Perm, Russia - the edge of Siberia!

8/22/07 - hey there folks...welcome back to the blog...well, as you know i am back in romania and school started this week...so i have been at work the past three days and can say i am really tired...i forgot what waking up early, driving in crazy traffic and working with kids all day was like...its been a long week already....BUT things look to be going just fine with the kids this year...most are excited to have me and not many have said they hated science this year...which is good because i taught about 2/5 of them last year :)

anyway...i haven't assigned "graded" homework yet so i am trying to get an update done here....this one is for Perm, Russia...which on some maps is referred to as the beginning of Siberia, but other places it is the town just before the Ural Mtns....depends on the map and who you are talking with i guess....i was in perm for four and a half days...three of them were spent kayaking with two super people - Yelena and Andrey...lena was my interpreter and andrey was my guide...and yes, they were only for me...which i found absolutely mind blowing...lena's english is better than mine and andrey is an outstanding outdoorsman and vodka drinker...it was a terrific visit and they really love where they are from...the stories were great...the cooking was tasty...the paddling was stunning...the thunderstorm experienced was incredible and their friendships are treasured....you should get to siberia...its amazing and beautiful...and reminded me a lot of alaska.....go if you can...and tell lena and andrey i sent you :) on to the pictures...hope you enjoy looking at them as much as i did taking them :)

this shot is of the train i took from moscow to perm....it was about 16 hours long...i shared this compartment with one other woman, who only spoke russian...and suprisingly they fed me dinner...it was really comfortable, as you can probably see from the picture...very different from the compartment i was in from perm to ulan bataar...but that's another story :)

here's a shot of lenin found in downtown perm....you find him everywhere...and of course his tomb is in red square...perm has quite a few parks for folks to hang out in...you always find folks playing chess and backgammon in the parks....it was a beautiful day i toured the city of perm....which is where dr. zhivago takes place....

this shot was taken in a village two hours south of perm...this is an "old believers" house...there are very few of these people located in russia any more...they have renounced all creature comforts...kind of like the amish in the states....lena and andrey were saying the couple that lives here is in their 80's or 90's....beautiful house don't you think...most of the houses in siberia are made from wood...not really sure why, but there are tons of woods there, so maybe that's why...also there is a TON of birch trees....its beautiful...

on the way to the river we were kayaking on, we stopped at this monastery on a hill...its in the middle of nowhere and is located in a beautiful area...it is still under renovations...and on one of the walls you can see where past church going folks were shot for what they believed in...the bullet holes are still in the walls on the outside of the church...they are leaving them there to remind them of what can happen and what they don't want to have happen again....

this is the water source for the church and the priests and nuns that live there...they say this is a form of the fountain of youth...i didn't get any water...but its been said its the cleanest water in all of russia...and its in a cool building too :)

this is the view from the church...isn't it beautiful...green as far as the eye can see...i am telling you this place reminded me so much of alaska...it was a gorgeous day as well...you could see for miles and miles (km and km)....

we saw an amazing field of lupine and just had to stop...there was a deep shade of purple and some white mixed in...awesome and the field smelled sooooo clean...it was stunning :)

the sign above shows an ice cave we visited on the way to the river as well...it was incredible...and it really had ice in it...stalagtites and stalagmites....some had colors and others they had lit up with colored lights...as we reached the deepest part of the kungur ice cave the guide shut off all of the lights...and that was PITCH black...and a bit scary :)

here i am at one of the deepest parts of the cave...i can't remember what the sign said...but i love the cyrillic language...even just to look at...i was the only tourist on the tour that wasn't russian...so lena translated for me and then the guide had to explain what she was doing...it was funny....

here's one of the cooler named parts of the ice cave...its the dante section...do you like their representation of an ice devil??? it was cool with the lights shining on it...

here are some of those stalagtites and stalagmites...they met in the middle and made a wall of ice... some of the ice walls were closer to the pathway we walked on...which was nice and smooth and lit well in most parts...although definitely not something you would find in the states, as people did slip in spots and in the states that would equal lawsuit!!! but it didn't matter, as russia is not the same as the states in that respect....

in the last part of the cave they had a christmas tree...and only had to change it out once or twice a year...beause it is so cold down there in the cave, the tree takes a long time to die...so they bring a new one once or twice a year....and keep it decorated all year long...

after the ice cave we went and had lunch...and out came the vodka for lena and i...andrey was driving and did not drink because of it...he did however, make the russian style toasts before each shot...at the end of lunch lena napped from the vodka and andrey and i watched the scenery go by...he didn't speak english and don't know russian...but it was comfortable... later we drank vodka together and he referred to it as the great communicator...the shot above is of me and the kayak we used for the three days with the three of us and our tents and supplies and such...it was terrific....

