GUM: the Main Universal Shop. The 120th anniversary.

Before 1815 the site had been occupied by trading stalls. Retail trade and whole sale prospered there. The stalls needed renovation badly but the tenants were against it since it would decrease their revenue. The building was in such a bad condition that "once a layer of plaster fell on the buyers, but another time, a lady, trying on a velvet dress that suited her very well, failed through the rotten floor, broke her leg and so was taken to the hospital in the unpaid new dress. The owner was afraid to remind her about it, at the meantime being happy that she didn’t recover for her loss."

However, after a long-term opposition between the government officials and merchants who owned the stalls and the plots of land on which they were located,  in 1893 the grand opening of a new building of the Upper trading stalls took place. You can learn more about the GUM building construction on its site.

Nowadays it is  an enormous boutique with hundreds of departments. Its one side overlooks Red Square and the others - picturesque old-fashioned narrow Moscow streets. It also houses the Gastronome №1 (a large food shop), some cafes, and occasional exhibitions.

It's better to be feared than loved. Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

 

The press-conference, 19th December (broadcast by public channels all over Russia) held to honour putin's reign and general effulgence was preceded by the detention of 20 activists.
The people had come in order to hand over to putin the letter of support for Bolotnaya's square held prisoners.
The policemen refused to introduce themselves.
It's getting scary here… really.

Taking a walk along the Moskva River: a pedestrian in Moscow.

Moscow is not a pedestrian friendly city. Cars parked on pavements, scarcely located underground walkways, too many people who normally rush around.

Well, I know I can't help grudging about the city. Here I would offer a route from the Novospassky Monastery along the Moskva River to the Red Square and further on to Tverskaya street, a pompous reminder of Stalin's Empire style.

The detailed map is here. 

You may start at Proletarskaya underground station then take your time relaxing in the garden of the Novospassky Monastery where you should also have a meal. Beware:  a walk along the river will take 2-3 hours and there are not so many crossings or underground pedestrian walkways. As far as I remember there were 2 or 3 of them.

Once you start your trip along the embankment, you won't get much chance to cross the road which is all along the embankment and is a very busy one. Strange but true: there aren't benches or any facilities for taking a break on the embankment.

However, the views unfolding will reward you for some inconvenience. 

Novospassky Monastery

I've already written about the Monastery.

Here is yesterday's account of my visit to the Monastery. It's the time of roses blossoming.

Useful links for those who study Russian

The Russian language is quite popular nowadays. Recent political events have caused the interest in Russian culture.

Learning Russian is certainly NOT a piece of cake. So I wish patience to those who's got the nerve to do it. With a little help from your friends you may succeed eventually.

You may watch Russian cartoons  here.  From the Soviet ones to modern. (in Russian, of course)

An extensive and exhaustive collection of classical Russian literature pieces records are here. From Dostoyevsky to Platonov. (in Russian)

Lenfilm (Leningrad Film) production channel which I've recently discovered will introduce you to a great number of classic Russian films of the Soviet period (which most of us, Russians consider the golden age of film production in the country).

The film I particularly adore is "A stranger's wife and a husband under the bed" after Fedor Dostoyevsky's novel, which is one of the lightest comedies portraying the life of the 19th century average man. If you study Russian, there's one more advantage: the language of it is quite simple relating to daily problems and worries which we all might encounter (hopefully, not...))

A number of Russian novels by Gogol, Chekhov, Dostoyevsky were made into movies by Lenfilm. You can also find them on the Youtube channel. 

Russian summer soup or Green shchi.

Russian Cuisine is something not so expansively promoted as Italian Cuisine. However, overall Russian food is healthier if we delve into the subject. Sugar, coffee, cakes were not common in the mostly argricultural country. Such vegetables as beetroot, cabbage, turnip were cooked in stoves (pech') I think if nowadays chefs were not so narrow-mindedly concentrated on making pizzas,  frog's legs or foie Gras  they would learn a lot from what was Russian Cuisine in the past.

Дело против Навального - Дело против меня.

Navalny is changing the whole course of Russian politics.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16057045

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”
Mahatma Ganndhi
    

Vladimir, Art Centre and some restaurants

The statuette depicting lives of the Russians of 19th century.

