A Whirlwind Week

August 29-September 2, 2016

Lots of stuff going on this week in and out of the office; meetings, events, dinners, volunteering. Okay, I am not a huge fan of meetings but not all meetings are bad and life is most definitely good!

Monday night, I went to Red Square to see the International Military Music Festival “Spasskaya Tower” with some colleagues from the Embassy. We had purchased VIP tickets so we would have an unrestricted view of the arrival of the individual bands against the backdrop of St. Basil’s Cathedral. 

The Tattoo was fantastic with a number of bands from Russia, surrounding countries (Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Mongolia), Europe (Austria, Greece, Italy and Slovenia), Asia (Singapore, Japan) and Israel. As each band took the field, the lighting on the cathedral was changed to match the colours of the country and two large orbs on either side of the cathedral were turned into screens for images of the country. The production was beautifully done and the backdrop spectacular.

One of the many Russian bands

Pipe and Drum Band

Greece

Some of it was pretty much what you would expect but there were a lot of unexpected treats. My favourite, other than listening to the pipes and drums while watching the whirling plaid of the highland dancers (Flingons as Vance would say) was the band from Belarus. The majesty and precision of their marching and the “waves” that they did were simply spectacular.

Singapore

Massed Bands

Interestingly, the music for many of the bands was not all military marches and such – many of the songs were adapted from current popular music. The penultimate act was the Cadet Band of the Military Institute here in Moscow and their set was a bit tongue in cheek including an enthusiastic rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”!

The grand finale brought all the bands back onto the field en masse and was punctuated with fireworks. I have inserted some of the pictures below but they truly do not do justice to the evening. This is an annual event so potential guests should look at dates for next year and consider attending!

When a week starts like this you just know it is going to be good! On Tuesday, I was asked whether I would be a co-champion of Canada Club campaign to collect donations for a local charity in recognition of the International Day of Charity (September 5) to which I promptly said yes. The Embassy has done this before so there are excellent templates to follow and reminds me of the Little Bags of Goodness campaign that I have helped with the past few years in Ottawa. I am sure that there are a few things in my limited inventory that I will be able to spare.

Wednesday night I was invited to an impromptu dinner at Jack and Shirly’s. Who could say no!  We had a great meal with wine and conversation flowing in equal measure. It is past time for me to reciprocate so I am having a few of the folks in my building over for dinner next Wednesday. As I am typing this I think I need to invite a few more so no one feels left out!

I am in the process of staffing a new assistant for the Agriculture trade Team but the potential office space is jammed with discarded office equipment and junk so I organized a clean-up crew (including myself) for Thursday morning and we spent an hour throwing away junk that had been hiding in a nearby closet so we could organize the useful materials and make room for our new assistant. I did find some treasures including great recipes for lobster (if only I had some!) and maps of Nova Scotia.

Clearly, I am better at throwing away other people’s stuff than my own … or maybe the last several months of sorting through the junk in my house before I left Ottawa has changed my approach.  Time will tell. The Dvornicks arrived Friday morning to build some shelves in the closet to allow for more effective storage space and we are well on our way to getting the office cleared out.

Friday morning my first email is from Alex wondering if it is 3:30 yet! Alex, Eva and I are headed to St. Petersburg for the weekend right after work. We are all very excited for our first foray to the Venice of the North and have been gathering information and advice from anyone in the Embassy that has ever been there! We have booked rooms in a luxurious hotel right in the center of things to make the most of our short time there. I’ll develop a separate post on our adventure there so that I can regale you with details of the weekend. Stay tuned …

Another great week

August 22-28, 2016

I had a great week in the office working on some new projects and advancing some earlier ones. As you know all work and no play – that’s not me even at work! So I am looking at getting involved in the Embassy’s Canada Club as a volunteer. 

The Canada Club is the social heart of the Embassy and is responsible for the weekly Friday Night Happy Hour and the various celebrations large and small for Embassy staff and Canadian expats. The next big event is the Welcome BBQ slated for later in September and after that, Hallowe’en which is apparently the party of the year. I am looking forward to working with the committee and flexing my event planning muscles and having some fun.

Galina’s, the café in the basement of the Embassy, finally opened this week and I know why everyone missed her in the month she was gone. Galina is a great cook with a seemingly endless amount of energy. Everyday there are a range of culinary delights. This week, I tried her borscht, stuffed zucchini, chicken Kiev, beef stroganoff and a variety of salads. 