this was the tea kettle we used continually...russians really like tea...but only if its super hot (as in temperature)....i couldn't keep up with them here...they were both great cooks...you could tell andrey has done this a million times...and then after dinner he hiked back to where we started, drove the truck about 90 km away where we were stopping, parked the truck, hopped a train to where we started, jumped off of the train and then hiked back to where we were downstream...all without GPS....it was very impressive...and its something he just does everytime they take folks on the river...crazy...he knows the river and woods like the back of his hand...incredible....

this was the village we set off from...it was the last bit of civilization we saw until we finished the stretch we covered...but we did see quite a few other boaters and kayakers...its the thing to do with kids and everyone was having a great time...even when it rained... as you can see...the houses are all wood...and of course we saw power lines and tv antennas or satellite dishes everywhere we went....and cell phone towers too...we were never that far from civilization...

this is the spot we made camp the last night....and had a HUGE thunder and lightning storm...which, even though we were about 6 ft above the water line, i thought we might get washed away...at one point the lightning and thunder cracked right above us...and andrey was in a puddle in bare feet...yep....he felt it....crazy...and it was the loudest noise i have ever heard...scared us to death....but when it wasn't raining the view was spectacular....

here we are at the end of the river run...the backdrop is the area of the usva river we passed through...isn't it beautoful...i loved it and these two folks were excellent people to take me along...i treasured their knowledge and now i will treasure their friendship :)

as we headed back to perm, we stopped at this prison, perm-36, which was used during the time of the gulag...i was just confused and obviously knew nothing of this aspect of russian history...but i definitely understood it when i left....so many people were worked to death because they were political prisoners...and this specific prison was still be used in the early 1990s...which is freaky...the only other thing in the area is an insane asylum...which is still used...an institution for men...it was interesting to be there....

this is a view of some of the 20 different gates and fences prisoners would have to escape through...it was said no one even bothered to try to pass through them to freedom...there was no where to go outside of the fences...crazy...and when they felt you could handle more work, they sent you further into siberia to do just that...

here's lena next to the transportation truck to the prison for the "extra-special" prisoners...the ultimate political dissidents were brought in this way...30 or more of them packed into this truck...standing, no sitting or laying down unless you died on the way....gross...

this is a view of the entrance gate and guard tower and guard house...it really was in the middle of nowhere and if you escaped they could see you in this very flat land...it was interesting to learn about the gulag and why existed and i hope that the russians don't let anything happen like this again in their country....and that if we see something like this that we stop it as well...

back in perm lena and her boss, sergey, gave me a very thorough tour of their town...the pride in their voices was unmistakable...they took me to their military museum...this tank was important, but i don't remember why...the main thing in this museum they were very proud of was the missle launcher that shot down an american spy in the 50's...it was interesting to see, but i think they were disappointed i didn't know more of my history of russia and russia + the states....oh well...i learned a lot of information :)

this was one of my favorite buildings in perm...it was built by a wealthy man and he had images of his daughter, who lived far away from him, carved at the tops of the columns of the building and they were all from pictures from when she was between the ages of 1-16...it was beautiful...

and talk about fatherly-love...

this last picture was sunset from my hotel room in perm...it was a stunning sunset...and the flags are of russia and perm's own flag as well...such a peaceful way to finish my time in perm :)

okay...enough info about perm...hope you can see just how beautiful place this is...and if you go there you have to get out of the city into the woods and mountains...they are amazing :) i will try and get my pictures from my trans-siberian railway trip up in the next week or so...and then mongolia...we'll see what happens...i hope all of you are well and happy and have been enjoying your summer...and if you are starting back with school...i hope you have a wonderful year...be sure to send good vibes this way for my year too...and i'll keep you posted on what is happening in life, love and the pursuit of happiness....peace out....

Summer Travel Rocked!!! Moscow, Russia is here!!!

