Moscow for a week!

To Moscow! To Moscow! To Moscow!
Anton Chekhov. It is the year 1147 when Moscow was first mentioned in the old Russian chronicles by Youri Dolgorukiy, the prince of Suzdal. Year by year Moscow grew, was fortified, became a market town in the late 12th century, was almost totally destroyed during the Tatar invasion, in the 15th century Moscow extended its rule over most of central and northern Russia, again was destroyed in1812 by the Napoleon’s conquest, but was rebuilt within a short period… Now it’s the largest metropolitan area in Russia, which combines beautiful old cathedrals, churches and monasteries with modern Hi-Tech buildings.What is on the agenda for today?

Yes, Kremlin (lucky you ! If you are present at a wedding that are usual here, coz beautiful brides and bridegrooms come here to put flowers) as usual, then
Grand Kremlin Palace
Assumption Cathedral
Annunciation Cathedral
Tsar Cannon
Tsar Bell
Armory Chamber
Diamond Fund

Cathedral of the intercession, or St, Basils’ Cathedral In the Middle Ages art was almost exclusively ecclesiastical, but compared to the sculptures of the Western Catholic World the interior of the Russian churches was richly decorated with icons and murals, which were called to praise the Christian God in the orthodox religion.

Andrei Rublev Museum (The monk Andrei Rublev was the Russian greatest icon-painter of the time. His most famous creation – the icon "Trinity" - is marked by profound spirituality, grace and delicate, harmonious colors.)

Quick Tips:

It’s a well-known fact that the greatest artistic contributions of Russia have been in theatre, literature and ballet, so if you were not lucky enough to get the tickets to the Bolshoi Theatre it would be the right choice to visit Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre(17 Ul. Bolshaya Dmitrovka, phones: 219-3135, 229-2835, the nearest metro station: Chekhovskaya), I’ve seen The Swan Lake, Don Quixote and Futile Precaution.
Check out the playbill at www.stanislavskymusic.ru"

Best Way To Get Around:

Traveling in Moscow I decided to stay in Marriott Grand Hotel that is situated in the Moscow center so it is easy to get to the main sites of the capital, such as Arbat Street, The Bolshoi Theater, Red Square with Saint Basil''s Cathedral and Pushkin Museum, it took several minutes to get there. The metro station - Mayakovskaya is close too. The first thing that I came across here is the attentiveness and benevolence of the staff, always meets you with smiles on their faces (even if you come back very late at night). Moreover, the rooms were comfortable and cozy with satellite TV where I found all-news channels (in case you couldn’t leave all your "homework" at home), the small minibar with fruits (I was lucky to have also the wet bar), fresh every day newspapers – Moscow Times - were delivered from Monday to Friday, and when I came back from my sightseeing I always found on the pillows too small but nice chocolate medals from Red October which were given to me as a present from the hotel staff. I was in Moscow in July when the weather is the hottest one so the individually controlled air conditioning helped me much. Attention when you pay by cash or by credit cards here tax is 5%.

In the morning I tried their continental breakfast, the word ‘continental’ describes everything of it, it was not very delicious but with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Indeed, the one thing that may be hard to find in this Hotel is traditional Russian cuisine – pancakes, soups, and milk cereals. Once during the dinnertime I tried to pull myself together and went to Russkiy Pogrebok, where I was really surprised by their wide range of Russian dishes (most main dishes cost from 40$ to 70$). Besides I had learnt that there were 3 more restaurants on the first floor of the hotel, one of them is Samobranka Restaurant where I was offered to try tasteful International cuisine options. Don''t miss this opportunity to have lunch and dinner there.

I was surprised to meet a lot of children with and without parents and tourists here.

The useful hotel information is that check-in, 3pm, and checkout, noon. Intrestingly enough, since January in its Lobby bar a traditional five o’clock tea is arranged. Jane Pettigrew a famous British writer and a connoisseur of tea (the title of her book is Jane Pettigrew’s Tea-Time) was pleased to be invited at this elegant and stylish tearoom. White with yellow décor of the tea table is easy on the eye, and a tablemat with crudités and rusks, airy scones with their special delectable flavour – all these we have found at the Marriott Grand Hotel.

