I am moving. There are too many problems with this blog provider. I particularly wanted to post pictures but the post editor will not co-operate. Apparently this is a common problem with this site. It is a pity as in all other respects it is a very user-friendly site.
This is where I am going:
http://grayling.blog.co.uk/
See you there.
Do svedanya
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Snow - at last!
Last night (20th Jan.)it snowed on Moscow. It is still snowing as I write.
Now the city looks as it should in the middle of January.
Straight away teams of snow clearers and clearing machines were busy everywhere. At bus-stops and other strategic points the snow is actually loaded onto lorries and taken away. Scraping it to the side of the road is just not enough.
The driving style does not alter. It is still crazy. The 4x4 owners are in their element!
I put on my thermal long-johns, trucker boots and wooly hat etc. and went out for a walk. Olga says I look like a proper Russian and I think she is correct: I was stopped three times and spoken to. I guess it was to ask directions but I have no way of knowing!
I walked to a major road heading North out of the city, Prospect Mira. It was carved through the old suburbs by Stalin and is bordered by the very distinctive Stalinist style of buildings. It takes one to an extraordinary monument situated outside of an extraordinary park. The monument is to the Russian cosmonauts and is a pleasing sweep of concrete heading up to the sky with a rocket at its pinnacle. (I would post a picture but the Blogger system will not allow me to). The park is the D V N X, usually called 'davenkha', and it is a celebration of Soviet culture, commerce and economic achievement. The old exhibition halls are now a celebration of capitalist enterprise. I hope the old tyrant is feeling sick, spinning in his grave.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: 'Prospect Mira' means 'View of the World'
Now the city looks as it should in the middle of January.
Straight away teams of snow clearers and clearing machines were busy everywhere. At bus-stops and other strategic points the snow is actually loaded onto lorries and taken away. Scraping it to the side of the road is just not enough.
The driving style does not alter. It is still crazy. The 4x4 owners are in their element!
I put on my thermal long-johns, trucker boots and wooly hat etc. and went out for a walk. Olga says I look like a proper Russian and I think she is correct: I was stopped three times and spoken to. I guess it was to ask directions but I have no way of knowing!
I walked to a major road heading North out of the city, Prospect Mira. It was carved through the old suburbs by Stalin and is bordered by the very distinctive Stalinist style of buildings. It takes one to an extraordinary monument situated outside of an extraordinary park. The monument is to the Russian cosmonauts and is a pleasing sweep of concrete heading up to the sky with a rocket at its pinnacle. (I would post a picture but the Blogger system will not allow me to). The park is the D V N X, usually called 'davenkha', and it is a celebration of Soviet culture, commerce and economic achievement. The old exhibition halls are now a celebration of capitalist enterprise. I hope the old tyrant is feeling sick, spinning in his grave.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: 'Prospect Mira' means 'View of the World'
Saturday, 19 January 2008
Red Square and the Metro
Olga and I went in to the city today.
We went on the Metro. The Moscow Metro has an enviable reputation, and rightly so.
The stations are architecturally magnificent and have high vaulted ceilings that take away any claustrophobic effect. The trains arrive every two minutes. Today I saw a young man give his seat up to a blind (white stick) passenger and a young girl kindly offered her seat to me. Manners and respect are evident; even if the young lady implied that I was a frail old git! I declined her offer!
You often see passengers with their heads buried in a book; not just on the trains but on the escalators as well. Some escalators are very long. The handrails move slightly faster than the stairs so you find your hand gradually creeping away from you and your arm round the waist of the person in front (she didn't seem to mind!). Olga remembers this from when she was young. No progress on that little problem then.
The Kremlin is impressive. It is huge and the walls are very high. You see tantalising glimpses of towers and spires within. There are still illuminated red stars on the spire pinnacles. There is the 'Tomb of the unknown soldier' just outside the Kremlin walls. It has an 'eternal' flame and always there are two guards, standing stock still, on either side of the tomb. The guards today were young women. They were in perspex sentry boxes to protect them from the excessive cold.
Red Square has an ice rink built in the centre and the department store opposite the Kremlin, Gum, is outlined in lights. It tried to outshine the Kremlin but it is a frivolous nonentity compared to the ancient, massive presence of this powerful political symbol. St Basil's Cathedral also had an understated magnificence in its floodlights at the far end of the square.
A service was in progress in the little church in a corner of the square. The bell ringer stands amongst the bells in the bell tower and rings out the peals from there. The Russian Quasimodo.
