Moscow Metro – An Unusual Art Gallery

I was lucky with the Metro tour Tuesday afternoon – there were only four of us there – John from Columbia, Lynne and Winston from New York, and myself.  Elena, the guide was quite happy to have just a few of us.  With a holiday Wednesday, many people had a short work day today, and it is easy to lose someone in the busy subway system in rush hour. Elena was a great guide too, with good training and a LOT of enthusiasm for her native city.

We descended into the metro right by the Kremlin entrance. As we were going down the corridor to our first train, we stopped beside two strange looking walls with a circular track running across the floor.  When the Metro was first build in 1935, it was to serve a double purpose.  Number one was to move people around the city efficiently, but also, it was designed to be used as a bomb shelter in case of war. With this in mind, the stations were made with wide tunnels and very high ceilings. Good thinking, as it was indeed used during the second world war.  Can you imagine being locked underground for hours and not knowing if you would have a house to return to when you were allowed back to the surface?

The planners also wanted to have their subway system be something that Moscovites could be proud of, instead of feeling like voles burrowing around underground.  Marble, glass, bronze, porcelain and good lighting were used to this end.

The signage is very good, once you understand the system.  There are 11 different lines, each a different colour for easy navigation.  the biggest problem is figuring out which way you need to go, after going around underground to find your platform.  Here is what the signs look like – it’s probably a lot easier if you read Russian.

The first stop we made was to Teatralnaya or the Theatre Station, so named as many theatres, including the Bolshoi Ballet are situated close at hand.  The decor was simple and elegant, with porcelain figures that look quite small, but are actually three feet tall.

From here, down we went.  We learned that some of the later lines were placed very deep underground during the Cold War, so that they could serve as shelters from nuclear attack.  The longest escalator of all is on the 3rd (purple) line, and is the equivalent of 24 stories.  It takes 4 minutes to descend.

Joined to the Theatre Station is Revolution Plaza Station, which is part of a different line.  Here, the arches were rimmed with brass, and pairs of statues guarded each side.  You can tell by the blurry bits that there are a lot of people, and they are moving quickly.

There are a few famous ones. It is considered lucky to touch the nose of the dogs, and their noses are shiny from it.

It is very unlucky to touch the rooster, however.

Those unlucky in love touch the shoe of this young girl -

National pride and homage to Communism was very important to Stalin as he built the metro stations.  At Kurskaya Station, the vestibule where you first enter the metro is designed like a cathedral……. just look at the splendour and scale!

The high dome….

And the red stars of communism -

-propaganda at its finest and most subtle.  Who could fail to be proud as they walked through this temple on the way to work?

Back into the bowels of the earth, we sped away to KomsamolskayaStation.  Here, the ceilings of the station are embellished with incredible mosaics made of semi precious stones and gold leaf. We learned some interesting history here.  Stalin was the architect of the metro and its decoration, and he had his face and figure emblazoned all over it.  When Nikita Khrushchev became the ruler, he removed every image of Stalin.  Here you can see a photo of a photo – the old one in black and white with Josef Stalin, and the new version with Lenin replacing him.

Here is another where Stalin’s face used to be on the flag.

And another where Stalin’s face was where the Letter “MNP” are now.  There were also three children where now there is only one.

Here is a woman carrying the hammer and sickle, and stamping upon the a swastika.  It is illegal in Russia to show a swastika anywhere, by the way.

In the next station we visited, Novoslobodskaya, we discovered colourful stained glass decoration the pillars between the arches. They depict various professions.

The Belorusskaya Station is a tribute to the people of Belarus.  The incredible ceilings were accented with painted scenes from that area.

In this station is one statue that didn’t have to be altered, as Stalin was not included in it.  It is huge….. here I am holding the man’s finger.

Our final stop was Mayakovskaya Station.  All along the vaulted ceiling are 34 mosaics depicting the sky in a 24 hour period.  Here are a few of them -

This station has a very modern look to it because of the many arches and very open structure.  It is also the noisiest of the stations, as there is no wall space to stop the roar of the trains from bouncing across the entire station.

The crowds were quite incredible…….. as I left the group and continued to my hotel, I passed the Belarussian statue again… just look at the crowd waiting to go on the down escalator.

But three stops later (here is on where I transferred),

I was at my own station -

and out in the open air and just across the street from my hotel.  All for 10 cents.

Moscow, Day Two

Last night, as I was writing my blog in the hotel bar (where the electrical plug-ins are), I met two wonderful couples from Manitoba, Canada.  I had an evening of good company, lots of laughs, and one more beer than usual, and I slept like a log. It was wonderful!  I hope that I have a handle on the jet lag, and that I will have my days and nights straightened out now, until I embark on the 9 hour flight to Sakhalin island, and have it to do all over again.

