Open year-round, the open-air “Moskva” pool was oblivious to the infamous Russian winter. The heated water, especially during snowfall, sent up waves of steam. Snow fell on the diving platforms, the pool ropes, and the brightly colored caps of the swimmers; some would have snowball fights with the still melting snow. My mother recalled how strange it was to experience the disassociation between the warm pool and the frigid outside, heightened as pedestrians dressed in fur coats and winter boots rushed past. But in fact, this pool had once been a magnificent, massive church whose empty foundation had been repurposed. Continue reading