Troika Weekend

January 30 - February 5

A very average week at work is made notable by weekend plans to head north to Bogdarnya, an agro-tourism center, with a gaggle of Embassy colleagues. Our shuttle bus is picking us up at 2:30 Friday so I opt to take the morning off to get into the zone and bake some cookies for the journey which is supposed to take 2-3 hours depending on traffic. 

The bus arrives more or less on time to pick the twelve of us up.  After loading our luggage and enough adult beverages and snack food for a small army, we are off! The first hour or so is exhausted navigating the rings of Moscow through this always traffic-clogged city, then another hour or so of highway driving and we are in the village of Krutovo. 

That's when the wheels fell off!! Well, not really ... but the driver turned right when he should have turned left (navigation software doesn't work well out in the back of beyond!) and we ended up wandering in the woods for almost two hours. The first half hour or so, we thought we might be on the right track but it became "obvious" that we had zigged when we should have zagged but there wasn't much to be done so onward we went on what looked to be an old logging road or maybe a snow mobile route. Everyone was pretty excited to see some lights in the distance but alas we were not at a farm but a very remote village.

After a few attempts to figure out where we were, the driver stopped and asked one of the locals and off we went in the opposite direction on an even rougher road. You know you are lost when a man decides on his own to ask for directons!  

This "road" featured an undulating terrain that meant each time we crested a "hill", the back of the bus hit the ground with a thud. We came to find out that there was a trailer hitch on the bus but there were many times, I thought that the bus would break in half and we would be stranded in the middle of the woods and headed on foot to our destination. Luckily, the driver persisted and the bus stayed in one piece until we made it to the hotel; a bit later than expected but no worse for the wear.

After unloading our supplies, we checked into the hotel. As we put our stuff away in our rooms, Francine put the name tags and cartoons that she had prepared for each of us on our doors so we could find each other. After the first (of several) adult beverages and a quick game of cards it was off to the dining room with bottles of wine to quaff with dinner. 

We had pre-ordered our meals so the process was reasonably efficient for the two women serving us. The food was good country fare and the meal was punctuated with lots of laughter, a "flavouring" that makes any meal a culinary success.

Sated, we headed back to the Francine and Alain's suite (aka the party room) to play pass the ace, BS and hangout eating junk food until it was time to crash.

The next morning, it was back to the dining room for a Russian breakfast tray replete with buckwheat porridge, kefir, cottage cheese, a cinnamon bun with jam followed by eggs and toast. I really enjoyed the farm-made kefir (a thick drinkable yoghurt) but passed on the гречневая каша!

We were heading out on a troika ride today followed by shaslik (shish kebabs) at a campfire in the woods so we bundled up for a few hours of winter weather after breakfast and headed out to explore a bit before our ride. The troikas (sleds with three horses in a single line) are prepared and the teams are taken for a practice run to get them ready for passengers.

The two troikas aren't quite large enough for twelve Canadian asses so two of the guys offered to go to the campsite by car. The rest of us headed off for a half hour ride through the snowy woods - likely using the same road as the bus the night before! Too soon we arrive at the campfire and the horses head back to the barn for some well-deserved oats. 

Steve, me and Tanya

Samovar of tea

Francine breaks out her homemade Caribou (a mixture of vodka and port) to keep our insides warm and the fire takes care of the rest. Some of the guys toss around a nerf football while the rest of us hang around the fire Drinking Caribou, tea and глинтвейн (mulled wine). The cook fires up the grill and we feast on chicken, pork and beef shaslik with a few veggies that freeze if they are left on the table too long. Despite best efforts, I can't get a singalong started around the fire.

Shaslik on the Q

Tout Le Gang

Soon enough, it's time to return to the hotel and this time our transportation is the more "modern" Zil; an armoured troop transport. Packed into the back we ram through the woods at breakneck speed awash in carbon monoxide fumes.  Apparently, a Zil is pretty much indestructible and so are we! 