The Museum of Local History in Vladimir.

It is as much sad as it is funny.

Vladimir, more sights to see

I've written about some hotels and souvenirs you might bring from Vladimir here and about Vladimir Art Centre here. In this post I 'll write about the Nunnery with mostly preserved frescoes, art gallery, restaurants of Vladimir.

Well, you will certainly enjoy  Uspensky Cathedral: not only Rublev's frescoes but also the rich baroque iconostasis.  However, take a walk around the city: there are many more sights to see.

View Vladimir in a larger map

Vladimir, the Golden Ring of Russia

We went to Vladimir in May but I didn't have time to properly arrange the material so it's a bit late. Here I'm going to write about what guides are like in Russia, our experience of checking in hotels, and nice things you can buy from a souvenir shop.

Vladimir is an administrative centre of the Vladimirsky region about 200 km from Moscow, one of the  cities of the Golden Ring of Russia. Population is about 350 thousand people. The city is older than Moscow(1147),  was founded in 1108.  Since 1157 it was the capital of Russia.

The city is on the Klyaz'ma River and several hills which makes it very picturesque.

It is particularly famous for the Uspensky Cathedral with the restored frescoes by Andrey Rublev and Daniil Cherny (1158) and Dmitrievsky Cathedral (1194). Those are the sights tourists are dragged to by unimaginative tourist agents in Vladimir regardless the fact they could show them more aspects of it.

The picture below is the view of Uspensky Cathedral from the Museum of Local History (ethnographical).

Annual festival "Zerkalo" honouring Andrey Tarkovsky

The festival is called after one of the most remarkable films by Tarkovsky, Zerkalo (the Mirror) 1974.  The film is autobiographical. A famous and irresistible Russian  actress Margarita Terekhova is starring as a protagonist of Andrey's mother.

The beauty of Margarita Terekhova, which the time has spared regardless hard work and much emotional burden of starring in lots of Russian films, is of that rare now kind which enlightens everything around and stands alone, not the kind of "American beauty" that is so standardized that makes people sick. 

The festival takes place at the locations:

A one-day trip to Tver 3

A one-day trip to Tver 1 

A one-day trip to Tver 2 + map

It's high time to tell you about our cafe experience which was truly very pleasant. You know there are towns around Moscow that can boast good cuisine and cosy, stylish restaurants at  prices MUCH lower than those in Moscow. 

However, since the place looked like an ordinary eatery for having snacks,  without any hope for anything special we dropped in Dobrynya Cafe on Sovetskaya street .  

 However, the salad was exceptional. 

A one-day trip to Tver 2

I have started a series of posts about Tver here.

A trip to Tver only takes 1.5-2.5 hours depending on the traffic. Well, for Russians its nothing. In this post I am going to add to the image of Tver as a relaxing and pleasant city.

View Larger Map

The central streets are wide, not cluttered with traffic, clean with impressive architecture enthralling the passers-by.

You can walk both along the Volga or the city centre - anyways you won't be disappointed.

The view from Stepan Razin street across the Volga. 

The Moscow Times June 4th

The following extract is exactly what most people, having access to the Internet or some other sources of information except for official television propaganda, feel like.

The extract is from Vladimir Ryzhkov's article "Guriev is Latest Victim of Putin's Police State".

" ... The new wave of Russian emigration is qualitatively different from that of the 1990s. After the Soviet collapse, Russians emigrated because of the chaos, economic insecurity, widespread poverty and high level of organized crime. Now the most innovative and creative Russians are emigrating because of the complete lawlessness and widespread abuses of the siloviki against law-abiding citizens. Under such conditions, all of the government's ambitious plans for innovation and modernization are meaningless.

When Ivan the Terrible instituted his infamous Oprichnina in Muscovy of the 16th century, nearly one-forth of Russians fled the country in fear, thus leading to the country's defeat in the Livonian War and triggering the period known as the Time of Trouble. Under Putin's police state, we are headed straight for another Time of Trouble in the best-case scenario, if not a total collapse of the Russian State."

The complete text of the article is here. 

