Follow-up medical appointments continue with visits to the cardiologist to explore my quite variable blood pressure when I was in the hospital for two weeks. I’m guessing it was the stress of the situation, being woken up from a dead sleep to check my BP, etc. but the Russian medical system leaves nothing to chance. As a result, I have the opportunity to experience a heart ultrasound and Doppler radar on my leg veins. Afterwards, my heart is pronounced fit as a fiddle and my circulation is great so green light for the planned surgery in June; All good!
In the meantime, we throw a very successful Cinco de Mayo Party in Canada Club courtesy of enchiladas by Francine and Jack’s margaritas. I experimented successfully with a couple yummy Margaritas – my first drinks in two months! Life is indeed good.
May 9th is Victory Day in Russia. Victory Day commemorates the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War (aka WWII). The holiday has been celebrated in Russia more or less depending of the politics of the time but following Vladimir Putin's rise to power, the Russian government began promoting the prestige of the governing regime and history and it is currently quite a big deal.
As a peacenik and a dyed in the wool Canadian, the huge display of military armaments was a bit shocking when we went to check out the practice parade at an English Pub on Sunday, May 7. I doubt the entire Canadian military has as much military equipment as I saw that day. The pictures below are just a drop in the bucket; yikes!
As a peacenik and a dyed in the wool Canadian, the huge display of military armaments was a bit shocking when we went to check out the practice parade at an English Pub on Sunday, May 7. I doubt the entire Canadian military has as much military equipment as I saw that day. The pictures below are just a drop in the bucket; yikes!
After that sobering site, I was happy to snap a few pics of the exterior of the Ulitsa 1905 Goda Metro Station which as it turns out commemorates the Revolution of 1905 so not as peaceful as all that!
While I did not watch the actual Victory Day Parade on May 9th, one of my colleagues did. He and his family had an opportunity to see thousands upon thousands of Russians join the Immortal Regiment to honour their ancestors, carrying black and white photos of their fallen and wearing the black and orange St George's ribbons. Next year, I plan to do the same to show gratitude for the countless Russian fallen who helped bring peace to the world but I think I will give the annual show of Russian might a miss.
On Sunday May 14, I headed off to the Belgorod Oblast of Russia to take part in an Agricultural Counsellor's Trip organized by the Embassies of the Netherlands and Norway. Things started off slowly with a three hour flight delay but there was beer at the airport so teambuilding with my agricultural colleagues started in Moscow.
We were given the VIP treatment in Belgorod when we landed with a private bus from the plane to the terminal arranged by our hosts from the Governor's office. Off to the hotel for a quick bite and another libation. We were starting early and had two action-packed days plans so not a good plan to have a late night at the outset.
Our whirlwind trip included visits to two universities, one cheese factory, a feed mill, a sugar beet processing facility, one of the world's leaders in pig genetics, a meeting with the Governor's staff and countless hours on a bus with our three Russian hosts. We worked hard but there was still time for fun and a bit of tourism. Sticking with the military theme we had a chance to visit the small Russian town of
Prokhorovka about 100 km south of Kursk and the monumental complex that commemorates one of the largest tank battles in history, fought between Wehrmacht and Red Army in 1943.
Back in Moscow, I had the chance to play in a poker tournament raising money for the Military Police Fund for Blind Children. I was doing pretty well but when I went all-in with pockets aces, I got my butt kicked!!
Postings have a beginning and an end and there are a number of friends whose postings are ending this summer. The first of my friends to leave is Maria from the Irish Embassy and Robin, my American friend is also leaving so I had them over for dinner and silliness with a couple of other friends. Bittersweet as they were two of the first aggies I met in Moscow and they will be missed but they are happy to be going home so I need to respect that.
The Cathedral is actually ten churches in one; nine side churches arranged around the tenth, central church of Intercession. The building is shaped like a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky. As part of the program of state atheism, the church was confiscated from the Russian Orthodox community by the Soviet Union and has operated as a division of the State Historical Museum since 1928.
The inside is beautifully appointed with too many beautiful artifacts to count or photograph The pics below will give you a sense but you really need to see if for yourself so when are you coming to Moscow?!
Prokhorovka about 100 km south of Kursk and the monumental complex that commemorates one of the largest tank battles in history, fought between Wehrmacht and Red Army in 1943.
In the morning of July 5, 1943 "Operation Citadel" started: About 900,000 German soldiers and 2,700 tanks faced 1.3 million Red Army soldiers and 3,400 tanks. The German Wehrmacht abandoned the operation on July 13. On the one hand because the overall goal, the encirclement of Kursk couldn't be achieved, on the other hand because and the allied invasion of Sicily forced the German leadership to redeploy troops elsewhere. Despite being outnumbered, the German tanks inflicted terribly casualties on the Red Army.