Zil

Back at the hotel, folks opted for exploration, cards or napping for the rest of the afternoon. I will let those that know me best guess which two of those activities would likely fill my afternoon.

There is a birthday celebration in the dining room tonight so we are off to the banquet hall for dinner. I had ordered egg plant rolls stuffed with fresh made cream cheese mixed with walnuts as a starter again as it was a big hit for me and my table mates last night. Another lovely dinner with friends punctuated with lots of laughter. Our host, John Kopiski (a Brit that married a Russian woman) popped by with some homemade hooch to wash everything down before heading back to the party room for more cards and silliness.

After another Russian breakfast, some of us headed off to explore the blue church across the fields. 

Bridge to the church

Icon Wall

 

John Kopiski (our host)

The Hotel

The Banya

After a bit more exploring, a couple games of cards, a trip to the "store" to purchase some farm-produced dairy products (including some of the best cheese in Russia that I have found) and a bowl of soup, it was time to board the bus for the return journey. The driver had the map figured out so no more jaunts in the woods and we were home without incident.  A lovely FUN weekend! 

Winter in Moscow

January 23-29, 2017

Winter has a grip on Moscow that makes even hardy Canadians shiver but life goes on.  Work, meetings, training, business lunches, dinners with friends, restocking the pantry shelves.

Fadi had to do a quick run to Paris and bought some great French cheese, pates and saucissons. Because he is a great guy, he invited some of his colleagues to share in the spoils on Thursday night. The overflowing plates of goodness would have made great food porn but alas we were all much more focused on eating than taking pictures. After eating our fill of French delicacies, we enjoyed some mushroom risotto and shrimp made with love by Stephanie. After a scrumptious apple crisp served a la mode, time for a couple of games of Wizard before heading home.

Cat, Alex and I did an early Metro run Saturday morning. As usual, the three of us bought enough stuff to fill Cat’s SUV!! After putting away my loot, I grabbed a nap before heading to Robin’s for dinner. I am becoming a Yandex pro. Yandex is Russia’s answer to Uber though you can use both here.

Robin has two beautiful dogs, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels though sadly I don’t have any pictures of them either. Robin made a veritable feast of mid-eastern delights and after a great evening, she sent me home with leftovers. It doesn’t it get any better than that!

Sunday was a lazy day punctuated with laundry and some cooking to get ready for the week ahead.

Life is good!

If it's Wednesday, it must be Berlin!

January 16-22, 2017

Monday and Tuesday are filled with last minute preparations and packing for a business trip to Berlin. I was part of a CFIA delegation to the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) that was headed for Berlin to have bilateral discussions with some of our trading partners. Fast forward and it’s Wednesday and I’m in an Embassy car headed to the airport armed with a binder filled with briefing materials.

The Aeroflot flight to Berlin is uneventful so it’s into a cab with my luggage and off to the Ritz Carlton Berlin to find the rest of the delegation. After a quick check in, I am back in the lobby thinking about stretching my legs but I run into colleagues from Ottawa in the lobby and plans change – time for introductions, briefings and a quick bite at Starbucks. Canada’s Minister of Agriculture is also in town for meetings at the GFFA with a contingent of staffers and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada folks so we all get together for dinner at the Marriott across from the Ritz Carlton. The food was nothing special but it was great to meet the big boss and have a casual evening.

Thursday morning and I join the gang in the restaurant at the RC and a buffet breakfast; something the Europeans do very well. The offerings include anything you would want for breakfast and then some – I am very focused on the tables laden with great cheese, beauteous fruit and flaky croissants – things that are in short supply in Russia. I am in heaven and there is not much chance of reversing the direction of the scale this week! 

Sated we all walk over to the Canadian Embassy for a meeting with the Ambassador. The hotel is located just east of where the wall once stood while the Embassy is in no man’s land with a clear view of where the “western “wall once stood.  After a successful meeting, it’s off to City Cube for the Kick Off Event for the GFFA and to check out the meeting facilities for some of ministerial bilaterals.  

