The content of this post is an adaptation of an original text written by Guy Laliberté.

I spent the weekend in Moscow with my good friend Stéphane Francisci from Paris. We had dinner at Mario, in my opinion the top Italian restaurant in Moscow. If ever you’re in the city one day, I recommend that you try it out!

Our evening at the Pacha club (where we were very well received by the manager) was cut short though. After boldly attacking the vodka, Stéphane felt the vapours quickly go to this head. Let’s just say the effects of his jet lag were quite volcanic—or should I say “vodkanic”?! And so, we were back at the hotel a bit earlier than expected…

Luckily, a massage at the hotel’s spa helped us relax and the Russian banya helped melt all those nasty toxins away. Welcome to the Russian version of a detox, Stéphane! Nothing like a good whipping after sweating it out! It’s always quite amusing to see the expression on someone’s face after trying out this unusual experience for the first time. It’s really a form of shock treatment! Respecting tradition, the banya is followed by a good Armenian meal right on sight (including shashliks—yummy!) and some good beer. We then went to a supperclub to meet some friends but we were so exhausted, we could barely keep our eyes open!

I enjoyed my first day of sun in Moscow the following day and just couldn’t believe it! We made the most of it by playing tourist, walking around the city for hours and buying souvenirs. And we watched the Grand Prix on television—a must-see!

We ended the day with a flourish, in my favourite restaurant: Nobu. Delicious!