8/8/07 - one year to go until the summer olympics in Beijing!!!! 8 is an auspicious number in china and i am glad i am updating my blog on such a good day...thanks for stopping by...i am finally updating with some pictures from my summer travels...there are a lot of them and i would like to post a bunch here...feel free to check back see how it goes...and ignore the rambling if you so choose...but on with the show...just like in romania, russia loves flowers...so i thought we would start there...moscow...what a city...its big, its noisy and it has the most superb metro system i have found thus far on the planet....it was a bunch of fun...as you can see from the attached pictures...enjoy :)

this is a shot of one of the seven sisters...its actually found right outside my friend mike's place...so i had to take a picture of one of them...heck there are seven and they do a have a little version in romania....now i got to see where the architecture comes from....cool building...

this is a shot from outside moo-moo...a terrific cafeteria styled restaurant in moscow...i loved it...you could just point at what you wanted...and i learned how to ask for no meat immediately....luckily the borsch was veggie and it was delicious.....yummy!!!!

the shot above is from a beautiful and HUGE orthodox church called christ the savior cathedral...it is as stunning outside as it is inside....but of course, no pictures inside....all gold and candles...just beautiful...and the day's clouds made for an excellent backdrop as well :)

one of my favorite stops was to see the cosmonaut monument...i was hoping to get into the museum, but it was under renovation...bummer....i'll just have to go back :)

the cosmonaut museum was just outside of the entrance of this cool park...it has fountains and buildings and the buildings represented different sections of russia...possibly what they used to control during communist times...a bit confusing, but it was a great park...and the building above was the first we encountered entering this memorial park....

as you can see, there is a statue of lenin...and recently they put in fake mickey and minnie mouse and fake ninja turtles to take your picture with....them plus lenin...how funny is that :) we didn't see anyone sit down and have a picture taken...but it was funny none-the-less....and these versions of mickey and minnie were everywhere tourists go throughout the city....a money making scheme if i ever saw one :)

i loved the ceiling of the building above...it was one we couldn't get inside of, but this pavilion styled thing was in front of it....love the blue and white with the sky shining through...mike pointed this shot out....coolio....

this was the largest of all of the fountains...it was where most people had their pictures taken...i just loved the water, plus monuments...very elegant looking to me....

the building above was the coolest in the park...but it was closed down...the outside of it was just stunning with all of the mosaic and communist styled theme....not sure how much you can really appreciate it from this picture...but i loved it :)

of course when you are in russia you must visit the kremlin...i didn't realize it was a huge complex with many buildings...and that you can't visit majority of it...because it is still in use...very confusing at the start...the weekend i was in russia was a BIG one...on june 22nd they celebrated the entrance of russia into the great war....WWII....so they closed down red square...yes, closed it down....and had military parades and lots of military personel present...this shot was taken just outside of the kremlin wall...its the tomb of the unknown soldier for russia...the day after was the 22nd...and i couldn't get anywhere near it then...good thing i was there night before :)

this is a shot of the kremlin wall and some of the buildings contained within it...i took this from a river metro boat...it was a beautiful day and the ride was great except for this one russian dude...who tried to pick me up...gave up and went and drank inside...when we got to the last stop he was toasted...and as he tried to step off the boat, he fell into the water...no worries, they got him out...but it upset the crew something fierce...i guess you shouldn't get drunk on a metro boat....or at least should watch your step when exiting...it was a story maker anyway...and no,

i didn't stick around to talk with him once he was out of the river....

inside the kremlin you find the largest cannon in russia...never shot...and you are allowed to visit all of the religious buildings...and the armory...which i didn't get the chance to do...so i need to go back for that as well...above you can see the non-fired cannon...the cannon balls i am told are fake as well...but they certainly are HUGE.....

this is one of those religious buildings you can visit...inside of this one though they showed a cartier exhibit...it was beautiful...but i didn't really understand why it was there....but all of the diamonds were pretty to look at and they sat in their cases and sparkled away....

another beautiful church in the kremlin courtyard...although this one you were not allowed in...renovations going on and all that...but i loved how the domes glowed in the sunlight...just stunning....

this is the entrance door to one of the orthodox churches...so much detail...much of the church on the inside was painted floor to ceiling with saints and religious motifs...majority of the churches were decorated in this manner...they were simply excellent works of art in my opinion...i loved them...even if they were crowded and had a very strong smell of incense....

in this shot you can see the HUGE, broken bell of the Kremlin...it broke before it was ever rung...i think it happened in a fire, but i don't really remember...as you can also see, this is the courtyard where the orthodox churches stood....most of the domes are gold and they shine brightly in the sun...it was a beautiful day to be there...

my second night in russia we went up to the top of the hill where moscow university is located so we could see the entire city at night...it was a great spot...and funnily enough it was a wednesday, which means it was also the day motorcyclists from all over the city come and show off their bikes...there were close to 100 bikes of all shapes and styles...from scooters to harleys...it was fun to walk up and down looking at the bikes and watching the owners discuss the positives and negatives of their rides...

