4 Days in Ekaterinburg

 



We are lucky that have family in Ekaterinburg. It gives us an opportunity to see more of Russia than just Moscow with a good reason.

 

To have family and friends to show us around make us see more than just the hotel and closest park at 8 March Street. March is Marta in Russian, so another world into my brain in the easiest way.



Our family had put their heads together to gives us an experience we had not expected. We had never been thinking that Tsar Nikolai II Romanov had been burned and buried just outside Ekaterinburg with his wife and 5 children.

 

So after an enjoyable Friday evening at the local pub Dubliners we were ready on Saturday morning to experience The Tsars place and some of the museums that Ekaterinburg has built up for interested people to see.

 

A former Russian president from Ekaterinburg made all this happen, and as we can see it benefits the city’s reputation as a tourist attraction. I guess we will dig more into the tsar family history as months goes to learn more what now become more important for the locals.

 

The Russian Orthodox churches are also impressive to have a look into, and it was not a few we managed to see.  Dumping into the priests made their singing rituals can at times be breath taking.

 

Ekaterinburg once was a closed city. One of the reasons was that a lot of the weapons for the army were made here. So what else could one of the local wealthy persons do other than to have a passion for motorized army units? With help from local factory the collection is quite amazing, and with it a touch up with Old Russian cars and some old aircrafts it was fun on a rainy Sunday afternoon to look around.

 

 

 

When you are in the country side, why not get to see some of the real Russian tradition. I am thinking of a dacha. Many are used to have cottage either at the sea or in the mountain. The dachas were handed over in a different way from the state to the people than what we are used to. It is used for other purposes, like growing some vegetables and fruits, to cut down on spending and grow yourselves. Living in a big city and no space, it is good to get out on the dacha on the weekends to have some fresh air, and hope getting some energy for next week.

 

Ekaterinburg was very different city compared to Moscow. It may to be expected with 10% of the population. Understandable that just a few kilometers into Asia where, you find the city across the Ural Mountains, people will live. We will be back and have some more pictures and experiences, but we will wait until we have warmer weather and sun. It is just 2 hours flight away and with the nice new airplanes Aeroflot has it is no challenge.

 

The TRETYAKOV GALLERY

 

At the quiet street of 10 Lavrushinsky Lane in Moscow you will find The Tratyakov Gallery that contains Moscow’s largest collection of Russian art with representative pieces from ancient times through various historical schools up to and including turn-of-the-century Avante Garde works.  The newly restored building is worth a visit in itself.

 

My first visit was last Sunday and it is not possible not to be impressed. The Tretyakov Gallery was founded in 1856 by the wealthy merchant Tretyakov. He presented his private museum of Russian art to the city in 1892. His brother Sergey also donated a number of works and the gallery’s collection has been expending ever since. Today the Tretyakov has the largest collection of Russian art in the world.

 

My tour in the gallery this day was guided by Olga, an art professor that would show us some of her favorite parts of the gallery.

 

A part that is not mentioned in the tour guides is the church that is hidden inside. This had its share of gold and icons and it could take your breath away as our visit to the rest of the gallery.

 

The art we saw this Sunday had a historic touch to it, with stories behind presented by Olga. To be fortunate to have a person to let is into the local history at the same time as we see these remarkable paintings, was interesting and educational.

 

 

I am sure I could be sitting and watch some of them for hours and not get the whole story, discover new things and come back another day and still discover additional happening in the same painting.

 

When you also hear that some of the paintings took 20 years to finish you know that some larger size of painting is hard work and large effort to do.

 

Visiting this gallery again and again in the future will be given a touch of my logistic skills to cover the 5 main areas the gallery covers of Russian art. It is like when you see a table with so much food that your feel stuffed before you start eats. This Sunday was just an appetizer and I look forward to what more I will be up for in the gallery.

 

Wednesday a good day in Moscow

It is in the middle of the week as finished with last weekend and prepare for next. Also it is the day for our Russian lessons. I mentioned before we are starting to get on the Russian alphabet. It is a challenges in itself with all the tj, ch, sh, and even shch after each other along with yu and ya in different combination. That is the pronunciation, in addition to remember that P is R and H is N. r is G and C is S. Along with all those letters we never seen before.

