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

Our May March in Moscow

While Cindy was running this morning I headed over to the railroad bridge on the main drag by our house to see if the tanks were coming.  Today was a practice day for the Monday Victory Day parade and the six-lane highway that goes from Red Square to St. Petersburg was completely empty of cars.  The street was still wet from being cleaned in advance of the tanks but there was nothing in sight.  I walked up and down for about twenty minutes and there was no evidence of tanks coming so I met up with Cindy after her run and we went to the store for some fresh bread and bananas. Speaking of bread, there are public service ads on billboards urging Russians to honor the service of those that fought in the war by enduring what they had to endure in WWII.  Needless to say, these are not going over well with the citizens.  At least the Russians have their faith to fall back on.  They have been found to be the most religious of all Europeans.  If you have time take the test found in the article. 

We had a lovely breakfast with strong coffee, aromatic Italian cheese and still warm rolls and as we enjoyed the calm we plotted out our day.  Soon we heard the rumbling of what I thought were the tanks, but the noise turned out to be five troop carrier helicopters flying above the parade route and each had a huge flag hanging down from the belly of the craft.  The parade route parallels our building about 3 blocks over, so we could see them through the trees. It was very cool and we hope we’ll see everything, including the jet flyover, on Monday.

Our walk took us through several parks as we headed to the Moscow River. The town is really decked out for the holiday, tons of flags everywhere, and the flowers are just amazingly beautiful. We walked for about three hours and it got warmer the longer we were out there, resulting in our being quite moist upon our return home. It was, however, well worth the effort.

I have a few quick questions about the USA that you might be able to help me answer.  A 7-year-old kid climbs over a fence to get closer to a leopard.  Said leopard, being a wild animal, views the kid as a threat and attacks him. Said kid gets cut up and it taken to a hospital.  Seems straightforward to me, so why was it necessary to assemble a crisis team to help students process what had happened? If I was there and in charge I would process this by saying, the kid did what he shouldn’t have done and got hurt. Never do what you’re not supposed to do and you won’t get hurt.  Counselors will be available to do what?  Most of the kids never saw what happened.  Why evacuate a zoo for something very localized and contained? What am I missing?

When did CUNY become an orthodox Jewish system, only allowing those who truly love Israel to speak and be honored at commencements?

Time to figure out dinner.  Best wishes, Cindy and Wm.

From CC:  When Wm embarks on a walk, he’s not kidding.  I knew this of course, reading and/or hearing about his frequent 2, 3 and 4-hours walks through Moscow. However, should you ever be invited to join him, know that there are no bathroom breaks, no water breaks, coffee breaks, lunch breaks, or any other pauses except perhaps to sit on a park bench if the park is pretty enough.  This isn’t a complaint, just a statement of facts … preparation and planning are often the keys to success!  We had a fabulous walk and saw a lot, much of it strikingly beautiful.

Moscow Meals

Moscow took the news of our departure poorly and today it is cold with a strong chance of rain.  Cindy came across this marvelous site, what I’m going to call, The History of the Russian Smile. Speaking of smiles, there are a lot of Vietnamese that aren’t smiling today in Moscow.  I think many of them are from right here in the complex.

I mentioned that I was going to be doing a grand cassoulet for our neighbors and grand it was. It was a new variation that incorporated lots of Italian sweet sausage, thick slabs of bacon cut into chunks, and chicken, all of which was browned, drained and set aside. Into some of the remaining fat, I placed two coarsely chopped onions, four chopped carrots, the cloves of two small heads of garlic and some chopped chives.  When they were brown, I added a can of diced tomatoes, a cup of chicken stock, a cup of red wine, a small can of tomato paste, a large can of northern beans and a small can of red kidney beans.  I mixed it all together, added salt, pepper and herbs and let it simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring often from the bottom up. I then added the browned meats and let it simmer another twenty minutes before transferring it into two - one large and one small – glass roasting pans.  I covered the large one tightly with foil and baked it in a 400° oven for an hour and then did the same for the little one. (The oven is too small to cook them together.)