We did not stay long. It was too cold.
Do svedanya,
Graham
We went on the Metro. The Moscow Metro has an enviable reputation, and rightly so.
The stations are architecturally magnificent and have high vaulted ceilings that take away any claustrophobic effect. The trains arrive every two minutes. Today I saw a young man give his seat up to a blind (white stick) passenger and a young girl kindly offered her seat to me. Manners and respect are evident; even if the young lady implied that I was a frail old git! I declined her offer!
You often see passengers with their heads buried in a book; not just on the trains but on the escalators as well. Some escalators are very long. The handrails move slightly faster than the stairs so you find your hand gradually creeping away from you and your arm round the waist of the person in front (she didn't seem to mind!). Olga remembers this from when she was young. No progress on that little problem then.
The Kremlin is impressive. It is huge and the walls are very high. You see tantalising glimpses of towers and spires within. There are still illuminated red stars on the spire pinnacles. There is the 'Tomb of the unknown soldier' just outside the Kremlin walls. It has an 'eternal' flame and always there are two guards, standing stock still, on either side of the tomb. The guards today were young women. They were in perspex sentry boxes to protect them from the excessive cold.
Red Square has an ice rink built in the centre and the department store opposite the Kremlin, Gum, is outlined in lights. It tried to outshine the Kremlin but it is a frivolous nonentity compared to the ancient, massive presence of this powerful political symbol. St Basil's Cathedral also had an understated magnificence in its floodlights at the far end of the square.
A service was in progress in the little church in a corner of the square. The bell ringer stands amongst the bells in the bell tower and rings out the peals from there. The Russian Quasimodo.
We did not stay long. It was too cold.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Friday, 18 January 2008
More on Moscow traffic
Once I get here it takes me a while to get used to the idea of driving. Eventually I climb into the drivers seat and then wonder why it took me so long.
Once you are accustomed to the peculiarities of the Moscow driver, and the 'wrong side of the road', then it is fairly straight forward. Some of the road signs are subtely different; for instance there is no negative indication of turns and when you come to a junction you are directed where you CAN go but not told where you CANNOT go. So when I look for 'no left turn', 'no entry' or 'no U turn' it just ain't there.
On Wednesday I took Olga to run some errands for her parents. When we set out I knew we would be returning in a) darkness and b) rush hour. The darkness is not too much of a problem as the streets are all well lit but the rush hour is terrifying. Most of the problems that occur are down to driver indiscipline: ignoring red lights, ignoring lanes, ignoring speed limits and monumental levels of impatience. If you leave a reasonable distance between your car and the one in front someone will fill it - and they can come at the gap from all and any direction. If another driver thinks you are not quick enough to get out of their way or too slow to take an opportunity then you will get a blast on the horn. Cars move off from lights at the change of the opposing light to red and not at the change of their own light to green. I like anticipation in a driver: it makes for better driving but this is an anticipation too far as it leaves no margin for error.
The major junction outside of the Belorus station is chaos. We had to come through it. Congestion was so bad that the crossing point was never free of traffic, so we had cars blocking our way through and it was just a matter of inching forward and squeezing in when a chance came. On top of this some cars were trying to cross three lanes at the junction because they 'forgot'(!) to get into the correct lane before the junction. 'Why don't they make a box junction?' I hear you say. Well, there would be no point as they would just ignore it. The powers that be also chose to place bus-stops on our exit road from this junction and so three lanes were trying to squeeze into one.
You do not have to commit an offence to be stopped by traffic police. They stand at most major junctions and other random places stopping whatever they fancy as it passes. I have dreaded this happening to me. Today it did! Fortunately we had a pleasant, very smart young man who looked at my European licence and dismissed us instantly. What a relief. Olga's first reaction was, 'I hope we have got enough money on us'. (For the spot fine).
I am getting cynical. I have stopped exclaiming my surprise and annoyance at this bad driving. There is no point.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Once you are accustomed to the peculiarities of the Moscow driver, and the 'wrong side of the road', then it is fairly straight forward. Some of the road signs are subtely different; for instance there is no negative indication of turns and when you come to a junction you are directed where you CAN go but not told where you CANNOT go. So when I look for 'no left turn', 'no entry' or 'no U turn' it just ain't there.
