June 2: Snow in June

June 2: Snow in June
As you can see in the picture above, it looks like it has been snowing in Moscow. Snow in June???
The white summer snow on the ground is called pukh. It is released each year by the female balsam poplar tree.
My apologies for being off-line for the past week, but I have not been feeling human due to my allergies.
You can read more about the trees over on my other blog by clicking here.

May 19: Ice Cream

May 19: Ice Cream

Russians love ice cream! It sells equally as well year around - Russian eat ice cream in the summer and winter. I took this picture back in February, but never used it as a photo. I thought it would be interesting to show as I posted a picture of Russian fast food yesterday.

The temperature was about -15 C the day I took this photo. The man in the picture had just finished eating his ice cream.

May 18: Russian Fast Food

May 18: Russian Fast Food

This is where people in Moscow eat when they are in a hurry.   These stands are located in all major pedestrian areas and near the entrance / exit of metro stations.   

I have eaten at a couple of kisosk stands - yes, I have an iron stomach. The food is not differant than any other type of fast food restanurant and, at least, you can judge how clean the place is as you can see into the kitchen.

May 17: Wing and a Prayer

May 17:  Wing and a Prayer

Once again, there are so many comments that come to mind with this picture.  It is really difficult to just chose one.
According to an advertisement I saw, are work such as picture above cost just as much if not more than the car itself.
A friend of mine, who works in the auto industry in Russia, told me people apply custom paint to cars to in an effort to prevent theft.   I was skeptical, but now I am a believer.  Who would want to steal a mini-coop with doves painted on the side?  Do you think a thief would be embarrassed to tell us other thief friends about the hot ride he stole?

May 16: Fountain

May 16:  Greek Fountain

This is a fountain located in front of the a theater near the Moskovskaya metro station.

May 15: Lenin Library

May 15: Lenin Library

The Lenin Library is one of the largest libraries in the world.   This library, also know as the Russian State Library (Российская государственная библиотека), is located across the street from the Kremlin and a short walk from Red Square.  

The statue on the front steps of the library in the picture above is of Fyodor Dostoyevsky.  He is a famous Russian author and is most note outside of Russia for his novels Crime and Punishment (Преступление и наказание) and The Brothers Karamazov (Братья Карамазовыand).   

May 14: Shoe Shopping

May 14: Shoe Shopping

This kiosk does not sell shoes, but everything for your shoes. The words in red letters at the top of the kiosk translates as "Everything for Shoes"; the words in white letters on the side of kiosk translates as "Shoe Repair".

The little shops are usually busy as Russia is a pedestrian country, the pavement is uneven / rough causing a lot of wear / tear on shoes , and women wear high-heels daily here.

May 13: Church Under Construction

May 13: Church Under Construction

I am not sure of the name of this church and could not find it on a map. I was walking with a friend when we saw it.  I thought it was beautiful even with the wooden scaffolding.

May 13:  Scaffolding 

My friend and I walked into the church grounds.  I took this picture of the scaffolding up close. Would you walk all of the way to the top? 

May 12: White Trees

May 12: White Trees

This is a picture of several fruit trees at the dacha. A few people have asked me why the trees are painted white. This is done all throughout western Russia to prevent bugs.

By the way, the building in the back is the outhouse and storage shed.

May 11: Victory Day at the Dacha

May 11: Victory Day at the Dacha

Our family did the same thing on Victory Day as millions of other Russian families do on Victory Day; we went to my husband's family dacha.  This is a picture of their dacha located just a few minutes outside of Nizhney Novgorod.   You can click here if you want to read more about our day at the dacha.

May 10: Patriarch Pond

May 10: Patriarch Pond

Patriarch Pond (Патриаршие пруды ), located near the central of Moscow, is a popular destination for both tourist and locals. One month ago, on April 10, I published a winter view of the Pond. You can view it by clicking here. I thought it was interesting to see the contrasting difference.

May 10: Patrish Pond

The picture of the pong was taken from different points along the same edge of the pond.

May 9: Victory Day

 May 9:  Victory Day Flags

Today is 65th anniversary of Victory Day!  In summary, this day celebrates the victory of Russia over Germany in WWII. Russians refer to the war as The Great Patriotic War.  You сan read more about the holiday in Russia by clicking here.

Moscow, as well as several other cities throughout Russia, decorated their streets and building to commemorate the events and will hold military style parades.  This is a group of flags located celebrating Victory Day.

   May 9:  Order of Victory

This is a billboard of the Order of Victory Medal located on Tverskya.  The medal is one of the rarest in the world.  You can read more about it by clicking here

The parade official Victory Day parade was in Moscow today.  It was attended by several heads of states.  In addition, participants from the allied forces (France, America, UK) marched through Red Square as part of the parade.
 

May 9:  We Remember

This banner over Tverskay I took from Pushkin Square translates as "We Remember".   Note the red, orange, and yellow banners lining the street. 

