JET LAG 6

First morning, I awoke at 4:00 a.m. to a very cold house. Got to get the heat going.

Guess we became accustommed to the suffocating warmth of our Moscow apartment where we had to open the windows before bed to push back the blaring heat in order to sleep comfortably.

Unpacked. Now getting organized. No real rush.

Thinking of Sana sitting in class right now in Moscow. Are they on break right now? Perhaps. Or is Dimitri sighing in that condescendingly Slavic way a correction to a student's misconjugated verb?

Andrea and Cricket are reunited at last. Andrea is doing just what she has talked about for nearly three months; just laying on the couch and snuggling with her little, snaggle-toothed companion.

HAPPY DAYS AGAIN: ANDREA AND CRICKET.

JET LAG 5

WE'RE HOME.

NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

EVERYTHING IS THE SAME, BUT THE SEASON.

JET LAG 4

My bed!

JET LAG 3

I didn't see it myself, but I heard about it afterwards: The double take I expected from Cricket happened.

When Andrea went through the front door, Cricket came barking like a banshee, ready to attack an intruder.

But as Andrea crooned for her Cricket, the dog stopped on a dime, recognized the voice, looked back at Stephanie and went running for her momma!

We scurried about the house for a couple of hours. I could no longer keep my peepers open as the Tigers fell to the Giants in the 10th inning. As we say in Chicago, wait til next year.

JET LAG 2

We flew on British Airways #236 on a 747. Andrea did not like sitting on the second level. We arrived at Heathrow, flying over a still very green with still colorful trees lining the country roads leading to Londontowne.

I slept on the flight and ate in the airport lounge. We arrived at the Coaching Gate for a bus to deliver us to the airplane parked offsite. 

Our cabin crew on British Airways #295 was very accommodating and helpful, especially during the periods of high turbulence.

While well north, we suspect the bumps may have been caused as Sandy approached the southeastern coast of the United States.

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL.

OVER THE BAY OF ST. LAWRENCE

In Chicago, we were needlessly separated at Passport Control. I gathered the bags while Andrea complained about her treatment (the first chance in three months to complain). We had about 30 minutes before the bus back to the South Bend Airport was to arrive.

Bill and Leslie picked us up at SBN at 9:08 p.m. After figuring out how to load our bags into the car, the long awaited reunion with Cricket was that much closer.

JET LAG 1

The evening before departure. We called people to let them know we were coming home.

We started packing around 11:00 p.m. We showered at 2:00 a.m. and were waiting for Dimitri at 3:30 a.m.

The snow was falling and beginning to stick. Andrea was very nervous as we drove through the dark, wet streets of Moscow for the last time. I shielded my eyes from the neon glare reflections.

We arrived at Domodedovo Airport by 4:45 a.m. We boarded and departed on time at 6:35 a.m.

CATHEDRAL OF THE REDEEMER AND BACK TO THE TRETYAKOV GALLERY

Saturday, October 27, 2012

A cold, clear morning. I went up Bolshoi Afanasievsky to the New Arbat and the Dom Knigy. I bought Lex her Russian text book, finally bought my text book and some Masha e Medved trinkets for Andrea. Stopped at Prime one last time for "kafe s-boy."

Later, we finally visited the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer. While admittedly gorgeous and impressive, it's like the beautiful, high-priced model that appears on all the magazine covers: beautiful, but you know how much pain was required to achieve those looks.

The workmanship is inspiring, but it's weird to think the place was just built 15 years ago; a copy of the original built in the late 19th Century as a memorial to the War of 1812 and destroyed by Stalin in the 1930s. 

Typically one might marvel at an old church knowing it may have been erected centuries ago using Old World craftsmanship that has stood the test of time. At Redeemer, one marvels at the time, money and resources used to construct this church in the here and now.

We then made our way over the bridge, braving the wind, and on to the Tretyakov Gallery for follow up research. After our time at the museum, we walked along Piatnitskaya and ate Uzbek food before heading home for the night.