Once you're in Moscow the Moscow Times in English is available free in many cafes and restaurants. I normally get it from MacDonald's nearby.

More about repressions of not-alike thinking people here. 

The Hunter's Retreat Video, Valday Hills

I've written about going to the Hunter's Retreat in Valday Hills 1   and Valday Hills 2
Here's the video

The site of the place is here.
Description of hunting activities. 

Serpukhov 2 Hotels, restaurants.

Serpukhov(Serpuhov) is an interesting place to visit for everyone. Here's the post about the churches and attractions of Serpuhov.

However, when it comes to hotels and places to eat, you should probe into the issue beforehand trying to avoid on-the-spot decisions in Serpukhov.

Accommodation.

The option that might look attractive at first sight for frugal tourists is the hotel Iliance (Альянс)  since it's relatively cheap and looks well on-line. It's one of the rare cases when photos give you the impression that  has nothing in common with the reality. A double there is from 1700 = 30 dollars, it's considered to be cheap in Russia.

We always try to go for a cheaper option, however, after we had been shown the rooms

A one-day trip to Tver 1

A one-day trip to Tver was tentative with further trips there we are looking forward to now.

Tver is one of the oldest cities of Russia founded in 1135.  Having been a capital of Russia once, it still creates a vivid impression of a well-preserved town and retains its atmosphere.  The advantageous for a medieval town location on the Volga and Tvertsa and the T'maka Rivers only enhances the now relaxed atmosphere there.

In 1247 Yaroslav Yaroslavich (Yaroslavich is a patronymic), Alexander Nevsky's brother, became the Prince of Vladimir (a then capital of Russia). By moving to Tver he factually moved a capital of Russia from Vladimir to Tver.

Valday 2- the hilly upland of glacier origin between Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.

Valday, the 1st of May

Valday Hills Part 1 Here: possible accommodation, prices.

As I have already written Valday is an area between Moscow and Saint-Petersburg on the M10 highway.

lunch at Priut Okhotnika (Hunter's Retreat)

Valday 1 - the hilly upland of glacier origin between Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.

Although the distance form Moscow to Saint-Petersburg is only 700 km, the trip from Moscow to Saint-Petersburg by car may take from 10 to 14 hours. All because of horrific traffic jams first in Moscow, then - in Vyshny Volochok, less - in Saint-Petersburg. The highway connecting the two capitals is surprisingly narrow - only three driving lanes.

However, driving along the M 10, the connecting highway, is relatively safe. One can get a better understanding of Russia, enjoy the views and, the last but not the least, visit  the Valday Hills.

Serpukhov 1

Serpukhov   is a town with the population of about 120 thousand people, like most Russian towns, bears the imprint of the country's exuberant history. Monasteries, churches, some museums are all there.

It was founded in 1339 by Ivan Kalita. Since then it has always been the administrative centre of the nearby area. Now it's the centre of Serpukhovsky region(the sub-division of oblast').

The town is situated in the south of Moscovskaya oblast' ( Moscow region, the larger sub-division of the country) so it used to be the military outpost in the time of the Golden Horde. It's history has some relation to the Kulikov battle, the turning point in the history of Russia under the Golden Horde; Boris Godunov's march of 1598 forced to acknowledge  him as the Tsar of Russia in the Tatar influential circles.

After the October Revolution of 1917 the monks were turned out by the Bolsheviks. The Monastery was transferred into the quarters for the Latvian Riflemen.  After 1931 the Monastery was turned into a prison where massive executions were carried out.

Vysotsky Monastery founded in 1374

Last weekend's Saint-Petersburg

Saint-Petersburg, my hometown.

The Dostoyevsky's related sights. 

The area of Sennaya Ploshchad' (Sennaya Square) and Vladimirskiy Prospect are the places densely inhabited by Dostoevsky's characters. He himself rented the apartment where he died near Vladimirskaya underground station. The apartment now houses his memorial museum.  Location of the museum here. 

The supposedly Raskolnikov's house where he plotted the murder is not far from Sennaya Ploshchad' station. Actually, if you start walking from Sennaya Ploshchad' towards Nevsky Prospect along the Griboedov Channel you will see the setting of Dostoevsky's novels.