The interior of Bar Savoy has floral motifs; the restaurant offers tasty Russian and European haute cuisine. I gave priority to the home style salted salmon, yummy it was with the fresh vegetable salad (a vegetarian won’t find anything better), so we didn’t forget to clink our glasses before getting down to the really finger licking beef fillet with Madera sauce, the recipes were quite old, I suppose, I couldn’t forget about the elegant dessert – the Savoy Cake either. For dessert there were also some more dishes: the ice cream, fruit cocktail and the honey pastry with whipped cream. I enjoyed the cuisine created by their chef much, so savored the flavor of each mouthful, and chewed my food well. One day I had a gap in my sightseeing tour, so I decided to come here again, it was the lunchtime, and their Business Lunch with its boiled sturgeon with horseradish sauce was inimitable. I’m fond of soups and tried their borsh, a redroot soup. All the dishes including tea cost about, I was surprised, $30.

For breakfast I couldn’t come, but my friend told me that he got his favourite muffins, home made pastries and rusks with a cup of hot milk."Bon appetite!"
This restaurant has a -- there''s a detailed menu available, so don’t forget to look it up, as I did.

Once upon a time, there was the Honey Museum on the territory of the Kolomenskoye Museum and Nature Preserve (see the website: www.museum.ru/kolomen), which I found accidentally during one of my walks around Kolomenskoye. I thought that it couldn’t be such a museum in this ecclesiastical area. But later I learned that in old Russia, there were two patron saints of beekeeping, Zosima and Savaty. Among cherry and pear trees, I found an apiary with old-fashioned beehives arranged among beds of medical plants (bees can gather the pollen from about 47 flowers and herbs to produce high-quality honey). The beehive "buzzes," as the swarm of bees is working strenuously to support their queen. A beekeeper will show you the honey boxes with honeycombs if you ask.

"And I was there, honey and beer drank, but these dripped from my mouth but didn’t get to my mouth"--this is the famous end to nearly every fairy tale in Russia. It's because a honey feast was popular for Russian fairy tales and for life as a whole. Most famous were and are the honey-based drinks such as medovukha and hot beverage known as sbiten, which were served in a large carved cups called bratinas.

It's not complete without wooden spoons: "The spoon is most welcome at dinner," says an old Russian proverb. The wooden spoon (usually made of linden or birch) was used in daily life by Russian peasants till nearly the end of the 19th century. It was the dearest pocket companion and often had whimsical carving. Now Khokhloma continues the tradition of spoon carving; the patterns include flower, grass, and butterfly motifs in red, black, and green with nearly golden colors.

Don’t miss the tasting room next to the Beekeeper’s House (open 10am to 5.45pm, closed on Monday; territory open 9am to 10pm; Prosp. Andropova; phone 112-8174). The tasting room offers honey from all over Russia, such as linden and buckwheat, raspberry and chestnut, but the best is often made from herbs. You can drink cold or hot tea from the big mugs made of birch bark here, and eat honey with a freshly salted cucumber. Honey cakes, gingerbreads, and pancakes are also available.

A small shop is here, too, where honey of many varieties is packaged as souvenirs. For example, a Gzhel bottle with honey is presented as a traditional nested doll; I think it’s a much better gift than a bottle of vodka. Honey in combs can also be bought here; the wax is the best material to preserve the aroma (subtle or sharp) of the flower nectar.

Honey is the most health-giving product because it’s rich with natural glucose and easily assimilated. It's extremely precious to me because it’s the smell and taste of my childhood in the apple garden of my darling grandparents.

"Bring us two cups of tea," we asked the waiter. It was the splendid hot tea with the puffs, which come in so many different varieties, you can’t even imagine before coming here.

The next coffee house we visited was Moscow-Berlin (Metro station: Belorusskaya 52/2 Pl. Tverskaya Zastava, phone: 251-22-82), that was open all day and night. There were a lot of cups, mugs, and espresso cups on the shelves. I think February is the best month for visiting coffee houses because it’s still very cold, and there are strong gusts of wind strolling in the streets of Moscow. Sometimes black or white coffee is very neccessary at this time of the year. There are five different kinds of cheesecake here--we have tried them all, and they are all really delicious. Especially good was the apple puff and the cake with fresh grated carrots and nuts. Also, to extend the pleasure, we took several pieces of cake home (confectionary takeout). Everything was quite affordable--under $20.

This brings us to the last coffee house, to which I’d like to draw your attention. It's called Loft (Nautilus Shopping Complex, 6th floor, 25 Nikolskaya Ul, 933-7713) You can get here the metro station Lubyanka. Loft is open Monday-Friday, 5-7pm. The story started in the early spring. I was in down-trodden mood, and then I received a call from my friend . . . Outside it was raining with the puffs of wind, and inside there were raindrops dribbling down the windowpane. There were wisps of smoke emanating from the aromatic sticks. Here you can have a cup of scented tea with sugar cubes or with a squeeze of lemon (as you wish), a small slice of cake, a fresh newspaper, or a heart-to-heart talk with my friend (preferable for me) . . . maybe you’ll keep my company next time?

