More Beautiful Russia

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Monastery at St. Sergius.

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Nightfall at Patriarch Pond.


Apartments.

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Summer streets in Ukraine.

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Land of beautiful churches.



Books.  "Kha-knee-ee."

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Correction:  Bookstand is in Ukraine.  Totally different country now.  I have one of Pushkinskaya somewhere in my files...but that isn't it.


Samovar (for Tea).

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And summers so humid that vodka could melt.  Okay, maybe not.  Summers are perfect for KBAC.  Just think of "Kha-vass" as a cross between castor oil, stale bread, and rotten potatoes.  Carbonated.  Yummy!  Pour me a glass right out of that tank please.

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Russian kittens.  

Koka-Kola.

Army museum - antique mobile gun truck

This Red Army truck is a bit more modern.

[Chris]

Some nice photos mendeleyev

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A tour of the Golden Ring around Moscow is very interesting for history buffs...and for guys who want to meet girls outside the big city.  A series of Monasteries rings Moscow.  Very rural, a half-day trip back to the 1960s.

Tsar's Chambers, now Theological Seminary for Russian Orthodox Church.

St Sergius at Larva Church.

Golden altar at St Sergius Church.

Patriarch's official residence.

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Chapel "over the Well"...literally.  Sergiev Possad.

Inside St Sergius Church.

Peter's summer palace outside the old capital--Peterhof.

My cousin German is a policeman in Moscow.  This is NOT him!  Whoever this guy is, he and his bottle didn't quite make it home.  Guess his life is going to the dogs, sleeping on a Metro platform.

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And before we move on, have you heard this Russian joke:
Question:  What is the definition of a workaholic in Russia?
Answer:  Someone who drinks on the job.   


What you won't have much of after marriage to a RW.

And less.

And less.

Husband's allowance.

[mendeleyev]

Moscow State University is housed in one of Stalin's "Seven Sisters" identical skyscrapers.  He lived in a different one each night, fearful of being murdered by his own staff.  Only a few key advisors knew his living schedule.  Each house had two kitchens which prepared identicial meals.  An aide tasted food from both about an hour before Stalin would dine to make sure no dish was poisoned.  Perhaps the most famous of the "Seven Sisters" is the one found in the centre of Moscow--the Ukrainia Hotel (and apartments).

Moscow State University currently has over 34,000 students full-time (including our youngest daughter this fall!) and dates back to the year 1755.  This skyscraper/University is located above Moscow in what is called "Lenin Hills."  Originally called "Sparrow Hills" because SPARROW (Lenin's favourite bird) was the code name for Lenin before the revolution.  At the base of the impressive University drive is a popular water park overlooking the central part of the city. 

This location is also significant because it is where two invaders were stopped.  First was the French Napeleon.  In old European wars it was the custom for the conquering General to wait outside the city for the surrendering home generals to come out and surrender.  The Russian Generals refused telling Napeleons messengers that if the great General wanted to visit their fine city he was going to have to fight his way all the way in.

It is also the site where Russian troops finally stopped the Nazi German advances and began to push the Germans back...just like they had sent Napeleons troops packing centuries earlier.

As you descend into the city from this great hillside the breathtaking "Great Patriotic War" Memorial Park to the memory of World War II will greet you with acres of parks, old tanks, monuments, and amphitheatres.  At night waves of red light run like rivers of blood.  Its dramatic....breathtaking. 

Russia lost over 20 million people during the war.  It is said that of all young Russian/Ukrainian men between the ages of 16 and 24, less than 10% of them lived to see their 25th birthday.

May God grant all who died "eternal memories."  (Russian Orthodox memorial to those who have died)

After the park comes the famous Triumphal Arch into the city to remember the victory in the War of 1812.

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Just before you reach the famous Red (Beautiful) Square, there is another square across from the main library and the Duma Parliment buildings.  This square has a fountain with a secret because underneath is a large underground shopping mall.

Underground mall.

Metro station.

Moscow River view of Kremlin.
Unlike the mental images we often associate with the Kremlin and Red Square, other than the red brick walls there is little of the colour RED on "Red Square."  First time visitors are startled at the overwhelming grayness of Red Square.  However it is beautiful nonetheless.  And the word Red comes from the Slavic root word meaning BEAUTIFUL helping one to understand how the square got it's name.

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In the background stands the Christ the Saviour Cathedral.  Built by the Romanov's and torn down by Stalin as a harsh symbol of the Communist view on religion.  Stalin build a massive swimming pool where children in the Communist Youth Organization swam by day...and political opponents took their "last swim" by night.

Now rebuilt by the Russian government to exact detail as the original, the church (with an underground women's monastery) is beautiful and inspiring.  It is where the Russian Patriarch holds special services and where government ministers of cabinet come to take communion and receive blessings.

The Cathedral is a massive building which houses the main church and several large chapels.

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Every RW loves to go shopping...at GUM! 

On opposite side of Red Square, this is location-location-location, baby!