Nowadays Sennaya Ploshchad is the city centre. However, in the 19th century it was a remote area where working class people or poor intelligentsia settled. The tiny crooked street (pereulok Brinko) adjacent to the square, mentioned in the novel Crime and Punishment,  was inhabited by prostitutes and low working class. Raskolnikov used to go there to feel even worse.

On my way from Sennaya Ploshchad' to Saint-Isaak Cathedral. 

Lions' Bridge (suspension)  over the Griboedov Channel.

Bolotnoe Delo: case of 6th May, Repressions in Russia

On the 22 of April in the Concert Hall of the Moskva Hotel the results of public investigations of Bolotnoe Delo are being presented. Everyone is welcome.

Vladimir Putin has been enforcing the system of repressions and that is not a secret. The system in which people can't speak their mind unless their mind is completely the same as what is officially declared.

What's happening now gives an impression of surreal performance, only the difference is that real people are involved in this seemingly impossible for acting play.

Khodorkovsky, Pussy Riot and many more. Last year on the 6th of May there was a demonstration, the one in a row of demonstrations after the State Duma elections (Russian Parliament) which had been shamelessly rigged.

There was a fight between the police and the demonstrators. Since the 6th of May some demonstrators have still been kept in prison without a verdict. Most of them are young people of about 20 years old:students, office managers, etc. They have been kept there as if they are killers or thieves , they are not allowed home detention.

An absolutely respected actor Alexander Philippenko is speaking in defence of one of the suspects, Stepan Zimin. Stepan, 21 years old, is a student of the Historical Department, is fond of historical reconstruction performances.

Ice rain in December, Moscow: crystal park

It was ice rain last year in Moscow region. The trees were all in ice crust. Lots of them broke under the weight of ice. You can still see them bent in the forests.

Restaurants in Moscow

We've recently been to a very interesting restaurant, Oblomov.

 Oblomov is a famous Russian character of a novel by Ivan Goncharov. Like most Russian literature, "Oblomov" novel (1859) is very versatile and profound. However, in a nutshell, the protagonist, Oblomov,  is a symbol of dwindling and lapsing into idleness  Russian nobility.

The three-floored mansion in the city center houses the restaurant. There are 3-4 rooms designed in the 19th century style. Having entered Oblomov, you're immediately find yourself in the atmosphere of the 19th century. They tried so hard to restore the atmosphere that they succeeded. Being there is an unforgettable experience. Which I would not apply to the food.

Part 3 Uglich fashion and regular houses

There is the Museum of the town living in the center on Uspenskay (Assumption Day) Square. It's small but interesting and has some entertaining exhibits which show vividly how people used to live.
The Museum of Uglich's Kremlin also houses armory, clothes, shoes, cutlery that date back several ages.

Dushegreya (soul-warming clothes, sort of)) was worn since 17th century. I think it used to be a warm comfortable clothing article for a working woman. The climate in Russia is severe and women needed warm clothes, that would not tie them up or restrict movements. This kind of clothes seems to be the suitable one.

Do bears really waddle about in Russia?

Nowadays, when industry and agriculture have almost been completely destroyed by the present regime, wild animals get closer to dwindling amounts of people on the outskirts of the country. It used to be unheard of in the past.

The fields were abundant in crops and harvested every year so people expanded their influence on the area. Factories were scattered all over the country. Nowadays, farms are rare. Factories are mostly destroyed.

Wild animals come closer to towns and  villages due to decreased human activity in all areas of life.  WWF activists rejoice!

Part 2 Uglich Cats

Well, I am trying to compose a post about Uglich's sights which is not easy since they are plenty. So far I 've  just been able to make the one about Uglich's cats.

Part 1 Uglich, the Golden Ring, hotels and restaurants.

The history of the city has been connected with the death of the last ancient Rurik dynasty heir, Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible,  at the age of 8.

Nothing of such scale has happened in Uglich since then. As one of my colleagues remarked, "They(Uglichans) seem to still remain under the impression of the death of the prince Dmitry. "

The Transfiguration Cathedral 

The whole "accident" happened on 15th of May, 1591 in Uglich, since, after Ivan the Terrible's death,  Prince Dmitry with his mother and a wet-nurse had been sent away from Moscow by the boyar Boris Godunov, a claimant to the Russian throne then.  Boris Godunov has still been suspected to have ordered the assassination of Prince Dmitry.