On Wednesday I took Olga to run some errands for her parents. When we set out I knew we would be returning in a) darkness and b) rush hour. The darkness is not too much of a problem as the streets are all well lit but the rush hour is terrifying. Most of the problems that occur are down to driver indiscipline: ignoring red lights, ignoring lanes, ignoring speed limits and monumental levels of impatience. If you leave a reasonable distance between your car and the one in front someone will fill it - and they can come at the gap from all and any direction. If another driver thinks you are not quick enough to get out of their way or too slow to take an opportunity then you will get a blast on the horn. Cars move off from lights at the change of the opposing light to red and not at the change of their own light to green. I like anticipation in a driver: it makes for better driving but this is an anticipation too far as it leaves no margin for error.
The major junction outside of the Belorus station is chaos. We had to come through it. Congestion was so bad that the crossing point was never free of traffic, so we had cars blocking our way through and it was just a matter of inching forward and squeezing in when a chance came. On top of this some cars were trying to cross three lanes at the junction because they 'forgot'(!) to get into the correct lane before the junction. 'Why don't they make a box junction?' I hear you say. Well, there would be no point as they would just ignore it. The powers that be also chose to place bus-stops on our exit road from this junction and so three lanes were trying to squeeze into one.
You do not have to commit an offence to be stopped by traffic police. They stand at most major junctions and other random places stopping whatever they fancy as it passes. I have dreaded this happening to me. Today it did! Fortunately we had a pleasant, very smart young man who looked at my European licence and dismissed us instantly. What a relief. Olga's first reaction was, 'I hope we have got enough money on us'. (For the spot fine).
I am getting cynical. I have stopped exclaiming my surprise and annoyance at this bad driving. There is no point.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Fauna and Avia
There are no wolves or bears in and around Moscow. Not even in the great forested North East section of the city. This is a bit disappointing.
There are plenty of feral dogs running around the city. They run around the streets and the parks in packs and I have never seen happier dogs. They are very different from the neurotic creaturers that think they are a member of a human family; totally confused when they can't cope. They trot about in happy gangs doing what dogs do naturally and their tails are constantly wagging.
There are plenty of pet dogs; of the neurotic variety. Some are very large and they live in very small 10th floor apartments. They can be seen in the courtyard beneath our window being taken for their toileting by women in long, heavy fur coats and round fur hats.
Dog shit is everywhere. In a normal, freezing, winter it stays around - frozen, like pizza or TV dinners. It builds up over the winter months; never being washed away or decomposing, and by the time the thaw comes it is thick on the streets and decorated by the bright little kopek coins that were dropped by their owners whilst out with them. Come to Moscow in Winter by all means, but get out before the thaw!
In the courtyard can be seen the regular city birds: pigeons, sparrows and crows. The crows are what are known in the UK as 'hooded' crows. These have grey bodies and black wings and can only be found in N W Scotland back home. There are Jackdaws and Rooks amongst them occasionally.
The local residents put food out for the birds and sometimes they hang feeders on their balconies. These feeders attract Great tits and Coal tits but I have never seen Blue tits.
All three of these can be found in the local parks but the Blue tits stay away from the apartment blocks. The Blue tits are much bluer than the UK variety.
Most types of British woodland bird can be found out in the forests in Summer. Plus there are Orioles, Hoopoes and, of course, the Nightingales. The Chaffinches and Blackbirds sing a regional variation of the song we hear in Britain which I had trouble identifying when I heard them at first.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: The double headed eagle on the Russian national emblem looks East and West and represents Russia's place between the two hemispheres.
There are plenty of feral dogs running around the city. They run around the streets and the parks in packs and I have never seen happier dogs. They are very different from the neurotic creaturers that think they are a member of a human family; totally confused when they can't cope. They trot about in happy gangs doing what dogs do naturally and their tails are constantly wagging.
There are plenty of pet dogs; of the neurotic variety. Some are very large and they live in very small 10th floor apartments. They can be seen in the courtyard beneath our window being taken for their toileting by women in long, heavy fur coats and round fur hats.
Dog shit is everywhere. In a normal, freezing, winter it stays around - frozen, like pizza or TV dinners. It builds up over the winter months; never being washed away or decomposing, and by the time the thaw comes it is thick on the streets and decorated by the bright little kopek coins that were dropped by their owners whilst out with them. Come to Moscow in Winter by all means, but get out before the thaw!
In the courtyard can be seen the regular city birds: pigeons, sparrows and crows. The crows are what are known in the UK as 'hooded' crows. These have grey bodies and black wings and can only be found in N W Scotland back home. There are Jackdaws and Rooks amongst them occasionally.