BUILT BETWEEN 1994 AND 1997 AT A COST OF MORE THAN $200 MILLION. 

ON THE PATRIARCH'S BRIDGE.

OVERLOOKING THE RIVER AND KREMLIN.

BRIDE ON A BRIDGE.

INTO THE KREMSKOY...

"TRETYAKOVING"

IVAN THE TERRIBLE BY MARK ANATOLSKY.

STORY PARTY.

METRO TEATRALNAYA TRANSFER TO THE RED LINE.

ST. BASIL'S ON RED SQUARE

Friday, October 26, 2012

For the last three months, I have been living in a blessed bubble, shielded from my every day roles and  responsibilities at home and protected by dear wife's knowledge of this country and her ability to  communicate and get things done here in Russia.

That womb-like bubble is about to burst.

Soon, I will be back  home and subject to the laws of life.  I will be back in the USA, back to schedules and responsibilities, back to the grind of every day life from which my Russian bubble can no longer shield me.

But in the meantime, we're still having fun! On Friday, we went to St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square. Afterwards, we took the metro way out so that Andrea could go to Leonardo, a Russian craft store. 

On our way to the metro, we stopped in GUM, the grand retail space that is actually a mall of high-end boutiques and designer stores.

Here are some photos to mark the day.

WAT Walk Way.

TRINITY CHAPEL SPIRE.

FOR NICK JENSEN - THE CHAPEL OF ST. NICHOLAS.

DETAIL OUTSIDE CENTRAL CATHEDRAL.

VIEW FROM ST. BASIL'S DOWN TO MOSCOW RIVER.

ANDREA IN ADMIRATION.

CHAPEL OF THREE PATRIARCHS.

RED SQAURE.

HOLY...HOLY!

BEAUTIFUL DETAIL.

THIS CHURCH DOES NOT TAKE A BAD PHOTO. FROM EVERY ANGLE, IT IS EYE CANDY.

GUM INTERIOR. PRETTY, PRETTY, CLASSY.

SPLENDOR AND LUXURY.

YOSHIK! THE HOLIDAY WINDOW DISPLAYS FOR THE ADJACENT CHILDREN'S GUM MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER THAN FIELDS' EVER WERE?

A DEAR AND CHARMING FRIEND

I met Sana after her Russian language class today. We stood there for some time, saying good bye to David, who returns to Portugal Saturday.

Oz is going back to Turkey for one week to settle some visa business before returning to Moscow.

We talked at length with Mahmoud. He goes back to Sudan a week from Sunday. Upon his return, he will resume work with the Sudanese Defense Ministry. We spoke about yesterday's bombing of the weapons plant there (allegedly by Israel).

He said he knows the facility and has been there many times. He said ordinary ammunition is produced there, but I pointed out that he doesn't know where those munitions are sold and who ends up using them. 

He agreed with me, as we said it is ironic three people as different as we are could easily communicate and enjoy one another's company while politicians built barriers between people, and then send bombs over those fences.

I had invited Sana to lunch, because having attended classes with her over the last month, I came to really like her. I asked if she was hungry. She replied she wasn't yet, and when I suggested we sit in a cafe for a while until her appetite perked up, she suggested we simply go to her house for coffee.

Her house is close to the Gnesin Music Academy. In fact, it is right across the street. But my real surprise was when she showed me the house, and I saw the Chilean Embassy emblem on the side. I knew her husband worked for the Chilean Embassy. I just didn't know that he was the Chilean ambassador!

She lead me through the gates, explaining this was not the embassy, just the official residence of the ambassador. She showed me around the ground floor. The living room is larger than our entire apartment (and probably then some)!

She offered me a coffee, and when I asked if I could help her make it, she just laughed, and told me to stay in the parlor while she had her "girl," Tatiana, bring it in. I was flabbergasted, to say the least. Sana eschews the diplomatic lifestyle. She is such an unaffected, genuine and personable lady.

