Easter!

Happy Easter to those following the Catholic schedule. Orthodox Easter is next Sunday here in Russia.

In my family, every year we make this bunny cake. It is made using two round cakes, and then you cut the ears out and what is left is a bow-tie! Dad sent me a picture of the cake this year. Sometimes we use different things to make the whiskers and the tie - looks like Dad used alot of icing this year!

Next Saturday night, I am hoping to do this tour - EASTER NIGHT IN MOSCOW. Celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by going to four of the oldest Russian Orthodox churches in Moscow. You will visit the Church of the Archangel Gavriil, the Church of All Saints, and the Church of the Deposition of the Lord’s Robe as each prepares for Easter service. The decoration of the alter and the blessing of the Easter Cake are two of the Russian Orthodox traditions you will witness. Finally, you will attend Easter night service at the Church of John the Warrior.

I'll let you know how that goes.

My next trip & Spring in Moscow!

In a few weeks, I will be going to Italy. I've had this yoga retreat on my list for awhile, but now it is much easier to get to, and everything just worked out.

http://www.sunflowerretreats.com/casperia.htm

I look forward to wandering around eating pasta and pizza and going to the hot springs.

Afterwards, I will spend a few days in Rome.....

Right now, my current travel list contains the following cities - Prague, Budapest, Istanbul, Krakow, Split Croatia....

Today was the first really nice day in Moscow. Warmer and sunny. It was probably in the high 40s. I walked up to Red Square and looked a the gardens near the Kremlin. There were little bulbs poking through the ground, and that was a nice re-assurance that Spring is coming. I can't wait to see things in bloom!

When I walked home, I did see some crocus that had bloomed. Very nice!

Caves of Thousand Buddhas

This was quite an iteresting exhibit - Russian expeditions on the Silk Road. There were alot more displays, but alas, you can't capture them all!

Cathedral of The Resurrection - Church on Spilled Blood

Everything I am going to tell you comes from a book a girl at work lent me. This church is built on the spot where Emperor Alexander III was murdered in 1881. The outside is covered with semi-precious stones, enamel work and tiles.



It is the most beautiful church I've ever seen.



The whole inside of the church is tile mosaic!

This is the actual spot where Alexander was killed. Nothing has been done with this spot. You could actually see the old road inside this little area.

I do have a sneaky picture trying to get a shot of a babushka with purple hair, but since it has other people in it, I won't post it.

I saw another woman with purple hair today.....

More Pictures from Hermitage

St. Petersburg - Санкт Петербург

I must warn you, there will be alot of pictures... and probably more than one post.
Also, I apologize for my lack of knowledge about the things I will post. It really is a shame that I am so ignorant of Russian history, and you might even be embarassed for me. If anyone knows of some good resources, I'd love to hear.
So, six of us went to St. Petersburg. It is a one hour flight from Moscow. Thankfully our Aeroflot pilot seemed to have been sober.
We got to the hotel before check in, and a funny thing happened. When I was trying to give my bag to the bellman - he said something to me that I didn't understand. However, he was speaking in english.... He said to me, "which language do you prefer?" When I answered, "english", he said, "Are you certain?" It was quite funny, and it gave us laughs over the weekend.
So, we find some good Georgian food, and head off to The Hermitage. I really cannot even begin to describe this place. It was the residence of the Russian Tsars on the embankment of the Neva River in the heart of St. Petersburg. There are like 6 buildings, and I know for certain we probably only saw like 20% of the stuff there. I had no idea what a fine collection of western European art was housed here. DaVinci, Monet, Michaelangelo, El Greco, Goya, Rubens to name a few.
Every room was a sight to behold - not even taking into account the art on display. The celings, the floors, the chandeliers... It was never ending... We wandered around in amazement.
So, I will make no attempt to explain each picture here. Probably needs no explanation anyway.
Here is a link to The Hermitage website.
http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/index.html

The horse above was real. It had been stuffed. If you look closely, you can see the line where the skin was cut.

Tomorrow, I will post more pictures - including the Church on Spilled Blood, and general city pictures of SPB.