The local residents put food out for the birds and sometimes they hang feeders on their balconies. These feeders attract Great tits and Coal tits but I have never seen Blue tits.
All three of these can be found in the local parks but the Blue tits stay away from the apartment blocks. The Blue tits are much bluer than the UK variety.
Most types of British woodland bird can be found out in the forests in Summer. Plus there are Orioles, Hoopoes and, of course, the Nightingales. The Chaffinches and Blackbirds sing a regional variation of the song we hear in Britain which I had trouble identifying when I heard them at first.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: The double headed eagle on the Russian national emblem looks East and West and represents Russia's place between the two hemispheres.
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
Russian Humour
One of my favourites is about soup.
Everyone in Russia knows that soup is at its best the day after it is made.
"Would you like some of yesterday's soup?"
"Oh, yes please!"
"Well come back tomorrow. I've just made it."
There is a lot of humour about the trials of life and its misfortunes:
Political candidate making speech - "Whilst in power my rival robbed the people of everything to make himself rich. I implore you to now give me a chance."
*
Politician -"The banking crisis is over and the customers having nothing to lose."
*
'It's as crazy as advertising vodka.'
*
'No matter how much vodka I drink my body is still 80% water. I keep trying though.'
There is a lot of dark humour:
"Oh husband why are you beating me. I've done nothing wrong."
"I know. If you had then I would kill you."
and
"Husband I have a terrible pain in my head."
"Good. I have no need to hit it with the pan."
(n.b. There is no evidence to suggest that Russian men beat their wives. No more than any other nation!)
The language does not allow me to fully appreciate the stand-up comedians on the TV but I see a lot of physical humour in the acts - a lot of clowning.
Communist joke:
A train breaks down in the middle of Siberia.
Leninist: "The noble communist railway engineers will work costantly and diligently until the train moves again."
Stalinist: "The railway engineers are useless. Shoot them and find some more."
Neo communist: "Let's shut the curtains, go chuff-chuff-chuff, and pretend the train is still moving."
A favourite film from 1975 is a story about the uniformity of life in Soviet Russia. A man gets drunk with his friends. He ends up on a 'plane from Moscow to St Petersburg. When he gets there (still drunk) he tells the taxi his address. The taxi takes him to an identical block on an identical street. He enters an identical hallway with the same piles of clutter. He finds a door identical to his own and (eventually) the key fits! He enters and the furniture and layout are identical to his own in Moscow. When the (very pretty) owner arrives he tells her to get out of his house. The love story then gets going.
Everyone in Russia knows that soup is at its best the day after it is made.
"Would you like some of yesterday's soup?"
"Oh, yes please!"
"Well come back tomorrow. I've just made it."
There is a lot of humour about the trials of life and its misfortunes:
Political candidate making speech - "Whilst in power my rival robbed the people of everything to make himself rich. I implore you to now give me a chance."
*
Politician -"The banking crisis is over and the customers having nothing to lose."
*
'It's as crazy as advertising vodka.'
*
'No matter how much vodka I drink my body is still 80% water. I keep trying though.'
There is a lot of dark humour:
"Oh husband why are you beating me. I've done nothing wrong."
"I know. If you had then I would kill you."
and
"Husband I have a terrible pain in my head."
"Good. I have no need to hit it with the pan."
(n.b. There is no evidence to suggest that Russian men beat their wives. No more than any other nation!)
The language does not allow me to fully appreciate the stand-up comedians on the TV but I see a lot of physical humour in the acts - a lot of clowning.
Communist joke:
A train breaks down in the middle of Siberia.
Leninist: "The noble communist railway engineers will work costantly and diligently until the train moves again."
Stalinist: "The railway engineers are useless. Shoot them and find some more."
Neo communist: "Let's shut the curtains, go chuff-chuff-chuff, and pretend the train is still moving."
A favourite film from 1975 is a story about the uniformity of life in Soviet Russia. A man gets drunk with his friends. He ends up on a 'plane from Moscow to St Petersburg. When he gets there (still drunk) he tells the taxi his address. The taxi takes him to an identical block on an identical street. He enters an identical hallway with the same piles of clutter. He finds a door identical to his own and (eventually) the key fits! He enters and the furniture and layout are identical to his own in Moscow. When the (very pretty) owner arrives he tells her to get out of his house. The love story then gets going.
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Russian National Hobby
Are you curious?
Well - the Russian National Hobby is 'Ill Health'!