While it is a generalization on my part, I have seen some of the diplomatic wives around town, and they tend to be somewhat haughty and insular; sticking with one another and putting up their noses at those not in their circle. I saw this behavior at the cafes when the weather was still decent.

But not Sana. She prefers the metro to the embassy's car and driver. (It's more efficient and faster, she says). She prefers taking Russian classes with bedraggled German college students and lowly, wandering Americans than with the wives of the Spanish-speaking diplomatic corps at the Cervantes Club.

Her life story and that of her family is fascinating fodder for a book or movie. We talked at length until she became hungry. We went into the small, family dining room, and there, Tatiana served us a delightful salad of olives, tomatoes, lettuce and buffalo mozzarella.

Of course, she insisted I drink Chilean wine with my meal. When I stated a preference for white wine, she herself got up and went into the sous kitchen to open the bottle. (Apparently, there is a large, professional kitchen in a lower level). 

Our main course was blini filled with sauteed mushrooms, followed by dessert of vanilla and chocolate ice cream with warm chocolate syrup and crunchy cookies.

Unfortunately for me, her husband, Juan Eduardo, and daughter, Susanna, were unable to dine with us -- so more food for me (JK. I behaved with the proper manners with which I was raised)!

We repaired to the parlor (a room that sits on the corner of the house's first floor with three large "bay like" windows giving a wide perspective of the neighborhood and filling the space with light). 

We chatted easily and amiably until nearly 4:30 p.m., at which time I excused myself. My only regret is that I did not think to take a picture of her or of us together.

Farewell, my dear German-reared, Chilean-Syrian friend with your degree in French literature!

I MET ANDREA AT THE PUSHKIN GALLERY OF EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN ART FROM THE 19th AND 20th CENTURIES AT 5:30 P.M. AGAIN, I DIDN'T TAKE MY CAMERA INTO THE MUSEUM. WHAT A SHAME, AS THE MUSEUM HAS VERY GOOD COLLECTIONS, AND I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO PHOTOGRAPH SOME OF THE PIECES, AS WELL AS HAVE MY PHOTO TAKEN ALONGSIDE THE RODIN SCULPTURE, VAN GOGH PRISONERS, PICASSO BLUE PERIOD WORK AND OTHERS. MAYBE TOMORROW AT THE TRETYAKOV?

BOLATNY BETWEEN BRIDGES

The weather was unnaturally nice, sunny and warm Saturday, so after a late lunch on the Old Arbat and some grocery shopping, Andrea went to the library, and I headed out to do some additional exploring in our terrific neighborhood. There are numerous foreign embassies and consulates in our backyard!

I checked out Bolatny Island, which is the island in the Moscow River. It is accessed via the Patriarch's Bridge, which juts out from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Bolatny Island is home to the former Red October chocolate factory. Like many old industrial installations in the States, it is now a "hipsters scene" with galleries, restaurants, drinking establishments and the Strelka Institute for Architecture, Media and Design.

On the tip of the island is the Peter the Great, or as some Muscovites call it, "Peter the Ugly" statue.

From there, I passed through the Park of the Fallen Heroes. It is actually called the Art Muzeon Statue Park now because it has all sorts of interesting statues. However, it also has a bunch of statues of Soviet-era "heroes." Officially, you are supposed to pay to enter this park, but it just didn't make sense to me to pay!

From there, I walked past the new Tretyakov Art Gallery. Andrea and I visited this vast art museum of 20th Century Russian artists Sunday with her Russian language teacher, Katja, a charming young woman. The collection is notable for its collection of Supremetism, Constructivism and Socialist Realism. We took no photos.

Sunday night, we had dinner in and stayed up very, very late watching NFL. It was after 5:00 a.m. when we went to sleep. Andrea woke up at 12:30 p.m. By 2:30 p.m. today, we went to the library, where I acted as research assistant, i.e., I scanned books. We had good Thai cuisine for dinner tonight.

