One more thing...

Here's another little treat from Russia -- a video montage I made of Loki exploring the landmarks of St. Petersburg. I had so trouble with the uploading...so it's pretty lo-fi, but I think the soundtrack makes it worth the time...heheh

Loki on the lam

I'm having trouble keeping up with the pattern demand in the face of all my other commitments/projects/stress of moving back to America and a new apartment. But I will have it finished and posted here eventually!

Meanwhile, here are some highlights from my time adventuring in Russia with Loki at my side. I only brought him out on a few occasions since the weather was mostly wet and windy and not good for little dollies to play in. Also, I really did do other things, like study and stuff while I was there...

Loki with some doll-sized (but Putin-strength) Putinka vodka. Oof.

Loki "suns" himself in Red Square (only tanning in dreary fog is how he maintains his pale complexion). A mere two weeks after we left Moscow, Tom Hiddleston (the real Loki!) came to that very city with the rest of the Avengers cast (minus Captain America...) for the premiere! Unfortunately, I could not return to Moscow in time on my budget. Alas, alas!

Loki sits astride an anti-tank gun above a former German bunker in Kaliningrad.

Loki takes in the sumptuous Tchaikovsky opera Queen of Spades at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. I think he quite enjoyed the gambling motif and devious, scheming (not to mention desperate for love) tragic hero Herman. Игра! Добро и зло одна мечта! The game! Good and evil are a single dream!

The following week, Loki was treated to ballet at the Mariinsky! Again, he found the Stravinsky selections to his taste -- one, Petrushka, was in fact about dolls, and the other, Firebird, was based on folklore and had some very stylish villains! And both featured magic, mischief, and more than a dash of spookiness (this being Stravinsky).

At intermission, Loki indulges in a little red wine. He may have refused Tony Stark's offer of a drink in the Avengers, but if you've read the comics, you know he actually drinks an awful lot. This might be why his plans never quite work out...

My clever theater-going companion, Greta, spotted a doll-size glass near us (previously used for vodka, I think...) and took this picture of me and Loki drinking to the arts!

Avengers premiered in Russian IMAX theaters a week earlier than in the US and Loki and I ran to the nearest one as soon as my classes were over! We enjoyed it immensely, even if it was dubbed into Russian, which I only mostly understood.

Loki meets Medusa on a bridge near the Summer Gardens.

"You are my little sun!" reads the graffiti. Awww, couldn't resist this one!

Loki gets a lift from a bear statue in the Smolny region of Petersburg.

Loki in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Loki on the gate to Mikhailovsky Gardens.

Making mischief...

Sweet almonds!

At the swanky Dostoevsky-themed restaurant "Cafe Idiot."

Ah, those were the times!