As you can tell, I have stopped making lunches at home to sample her culinary delights which are available for $4-5 including a drink! Many people also pick up take-out for dinner as there are always at least two options! Sadly, I will soon need to start packing mu own lunch again as I fear Galina’s cooking is a bit too tasty and I don’t want to pack on the pounds that I so recently discarded.

The process of settling into a routine at home continues. I am resisting the urge to buy stuff to “add colour” to my SQ until after my sea shipment arrives. Luckily, my new smart TV allows me to stream Netflix so I am binging on Outlander and other new to me series when I am home as a distraction. 

I did have the opportunity to go to the salon this week to try out a new service as my eyebrows have becomes quite wild. There is a different Master for that service of course.  They don’t wax your eyebrows here; it’s all done with tweezers so it’s a longer process but also more accurate.  Most women will have had the “opportunity” to have an oopsie with wax and eyebrows take a long time to correct if ever. Anyway, TMI – sorry!!

Saturday morning, Eva and I meet the boys for the biweekly Metro run.  My focus this week is booze and ingredients for a salad for the Unofficial Meet and Greet tonight at Jack and Shirly’s. Somehow, I am still the weakest link when I arrive at the cash last (again). I will have to up my game if I don’t want to get thrown off the bus. Next time, I will buy chocolate to compensate for any delay I may cause!

Back to my SQ, I unpack, grab a nap and prepare the salad for the party. Since they live downstairs, it was a pretty quick trip to the bash. Most of the Canadian staff from the Embassy and their spouses were able to make it so there were more than 30 folks there for dinner and drinks. Jack and Shirly had clearly been working for days getting food prepared so we feasted, quaffed wine and a punch that Jack affectionately called “Little Bastard” while getting to know our colleagues better.  

It was a great night and the next day was a bit slow but not as bad as it could have been if I had been hanging out with LB for the night!

Sunday has become a day for walking around the neighbourhood and while we had originally planned a metro adventure, Eva and I had decided to explore the island behind the Christ the Saviour Cathedral instead. We set out later in the day and opted for the longer side of the Bolotny Island along the river across from the Kremlin (Sofia Embankment) which afforded us some beautiful views.

The Kremlin

The British Ambassador's Residence

Kremlin Cathedrals

Kremlin Cathedrals @ Prisma

En route, we made a quick stop at Saint Sophia; a mid-17th-century Russian Orthodox parish church opposite the Moscow Kremlin dominated by a tapering bell tower. We took a quick look in the courtyard and another stop in the store which has loads of beautiful jewelry and artwork. Might need to make another foray closer to Christmas as I think there may be some nice presents for folks at home there. 

Saint Sofia Bell Tower

Saint Sofia

The island was a bit bigger than we thought so we stopped for a drink at a little café after we turned the corner to walk down the other side of the island toward home. It’s a lot quieter on this side as we walk down the canal though we did pass a children’s park with lots of activities where a variety show of some sort was underway. Off to Magnolia for a few groceries to make dinner and we made it home with about 14 kms on the FitBit. I’ll sleep well tonight!

Getting Socialized

August 22-28, 2016

I had a great week in the office working on some new projects and advancing some earlier ones. As you know all work and no play – that’s not me even at work! So I am looking at getting involved in the Embassy’s Canada Club as a volunteer. 

The Canada Club is the social heart of the Embassy and is responsible for the weekly Friday Night Happy Hour and the various celebrations large and small for Embassy staff and Canadian expats. The next big event is the Welcome BBQ slated for later in September and after that, Hallowe’en which is apparently the party of the year. I am looking forward to working with the committee and flexing my event planning muscles and having some fun.

Galina’s, the café in the basement of the Embassy, finally opened this week and I know why everyone missed her in the month she was gone. Galina is a great cook with a seemingly endless amount of energy. Everyday there are a range of culinary delights. This week, I tried her borscht, stuffed zucchini, chicken Kiev, beef stroganoff and a variety of salads. 

As you can tell, I have stopped making lunches at home to sample her culinary delights which are available for $4-5 including a drink! Many people also pick up take-out for dinner as there are always at least two options! Sadly, I will soon need to start packing mu own lunch again as I fear Galina’s cooking is a bit too tasty and I don’t want to pack on the pounds that I so recently discarded.

The process of settling into a routine at home continues. I am resisting the urge to buy stuff to “add colour” to my SQ until after my sea shipment arrives. Luckily, my new smart TV allows me to stream Netflix so I am binging on Outlander and other new to me series when I am home as a distraction. 