Here are some photos from my tiring Saturday afternoon promenade.

CHRIST THE SAVIOR CATHEDRAL AND THE PATRIARCH'S BRIDGE TO BOLATNY ISLAND.

OLD RED OCTOBER CHOCOLATE FACTORY FACILITY ON BOLATNY ISLAND.

THE RED OCTOBER COMPLEX IS NOW OVERRUN WITH EVERYTHING THAT APPEALS TO YOUNG HIPSTERS: BARS, GALLERIES, TECHNOLOGY STORES...

MOSCOW RIVER VIEW: NEW TRETYAKOV GALLERY ON LEFT AND KRYMSKY VAL BRIDGE IN DISTANCE.

THE VODOOTVODNY CANAL. THE ISLAND IS FORMED BY THIS CANAL ON THE SOUTH SIDE AND WAS CONSTRUCTED TO CONTROL FLOODING.

PATRIARCH'S BRIDGE EXTENSION OVER THE VODOOTVODNY  CANAL.

GRAPE MAN. PART OF THE EXHIBITALY EXHIBITION ABOUT ITALIAN DESIGN AND INNOVATION AT THE STRELKA. EARLIER IN SEPTEMBER, I PHOTOGRAPHED "PASTA PETE."

ZURAB TSERETELLI'S PETER THE GREAT STATUE. IT IS 94.5 METERS (310 FEET) HIGH, WHICH IS TWICE THE HEIGHT OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY WITHOUT HER PEDESTAL.

ART MUZEON SCULPTURE PARK. THIS PARK SURROUNDS THE NEW TRETYAKOV GALLERY.

ART MUZEON SCULPTURE PARK.

ART MUZEON SCULPTURE PARK.

ENTRANCE TO THE NEW TRETYAKOV GALLERY. GONCHAROVA, LARIANOV, MALEVICH...AND MANY MORE INSIDE.

KRYMSKY VAL BRIDGE OVER THE MOSCOW RIVER.

PETER THE GREAT STATUE FROM THE KRYMSKY VAL BRIDGE.

A NEAT APARTMENT HOUSE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

PRIVATE PUSHKIN

No. Private Pushkin is not a reference to some anonymous schlub in the Russian Army.

It's a slug for yesterday afternoon's little outing to the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts Private Collection.

It is very close to the apartment, and Andrea wanted to see the exhibition of Rembrandt engravings and etchings. The Family Mosolov had begun collecting the work of Rembrandt and other Flemish painters. Rembrandt is certainly a famous name, but Andrea has helped me to fleetingly glimpse into his true genius.

Ilya Silberstein, an art historian, founded this museum and his collection is a solid foundation for the entire museum. Andrea commented that it seemed like a "real art museum," with good lighting, accurate didactic panels and an actual climate control system.

I copied from the museum's website two paragraphs that I think are interesting and telling about this little gem of a museum:

Most private collections in Russia were nationalized and broken up after 1917. The names of many collectors disappeared from the history books. Private collecting was classified as amassing private wealth, contradicting the Soviet way of life. During the Soviet period, the traditions of private collecting nevertheless survived. Until quite recently, private collecting was frowned upon in Russia. At best, it was regarded as a somewhat dubious occupation.

Things have now changed, however, and private collecting today plays an important role in helping to preserve the national cultural heritage. The decision to open a Museum of Personal Collections provided a fresh impetus for the development of private collecting in Russia. The permanent exhibition also addresses the history of private collecting from 1917 to the present day.

 As always, we didn't have enough time to see absolutely everything. However, in the atrium is an extension of the museum's Rodchenko and Stepanov collection. I also greatly enjoyed the Solovyov collection (so much that I went back for a second look while Andrea was re-investigating the Yelena Makasayeva collection with its beaded artworks). I also saw for my first time the works of Tyshler, Sterenberg and Weisberg, all of which were terrific. Photography is not allowed at all in this museum. There are even no official books or catalogues with photos on the collection.

