The Month of May: Russia

This has been an exciting month.

The sunshine is coming and staying (we hope) and there is light in my windows as early as 3:30 and as late as 9:00, perhaps even more.  The sun comes in long and low, and lights up my living room full of red light in the evening.  That is, when it isn't so cloudy like right now.  It is still spring, a bit chilly at times, wet with rain.  But, I've been out most weekends this month, and it is time to share some of the more thrilling events, sights, occasions.

This post is in 4 parts:
Creatures.
Tanks.
Ballerinas.
Cosmonauts.

Event I
Creatures.

I had been hearing a screeching noise while I sat at my desk.  I thought maybe I was hearing things for a bit, or that there was a mouse somewhere on my balcony, living some crazy adventurous life.  Rizza had eyes and ears for it as well.  It's audible when the window is closed, and even more so when the window is open.  There were some bumps on the wall, some knocks that said something was somewhere and I didn't know where... or what.

Well, I was sitting at my desk the other day, gazing out the window, and saw a bird fly almost into the window.  I walked outside to the balcony to try to have a glance, and sure enough, some pieces of a bird's nest are peeking out from the eve under the window.  I believe (and I can't see it without extreme danger to myself) that there is a little birds' nest outside my window.  And little baby birds are calling for their mama.  Aw, spring.

Rizza can hear them.

Event II
TANKS.

Victory Day was May 9, the day that the soldiers returned to Moscow having defeated the enemy.  This, apparently, leads to some pretty fascinating events.  The buzz was about the school about Victory Day and the parades.  For at least 4 times before the big day, they have rehearsals, where some streets are closed and the tanks go through the city to practice their Red Square debut.  A few times from our office window (at school), we could see the planes in formation heading up for a rehearsal as well.

I was pretty excited about the tanks.  And with this excitement, here comes something of the misadventure of the K.

I knew that there was no way to get into Red Square, because it was against the rules.
I knew that there was some way to see the tanks, and that there was a route of the parade.
I knew the approximate times for the events, but not necessarily the places for them.

So, I went out to Tverskaya (aka one huge road towards Red Square) when I knew they were having a rehearsal.  I saw a ton of people out, seeming to walk toward a parade spot, with families in tow.  And, perhaps I assumed that there was something about to happen.  I waited and waited, not knowing exactly what the situation was.  I watched a man put his fist through a display window and get removed by a small section of security guards/police.  I bought a few waters.  I enjoyed the sunshine.

I saw no tanks.

I did, however, see planes.

All the planes.  I didn't get a ton of great photos because I watched the planes and not the phone, but I think this video is decent.

I was disappointed, because after the planes, the people began to disperse and I knew that my tank experience had been thwarted.

But.
There was another chance.
That was just the rehearsal, not the actual day.

So, Victory Day rolled around, and I got up earlier than usual (because I didn't have curtains and the sun was up and bright at 4).  I had some coffee, relaxed a bit.  And decided that this day was the day to see tanks.  This would have been easier if I had, say, asked someone for help.  Alas, that was not to be.  I walked to this place near the zoo, and asked a policeman if the tanks had gone already.  He said yes.  I went to a second place, and asked the police and innocent bystanders (there are some crowds here that surprise me at times) what they were waiting to see, and if it was tanks.  It was not.

Finally, I walked to the third place, the end of the parade route, and found the policeman.

"Da," he said.  I asked a second policeman (because they were just 15 feet apart).  "Da," he says.

And so, I hunkered down with my book, at a cafe looking out the window.  Because, it was mighty cold and wet that day.  Nothing like the beautiful sunny and blue day of the planes.  I had a coffee, and waited.  They had both said 10, but 10 rolled around without any tanks in appearance.

10:15, more people, more crowds, but still cars on the road.
10:30, more people, more crowds, no tanks yet.
10:45, no more cars, more people...

TANKS.

It was 20 solid minutes of tanks. Soldiers were waving, or just looking serious. I was waving, and looking like a super happy fool.  The street was moving with the tank weight.  It was fucking awesome.

Then, that evening, we went on a boat cruise on the river to see the fireworks, and that was another beautiful (cold) evening.  Such an amazing place that I live in.

Moscow smoky with fireworks. 