First stop was the Memorial Church St. Peter and Paul built after the war to commemorate the Soviet soldiers who gave their lives for the Motherland during the tank battle. The names of 7,000 fallen soldiers have been engraved on tiles inside this beautifully decorative church.
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| Memorial Church St. Peter and Paul
After admiring the bell tower and a walk past three celebrated Russian military leaders and through a field of tanks, we were "treated" to a meal similar to that eaten during the war. Given the variety and portion sizes, I think a great deal of liberty was taken in the interpretation as many Russians were starving during the war.
 
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Back in Moscow, I had the chance to play in a poker tournament raising money for the Military Police Fund for Blind Children. I was doing pretty well but when I went all-in with pockets aces, I got my butt kicked!!
Postings have a beginning and an end and there are a number of friends whose postings are ending this summer. The first of my friends to leave is Maria from the Irish Embassy and Robin, my American friend is also leaving so I had them over for dinner and silliness with a couple of other friends. Bittersweet as they were two of the first aggies I met in Moscow and they will be missed but they are happy to be going home so I need to respect that.
On May 22, Les and I head off to Tbilisi, Georgia for a week of meetings on market access and market development. Les is going home this summer so he is diligently introducing me to his contacts in the CIS markets.
This first picture is of the Liberty Monument featuring St George slaying the dragon. Our hotel faced Liberty Square and when we checked in we were "upgraded" to a room with a view of the Square. It seemed like a good idea until I was woken from a dead sleep Wednesday morning at 3:30 am to the sound of marching, a band and men bellowing into a bullhorn. They were practising for the Liberty Day celebration on Friday and must have ran through the whole program as it was three hours later when they stopped for the day. Lol, moved to the other side of the hotel for the rest of my stay but apparently only one practise session was required.
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| Freedom Square
In between meetings, we have a few hours for exploration of Old Town and surrounds with our driver providing some historical context when he was with us.
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| Hotel in the City Wall |
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| Dancers |
Sulkan told us an interesting story about the founding of Tbilisi. According to the legend, the King Vakhtang Gorsalali was hunting one day and his falcon was chasing a pheasant when the falcon suddenly vanished. After a long search, the birds were found scalded in a hot spring. King Vakhtang gave the order to build the city in this place and to call it Tbilisi (translates as “warm”). Whether or not this legend is true, the hot mineral springs contributed the development of the city and the construction of sulfur baths. We didn't have time to use the baths but maybe next time!
In Moscow, Georgian food is one of my favourites I was looking forward to lots of yummy Georgian food and was not disappointed. My last night in town, I joined my boss, Annick and her friend for dinner at a traditional dinner complete with singing and dancing.
Tbilisi looks like an interesting city and I have plans to return as a tourist to explore the capital city more thoroughly and to get out into the country on a wine tour, etc. before I return home.
We arrived home from Tbilisi on Friday night (May 26) and my friend, Ken was arriving on Sunday afternoon from Florida for a couple weeks in Russia so Saturday I picked up a few groceries and tidied up.
Sunday, I met Ken at the airport with an Embassy car. His flight was on time but, due to short connection time in Heathrow, he arrived without luggage which is a multi-step process arriving in Russia. No matter, soon enough we were home and catching up over a couple of glasses of wine. Monday, I was back at work and Ken was off exploring Moscow on his own for a couple of days while anxiously awaiting the arrival of his missing luggage.
I took Wednesday off to hang with Ken and be a tourist in Moscow so we went to Red Square where we visited Lenin's tomb and St. Basil's Cathedral. While Lenin's tomb is impressive, it has nothing on Uncle Ho's Mausoleum in Hanoi. Though Lenin is very well preserved and there is a steady stream of visitors, he does not have the god-like status that Ho Chi Minh has in Vietnam.
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| Lenin's Tomb |
I have been to Red Square a number of times and love the colourful onion domes of Saint Basil's Cathedral but today is going to be my first time inside.
The inside is beautifully appointed with too many beautiful artifacts to count or photograph The pics below will give you a sense but you really need to see if for yourself so when are you coming to Moscow?!
After a quick bite in Столовая № 57, the Soviet-style cafeteria in GUM, a bit of shopping (Ken's luggage is still AWOL) and a walk to the Bolshoi Theatre, we are back on the Metro headed to Novodevichy Convent.
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| A lovely place for an Al Fresco lunch - next time! |
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| Bolshoi Theatre |
Besides the beautiful building and the lake that is said to have been the inspiration for Swan Lake, there is a cemetery where many notables are buried, including Anton Chekhov, Nikolai Gogol and many high-profile Soviets such as Nikita Khrushchev and Boris Yeltsin.
It is a beautiful spot but I think a return visit with a well-informed guide is in order.
Oops, I almost forgot! The sale of my house closed today (May 31). After many months and lots of basement repairs the final stage was a mere two weeks. After a couple of bottles of bubbles to celebrate, Ken and I are off to the Pinzeria for a celebratory dinner.
