night.
We hailed a random car (you can do that in Russia) and in no time at all I was back at the hostel sound asleep.
I think it’s safe to say we kicked off Russia right!
A huge thank you to the team at Chillax Hostels for hosting us during our visit to Moscow. If you find yourself visiting Moscow, be sure to look them up through their website, facebook or Twitter.
