Moscow Monday AM
Dearest Bimshine:
Well here I am all safe and sound and fusy signifying nothing--i.e. somewhat restless at not spicking[sic] Russian and not yet having seen Dr Semas nor any breakfast though it is now 10:30.
The trip here was rather long.  You see I left Berlin Friday night, woke up in Koenigsberg and Sat evening had gotten into Riga after drawling and dragging through Lithuania and Latvia all day.  Left Rega again at 11:35 Sat night and woke up in Estonia (I think) and got across the border about 10 AM.  Almost no formalities. Then all the rest of Sunday and till 9 Monday in Russia.
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and I rather cursed myself for being too careful and sending the report back.  However time will tell on that matter: I don't want to offend these people and it is certainly up to them to show what they want to.
Well its a great experience and all that I expected except that people are cheerier and better nourished than I'd expected.  The peasants certainly have the prize for cow barn faces and when you add felt over shoes about 8 times too big, and unending garments of one sort or another the effect is of a bundled up apple woman on a street corner in the middle of winter.
The crowds look warmly dressed but
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the clothes are coarse grimy and greasy and the effect is not chic--to put it mildly.  The buildings look run down and near the time when repairs will be in order, but there was a surprising amount of building going on outside Moscow as we came in.
Of course its wintry here--deepish snow everything on sleighs and consequently rather quiet.  The country was just exactly like the Bayard Taylor (?) stories of Russian wolves droshkies etc. and was really quite beautiful.  The train was comfortable though not very quick and I never knew I had so much German--but I can almost get along with it.
The Savoy was full--till tomorrow I am at another where no one speaks anything but Russian but the room is good and I'll get along.  Gosh what a strange place
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it is!  Some of the churches are fantastic even if they do look run down.
Things seem to move very slowly--if Semashko doesn't arrange a good deal for to be seen I shall see very little--but more of that later.
A week ago was I in Croissy?  It seems two weeks at least if not three!  Oh darlin cheerio and I'll be your Bobby Shafto before very long.
Your loving Alan.