I took a two-hour walk today to check out the frozen Moscow River. I can report that it is still frozen and looks quite lovely without all the boat traffic. (From CC: the huge canal that runs behind the school is also frozen and covered with snow and looks very beautiful.) I can also report that the sidewalks in Moscow are either nicely cleaned or dangerous beyond belief. If you are on the shopping streets, you can walk without fear of death by slipping on your butt and having your head hit a mound of ice. If, however, you are on any of the side streets - and that is the vast majority of sidewalks - you shouldn’t be outside walking. My goodness but it is horrible out there. However, if any of you have young children who are looking for promising and challenging careers, I would have them start to study Russian and become podiatrists specializing in women’s feet. There is going to be a heaping helping of forty-something women who will barely be able to get into sneakers that are two sizes larger than needed.
These young women are walking around in the most ridiculous footwear I’ve ever seen. Not only will their feet be a mess from mashing them into tight little wedges of leather, but their backs will be messed up, as will their leg muscles, and that is assuming they don’t fall on their skinny little behinds and die before they turn forty.
I stopped in at the embassy to get a few things but since they just reopened yesterday, their shelves are rather bare. I was able to snag a few bottles of French white, some fresh milk and a bunch of other things that weigh a whole lot. My back was aching by the time I got back but at least now we have two types of pickles to go with our wine and milk. I also bought some frozen fish, so we’ll have a decent dinner tonight. (from CC – glad to know it!!)
One of Russia’s favorite ‘spies that did nothing’ has just gotten her own TV show here in Moscow. The lovely Anna Chapman, who is also now on the Russian Youth Committee will take the TV channels by storm, at least for the first show.
I found a few more photos of Paris. While the windmill in the photo is original it is now a fancy prop for a fancy restaurant. However, in our walks we discovered two more windmills that are still functional, albeit not in use. We also marveled at the little wine commune, the only one in Paris, which still produces about six hundred cases per year and is the site of a grand wine fest in the fall. We were walking on a small street the afternoon before New Year’s Eve when we came across this truck with meat hanging out of it. It was so fun to watch as the butcher managed to get a whole half a cow on his shoulders and to the applause of everyone on the street, he walked it into the butcher shop. When he came back for more, he gave a perfectly lovely bow of appreciation for our applause. There are a few shots of our local bar where we repaired to welcome in the New Year, as well as a shot of George and Karen who celebrated their twentieth anniversary at the stroke of midnight. Since we had been with them twenty years ago, we decided it would be a good idea to be there for this.
I made a big spinach salad last night filled with chopped egg, shredded carrots, another creative dressing and lots and lots of fresh spinach. (CC: the memory of the wonderful flavor combination lingers yet today.) This was followed by a garlic and Parmesan risotto that was rich and gleaming and ever so delicious. (CC: glad he could admit it – the risotto was fabulous!) It really required a full-bodied red wine and we had just the ticket, which is a rare event at Casa Embee. (For those of you scratching your heads in wonderment, he means that we seldom drink red wine, only white.)
Ciao, Cindy and Wm
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