To buy, or not to buy.

What to buy in Russia? What souvenirs can be found with a brand "made in Russia"? That is the question. Firstly, a decent map is of vital importance here; ideally, get a single-sheet map so you can see all of central Moscow at a glance. It’ll ease your way here, so a map can be found in Anglia British Bookshop, which offers a wide range of different books in English; you won’t find anything better than this shop can advise to you; also visit their web-site Anglia BookShop.
Address& phone: 6 Vorotnikovsky per., M. Mayakovskaya phone: (095) 299 7766

Also it is a great Afisha magazine but it is in Russian (issued once a fortnight, which costs around $2) that is a complete listing of everything happening in Moscow and is recommended for every visitor, all theatres and cinemas, restaurants & cafes, interviews and timetables are presented there. If you are interested in, come to AFISHA.

A great number of postcards with different sites of Moscow and Russia as a whole can be found in the bookshop "House of Book" (Novii Arbat, 8, Metro Arbatskaya) and "Moscow" (Metro Tverskaya, Tverskaya str. 8); also you come across them in Gum (near the Kremlin).

If you have time before the performances in the Bolshoi Theatre, don’t hesitate, unsure of what to do and where to go, visit its theatrical shop, where you can put on ballet clothes & shoes, colored and originally made wigs, and of course to buy audio and video tapes, books and magazines, and finally souvenirs: Shop of the Bolshoi Theatre is located at
Petrovka st., 3 Phone: (095) 292 0494, (095) 292 6650

I strongly advise you to try flavored bars of chocolate and yummy biscuits of Red October and Bolshevichka, and others. It is the sweetest feature of the Russian national character.

Also soft beluga caviare (from the Caspian Sea) so rich with protein will whet your appetite, it''s expensive, buy it only in the supermarkets and special seafood shops.

Useful (such as cups, mugs, plates) and not so useful Khokhloma, Gorodets carving, Semenov matryoshka, Zhostovo, Don faience, ceramics, articles made of birch bark, embroidered clothes, cotton and flax articles all these souvenirs we find in Nizhegorodskiye Uzory (Nizhny Novgorod Designs)that is located in Ul. Zemlyanoy Val 52/16 (entrance from 16 Bernikovskaya Nab.), phone number 915-3360/2829, M: Taganskaya or Kurskaya. Open Monday-Friday 10 am 7 pm, Saturday till 6 pm. But if you are looking for special wooden toys from Bogorodskoye they can be found in Mir Novykh Russkikh (The world of new Russians)a high quality souvenir store, open 10am-9pm, Ul. Arbat 36, phone: 241-5729, M: Smolenskaya.

If "manners maketh man" as someone said

Then she’s the hero of the day

It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile

Be yourself no matter what they say

It is a short extract from the song of Sting "Englishman In New York" that I would like to suggest as the highlight of my article about Russian ballet dancer, Maya Mihailovna Plisetskaya.

Once on the television I’ve seen one of her great ballets, it was "Swan Lake"; even now I remember almost all the details of that performance. I was charmed with her passionate manner of dancing and her technique; it was the impression that she didn’t even pay attention to her pa-de-de, it seemed to me that she had forgotten about them. The famous ballerina was concentrated only on the work of her arms, her image as a whole. "Gesture is the second organ of speech, which was given to a man by nature"; she understands it properly and uses it right. Later I found out that the role of Odette in "Swan Lake", which I was fortunate to see, was her outstanding success all over the world. She danced it over eight hundred times from 1947 to 1977. Thirty long years, the whole life, it sounds strange, doesn’t it? Maya Plisetskaya believes that "her manner, trends, several innovations were accepted by younger generations of ballet dancers". She is glad to it.

In her book "I, Maya Plisetskaya" she tells the reader about overwhelming triumph (27 curtain calls) in Paris. She understood that the technique that time wasn’t as good as before, but she could put the accent on her gestures and even on the impression of her eyes. After it she said: "I had forced the audience to switch its interest from abstract technique to soul and plasticity. When I danced the finale of the second act, people’s eyes were glued to the line of the swan’s arms, the angle of the neck; no one noticed that my bourres were not so perfect".