Cornbread with Tarragon and Ginger

While they were cooking I made some corn bread that I flavored with tarragon and ginger.  I also started preparing the filling for my apple compote tart. I had never made this before but I had thought about it all morning.  I chopped up two large green apples and placed them in a big glass bowl. I added a handful of raisins that I had plumped in brandy and an equal amount of chopped walnuts.  In a smaller bowl I added a tablespoon of flour, two tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and a pinch of salt.  I mixed that together, stirred it all into the apple mix and then placed it in a saucepan with two pats of butter and cooked it over low heat until the butter had melted and everything was starting to thicken.  I let it cook while I got the tart dough ready in the pie pan.  I assembled it all, baked it for an hour and took it out when it was brown.  I served it with whipped cream and it was very lovely.

The Other Cornbread

Apple Compote Tart

Paprika Chicken, Cole Slaw, Garlic Carrot and Potato Sticks

Last night I made paprika roasted boned chicken, homemade crunchy coleslaw and garlic roasted potato and carrot sticks.  For dessert I made an apple crisp and served it hot with some thick cream.  Cindy was very happy, which of course is my raison d’être.

It would appear that the boys and girls of Club 54 have found a new clubhouse. On one of my walks today I took a shortcut and found them at an enclosed garbage shed that holds five dumpsters and seven of them. They seemed very happy; must have gotten a jump on the weekend festivities.  At least they are out of the elements and not at a public bus stop.

After reading this article, perhaps I’ll start to watch more Russian television.  It looks like it would be a scream.

Today starts a nice three-day weekend for Cindy so we’ll make the most of it and wander more around Moscow.  The big Victory Day parade is on Monday, followed by a boat ride and fireworks.  Hope you all have a lovely weekend, Cindy and Wm

The Countdown Begins

This is the 202^nd posting to the blog site since moving to Moscow. In looking over the past entries it is clear that we have had a remarkable experience, one that I’m sure will provide us with conversation topics for years and years.

When Cindy agreed to take this job in Moscow she did so knowing that it was a new position with lots of unknowns associated with it. She wisely asked for a two-year contract, renewable each year with the provision that if things weren’t going well, from either her position or the administration’s, she would be able to hit the escape button after one year. It has become apparent to Cindy and others that the direction the administration wishes to take in the implementation of technology throughout the curriculum is much different than the direction Cindy wishes to take.  Therefore she has opted to terminate her contract at the end of this school year and I am delighted to say that we are heading home for good on the 29th of June.

Needless to say, I’m one very, very happy fella right now.  This means that Cindy and I can finally be mostly retired together, which will allow us to live in our home in WV and travel wherever and whenever our little heart’s desire (subject to fixed income parameters).  In the short run it means that we’ll be able to see more of our family, pop down to Florida more often to see all of the FL family, visit the Minnesota family, and we’ll be in WV to see the kids there.  It also means that we’ll be able to go visit Colin and Meagan in New Zealand when the flights are cheap and they have the time, as opposed to having to go when Cindy had vacations.  Of course, we might even plan a long trip to France, who knows.  The point is that we are free at last, free at last - thank you Cindy, we are free at last.  

All of the rest of the news from Moscow seems rather anticlimactic after this announcement so I’ll just make this a short, but ever so sweet, entry.

With fifty-five days to go, Cindy and Wm

Urban Spoil

Today was yet another interesting experience living in an urban setting.  I had planned on making a nice big cassoulet for the couple with the new baby. I had to do some final shopping this morning since there wasn’t much fresh meat or vegetables in the market yesterday as a result of the long holiday.

Shopping had is own usual little problems. Because it was the first delivery day for the grocery store, all the aisles were filled with clerks and big boxes, which meant that you couldn’t take a cart down the majority of the aisles. The general rule in Russia is, “ If it is convenient for you, just do it.” This is why people are always parking on the sidewalk or in the crosswalk; it is convenient to do so.  It also explains why stockers are more important than customers; it is convenient for them to block the aisles so they do it.  One very, very large woman was stocking the chicken cooler and would not give way to anyone, not me, not Russian speakers, no one.  She took her time, did her job and the heck with anyone who really wanted to purchase a chicken.

