It Was All Up Hill in Moscow

Happy Mother’s Day and Happy First Anniversary, Colin and Meagan.

Jerked Mahi, risotto and green beans

Last night after a lovely dinner of Jamaica Jerk Mahi-Mahi, Parmesan risotto with paprika and cut green beans with caramelized onions and garlic, we turned on the TV to finish the evening with small but ever so tasty glasses of Remy Martin. We only get one American movie station, TCM, and what should be on but The Wizard of Oz.  Now I’ve seen that movie dozens of times but for the life of me I couldn’t remember all the beginning scenes where they establish the ‘Kansas’ characters that she’ll encounter in new identities in Oz.  What really struck me was when Cindy said, ‘Boy the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion have really thick New York accents! 

I suddenly paid attention and of course they DO have very noticeable New York accents but I grew up in Norwalk Connecticut, only a stone’s throw from New York and every third person, including my mother and her entire family, all had New York accents, so to me, it was normal. To Cindy, growing up in Minnesota, the accents were very strange and noticeable.  What a revelation!

This morning we had a lovely slow start, sleeping late, exercising with leisure and then having a great big Sunday breakfast.  I discovered that I still had a thick slab of bacon so I sliced it into three pieces and cooked it well before cooking a few eggs over light in the same pan. It gave us the energy we would need for the rest of the day, since Cindy had planned an action packed adventure.  We have made a list of all the places we want to see before we depart Moscow and today we were scheduled to go to Sparrow Hills and to the State University of Moscow. 

One of the highest points in Moscow is called Sparrow Hills and is touted as having the freshest air and best views in Moscow.  The guidebooks were correct.  We had to take the Metro and change trains once, which took about twenty minutes.  Just before our stop, the train came above ground and gave us a spectacular view of the Moscow River and Sparrow Hills across the way.  There is a ski jump on the top of the hill and there are three ski trails served by ski lifts; in fact there was still some snow on the side of the hill.  When we exited the Metro we really could tell the difference in the air.  It was a bit cooler and it actually had a lovely oxygen-filled feel to it, very invigorating, which is good since we were going to be in great need of invigoration.

There are groomed trails that lead through the forest and for the first time since being in Moscow I heard lots and lots of birdcalls and songs. They have lots of signs that identify the local fauna and flora but the one we loved was a large frame with six-foot sections of cut tree trunks with little signs identifying them.  It was cool to stand there and try to figure out the names. Sometimes it was easy since we knew the bark of the tree and could work backwards; other times it was quite the challenge.  One thing I really liked was seeing large elm trees again since Dutch Elm disease had destroyed most of those in the East and Midwest of the USA in the seventies.

At some point Cindy realized that we had to go up, I mean really up, the hill in order to get the views. We found a place on the trail where there was a stairway to heaven, straight up as far as the eye could see and we took it.  Ten breathless minutes later, we were rewarded with some flat paved walkways that took us to the ski jump and the viewing platform. The views really are spectacular and we’ve enclosed some pictures we took of Moscow, a local church, and the main admin building of the State University of Moscow.  This building is one of the original Seven Sisters and it is one of the most beautiful in Moscow.

We walked around the beautiful campus for a while and then headed back towards the Metro. Getting down the hill again was a challenge since our return route had brought us to a place where there was no real path.  Therefore we created our own and would scamper from tree to tree to break our speed since it was a very steep slope. We made it none the worse for wear but a bit dirty and very sweaty and decided that we should treat ourselves to a late lunch.

We got off the Metro at a stop near a wonderful beer hall/restaurant we have been wanting to try since our first trip here last April.  It is the Pilsner Urquell Beer hall, featuring the original Pilsner Urquell, “The Pure Pilsner from Pilsen” which is now in the Czech Republic. It is a cavernous place that has a huge bar set inside a sparkling copper kettle. We started with ice-cold half liters of that fabulous beer and moved on to a big plate of paté garnished with grilled egg bread topped with onion jam, a little pile of lingenberries and thin slices of dried pear and apple. Next came the hot dish, a foot long homemade turkey/chicken sausage served with the hottest mustard I’ve ever tasted, as well as horseradish, just in case.  There was a refreshing little salad of tomato, potato, cucumber and sour cream.  Such a treat!

As we walked home we tried a little cafe close to the apartment called Red and went in to sample their espresso. Not only was it the best we have had since arrival, but also it was the cheapest and we shall return without question.  A short nap was the capstone of a lovely Sunday and I’m sure we’ll sleep long and hard tonight; we need to be refreshed tomorrow for the big parade. Here is a clip of the rehearsal from yesterday.

Best to all, Cindy and Wm