one of the metro stops down by red square is a mall...and the mall is actually underground...the mall and the stop and the road next to it are all called okhotnyy ryad...and you should try and read this when it is in cyrillic...that was one of the coolest things in russia...some of the letters i could recognize, others i couldn't and i had no idea how to pronounce anything....for the metro i would try to remember the first and last letter of the stop i needed....it was tricky, but worked well...anyway...at the above mentioned mall, there is one roof that that has a world clock on it...the picture above shows you this roof from the outside....

as you can see from a closer shot of the clock....moscow is labelled in a LARGE manner, just below the guy on the horse slaying a dragon...i think i remember its george and the dragon, but i could be wrong....

i decided i wanted to see the clock from the underneath and that is what the picture above represents...its a really cool clock that turns once a day....very creatively made....i waved to romania and the states while there and then moved on....

congratulations....we have made it to red square....i visited this place a few times on my trip...during the day and at sunset...the square was not as large as i thought it would be...but the buildings that surround it are beautiful...above you see the museum that is on the west side of the square and the kremlin wall and one of its towers....i was very excited as i even got the moon in this shot...it was a wonderful night....

in this shot of red square, you can see the museum on the west side and the lit up gum department store...i was told that when there were bread and food lines in russia...people would stand in line at the gum waiting for their rations....now its a mall inside with all of the most expensive stores you know...gucci, yves st. lauren, cartier, etc....

this is what the gum looks like on the inside....beautiful huh...i got an ice cream and watched people for bit inside...

now we have come to my favorite building of the entire city...st. basil's cathedral...it is on the east side of red square and is simply stunning....i do feel bad for the man who made it, as when he finished building/creating it, the tsar in charge had his eyes gouged out so he wouldn't make a more beautiful building during the rest of his life...bummer...but i have to say that this is one of the most amazing buildings i have ever seen...and i am really happy with the black and white shot i took of it....

here i am with the building...mike took this shot, which is appreciated, i usually forget to take pictures of me with things....but this one turned out well...isn't that building beautiful :)

this is another shot of the building from the front...love those colors....

this last shot is st. basil's from the back....even facing this way the building is beautiful and it looks quite different in my opinion from the front....can you tell i loved this building :)

and then there was the metro....a very busy place...especially at rush hour....but this metro of moscow is amazing...its HUGE and it goes everywhere and the stations are works of art...i spent one morning going to the different stations, getting out and taking pictures and then getting back on a train to get to the next one...they were amazing...as you can see it is used by many....

the next few shots show you some of the works of art...the mosaic above was one of the many in one of the stations...there was another station that had tons of stained glass....art was on the ceilings, the floors and the walls...in other words...everywhere you looked....

here are mike and jane at one of the stations that has tons of bronze statues...all of common people doing their jobs...so there are pilots, farmers, bakers, athletes, military personnel, etc....you should notice the dog's nose is brighter than the rest of the statue...that's because it is said if you rub the dog's nose, it will bring you good luck...i guess lots and lots of people have looked for this luck at some point in their lives....

here is another one of those beautiful mosaics...i loved seeing the CCCP stuff eveywhere you looked...it reminds russians of their past and that they are no longer living in those times...a wonderful memorial to their past in my opinion....there are some russians (usually older) who say they miss communist times...but most of the younger generation seems happy with things the way they are...who knows which way is better...i mean, i have my opinion based on where and how i was raised, but the more i travel, the more i realize people are the same everywhere you go...they want to be happy and to be in comfortable positions in life and they want better things for the next generation....who is to say which government helps accomplish this more...it was interesting to be somewhere that was communist in the past and somewhere that is currently communist, china....and to see they have problems and issues just like those in democratic nations...i think everyday people, with everyday problems, just want to survive and be happy with their lives....it was an interesting thing to realize....i know that democracy gives us much more freedom and i thank my lucky stars for where i was born everytime i travel, but in the end i think people just want what is best for them and their family and friends...is that too much to ask for...sorry....just a ramble from my thoughts....maybe too much...oh well...

my last shot in this set of moscow is from the metro...this statue was perfect for standing under and taking a picture....i think the gun aspect is perfect for me....not!!!! but it was a cool piece of art....overall i had a wonderful time in moscow....i saw beautiful buildings and art, i walked all over the place, i experienced an amazing metro system and i met cool folks....it was a great way to start my travels this past summer...from moscow i took an overnight train to perm...a city just over the mountains from siberia....the next installment will be from there....thanks for checking the pictures and i highly recommend you make it to moscow if you get the chance...i hope to get back there to explore even more....see you soon on the blog....peace out....