Restaurants in Moscow

Moscow so far has proved to be a city where you have to cautiously enter restaurants, shops, hairdressers' so that you won't be presented an unexpectedly exorbitant bill in the end.
Judging from my experience, prices are seldom connected with the quality of service. The city is enormous with crowds looking for entertainment, services, something to eat, somebody to meet. So if you're a dissatisfied customer, they don't care much about what the reason of you dissatisfaction is, there  will always be others.

Doing Moscow: going to the Kremlin. Yes? No!

One out of five Muscovites dreams about leaving Moscow for the countryside according to a survey. Believe me, that is for a reason. I started dreaming about leaving it the first year I came here.

A most splendid metropolis with traffic jams taking hours of its residents' lives, muddy streets, unskilled cheap laborers employed all over the city in order to make whirlwind money. All these make Moscow unattractive for life. Yet, hoards of people all over the world come here to land unbeatably lucrative jobs.

We've discussed the sightes of Moscow with my husband who was born here. Our mutual belief is that Moscow can't be attractive altogether, all of it, in general.  There is a number of spots with rich history, and, despite becoming sore from looking at ugly brand-new buildings, your eyes will eventually find its sight to rest on it.

Part 3. Prioka, the Oka river, winter

Russian winter may look sombre in the cities, but in the country it's enjoyable, fresh, crispy.

There can be so much snow that you won't be able to stride freely. That's the best exercise for exhausted yappies, though.  The pictures were taken in April. You see there is still a lot of snow in Russia when crocuses blossom in Europe.

Part 2. the Oka river Prioka Sanatorium Spring (Road from Hell)

We went to the Prioka Sanatorium on Friday. After hitting the road at 6-7pm we in the best-case scenario arrived at the Sanatorium at 1 or 2 am.  Not because of the distance, but because of the notorious Moscow traffic jams, which in future are going to become one of its sights. Since I'm absolutely positive that Moscow with its corrupted incapable and impotent officials will remain the only metropolis with such horrific traffic jams in the nearest future.

On Sunday we usually get back  forcing our way back home.  These pictures were taken in May from the 1st to 3rd, so you can get the idea of what the weather is like in central Russia at the beginning of May. 

The roads is something I have to mention, although the issue is not a flattering one. The roads in Russia are under continual construction. You never know when they finish fixing and even if they finish this particular part of a road, they will start fixing or reconstructing a part 2 kilometers further. With all that never-ending, ever-lasting, seemingly scrupulous process the roads in Russia remain bad enough to start it all over again. 

The road to Prioka looked like this a year ago. I'm sure nothing has changed since then. 

Well, it takes about 5-6 hours to get there but it's worth it. Silence. Nature all around. Splendour.

I've written about the rooms in the previous post.

The service in the sanatorium is a no-frill type but not obtrusive at the same time. 

The canteen is a modest spacious hall. The food is basic, healthy. It's usually a small serving of salad, a bowl of soup, meatballs with mashed potato or rice as a side dish followed by a compote (stewed fruit drink) or some wild-berry drink.  They also served different raw vegetables finely cut so my husband made up a salad. This it typical Soviet-era "cuisine". They may serve some meat now and then but it won't be a substantial piece of meat.

the hedgehog has been found by the stray dog that accompanied us all the way

   I remember staying in Switzerland. The country is beautiful but you're never alone there. Walking in the Swiss forest means running across people here and there no matter how far you are from a town. A bit disturbing for me. Walking along the bank here is being truly alone, relaxing completely, enjoying the scenery to the fullest.

up the river

ever-lasting fixing and renovating, up the river

walking along the Oka
   

the rubbish has certainly been left over by the Russians
some people don't value the beauty
that's Russian mentality...

There are usually very few people staying there in low season. No barbecuing, no noisy teenagers. You'll have all that beauty to yourselves. 

And some cats we've fed at the sanatorium's canteen. They turned out to be starving.