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.
20101219
20101026
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, ...
20101022
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!
20101017
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 !!!
20101014
First snow
Yesterday, we had the first tender snow fall. Doesn't stay on the ground, melts away immediately, but still......!
20101013
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 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.
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 k
nows someone who might know this bishop who might...... stay tuned!
nows 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.
Old Arbat
The tour begins at the Western end of this famous street (Metro station Smolenskaya) and we meet in front of McDonald's. Cold but sunny, we start into Dieneshni Street and see the backside of one of Stalin's 7 sisters (the skyscrapers he started to build in September 1947). This one is the ministry of external affairs.
Number 51 was one of the first apartment buildings (for rental).
The famous round house built by Melnikov cannot be accessed by the Arbat anymore. The access that we found is via Plotnikov 14 and Krivoarbatski 12.
The statue of Pushkin and his wife stands opposite the house number 42, where they spent the first three months of their marriage.
On the corner with Nikolo Pisoksi stands a wall decorated by graffitti artists and dedicated to the singer Victor Tsoi.
On house number 35, a knight in armour guards the walls.
Just before arriving at the hotel Prague and the metro station Arbatskaya, take a left to go to the parallel street (Novi Arbat) and here you can see Moscow's biggest book store across the street (Moskovski Dom kKigi).
20101005
Icons in Tretiakov
A guided tour in the Tretiakov galery must concentrate on one topic, otherwise you drop dead before you're halfway through..... so the icons were the stars of the day.
Walking into the first room of the exhibition, you meet some old friends from Kiev: mosaic icons that were taken from churches in Kiev. I think, I saw the missing piece of the icon that was rescued from Stalin's destruction of Michalska church and placed in the Sofievska church.... the labels only said "Kiev" and neither our guide nore the wtachdogs sitting in the room knew any details.
So, the first icons date back to the Kievan Rus, the time of Christianisation in the 10th century. The first artists came from the Byzantine Empire (Turkey, Greece). The colour "gold" always symbolizes the divine, it is used in the clothes and the hair of the saints and of Jesus and also used as background colour when the topic of the painting calls for it.
The eyes are never symmetrical.
Icons are a window to the divine world, but only in one direction. Hence, the perspective of icons is reversed. God is looking at us. We are used to seeing the items in the background being smaller than the ones in front. In icon-painting, the further something is, the bigger it appears. The lines don't converge against a vanishing point in the back, but in front of the painting, almost on the tip of the nose of the spectator. But it is also a possibility, that the painters simply didn't know any better.
How to recognize Saint Nicolas: he is always bald, has a beard, shoulders covered by a white scarf with black crosses, he makes the orthodox gesture for blessing with one hand and holds the bible in the other hand.
He became bald, because he pondered very long over the question how to explain trinity to the believers, that he lost his hair over this question.
By the way, when you see Peter and Paul together: Paul is always the bald one, because he was more inclined to philosophical questions and to reading books than the more practical Petrus...... Peter also often carries a key and wears a yellow coat.
In orthodox paintings, the suffering of Christ is not as much a topic as it is in other parts of christianity. The orthodox perspective is more to the divine nature of Jesus, and not so much onto his human sufferings.
Some "photos" of Jesus were taken as follows: Jesus put a cloth on his face, an imprint appeared and he sent it to king Abgar who was ailing and could not come to see Jesus himself. Some theories say that it is the same thing as the shroud of Turin (that, as we know now, dates from the middle ages). However the face came onto the cloth, it was called "made without human hands" (не-руко-творный) and many icon-painters took it as a model. These Jesus-portraits often have a 3-parted beard and you can recognize them easily.
In orthodox tradition, mount Golgatha (where Jesus was crucified) is Adam's tomb, this is why often a skull is depicted underneath the cross.
The orthodox cross has two more beams than the other christian crosses. The upper short beam stands for the sign that was placed above Jesus' head with the inscription INRI. The large beam symbolizes the arms. The short and inclined beam at the bottom symbolizes a footrest that was most probably used during crucifications and it also symbolizes the two men that were crucified alongside Jesus: one went to heaven, the other one to hell.