The first suspicion I had was on my first visit to Moscow. There are pharmacies on every street corner, in every supermarket and all available spaces in between. A bit like pubs in England.
If you ask a Russian how they are you will get a full, detailed and comprehensive answer!
Many drugs are uncontrolled. You can go and buy any anti-biotic for instance in the local pharmacy. There is little consideration of which anti-biotic is suitable for which type of infection. The decision is based on non-professional advice and hearsay.
'Ill Health' is a favourite topic of conversation. Olga will chat to her friends for hours on the telephone about various conditions that I might suffer from e.g. a skin rash, a stomach complaint, and the advice will come tumbling in. There is apparently no need to interview, nor examine the patient. Of course the advice you recieve will be different depending on which particular friend was consulted :-)
The amount of common knowledge on health issues is considerable.
There is little faith amongst Russians in the body's ability to heal itself. A medicine is a must and to tolerate a condition patiently, whilst the body does its work, is considered ridiculous. Why suffer when you can take drugs? There is no understanding that the drugs (uncontrolled) might be doing more permanent harm and that the body will be less well prepared when the next outbreak happens. Nature's ability to do the healing is not trusted.
I am not sure of the reasons for this obsession. It could pehaps be the inhospitable climate, the polluted atmosphere of the city, the 24 hour lifestyle or another, particular phenomenon, which I have not heard referred to in the same context: atmospheric conditions and related fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field...
Olga and her family are convinced that these natural phenomena are responsible for changes in health. I cannot speak for other Muscovites. It usually is identified by default -
"I feel a bit 'off colour' today"
"Must be the change in air pressure/magnetic field."
End of discussion.
I will concede that that these phenomena tend to be more dramatically intense in the centre of a large land mass.
The Moscow (Russian) public health system is generally good. You can see a doctor without too much trouble or waiting time. There is one major organisational system that the NHS could learn from: the local surgeries have a selection of specialists on site (ear/nose/throat/, neurologist, gynaecologist etc.) and these can be seen without long winded referrals. In fact, if you know what the problem is, you can more or less go straight to the specialist.
I feel a little unwell. Must have sat on a magnet at some point today.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid:Russians do not steal sink plugs - they have the very healthy habit of always washing under running water and have no need of them.
Well - the Russian National Hobby is 'Ill Health'!
The first suspicion I had was on my first visit to Moscow. There are pharmacies on every street corner, in every supermarket and all available spaces in between. A bit like pubs in England.
If you ask a Russian how they are you will get a full, detailed and comprehensive answer!
Many drugs are uncontrolled. You can go and buy any anti-biotic for instance in the local pharmacy. There is little consideration of which anti-biotic is suitable for which type of infection. The decision is based on non-professional advice and hearsay.
'Ill Health' is a favourite topic of conversation. Olga will chat to her friends for hours on the telephone about various conditions that I might suffer from e.g. a skin rash, a stomach complaint, and the advice will come tumbling in. There is apparently no need to interview, nor examine the patient. Of course the advice you recieve will be different depending on which particular friend was consulted :-)
The amount of common knowledge on health issues is considerable.
There is little faith amongst Russians in the body's ability to heal itself. A medicine is a must and to tolerate a condition patiently, whilst the body does its work, is considered ridiculous. Why suffer when you can take drugs? There is no understanding that the drugs (uncontrolled) might be doing more permanent harm and that the body will be less well prepared when the next outbreak happens. Nature's ability to do the healing is not trusted.
I am not sure of the reasons for this obsession. It could pehaps be the inhospitable climate, the polluted atmosphere of the city, the 24 hour lifestyle or another, particular phenomenon, which I have not heard referred to in the same context: atmospheric conditions and related fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field...
Olga and her family are convinced that these natural phenomena are responsible for changes in health. I cannot speak for other Muscovites. It usually is identified by default -
"I feel a bit 'off colour' today"
"Must be the change in air pressure/magnetic field."
End of discussion.
I will concede that that these phenomena tend to be more dramatically intense in the centre of a large land mass.
The Moscow (Russian) public health system is generally good. You can see a doctor without too much trouble or waiting time. There is one major organisational system that the NHS could learn from: the local surgeries have a selection of specialists on site (ear/nose/throat/, neurologist, gynaecologist etc.) and these can be seen without long winded referrals. In fact, if you know what the problem is, you can more or less go straight to the specialist.
I feel a little unwell. Must have sat on a magnet at some point today.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid:Russians do not steal sink plugs - they have the very healthy habit of always washing under running water and have no need of them.
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