The picture below is from a photo-essay on abandoned cities (towns that dried up after the fall of the Soviet Union) on www.englishrussia.com. Truth be told, you don't need to journey out to distant places to find cool, abandoned buildings like this one. Just head out into podmoskoviye and you can find plenty of abandoned factories and warehouses that you can explore and vandalise to your heart's content. Sure, it might not have the same eerie feeling, but all abandoned industrial buildings are fun to explore.

Working from home gives you a lot of time to stare out your window, so you want to have a good view. Mine isn't too bad - I can see a couple of 19th Century church towers where upbeat bell melodies are played in the mornings - always a nice way to start the day. I can make out a few of the buildings on Tverskaya and one of the seven sisters stands in the distance. One day I might check a map and work out which one it is. But the view is largely blocked on either side by apartment buildings leaving only a small space that allows a long-distance view. And a small, dingy courtyard below my window is the only place where I can see other people. Luckily, though, this is Moscow and interesting events are provided regardless. In the past six months I have witnessed two fires and the aftermath of a rape and murder from the confines of my room.

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