Breakfast was long over in the restaurant when I finally came downstairs, and as they had a large group coming in for lunch, I was on the street without breakfast.  Lucky for me, in a lot of the underground walkways, there is a whole market of shops lining one wall.

Along with the clothing, shoes, and trinkets, I found one that had lovely filled buns.  I had no idea what would be in it, but pointing came to the rescue again, and my sauerkraut-filled bun was delicious.

Onto the metro and down to Red Square again.  I’m getting the hang of it now, following the signs to the right line at transfer points, and came out right where I wanted, beside the Lenin Library,

(statues on the top of the building they love statues here )

and just across the street from the entrance to the Kremlin.

There were blockades up that weren’t yesterday, and I discovered that the Kremlin was closed today, as it is a holiday tomorrow, and preparations are being made.  Oh well, I caught the last 5 minutes of the Free Moscow bus tour, and learned about Arbat street and where to find cheap food.  I also got the details for the Moscow Metro Tour at 4 pm.  My day was planned.

I went down new Arbat Street first, and found out what happens to people who don’t park in the right place here.

I also found the biggest bookstore I’ve ever seen.  This whole building is books and stationary…. two floors.

Arbat Street is a pedestrian street, full of eating places and coffee shops that won’t break the bank, including some you may recognize  – street artists,

and dozens of souvenir shops. Most of them carry roughly the same merchandise.  I bought my Moscow magnet, and a few post cards.

And I followed Elena’s suggestion and ate lunch at Mymy (Pronounces Moo moo) – you can see why here.

I had borscht in a black spotted bowl, a salad and grapefruit juice for under $10.

There are a few fairly familiar sights along Arbat Street -

And some more exclusive shops like a more expensive souvenir shop with some wonderful treasures. Some of these photos are through the windows, so pardon the quality or lack thereof.

I had a good afternoon wandering along, watching the people and poking my head into the shops to see what they were offering, although I have zero room in my luggage for souvenirs.

And then I headed back to the Kremlin for my Moscow metro tour……. which is way too much to add to this post, so stay tuned.

Moscow – Red Square

The end of a long day.  Walking, walking, walking……… warm and muggy weather so that I was sweating under my blazer most of the time. Just imagine me admitting to being too warm.   Now, however, I am in the hotel restaurant with my sandals on, beef stroganoff in front of me and a tall Russian beer by my hand…….. and the waiter just called me”Miss”! I think I could get used to this.

After delivering my passport to the company office this morning, I proceeded via the Moscow metro system to Red Square.  Quite proud of myself for making the correct transfers.  The escalators are sure long, and I know I haven’t gone to the deepest tracks. I walked past all the souvenir stands, eager to get inside.  I did take a couple of shots from a distance – the sign on these headdresses was asking 100 rubles for a photo.  Thanks goodness for zoom!

I went in through the Iberian Gate, which was first erected in 1535. It was demolished in 1931 and reconstructed in 1994. It connects the north-west end of Red Square with Market Square.  There was a line-up at the Chapel door, so I didn’t venture in – maybe tomorrow.

Just inside the gate is the State History Museum – reputed to be the biggest natural history museum in Russia.  It houses an immense collection from prehistoric bones and fossils to much more recent treasures.  Cameras are not allowed, and I have discovered that it is not open on Tuesdays, so I may not have a chance to go this trip, but I know if I’m here with David, we will be going, because he loves museums.

There was another small  church inside the gates as well.  There were no photos allowed inside, but the decoration was beautiful, and quite old, judging by the muted colours.  This is the back… look at all the arches in the architecture.

Most of Red Square (which is NOT square) is barricaded off right now, with a huge stage set up.  Wednesday is a holiday in Russia, so it looks like there will be quite a celebration.  To get to St. Basil’s Cathedral, which was my primary destination, I had to detour through GUM. GUM was a huge government store which always had merchandise when there was nothing in any of the other shops.  Today it is three floors of designer shops.  Even the Coffee Shop is Armani.  It is a whole block with skylights along the three main hallways.   I managed to find the one cheap shop in the place,  an Italian cafeteria where I got pizza, a Danish and coffee for less than a hotel room – LOL.  I suspect that the coffee in the Armani Cafe would be a bit higher.

Anyway, I finally made it to St. Basil’s Cathedral.  I have always been fascinated by it – it looks to me like a bunch of decorated ice cream cones, with all those colours and swirls and peaks.  I got the audio guide, as usually the English commentaries leave a lot to be desired.