The two archangels Michael (boss of the heavenly army) and Gabriel (messenger of God) are always easy to identify: Michael wears a red coat (like blood) and Michael wears a blue coat (like the air through which he flies when he delivers messages). Little problem, though: sometimes, when it is really cold, Michael helps out with his red coat......
On August 15th, the orthodox celebrate "the feast of the dormition" which means the death of Mary, Jesus' mother. On icons of dormition, Jesus is always depicted behind Mary, holding her soul in the shape of a baby. 3 archbishops had a vision of Mary's soul being taken by Jesus when it happenend and they were at three different locations at that moment. They are therefore depicted as witnesses.
The 12 disciples are also always shwon, eventhough they could not possibly have been there.
And Mary's (red) shoes are always in front of her bed.
Icons can be dated based on the position of the fingers when bestowing a blessing. Now the priest does it in a way that the greek letters for Jesus' name are formed. Before a concile in the 17th century, the position of the fingers was different: three fingers meant "Trinity" and two fingers meant "God and man".
4 different types of Mary-icons: tenderly mother (cheek to cheek with Jesus), orante (full body picture, praying posture), sign (half body, praying posture), Hodiguitra (showing Jesus to the spectator).
red pigments are often from Novgorod
green pigments are often from Pskov
In the middle of the 5th register (row counted from the bottom) of the iconostasis, god is often depicted. The other icons in this row are patriarchs.
Some icons are painted biographies of saintes (agéographie). One example is icon number 117.
Rublov painted number 114, his famous icon called "Trinity".
Abraham and Sarah lived along a much-travelled pilgrim-route and always offered food to the ones who would stop by. Three of these pilgrims were actually heavenly messengers and anounced the coming birth of their son Isaac to them. These three messengers have later been re-interpreted as Trinity.
One of the most important icons for the Russian orthodoc church has been copied many times and is called Theotokos of Vladimir. It depicts Jesus and his mother in a very special position: cheek to cheek, but she is looking at the spectator. He is tenderly putting his hand around her neck and it comes back out on her left cheek.
This icon is on display in the church incorporated into the Tretiakov gallery, so that it can be prayed to by believers at certain times and can easily be admired by museum visitors (access from inside the museum from 'til 4pm).
Walking into the first room of the exhibition, you meet some old friends from Kiev: mosaic icons that were taken from churches in Kiev. I think, I saw the missing piece of the icon that was rescued from Stalin's destruction of Michalska church and placed in the Sofievska church.... the labels only said "Kiev" and neither our guide nore the wtachdogs sitting in the room knew any details.
So, the first icons date back to the Kievan Rus, the time of Christianisation in the 10th century. The first artists came from the Byzantine Empire (Turkey, Greece). The colour "gold" always symbolizes the divine, it is used in the clothes and the hair of the saints and of Jesus and also used as background colour when the topic of the painting calls for it.
The eyes are never symmetrical.
Icons are a window to the divine world, but only in one direction. Hence, the perspective of icons is reversed. God is looking at us. We are used to seeing the items in the background being smaller than the ones in front. In icon-painting, the further something is, the bigger it appears. The lines don't converge against a vanishing point in the back, but in front of the painting, almost on the tip of the nose of the spectator. But it is also a possibility, that the painters simply didn't know any better.
How to recognize Saint Nicolas: he is always bald, has a beard, shoulders covered by a white scarf with black crosses, he makes the orthodox gesture for blessing with one hand and holds the bible in the other hand.
He became bald, because he pondered very long over the question how to explain trinity to the believers, that he lost his hair over this question.
By the way, when you see Peter and Paul together: Paul is always the bald one, because he was more inclined to philosophical questions and to reading books than the more practical Petrus...... Peter also often carries a key and wears a yellow coat.
In orthodox paintings, the suffering of Christ is not as much a topic as it is in other parts of christianity. The orthodox perspective is more to the divine nature of Jesus, and not so much onto his human sufferings.
Some "photos" of Jesus were taken as follows: Jesus put a cloth on his face, an imprint appeared and he sent it to king Abgar who was ailing and could not come to see Jesus himself. Some theories say that it is the same thing as the shroud of Turin (that, as we know now, dates from the middle ages). However the face came onto the cloth, it was called "made without human hands" (не-руко-творный) and many icon-painters took it as a model. These Jesus-portraits often have a 3-parted beard and you can recognize them easily.