I finally got everything I needed, except a smile, and took my place in the checkout line. Only one person ahead of me with only about seven items so I think I’m in luck, “ how long could that take?”  The correct answer is fifteen minutes!  She had forgotten to get one of her vegetable items weighed, so she takes it and heads back to the guy that weighs and prices the vegetables.  Now I’ve got two more people behind my cart and I’m trapped since all my stuff is on the conveyor belt.  She returns and they continue to ring up her items. Whoops, she forgot to get a pastry weighed and priced so she is off yet again. Finally she gets all of her stuff rung up and she proceeds to pay with mostly coins!  335.54 Rubles take a very long time to pay with mostly coins.

So I finally get up there and the young ‘stan’ woman who is manning the cash register asks me the normal questions, do you need a bag, do you have a store card. I gave her a negative to both showing her my SDSU tote.  She then starts talking to me and of course I have no idea what she is saying, but we figure out that she wants to see my tote. I thought she wanted to make sure it was empty and that I wasn’t stealing day old bread or something. Nope, she wanted to read it, until she realized it was in English and of course, she couldn’t read it so she asked me, I think, to say it and I did.  She must have liked my voice because she gave me a big smile and then totaled up the groceries and I was off.  I count today’s shopping as a victory!!

This has always been a noisy neighborhood what with two schools close by, buses and cars, a clinic with ambulances always coming and going, car alarms and dogs yapping and the ever present garbage trucks.  But you get used to these noises and they don’t seem to bother me much anymore.  Today however, there was a completely new set of noises associated with some major street work.  There was heavy machinery digging up trenches, jackhammers and air compressors, generators and drills and a chorus of yelling and screaming associated with construction. It is a warm day and I had the oven on so I got the full effect of this cacophony since the windows were wide open. 

Last night we went out to dinner to a chain restaurant called Il Patio. It is Italian themed and they had menus with pictures and English.  The wine was really reasonable and well chilled. The food was good, if not hot, and the service was friendly and filled with smiles. They must hire foreigners.  In the men’s room I kept hearing this guy say a phrase in Russian and then repeat it twice in Italian. I thought it was coming from one of the stalls, but it was being piped in to a loudspeaker.  I thought it was hilarious. 

Well the Bahraini government is once again proving that they are still operating under a feudal system of justice.  They are arresting and trying 47 doctors and nurses because they had the audacity to treat the wounded pro-democracy protesters back in March. They are being charged with ‘acting against the state’ because they did what they were trained to do, treated wounded people brought to their hospital.  And still, the USA turns a blind eye on this situation because of our vested interests in Bahrain.

Best to all, Cindy and Wm.

It's Been a Quiet Day in Moscow

Follow-up on hard-boiled eggs.  Everyone agrees that the eggs can’t be fresh, which is a darn shame.  Ellamae, AKA EllaMOM, my mother in law, had already taught me about dancing the eggs after draining them and adding the cold water. What I didn’t know was that you don’t let them sit there for too long because the membrane tightens and it is really hard to get them peeled.  Thirty seconds of cooling seems to do the trick and the batch I did today was perfect.  Thanks to everyone for your advice.

I mentioned the May Day celebrations – well, marches - but here is an article that is quite funny about all that happened and all the various groups that celebrated in very different ways.  Note the lovely picture of Madonna and Child!  These Muscovites are hysterical. 

What is not so funny is how fast and how far the US Dollar is dropping in value.  It has lost 10% of its value against the Ruble since we arrived.  Fortunately we have no fixed expenses in Rubles, so we can regulate how we spend our Rubles and on what. The Russians are raising prices as the dollar falls so now an espresso, which cost us a bit less than three dollars in August, now costs four dollars. Things are much worse with the Dollar-Euro rate where the dollar is at a three year low, just before tourist season begins.  I suppose things are expensive in the USA now that gas is approaching its real price of $4+ per gallon.