"As soon as I saw her on the stage I knew she had that incredible stage presence which you either have or don’t have. It doesn’t matter how clever you are if you don’t have it you can’t hold the audience", these are the words that can be heard after every of her performances. It should be added here that her repertoire includes just about all the significant roles in classical ballet, such as Raymonda, Odette from "Swan Lake", and, off course, a cold and brilliant Odile in the Black act, which I’ve mentioned before, Kitri from "Don Quixote", "Carmen", "Anna Karenina", and "The Lady With A Dog". In spite of a great number of divine ballets Maya Plisetskaya is always critical to the work she does. She can never be satisfied with what has already been done, always looking for something new, extraordinary and even shocking. That’s why, in my opinion, she was interested in working not only with the Russian Ballet but also with foreign too. She danced nearly everywhere she was offered, collaborating with such well-famous choreographers as Alonso, Roland Petit, Maurice Bejart (the passage from her book about Bejart left an indelible impression on me, it’s dynamic and bright, I think it’s worth reading), taking part in the performances, which were staged especially for her in Paris, Brussels, Marseilles, New York, Buenos Aires, it wasn’t the tour of the Bolshoi Ballet, it was her own unforgettable experience of collaboration with other ballet schools of different artistic trends. But most of all Maya Plisetskaya likes the stage of the Bolshoi’s Theatre.

"Three beats left. Two beats left. One beat. Here it is. My music. I step on my stage…" It’s the place where she made her first fouettes and where the Bolshoi’s gala celebrating of her 75th birthday took place. In her memoirs she says that this stage was "a close friend of her, animated partner, whom she talked to and thanked for all."

"But a man always lives at present, only at present!" Now she travels around the world giving a series of lectures, and not long ago she decided to do something new, something unknown to the general public, which knows only about her ballet life. Her memoirs "I, Maya Plisetskaya" were published in Russian and English. I believe, she has done her best to render the appearance, atmosphere and people of Russia. The prima ballerina has also allowed her imagination some play. And there can be no doubt that the average reader would gain more from her not long but original book, and better knowledge of the Bolshoi’s Ballet background than he would from any of the detailed but dry and dull monographs. And we don’t know what else she can offer to the world.
Once she was asked: "What’s the main trait of your character?"
"Spontaneousness", she replied.

The Russian world is the world that Russian men and women have created and lived in through centuries of history. The achievements and failures of those centuries have moulded the institutions, the art, the religion, the economy, the landscape, and the people of the "Russian nation." What were those achievements and failures? What is the character of the country and the people who have experienced them? What is the "Russian spirit" that runs through the history of Russia? Why is it not always understood by the non-Russians?

To answer all these questions, let us first look more closely at the Russian landscape--a strange, evocative area with a wild, desolate beauty of its own. The beauties of nature still retain much of its rural charm despite the Industrial Revolution. Russia's spaciousness has helped to shape both the history of the Russian nation and the philosophy of the Russian character.

But Russians have not always been conscious of the history that surrounds them. To be more exact, in Russia, not only was the traditional way of life destroyed (during a great number of conflicts), but also, as a result, so many priceless works of art were lost. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. And now, from traditional church ceremonies to restored country houses in the suburbs, we have gradually come to believe that, at every level, we should try to revive and remind ourselves of that culture and history.

On the other hand is the philosophy of the national character: the knowledge--unconsciously assimilated since childhood--that Russia is one of the most powerful countries in the world encourages a sense of security that could easily slide into one of superiority. The long centuries during which the land was invaded meant that there are could not be a continuity of tradition, however, the cultural activity even during all the war conflicts, was able to survive many ups and downs . . .

In old Russia, metal strips were first used in churches, and then the bells were brought to the country (first mentioned in 1066) and the belfry was separated from the cathedral by the erection of bell towers. But what interests me most is the method of ringing: clappers of western bells are fixed, thus the bell should be given a swing, but in Russia the bell ringer swings the clapper using a long rope, making it strike against the bell walls. The experienced bell ringer nearly dances on the belfry--he uses his hands and feet, and sometimes also needs a helper to swing the biggest bell, because the main thing is to set the general rhythm.

The largest bell is called the Large Annunciation bell, and then comes the holiday bell, the Sunday bell, and the every-day bell. The Novodevichy Convent, the Danilovsky Monastery, and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior all have belfries, and at the important Orthodox holidays, the sound of the bell ringing resounds throughout the city. When I hear this ringing, it seems to me that the Holy Spirit descends to the earth, and it makes me feel happy and joyful. Now there are small and big churches in every street in the center of Moscow, so have a look at their decorations and bells if you have time.

"And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
--John Donne