The cathedral is amazing.  it is seven different churches, built at different times to venerate different saints, in different styles and colours.  It is in various stages of reconstructions as well, as of course, when they were restoring it, sometimes they found wonderful old paintings beneath newer coats of paint.

The icons are amazing, like this one of the Blessed Virgin. I loved the flower decorations on many of the arches.  As always, they make inspire me to design an applique quilt.  The flowers reminded me of the ones I saw in Turkey, and of course, I took lots of photos.

I have developed a fascination for taking photos straight up………. and with seven individual domes in this cathedral,……… you guessed it. I didn’t get all seven, but here are a couple….

My sore feet dictated that a quiet bus tour would be in order…. and it was worth it.  I saw the Kremlin from the back, which is quite impressive.

and saw another church that I want to visit tomorrow.

I wanted to take in the Metro tour, but didn’t find the group, and I was really getting tired. After a 12 hour flight yesterday, and not much sleep, I was fading fast. I’m in the restaurant (well, OK, the bar, because there is more room for the laptop), typing away and having a great visit with two couples from Manitoba, here on a tour. Life is good.

In Moscow

This afternoon I finally got back to Russia. I am in Moscow now, and will be for a few days until my single entry visa can be exchanged for a multi entry one.

After being met at the airport by a driver who took me the long road from the airport in the south to the Holiday Ann on the north side of Moscow, I settled in and Napped. It is a 12 hour flight from Las Angeles to Moscow, and I had already flown there from Calgary. It seemed quite silly to be flying back right over Calgary as we did the “over the top” route. I’m hoping that I can sleep well and get myself on Moscow time quickly, as when I leave for Sakhalin Island, I will have another 8 time zones to deal with.

Off the the office tomorrow morning, and then I should have two days to explore. There are several train stations close to my hotel, and there should be enough in central Moscow to keep me busy. As I will have nothing to do here by myself in the evenings, hopefully I will get busy and let you know all about it right away.

Until tomorrow, da svidania.

Spring is Sprung – Memories of Springs Gone By

The flowers I remember as a child are beginning to bloom.  I am so lucky to be here and remember them.

The ones in my earliest memories are the caragana bushes.  On the farm where I grew up, we had tall hedges of them, and there were two rows about 10 feet apart.  The space between them was my play house, and I delighted in showing friends the wonder of it.

Soon after the leaves, these lovely, yellow pea flowers came out. If you pulled one apart, you would find a drop of sweet nectar.  Of course, I wasn’t the only one that knew about this. With the flowers, came the bees. Needless to say, I wasn’t playing between the rows while they were in bloom.

After the flowers dropped, tiny pods like peas developed.  I would pick them and shell out the tiny green seeds for “food” for my tea parties.  I was careful not to eat them, although I don’t think they are really poisonous.  And when the pods ripened, they would split with a loud crack, flinging the seeds far away, and leaving the sides all hard and curled.

I grew up in the bottom of a shallow valley with brush along water runs and the creek that had carved the valley in the first place.  Saskatoon bushes grew in some places………. and were a highly prized find.  The flowers were sweet and white, and one of the first bushes to bloom. You needed to mark the spot carefully, and hope that late frosts and early birds didn’t beat you to the luscious fruit in July.  I think that this shrub only grows in the Canadian Prairies……. it tastes a bit like a blueberry, but is redder, and much more delicious, especially with just a touch of lemon.  Saskatoon pies and jam were always a wonderful summer treat.

In the middle of the lawn, a lilac and a chokecherry bush stood entwined, fighting for dominance.  I’m not sure now which one was the intended and which was the interloper, but as chokecherries grow wild, I’m betting on the lilac.

The chokecherry bloomed first, filling the air with a wonderful, sweet aroma.  The long racemes of tiny white flowers soon shed their petals like snow on the grass, and small green fruit grew. As they ripened and turned dark purple, it was always tempting to pick one and pop it into your mouth….. at least until you knew what to expect.  These tiny fruits have a very large pit, and the most pucker-power of anything I have ever tasted.  But cook the berries, squeeze out the juice and boil it with sugar, and you have the most delectable pancake syrup on the planet.

Soon after the chokecherries, the lilac bush would bloom.  Now there are so many varieties and hybrids, but the one in the lawn was of the old variety.  A heavenly scent emanated from the large cones of tiny purple flowers.  they were a favourite to bring in and put in a vase to sweetly scent the house.

As you can see, with the cool weather and rain, the lilacs here are only beginning to open, but I am hoping that they will be by Saturday when I leave.

