Tag Archives: Russia

May 16 2014
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

Alexander takes a well-earned rest

Thursday 15th May 2014, 4.20pm (day 994)

Alex the translator, 15/5/14

My last day in Russia on this trip. I spent it at what must be at least the 20th university campus to grace this blog, Skolkovo, just outside Moscow, delivering a seminar and having it simultaneously translated into Russian by this guy. I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced simultaneous translation but the effort and concentration it takes must be phenomenal, so he certainly earned his tea and pastries afterwards. Particularly as he must be all of what, 17? OK, I’m exaggerating slightly, but he was a little waif of a bloke.

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May 14 2014
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Cossacks

Wednesday 14th May 2014, 7.50pm (day 993)

Cossacks, 14/5/14

My hosts/friends at the Moscow School (the organisation that is the reason I come to visit Moscow so comparatively frequently) invited me to come to this event at the Russian Army Theatre this evening. Lots of folk dancing and its associated benefits like beautiful women, beautiful costumes and manly men doing manly things with swords, like these guys. And not done for the tourists either — in fact Russia is one of the few places in the world where this kind of cultural event is still seen as a normal evening’s entertainment, there were lots of families here tonight.

I still can’t quite grasp the nature of the Cossacks, are they a separate ethnic group, something one is born into, or a cultural choice one makes, sort of like declaring oneself a Celt or a Gaul? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure most of us would like an excuse to pull a face/pose like these two guys now and again.

And, by the way, I have one week left until day 1,000.

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May 13 2014
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoe, Moscow

Tuesday 13th May 2014, 1.30pm (day 992)

Kolomenskoe, 13/5/14

Second Russian church in three days, and another very beautiful building. This one is on the UNESCO World Heritage list and stands in the park of Kolomenskoe, overlooking the Moskva (Moscow) river, to the south-east of the city centre. It was built in 1532 to commemorate the birth of an heir to the throne, who turned out to be Ivan the Terrible, so perhaps the appeal to divine providence didn’t really work in this case. Bearing that in mind the storm clouds gathering around it this afternoon seem kind of symbolic.

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May 12 2014
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

Craig in the bar (and smoking)

Monday 12th May 2014, 9.55pm (day 991)

Craig smoking, 12/5/14

I am here in Moscow with three colleagues and since they heard about this blog they seem all day to have been competing to be featured on it. Craig wins 🙂

Posted also for the novelty value of being taken in a place where it is still legal to smoke in bars and restaurants. Apparently a ban is due to start in Russia in a few weeks, but looking at how many people here still do smoke, I wonder how well it will take.

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May 12 2014
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Daily Post, Urban scene

St. Basil’s, sunset

Sunday 11th May 2014, 9.00pm (day 990)

St Basil's, 11/5/14

Let’s face it. This really is one of the world’s best buildings, isn’t it?

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Dec 05 2012
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Daily Post, Landscape

Coming into land at Domodedovo

Wednesday 5th December 2012, 4.00pm (day 468)

Quarry, Domodedovo, 5/12/12

So far, Hebden Bridge has avoided any snow, but the same is not true of Russia, as you see here. Still, I suppose that’s how it should be in December.

This is – I think – a quarry, pleasantly lit by the setting sun; but then again it doesn’t really matter what it is. I just like the shape, and the further evidence that we get a whole different perspective on the world from several thousand feet up. A lot of photos on this blog have been taken from planes for that reason – I should count them.

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Sep 21 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

First day of autumn

Friday 21st September 2012, 3.00pm (day 393)

Baumann park, 21/9/12

Another beautiful day in Moscow to mark the Autumnal Equinox. As you can see, the trees are just starting to turn. I did get some great photos of the Moscow River again tonight – the Hotel Ukrainia lit orange by the setting sun –  but as I did that theme yesterday, here’s somewhere else. This is the Baumann Park, in the district of Krasniye Vorota.

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Sep 20 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

View from my room at the Crowne Plaza hotel

Thursday 20th September 2012, 8.15am (day 392)

Moscow river, 20/9/12

Utterly glorious day in Moscow today, as good as any have been on this blog so far. I was pretty sure this was going to be today’s picture as soon as I took it, but when fully ‘developed’ I did notice imperfections around the sun – due to it being taken through glass. Nevertheless I decided to go with it because the thrill of having this as literally the first thing I saw this morning when I pulled back the curtains in my room stayed with me. The ‘spires’ are the Hotel Ukrainia, which has appeared before on this blog, and for me is one of the most spectacular buildings in this city – one day I will treat myself and stay there.

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Mar 29 2012
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Daily Post, Transport

The one decent thing about air travel

Thursday 29th March 2012, 7.20am (day 217)

Above Domodedovo, 29/3/12

Well, there’s the views and then there’s the chance to get wine 24 hours a day (and sometimes for free). Oh yeah, and the occasional decent movie. (Watched The Ides of March today. Recommended.)

This photo was taken 5 minutes after take-off from Domodedovo airport, Moscow.

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Mar 28 2012
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Daily Post, Landscape

Silver birches in snow

Wednesday 28th March 2012, 9.55am (day 216)

Silver birches, 28/3/12

There’s got to be billions of these trees in Russia. They line all the roads out of the city of Moscow. They’re everywhere.

I know this is a similar theme to yesterday (and it’s taken from almost exactly the same spot) but I’m not doing much other than work on this visit: so little opportunity to get pictures of much other than the rather drab urban area around the Moscow School (Yugo-Zapadnya Metro station). As you can see, it was a bright, sunny day today, at least in the morning – but it’s still cold.

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