After 5 days in Moscow I can say this: it’s the most complex and fascinating trip I’ve had since my visit to India last year. Between handling the Cyrillic language, the juxtaposition of Soviet era architecture and lavish restaurants and bars, and the superficial coldness but deep hospitality and humor of the Russians we met, I’m still not sure to make of what I saw. A visit this short can’t possibly allow me to sort out a real opinion of a place this complex.

What i can say is this: all the folks at IT-Online, the hosts for my one day seminar, were wonderful. They helped me get around Moscow, lent me a cell-phone, and took care of all the translation services needed for the actual event (Being translated in real-time was wild). We had about 150 people in house, interviews with local press, and IT-Online did everything to set me up for a great event. Thanks to Daniel Downs, Dmitri Satin, Dmitri Volkov, Olga Postoyanova, Irina Matvienko and everyone else at IT-Online that was so kind and helpful during my visit.

And of course: the audience! Some of the questions were fantastic, despite the language barrier. And during breaks I had great chats with dozens of folks about software, writing books, managing people and drinking Vodka! :)