There are lots more flowers that were signs of spring to me as I prowled among the hills and grasses of my valley…… these are just a few of the early shrubs.

And a nostalgic glimpse into my childhood.

Obstacle Course

This has been a very crazy two months. I wonder if this is the longest visa run on record.  I wonder if Guinness has a category for this.

Sixty days ago, I was in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, enjoying finally being with my husband again, after a long, drawn out move from Norway.  We were wondering what they planned to do about renewing our visas……. or maybe I had just heard that they were sending us to Bangkok.

I have been in Canada now for 45 days.  it snowed when we first arrived.  Now, on May 23, in the midst of predicted record rainfall, it is snowing.  Huge snowballs of wet snow. It is beginning to land and stay on the grass, instead of melting on contact.  The temperature is +3.2 C.  They call Alberta God’s Country.  I think God has quite a sense of humour.

The obstacle course of applying for a Russian visa is ongoing.  Russia has a lot of national holidays in May. When my Letter of Invitation was finally issued and on it’s way to Calgary, we discovered that my name had been misspelled. It is now on its return trip, somewhere between Los Angeles and Moscow, where it will be corrected and sent back to me.  With any luck, I will be in Moscow by the middle of June, and in Yuzhno shortly after that.

And back in Canada six weeks later for summer holidays.

Life sometimes pitches curve balls that you didn’t expect.  While it is a nuisance to be away from home for so long, I have been enjoying the unexpected time with family and friends.I was in BC for the long May weekend….. playing fetch with my daughter’s dog, Vimyhiking with my nephew on Sumas Mountain….. visiting Whistler, BC for the first time.

Saturday I am going to yet another quilt show at Heritage Park in Calgary……..

It has been good.  But I am still longing for home.  Could I just have an easy one over home plate, please?

5000 Kilometers and Counting

I have been in Canada for a bit over a month.  We rented a car at the airport when we arrived.  Since David left for Russia on April 20, I have bee driving around Saskatchewan, Canada visiting friends and relatives.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Canadian Prairies, the southern part is FLAT and very lightly populated.  Cities and towns are quite far apart.  We measure trips by hours rather than kilometers. Two hours is nothing………. a four hour trip to a major city to do some shopping is not uncommon.

I think by now you are beginning to realize the significance of the title of this post.  I looked at my rental papers this morning – the odometer reading was 30082 km.  This morning it was 35548. I think that is a record, even for me.

While I await my Letter of Invitation from Russia, so that I can apply for a new entry visa and finally go back to my new home in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, I have been driving around in circles, visiting friends and relatives, and cadging bed and board for a few days as I go.  As my Mother is now in a seniors’ home, I have been trying to stay fairly close, so that I can spend as much time with her as possible. I have seen Spring trying desperately to push Winter out of the Prairies. Three weeks ago, the Canada geese couldn’t even find open water to land in.

It is as if Mother Nature forgot to turn her calendar from March to April, and even now, with May already a third over,  she is balking yet.  There is still ice on lakes and ponds, snow banks along the tree rows. 

It is great to see the Saskatchewan sun and marvel at the incredible clouds in this vast, open sky; to revisit small towns – some dying a slow death, and some still thriving in spite of diminished population and the tendency to shop in the city because you have to go anyways to see the doctor or pick up parts.  The grain elevators that used to mark every small town in the prairies are a thing of the past now. The few left have been bought privately and are used for seed cleaning operations.

Once you knew a town was ahead because of these prairie skyscrapers. Most of them have been moved or torn down……… and if you blink, you will not even notice you have passed Marquis or Duval or Parkbeg.  Often the only clue is the trees close to the highway and a few broken down buildings.

It is a bitter-sweet kind of a visit – good to visit friends again, but very conscious of aging – both myself and those around me, as well as the culture of the prairies.  Smart phones and internet have brought us haltingly into the new world.  No longer can a farm wife go to the city for parts, and return home with only what was on the list when she left home. On the other hand, if they don’t have what she needs, she can call home to see if there is a suitable substitute. Progress has its price.

Before this gets too nostalgic and melancholy, I must hasten to say that I love this land, and I love being back to see it awaken from Winter’s grasp.  Good friends – none can compare to Prairie folk in their openness and readiness to lend a hand, or a bed.

I hope you enjoy the photos of Saskatchewan – the high water of spring floods, the flat goldenness of left-over Autumn and stubborn white of snow that came too early and left too late.

Of hundreds of snow geese on their migration north -

and cattle in the fields, so glad for green grass after months of dry hay -

Of open skies, and the open hearts of those that inhabit this incredible land.