Event III:
Ballerinas

There were two ballerina themed things of this month.

One, a staff trip, took me to one of the Seven Sisters (super tall buildings you see all over Moscow) to the apartment of a famed ballerina (Galina Ulanova) which was preserved with her things, her photos, and her memorabilia.

A few of my favorite photos:

Our tour guide, a ballerina herself, with some footage of Galina on the screen.

She taught, as many ballerinas do, when her dancing career had slowed.
I would love to have seen this moment. 

She had a tiny little barre installed in a practice section of her apartment. 

The second ballerina-esque thing that happened was the viewing of a new movie that looked amazing.  It is in Russian, but it's also about dance, so I have confidence in your ability to enjoy the trailer.

Here's the trailer:

So, after dance on a Saturday, Katya the dance teacher and I (and another gal, Olga), went out to the movies to see this show.  I was happy to go with a Russian speaker, because I knew that there were things that I would miss otherwise.  I can get the gist of these things, but not quite all the details.

You have to choose your seat, like in other places I've been.
Here's the cash desk. 

Concession Stand and movie poster. 

Katya got a big popcorn to split with Olga, and I got an Americano, because coffee is served and it is such a beautiful thing.  We could also have bought beer, which I find so interesting.  We went into the theatre, found our seats in the corner of a pretty small cinema room.

The film is about this young girl from the country who, through a series of events, finds herself in the big Academy under the wing of that terrifying looking teacher.  Said teacher has some form of dementia and is struggling to remember the girls that she teaches from day to day, and the things that she does.  There's a plot around the earrings that the trailer shows; the teacher gifts them to the student, then forgets that she has done so, and she almost gets expelled from the school for this.

There's a parallel plot of competition between the two girls.  The film follows them from youth into a more mature age, and they are always fighting for roles.  The main girl seems to have more talent, but the other one has more money.  At one point, her wealthy mother begs to the dance teacher to give her a role, and then pays off the other girl for the same role: the lead in Swan Lake.

There's a handful of other themes covered: alcoholism and drug abuse, the problem of going home to the country when you've been in the city as a ballerina, some intimacy and boy issues, and some struggles with food.  All in all, a fantastic film.

Event IV:
Tulips and Cosmonauts

The weather has been warming up some (although those who have lived here for some time do say that this is a chilly sort of spring).  And, so I've been going on walks to see some of my gorgeous city.  I've been recently to the botanical gardens, a place that was somewhat small but full of all kinds of tulips.  It was also easy to get to and is perfect for warm weather as it is outside.

I do feel a certain affinity for tulips given their relationship to home for me.  Pella must be getting tulips at this time of year as well, and I can imagine that they are blooming so gloriously at home.  I've heard words that indicate that these bulbs are a gift from the Dutch for some long-standing rescue of the old days, but I cannot confirm or deny this claim.

Recently, I've also been to see the Cosmonaut's Museum.

That tall tower is massive. And it towers over the rest.  It is the monument to the Cosmonauts and the Space Race.

(It's always the food with me)

The museum was incredible, full of glorious nods to the Russian space program.  I've just finished a book about space, Seveneves, which had a huge contingent of the Russian space race.  I found a few things in the museum that the book mentioned or nodded to, and it was quite thrilling to see it all.  It's underneath this huge tower that you see, in something of a basement, but it is full of models and artifacts and photos of space.

I just jumped in on my way to other things (read: to enjoy the sunshine), but I will go back again and immerse myself in the paraphrenalia that it had to offer.

On my walk, I also enjoyed the large "theme park" known as VDNKh.

Even Wikipedia gives me unclear reasons why it was built, but it seemed to be a nod to some of the Soviet states, with pavillions of all kinds that house different things.  There are a few museums, and one of the pavillions I visited had a small market.  Some of the buildings look quite run down, though there was also a horse park where I saw riders in a corral.

Does this do the scale of this place justice? I'm not convinced. 

Shiny fountain. 

Rockets! Airplanes! Why?

I'll be walking a lot in future weekends, I believe.  And there will be more photos all along the way.  This walk ended with some gardens (including a Japanese Garden) and a ride in the new train that goes around the ring.  It was truly a beautiful spring day (if a bit brisk).

Have I said before how much I love Moscow?  Because truly, I do.