When the museum closed, we walked up Ostazhenko Street and finally found Tiflis, a Georgian restaurant we have been searching for since Alexi was here a month ago. And are we glad we did. As always, the Georgian fare was terrific, but the restaurant was also noteworthy for its atmosphere and decor of big comfy chairs and divans upon which to dine and its candle lit ambiance.

EXTERIOR OF THE PRIVATE COLLECTION MUSEUM AS DARKNESS ENVELOPS THE CITY. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS NEW, GLASS EXTERIOR IS AN ENCLOSED COURTYARD TO A GRAND CLASSICAL STYLE BUILDING.

A BAD PHOTO (NO FLASH) BUT IT ACCURATELY CAPTURES THE  AMBIANCE OF RESTAURANT TIFLIS.

GRANDMA YELLING AT THE WAITER. JUST KIDDING. ANDREA SPEAKING WITH OUR WAITER. THIS WAS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE BEST SERVICE WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN RUSSIA: PROMPT AND EFFICIENT IN EVERY REGARD. AND THE FOOD WAS GOOD, TOO!

SIX THINGS

Because it's Friday, it's go slow and be lazy day.

So while I am relaxing, I was thinking about three things I miss about home and three things I do NOT miss.

Don't get me wrong. I love my life right now. And while I may not want to stay here in Russia, I certainly do not want to go home.

I have made only baby step improvements in my Russian language skills the last few weeks, so I feel somewhat incomplete by diminished expectations and unfinished business. But soon, I will be aux Etas Unis and my inability to squeak Russian will be inconsequential.

Miss (I feel somewhat pathetic that these material items are what I miss about life living here in Russia, but if I had them here, I might never go home. On the other  hand, it shows how we take things for granted without giving them due credit):

1. My big, comfortable bed. Take it from Andrea; I sleep just fine here. However, I often wake up with an aching back unlike my mornings at home. I miss my bed's height and width and suport. Plus, I know who has slept in my bed at home, and the sheets are 100-something count plush cotton. 

2. My big, powerful washing machine and dryer.  The machine here does a circumspect job of cleaning and is tiny, which is fine in itself because: a) we actually have a washing machine and 2) I don't know how or where the clothes would dry if there were more of them in a load. However, its size means many loads, and I really do miss having a dryer. Everything gets stiff from air drying, and it's so much "work" to arrange the clothing to dry. Then, I must periodically over the course of 24-36 hours rearrange them to maximize exposure to the air. Again, at least we have a washing machine.

3. My garbage disposal. Yeah. A garbage disposal. I wonder how many Russian apartments have garbage disposals. I know ours does not, and it creates problems and plenty of extra work. Vegetable and fruit peelings, egg shells (yeah, I know technically you're not supposed to put those in the disposal), Andrea's unfinished morning cereal, table scraps...cannot just go down the drain and with a push of the button have a clean kitchen sink.  Instead, we have a slow drain, regardless of how hard I try to prevent little things from going down and getting stuck in the pipes.

Do NOT miss:

1. Driving. Sure, I love driving, but I do not miss it in the least. That is especially true when I see the traffic here in Moscow. Putin and Medvedev recently stated they will work from home or take helicopters to events in order to prevent their 12-car motorcades from further restricting the traffic flow here. Plus, the metro, bus and train systems make getting from Point A to Point Z pretty easy and quick.

2. Schedules. Whether work, or bill-paying or household chores, I do not miss having to perform specific functions at a specific time on a specific day. No garbage to put out and bring in. No flower bed weeding or leaf raking.  No 8:30 am to 7:00 pm pressure.

3. Dog and cat hair. Enough said. 

CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN HISTORY MUSEUM

When I told Dimitri in class today that we had gone to the "State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia," he was unimpressed. He thinks that museum is boring. And as well he should. Much of it is about events that have happened during his life, and he needs no museum to cover that territory.