I did have the opportunity to go to the salon this week to try out a new service as my eyebrows have becomes quite wild. There is a different Master for that service of course.  They don’t wax your eyebrows here; it’s all done with tweezers so it’s a longer process but also more accurate.  Most women will have had the “opportunity” to have an oopsie with wax and eyebrows take a long time to correct if ever. Anyway, TMI – sorry!!

Saturday morning, Eva and I meet the boys for the biweekly Metro run.  My focus this week is booze and ingredients for a salad for the Unofficial Meet and Greet tonight at Jack and Shirly’s. Somehow, I am still the weakest link when I arrive at the cash last (again). I will have to up my game if I don’t want to get thrown off the bus. Next time, I will buy chocolate to compensate for any delay I may cause!

Back to my SQ, I unpack, grab a nap and prepare the salad for the party. Since they live downstairs, it was a pretty quick trip to the bash. Most of the Canadian staff from the Embassy and their spouses were able to make it so there were more than 30 folks there for dinner and drinks. Jack and Shirly had clearly been working for days getting food prepared so we feasted, quaffed wine and a punch that Jack affectionately called “Little Bastard” while getting to know our colleagues better.  

It was a great night and the next day was a bit slow but not as bad as it could have been if I had been hanging out with LB for the night!

Sunday has become a day for walking around the neighbourhood and while we had originally planned a metro adventure, Eva and I had decided to explore the island behind the Christ the Saviour Cathedral instead. We set out later in the day and opted for the longer side of the Bolotny Island along the river across from the Kremlin (Sofia Embankment) which afforded us some beautiful views.

The Kremlin

The British Ambassador's Residence

Kremlin Cathedrals

Kremlin Cathedrals @ Prisma

En route, we made a quick stop at Saint Sophia; a mid-17th-century Russian Orthodox parish church opposite the Moscow Kremlin dominated by a tapering bell tower. We took a quick look in the courtyard and another stop in the store which has loads of beautiful jewelry and artwork. Might need to make another foray closer to Christmas as I think there may be some nice presents for folks at home there. 

Saint Sofia Bell Tower

Saint Sofia

The island was a bit bigger than we thought so we stopped for a drink at a little café after we turned the corner to walk down the other side of the island toward home. It’s a lot quieter on this side as we walk down the canal though we did pass a children’s park with lots of activities where a variety show of some sort was underway. Off to Magnolia for a few groceries to make dinner and we made it home with about 14 kms on the FitBit. I’ll sleep well tonight!

Out with the old in with the new - AKA Posting Season

August 15-21, 2016

Starting my fourth week in Moscow so I’m feeling more like a resident than a tourist even though I am constantly pulling out my phone to snap a picture of something that catches my eye. Have I told you all how spectacular this city is and I have only seen a corner of it! If you can swing the airfare, you really need to come here and see it for yourself!!

Heading into the office on Monday morning, the rain is coming down in sheets. I’m sure I am quite a sight in my poncho carrying an umbrella. I just wish that I’d thought to pull on my Bogs too as my Birkenstocks are no match for the rivers rushing down the roads and sidewalks. I was checking to see if animals were pairing up and headed for a boat but the rain eventually stopped later in the day once the largest single day rainfall in Moscow forever was reached. 

After work, I head to the salon for a colour and cut with the Master.  She doesn’t speak English and my Russian is very rudimentary but with a little help from the receptionist, we communicate reasonably well. The idea of an emulsion to tone down the blonde highlights is met with horror so the approach to highlights is quite different in Russia; a second colour is applied with a flourish to the top layers of hair. I’m not sure who is more nervous me or the Master until I ask her to cut off a few inches. At that point, she is a bit panicked. I was more worried about the colour!

Overall, I am pleased with the result though it is a bit darker than I had expected. No worries, just a bit early with the Fall colour! Sadly, my promise of a selfie is not fulfilled though I promise to show off my new do as soon as I can get someone to take a decent picture!

June through September is posting season and the time has come for one of my Trade colleagues, Dan, to reunite with his family in Canada. They had left a bit earlier to get things settled at home. Wednesday night was good-bye drinks and dinner for Dan and Manuel, another colleague heading back to Ottawa.

We are headed to Strelka Bar. The restaurant is located on an island in the Moskva River behind the beautiful Christ the Savior Cathedral. 

The menu offers a range of interesting options for both food and libations. I haven’t tried borscht yet and the version served at Strelka - venison borscht with pampushki sounds like a promising initiation. Venison is deer; borscht is beet soup but what the heck are pampushki? The best accompaniment for borscht other than the requisite sour cream it seems – little garlic rolls that are indeed great for dipping and making sure that not a drop goes missing.

