moscow airport attack

we heard it on the news. Peter is due to fly out from that airport tomorrow morning. We are all safe and at home. Peter is talking to colleagues in order to find out what to do.

Tension on the streets

It's all over the news at the moment: there have been street fights following the death of a Moscovite "soccer-fan" who was killed by migrants from the Southern part of the Russian Federation.
Following a soccer match, supporters of the Moscow team mixed with Nazi-type "Russia for Russians"-activists got in a fight with People from the Caucasus-region of the Russian Federation. The battle resulted in one Moscovite dead, shot with one of the "non-lethal" rubber bullet guns that are widespread all over the world now and fired by one of the Caucasus-supporters.
Note, not just for our North American friends: Caucasians here don't look like WASPs. They come from the Caucasus, are much darker and Asian-looking than the white settlers who came to America from Europe, and they are often muslims.
Four of the Caucasians involved in the fighting were taken into custody and three were released shortly afterwards, given that the police had identified the killer and didn't need the others anymore. News of these releases came at the moment of the funeral of the Moscovite and it all escalated again. One of the main roads of Moscow (Leningradskoie Chaussee) was blocked for hours by the crowd.
Last Wednesday, December 15th, immigrants from the Caucasus had called for a big demonstration for their rights and against the supremacy vindications of the Russian nationalists. The demonstration was due to take place at 4pm around Kievski Railway station, so as an expat I received warnings from two independent sides telling me clearly to stay off the streets and particularly far away from the Kievski Railway station in the afternoon of that day. The police was faster than that and arrested about 800 people likely to participate in the demontsration in the course of the day and access to the Railway station was intensly screened. Thus protests dispersed to other parts of town.
Yesterday, Saturday December 18th, I took the metro to go to the market that is not very far from Kievski Train Station. This time, I found the market ;-)
The number and look of police (helmets, sticks, bullet-proof vests) in the metro and even on the market (!) was incredible. I saw Caucasian-looking people being intercepted by police, having to show their passports (which one must carry at all times anyway) and taken to a militia station on three occasions during this short shopping excursion.
Today, reports say that 1.300 people were arrested yesterday alone, both from the nationalist as from the immigrant camp.

Peter went for a drink with a Turkish friend yesterday who told him he was not taking the metro at the moment, because of the likelihood of things happening to him. Also, Russian Nationalists groups have been reported to attack Caucasians even there in the underground.
So, for us the only change is: even more police than before.

The best at last - Tennis in Kiev

Since I met my neighbour Jed about 1 year ago, we both re-started our previously disrupted career of amateur tennis players. After some tough lessons from our bodies in the beginning, which made me get shots into my shoulder for more than 2 weeks to get rid of the pains, things have improved and we really enjoy the game.

So this time we managed a last game "na ulitse" at ZSKA Kiev, at refreshing 10 degrees with sometimes wind. Anyway, after 1 hour of the usual fighting at the baseline between Jed and myself we got help: Daria (who has become the missing link to my tennis guys in Moscow) and Anna (an upcoming Ukrainian tennis star if she continues like this) joined us for mixed doubles. Needless to say - the ladies raised the level of the game. Can this really have been my last tennis match in Kiev???

Thanks to Jed for great time in Kiev, looking forward to the next game, whereever in the world it will take place - Moscow, Key Biscane, Islamabad, ...

Rubber Boots

Have you ever wondered, why it is that one of the first things we did upon arrival in Moscow, before our boxes arrived, was to buy rubber boots for the girls and the mother.....? It doesn't rain more in Moscow than in cities that we've lived in before, so why is it that even I wear them often now? In western Europe I haven't worn any since 30 years! When it rains in Moscow or Kiev, the rain doesn't automatically drain off into a canal; it most often stays in the lowest place and you come to discover the craggedness of the sidewalk and the roads when you take the short walk to school (300m). Deep ponds, wide lakes, it's all there!

Dancing Queen - Nathie turns 8

Today it's Nathalie's 8th birthday.

During the last months, the Abba musical "Mamma Mia" has been her major hobby. So as the highlight of her birthday party, we have organized a trainer in the dancing school in our house for her and all her guests. During 1 hour they learn an outstanding choreography of "Dancing Queen". Everybody has a great time, check it out !!!

First snow

Yesterday, we had the first tender snow fall. Doesn't stay on the ground, melts away immediately, but still......!

Chistye Prudy

This is the area where we live, and having been on a guided tour last week, I got a chance to show it to Rosa who lives in another part of town and who wanted to see what this part of town looks like.

We start in Miasnitskaya street, which derives its names from the butchers that used to live and work here (Miasa=meat). It is the street that connects the place with the three train stations to the center of town.

We take a short walk to Miloutinski Street: number 7 is the French school, number 5b is the catholic church, number 5 is a building erected by Ericsson before the revolution. On the facade you see a man yelling at a woman through a phone, and she seems to be listening with utter patience...... anyway, the building was used by the revolutionaries as a communication center.

Now, the iron gate displays the letters MTC.

On Archangelski street 17, we take a look at the church that was built by a Swiss from Lugano under the rule of Peter the Great. It belongs to the Patriarchat of Antioch (not to the Moscow Patriarchat) and was closed from 1930 - 1947. The church is supposed to be full of symbols of Freemasonry..... but so far, it was closed when I was there. Rosa knocks on the door of the vicarage and a woman comes out from around the house: no, the bishop is not here today and yes, he will call Rosa as soon as he gets back next week......

The obscure background to this.... is still very obscure to me ;-) she knows someone who might know this bishop who might...... stay tuned!

Then we turn back into Miasnitskaya to the famous tea house on umber 19 built for Mr. Perlov by the architect Klein at the end of the 19th century. Perlov was an importer bringing tea from China to the Russian capital. For the coronation of Nicholas II in 1896, Perlov had the house decorated by Kipius in Chines style (inside and outside) hoping that a high Chinese dignitary might stop by and thus make big publicity for him. Unfortunately, it never happened. Perlov's brother also had a store in another part of town, maybe the Chinese went there.....?

In front of house number 15, a Florentine lion guards the entrance.