I, on the other hand, found it interesting. While the history itself has been covered in a variety of museums we've visited and is relatively common knowledge for most, it was presented in a very clear and engaging manner. The photos and posters and objects from the various periods showcased were interesting to us, if not unique.

And as usual, we were among the last visitors to exit before the museum closed. Even Andrea couldn't believe we had spent as much time there as we had. We could have probably used another 20-30 minutes maximum and another set of AA batteries for our camera flash.

We had gone to this museum in search of a particular painting of the "Moscow Canal." A colleague of Andrea's had requested we photograph it. We looked for it at Abramtsevo on Sunday, and we were told there that it is on display for an exhibit at the Contemporary Russian History Museum. However, we were told yesterday at the Contemporary Russian History Museum that the exhibition is now closed and that the objects are no longer available for viewing. RUSSIA!

The vast majority of photos we took were for Andrea's research. Here are just a few from the day.

VIEW OF FRONT OF MUSEUM FROM A SECOND FLOOR WINDOW. THIS BUILDING WAS AT ONE TIME THE MOSCOW ENGLISH CLUB - FROM 1831 UNTIL THE 1917 REVOLUTION. DURING THE CIVIL WAR THAT CAME AFTER THE REVOLUTION, THE EXTERIOR WAS SHOT UP PRETTY BADLY. IN 1924, THE MUSEUM OF THE REVOLUTION OPENED HERE. SINCE 1998, THE MUSEUM DISPLAYS RUSSIAN HISTORY GOING BACK TO THE FREEING OF THE SERFS IN 1861 UNTIL PERESTROIKA.

A SOVIET STYLE STONE IMAGE ON THE MAIN STAIRCASE.

THE MUSEUM'S FIRST ROOM HAS A SMATTERING OF ITEMS, BUT AT LEAST A FOURTH OF THE ROOM IS DEDICATED TO VLADIMIR PUTIN AND RUSSIA'S RECENT WORLD HOCKEY VICTORIES.

AN ANONYMOUS MUSEUM GOER.

EMPRESS ALEXANDRA DOING EMBROIDERY WHILE IMPRISONED IN EKATERINABURG AFTER THE REVOLUTION AND WITHIN MONTHS OF HER EXECUTION. ANDREA WAS IN SEARCH OF THIS KIND OF IMAGERY...

...AS WELL AS ACTUAL EMBROIDERED ITEMS AND OTHER TEXTILES.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO RONALD REAGAN. THIS MAP WAS PART OF THE GLASNOST ERA DISPLAY. IT'S FOR ERIN! PS - THERE'S ALSO A PHOTO OF UNCLE RONNIE AND MIKE GORBACHEV, BUT IT'S TOO BLURRY.

OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM ARE SOME FINE EXAMPLES OF WORLD WAR I ERA MILITARY HARDWARE, SUCH AS THIS ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER.

PUSHKIN SQUARE IS JUST DOWN THE STREET FROM THE MUSEUM. HERE THE GREAT POET SEEMS TO LITERALLY LOOK DOWN HIS NOSE AT THE RUSSIAN THEATRE'S PERFORMANCE OF DISNEY'S "LITTLE MERMAID."

AFTER A DINNER OF SHRIMP WITH THE HEADS STILL ATTACHED (ANDREA HAD CHICKEN QUESADILLAS - GOOD CHOICE), ANDREA SPENT MORE THAN 90 MINUTES BOOK SHOPPING IN THIS FAMOUS MOSCOW BOOK STORE ON TVERSKAYA STREET.

WHILE ANDREA SHOPPED, I FINISHED MY HOMEWORK AT THE RESTAURANT AND THEN WAITED  FOR HER ON THE STREET. TVERSKAYA IS A MAJOR RETAIL STREET WITH MANY WESTERN NAME BRAND STORES. WALKING IT, WE BOTH FELT AS IF WE COULD BE ON 5TH AVENUE IN NYC OR ON MICHIGAN AVENUE IN CHICAGO. IT JUST HAD THAT KIND OF VIBE!