The borscht does not disappoint. The venison provides some smoke to complement the earthy flavour of the beets and the addition of a bit of the sour cream results in a luscious pink lake in which the garlicky fluffy pampushki take a dip! More please... As the sun dips below the horizon the beautiful cathedral is bathed in pink as well. 

Heading home, I remember that my housekeeper was going to make spring rolls today when she was cleaning. I open the door to the smell of Mr. Proper (aka as Mr. Clean in Canada) and fried food. There are a couple dozen plump pork egg rolls in the fridge so Eva and I each try one and judge them as very tasty. I send Eva home with a half dozen and put most of the rest in the freezer so I can enjoy them a few at a time.

Friday and I am finally getting my own Internet. I decided to go with the fastest download speed (1 GB/sec) which comes with >100 “free” TV channels for the low low monthly cost of $35! My other service appointments have spoiled me so the cable guys arrive just after 11:30 for our 10:00 am appointment. 

The installation process is complicated by my selection, as new wiring is required to support the higher speed internet. After 90 minutes, I have my own internet, 98+ Russian TV channels and two English news channels. I’m going to need Apple TV to stream Netflix!! 

Back to work to salvage what’s left of the day and then it’s time for Canada Club and a final good-bye to our departing colleagues.

Saturday is a lazy day. Eva and I have brunch in her apartment while she awaits her water cooler delivery. When the weather clears up we decide to head out for groceries with the little red grocery trolley bag that Nathalie had left with me so we can “carry” a bit more. We head to the closest АЗБУКА ВКУСА which is a couple km away and requires navigating three flights of stairs on either side of a tunnel under a boulevard; not bad with an empty trolley bag but a bit more challenging when we’ve stocked up.

En route we pass one of the derelict buildings in the downtown core that are draped with “cloth” so that it looks like the building surrounding it – a brilliant solution to something that could be an eyesore for a long time. 

We make it to the store and back with our provisions. I make myself a nice plate and settle in for a quiet evening while Eva heads out to join some colleagues for dinner and a show. 

Or so I thought! I'd forgotten that the final Tragically Hip concert was that night at 8:30 EST (3:30 am here in Moscow). Over the past few months I have been moved by the grace and courage that Gord Downie has shown in facing his mortality and I did not want to miss his final gift to Canada and his fans; a concert that is sure to be a seminal moment in Canadian history.Nothing for it then; I decided an earlyish night would work if I set an alarm and then had a nap after the concert.  

I awoke in the wee hours of the morning, found the CBC feed and settled in to watch history unfold. The concert was unforgettable and my words will never do it justice other than to say I was glad that I was there when Gord gave Canada his all and then some.

On Sunday after my nap, Eva, Alex and I set off to Gorky Park to check out the Pho restaurant that we saw last weekend. As we entered Gorky Park, we came crossed the start line to the Adidas Urban Tri; complete with a portable pool and tents dedicated to spinning, yoga, relaxation.

There was also a hair salon/manicure station; maybe that's why it is considered an Urban Tri?! I noted again that Muscovites don't do "early mornings" on the weekends so there were more people lounging and getting beautfied than anything else.  A colleague arrived later when the activities were in full swing. Maybe I have to sleep in on the weekends too to experience Moscow properly.

We were on our mission to check out the Pho at the restaurant under the pedestrian bridge. For 500 roubles ($10.00) each, we were treated to a veritable feast; giant bowls of fragrant broth full of beef, fresh noodles and a cornucopia of vegetables and herbs and fresh shrimp rolls that brought me back to last year's trip to Vietnam with Ken. We all agreed that a redo would be needed before this outdoor cafe closed for the winter.

Awash in pho we headed across the pedestrian bridge to the Arbat in search for some Russian champagne. 

View of Christ the Saviour Cathedral from the pedestrian bridge

Mobile Coffee Shop

More beauteous onion domes

We walked a fair piece and finally came to the Metro station and it was time for my first ride on a Russian subway to Arbatskia Station. Can't wait to explore the metro and see all the glorious architecture of these underground transitways.

 \

Along the way, we found this beauteous mansion decorated with scallop shells that I need to revisit so I know what it's about.

   
Off to Seven Continents for a few bottles of liquor for the guests and then the long walk home. Having walked about 15 kms, we arrive back to the building exhausted and that's all for this week!!