 

Good we have a teacher who can assist us in our challenge. The lovely Lady, Elena, who assist us is 74 year of age, professor, with long experience in doing this either it is for young students or older ambassadors. She has worked in many countries and her love for Norwegians she have had since middle of 1990’s.

 

Week by week we learn new words, grammar, and not at least a bit more of cultural understanding.

Next week we are on to section 3 (ypok 3), we got the words to be pro-active in our studies and be prepared for next week challenges. Still it is hard to remember when O (a) – is without stress and e (i) is without stress.

My wife and I take an interesting approach to it. Watch the evening news for an hour and read the names to those who are interviewed. Not easy to get through both names, but we see the results.

 

In our walks around Moscow we also read signs, some we understand, some not, but at least we practice our knowledge of the alphabet and we have fun.

 

Being approached as a Russian and not understand I have learned the most important words and managed to practice it, in my way of saying this phrase: ya ni panimaio pa-russki, I do not understand Russian. At least for some time, will see when I am ready for a conversation.

Restaurant Scandinavia Moscow

 

Like Saturdays will be our regular visit to TrattoriaVenezia, Sunday will be the adventure day checking out other local restaurants. Living in CityCentre in Houston we were lucky with a number of restaurants in short walking distance. The numbers have more than doubled we have noticed on our walks around the neighborhood.

Restaurant Scandinavia just a cross Puskin and Tverskaya Metro

 

Yesterday we started with one we knew about and had heard a lot about. It is well known in Moscow and special among Scandinavian that miss their dishes from home.

The bar area

 

Restaurant Scandinavia did not have too many visitors when we arrived on an early Sunday afternoon. Skipping lunch made us hungry and gave us the reason to show up for early dinner. We could notice that the restaurant filled up as the hours went.

 

The restaurant has a nice relaxed atmosphere including a touch of Scandinavian decoration. The bar area and the restaurant section is nicely divided, and the interior do not push Scandinavia too much on the guest like the menu do.

 

Smoked eel & gravlax salad

 

Food was the reason for us to come and check the place out, to recommend or not. Both the Skagen shrimp salad from the tapas line and the smoked eel & gravlax salad from the starter line were tasted. It was a touch of home. The gravlax was not filled with dill as one is used to but with the dill in the fruity salad and the muster sauce made it all en excellent start. We also closed a reasonable priced Valpolicella to follow the meal. The main course we chose reindeer. For me it is something I connect with dinner New Year Day, but also something eaten during autumn at the deer season comes to the table.

Reindeer

 

One thing is for sure, we will be back. Enjoy the great food, pleasant atmosphere and staff. I have to admit that I expect it to be a place to give us those small touches of home during Christmas and summer when we feel for it, knowing next day we will hit the favorite Russian restaurant we have chosen. Not chosen yet, but next Sunday we will try out Restaurant TeatrKorsha at Petrovki lane, almost next door.

 

 

Welcom to my new temporary home town

Welcome to Moscow

From the Military Tattoo in September

 

It was difficult to imagine what it would be like to move from Houston to Moscow. With pictures in my head how life was in Houston and pictures in my head how I thought Moscow would be. I am sure what will be presented will be a bit different from what my expected picture looked like from the start. Already after two months in Moscow I see the differences and I must say I enjoy every second of it.

Every weekend you will see couple getting married



Almost, the biggest challenges I am up for is to learn Russian. However that will come step by step and reading the local signs when I walk the streets I get closer and closer to understand what is needed.

"Our local trattoria Venezia"

There is a learning process and the way I attack it may be different from how other will attack it. At times, and I look forward to be able in the future to read on the labels at the grossery shop, not like now where I find something that looks good and get home to make the translation that it was something that I expected it to be. Ok, milk and juice I have learned and many other items is not that difficult, but to find out what kind of fish or meat it is could be a challenges.

In Norwegian...Sild

 

and milk is easy to find in the store

  



So what will you see me writing about?

On sunny days or days that there are special events or cultural activity I would like to join there will be notes and pictures. It could be history about Moscow or any of the artist that lived in this city. Visits to museums, art exhibitions, musical events or to any of the day to day activity I will bump into. I hope to present you the Moscow I see and visit for this extended period of time and I will try to keep updated on a regular basis, weekly at least as long as I am at home.

Bolshoi to the left and shopping center TSUM right