Only government officials and invited guests were allowed to view the parade.  Red Square was closed to the casual observer as well as most of the city streets along the parade route for security reasons. 

 

May 9:  We Salute You!

This banner was hanging on a side street near Tverskya.  No translation needed.  This evening when I walked up the store I saw a veteran dressed in his uniform walking with his wife on the street.  People of all ages stopped to greet him and shake his hand.  You could tell him and his wife were enjoying the evening as they were smiling and happy to talk to everyone.  ( I did not have my camera and was kicking myself!)

May 7 : TACC Building

May 7:  TACC Building

This is the TACC building.  You pronounce it in English as TASS (short a; the letter c in Russian sounds like an English S).   

May 7:  TASS Building
TACC is an acronym.  In English, it would translate as Telegraphy Agency of the Soviet Agency.  This news agency is a newswire service in Russia.  

May 6: House on the Embakement

May 6:  House on the Embankment
This is a view of the House on the Embankment from across the Moscow.  This building was constructed in the 1930s as a place for Stalin's party members to live.  I found an interesting post on another blog that is no longer updated regarding the building.  You can read it by clicking here.

May 5: Movie Poster

May 5:  Shrek in Russia
I just love to read movie posters in Russia.  Sometimes the titles of a movie translate well; other times the titles of movies do not translate well.  It always makes for a good laugh.
Foreign language movies in Russia are usually dubbed.  You can hear the original language being spoken in the background.  This drives my brain crazy when the original movie is in English.  In my brain, English dominates and it turns into a translation game.  

May 4: Parade Practice

May 4: Parade Practice

In celebration of Victory Day, a large military style parade will take place in several cities through-out Russia. The participants in the Moscow parade have been practicing for the parade. This mean several streets along the parade route - including Tverskya, the main street in Moscow leading through the city into Red Square - has been shut-down for hours at a time to traffic.

This is a picture of several types of sanitation trucks (street cleaning, gravel trucks, etc.) waiting to block side streets leading to Tverskya when it is shut down for another parade practice.

May 3: For Sale

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May 3: For Sale

An old women was selling these scarves, shawls, and blankets in the park. She knitted them herself and is trying to earn extra income in addition to her pension.

May 2: Police Directing Traffic

May 2: Police Directing Traffic

This is a weekend is a holiday in Russia.  May 1 is Spring and Labor Day.  Most office and government offices are close on Monday. 

This police officer was directing traffic as the armed forces were preparing to practice for the Victory Day ( May 9) Parade.

May 1: Window Washer

May 1: Window Washer

I came across this man washing windows last week. He was attached to the roof by one small roap. A man stood on the sidewalk and would yell at him to stop when people walked by to keep them from getting wet.

May 1: Window Washer

The cord for the power washer winded down the sidewalk, ran through a window, and into an apartment on the second floor. No cones or notices were set-up to keep people from tripping on the cord.

April 30: Church Door

April 30: Church Door

This is a side door for entering Christ the Savior Cathedral.

April 30: Grass Seed

April 30: Grass Seed

A city worker is throwing grass seed on a common area between the sidewalk and street. All city workers dress in orange vests or jumpsuits.

April 28: Bears on the Playground

April 28: Bears on the Playground

I thought this teeter-totter was cute. It was carved out of wood. You will find ones similar to this throughout Russia. I would like to tell you where this one was, but I was actually lost when I was walking. It is somewhere near Novey Arabat.

April 27: Gone Fishing in the Moscow River

April 27: Gone Fishing in the Moscow River

This man is fishing in the Moscow River near the Moscow River. I know it is hard to see the fishing pole, but look close as it is there. I am not sure if I would want to eat fish out of the river due to the pollution. This street next to the embankment is one of the busiest in Moscow. I was only able to snap a picture with no cars as they street was closed for some government official.

April 26: Wooden Church

April 26: Wooden Church

This is a small wooden church located on the ground of Christ the Savior Cathedral.

April 25: View from the Kremlin

April 25: View from the Kremlin

This picture included four historical landmarks in Moscow: Kremlin wall, Christ the Savior Cathedral, The House on the Embankment (building with the Mercedes emblem on top, and the Moscow River (flowing next to the street and under the bridge).

April 25: Russian Wedding

April 25:  Russian Wedding

This is a picture I took on Friday of a couple coming to Red Square to take picture on their wedding day.  They arrived in a stretch limo to Red Square with their wedding party.  The Kremlin wall is in the background.

April 25:  Wedding Traditions 

It is very common for a couple to go to a well know park or historical site before their ceremony to have pictures taken.  As soon as the weather turns nice, you will see wedding parties every where having their pictures taken while drinking champagne. 

April 25:  Wedding Pictures in Red Square 
The couple is walking up to Red Square between the Kremlin Wall and St. Basil's Cathedral.