Navigating the grounds while the vendors are setting up Green Week is an eye-opener. The site is huge with exhibits and stands from 70 counties. On our walkabout, we run into a retired German bar owner who is featuring all things Canadian including Moosehead beer, Crown Royal. Her booth is decorated with moose and buffalo heads, a bear hide and all manner of Canadiana. Too bad we won’t be back to check out the crowd when the exhibition opens.

Back to the hotel, I grab a quick nondescript dinner at the food court in the mall before heading back to the grounds for the Reception for Foreign Guests later that night. Even though we had found the building where the reception was going to be hosted in the daylight hours, we wandered about for a while before arriving at the right building. Lots of German and Hungarian food, wine and beer and a room stuffed with folks from 70 countries though there were a lot of Germans in attendance. It was hard to find folks you were looking for so we gave up and enjoyed the music and a second dinner ‘hobbit-style”!

After another amazing breakfast, Friday was spent at briefings and tweaking the materials for bilateral meetings.  After our last meeting, we headed to a traditional German restaurant where I opted for the schnitzel and spätzle washed down with some red wine.  Others tried variations of the German theme including fairly unsuccessful napkin dumplings and a successful sauerbraten plate. Overall, it was a lovely evening with great company.

Schnitzel and spätzle

With some last minute changes to our schedule, Saturday was more or less free. Sadly, I had some stomach issues that limited my opportunities for tourism. I did manage a bit of a walk about and ran into two groups of protestors in very short order.  The first group was protesting to support German farmers and the second was protesting against Mr. Trump’s presidency.

Power to the Bauer!

World's First Traffic Light

Pieces of the Wall (in situ)

 

 

Anti-Trump Demonstration

After a day of recuperation, I was well enough for a final dinner with the crew. I sampled the goulash while others tried the schnitzel, spätzle and sauerbraten. The food was good and as usual we had a lovely evening.

After a quicker (but not lighter) breakfast Sunday, I headed out to explore a bit of Berlin with one of my Canadian colleagues. 

First stop was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe; a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The site is covered with row after row of concrete slabs or stelae arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. The monument is located a block from the Brandenburg Gate on the former location of the Berlin Wall, where the “death strip” once divided the city; a stark reminder.

Our next stop was the Brandenburg Gate a symbol of the tumultuous history of Germany, but also of European unity and peace.  

From there, we headed to the Reichstag to check out the seat of the German government, Platz der Republik and surrounding area.  The Spree River provides a pretty backdrop for what look like government offices; a nice place to work indeed!

We followed the Spree River and eventually ended up at the train station where we found the sculpture – Trains to Life – Trains to Death a memorial to the Children's Transports during the Nazi Era. 

The seven boys and girls in the sculpture represent the Jewish children of the 1930s. The arrangement of the group reflects the contrasting fate of the children in the Nazi era. Five figures in grey bronze look to one side, symbolizing the suffering of those deported to concentration camps to meet an early demise. Two lighter bronze figures, however, gaze in the other direction. They represent those Jewish children whose lives were saved by the Kindertransport to England. The sculptor, Frank Meisler was one of the lucky few who travelled on a 1939 children's transport from Berlin-Friedrichstraße to England (10,000 were saved and more than 2,000,000 perished).

We continued along the Spree River through flea markets and art sales until we arrived at Museum Island. Museum Island hosts five internationally significant museums, all part of the Berlin State Museums.

No time for dallying, so we continued on our way eventually finding Checkpoint Charlie (aka Checkpoint C) the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947–1991). Got to love the brand positioning of the iconic American company – McDonalds!

Soon enough it was time to head back to the hotel and grab a cab to the airport for the shortish flight home to Moscow. The flight was uneventful but the crazy Moscow traffic meant it was almost midnight by the time I arrived home. Berlin definitely requires a return trip as a tourist!