Things are still very quiet on the streets. It would appear that most of the good citizens of Moscow have opted for a nine-day vacation and have headed for the warm weather beaches of Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.   Someone told me that the largest investors in real estate in Nice, France are the Russians.  Certainly a Russian owns the largest estate in Nice; I’ve seen it.

As you can see, not much happening here so I’ll just sign off until tomorrow.  Cindy and Wm

PS from CC:  For those of you who clicked on the link … it wasn’t very nice of Wm to pelt the mayor with his perfectly cooked and peeled eggs, was it?!

We Took the Win Out of BIN

It has been a very quiet day here in Moscow. It is an official holiday so the traffic is very sparse; many roads are blocked off for various races, marches and demonstrations so getting around is a breeze.  I took a three and a half hour walk today, mostly around the river - and with the exception of the Zoo, there were hardly any people on the streets. The river tour boats are in full swing and many were hosting what looked like large family parties, very festive and judging from what I saw, alcohol was being served in vast quantities.  I know I go on about public drinking but it is just at a level of magnitude here as to be unbelievable.  I was walking though a quiet little park near a bend in the river and there was a well dressed grandfather sitting on a bench with his five or six year old grandson, and the guy reaches into his bag and cracks open a half liter of Johnnie Walker Red and takes several large gulps.  It is amazing.

The Zoo was aptly named today. I’ve never seen so many people waiting to get in. The cars were double and triple parked and the traffic cops were making a fortune taking bribes to allow these clowns to park wherever they wanted. It made it impossible for anyone to walk around the Zoo area since the cars were everywhere blocking sidewalks, crosswalks and lanes of traffic.  Again, it appears I’m the only one who really cared since everyone else seemed unfazed walking in the street and dodging traffic to get to the Zoo.  Perhaps I do need to drink during the day the way they do.

Scallops, Sausage and Vegetables

Dinner last night was a lot of fun to make.  I had purchased some frozen scallops that I wanted to try so I defrosted them and then made sure that they were completely patted dry of moisture before sprinkling them with pepper.  I first made some caramelized carrots, onions and garlic, then I tossed some fresh spinach in a bowl with a light sesame dressing.  I took some of the Polish sausage from the night before and cut it into chunks.  I heated a pan with some butter and added the scallops tossing them until they started to turn nut brown. I added the sausage and continued cooking for another two minutes.  Meanwhile I had reheated the leftover risotto and got two warm plates ready for the food.  I placed a nice bit of the spinach on the plate, added the scallops and sausage to the top of that, carrots on one side and risotto on the other and raced the plates to the table where Cindy had already pour the ice cold French Chardonnay.  The dinner was filled with flavors and color and great aromas and was as much fun to eat as it was to create.

With the demise of bin Laden by a talented SEAL team (way to go Kent), Moscow has cordoned off the roads surrounding the US Embassy, just in case some nut jobs want to punish us.  The Russians are not very fond of Muslims, especially since last week when one of the leading Muslim clerics suggested placing the Islamic Crescent

on the Russian Flag. I have a feeling that the Embassy will be well protected by the Moscow police as well as by our contingent of well-trained Marines.  Now if only we could figure out a way to get the hell out of Afghanistan for good, and I mean get everyone out of that corrupt country, we might be able to find a better use for our tax dollars than pouring them down that rat hole.  Here is just one of hundreds of projects that we are funding that get nowhere and the only ones who benefit are the corrupt warlords.

This was sent to me by one of our faithful readers in Australia. For any of you with children, grand children or think you might live to be 110, this will be upsetting!

The Ministry of Central Heating decided that May 1^st was a good day to turn off all of the heat to Moscow.  For the past several weeks they have turned it off during the day and on at night, but now it is totally off.  Guess what?  The temperatures today and yesterday never got above 55° in the day and at night it has been in the high 30s and low 40s.  Sometimes you just can’t win.  I’m sure that some committee is meeting now and deciding to turn the heat on again, which will guarantee that our temps will soar into the 70s.  In the meanwhile, we wear sweaters in the house and eat hot soup. 

Ciao for now, Cindy and Wm.