In orthodox tradition, mount Golgatha (where Jesus was crucified) is Adam's tomb, this is why often a skull is depicted underneath the cross.
The orthodox cross has two more beams than the other christian crosses. The upper short beam stands for the sign that was placed above Jesus' head with the inscription INRI. The large beam symbolizes the arms. The short and inclined beam at the bottom symbolizes a footrest that was most probably used during crucifications and it also symbolizes the two men that were crucified alongside Jesus: one went to heaven, the other one to hell.
The two archangels Michael (boss of the heavenly army) and Gabriel (messenger of God) are always easy to identify: Michael wears a red coat (like blood) and Michael wears a blue coat (like the air through which he flies when he delivers messages). Little problem, though: sometimes, when it is really cold, Michael helps out with his red coat......
On August 15th, the orthodox celebrate "the feast of the dormition" which means the death of Mary, Jesus' mother. On icons of dormition, Jesus is always depicted behind Mary, holding her soul in the shape of a baby. 3 archbishops had a vision of Mary's soul being taken by Jesus when it happenend and they were at three different locations at that moment. They are therefore depicted as witnesses.
The 12 disciples are also always shwon, eventhough they could not possibly have been there.
And Mary's (red) shoes are always in front of her bed.
Icons can be dated based on the position of the fingers when bestowing a blessing. Now the priest does it in a way that the greek letters for Jesus' name are formed. Before a concile in the 17th century, the position of the fingers was different: three fingers meant "Trinity" and two fingers meant "God and man".
4 different types of Mary-icons: tenderly mother (cheek to cheek with Jesus), orante (full body picture, praying posture), sign (half body, praying posture), Hodiguitra (showing Jesus to the spectator).
red pigments are often from Novgorod
green pigments are often from Pskov
In the middle of the 5th register (row counted from the bottom) of the iconostasis, god is often depicted. The other icons in this row are patriarchs.
Some icons are painted biographies of saintes (agéographie). One example is icon number 117.
Rublov painted number 114, his famous icon called "Trinity".
Abraham and Sarah lived along a much-travelled pilgrim-route and always offered food to the ones who would stop by. Three of these pilgrims were actually heavenly messengers and anounced the coming birth of their son Isaac to them. These three messengers have later been re-interpreted as Trinity.
One of the most important icons for the Russian orthodoc church has been copied many times and is called Theotokos of Vladimir. It depicts Jesus and his mother in a very special position: cheek to cheek, but she is looking at the spectator. He is tenderly putting his hand around her neck and it comes back out on her left cheek.
This icon is on display in the church incorporated into the Tretiakov gallery, so that it can be prayed to by believers at certain times and can easily be admired by museum visitors (access from inside the museum from 'til 4pm).
20100928
Jogging in Moscow
I have two complimentary jogging partners at the moment: the river-lady and the town-lady.
With both, I meet in front of school in the early morning, when we drop off our kids.
The river lady then takes me by car to the southern end of Gorki Park, where we run along the banks of the Moskva. We run and chat, there's nothing much to see, except for some older men in soviet training suits. Her little dog still has to learn to avoid my feet, but we'll get there ;-)
The town lady is a serious runner with some competitions ahead in her calendar (semi-marathon). She starts slowly and picks up speed as she runs along. In the end I was breathing rather hard. She starts directly from school and she took me across Red Square. There we saw two Swiss men dressed in traditional Swiss costumes with their two gigantic alpine horns, having freshly been summoned by a police car and a second car just pulled up. The discussion did not seem to be friendly and the two walked off. I wonder what would have happened, if their instruments would have fitted into the small police cars......?
Anyway, we spent the rest of the time trying to find a strip of green (a park or the likes), but ended up without having found any. We'll try again!
With both, I meet in front of school in the early morning, when we drop off our kids.
The river lady then takes me by car to the southern end of Gorki Park, where we run along the banks of the Moskva. We run and chat, there's nothing much to see, except for some older men in soviet training suits. Her little dog still has to learn to avoid my feet, but we'll get there ;-)
The town lady is a serious runner with some competitions ahead in her calendar (semi-marathon). She starts slowly and picks up speed as she runs along. In the end I was breathing rather hard. She starts directly from school and she took me across Red Square. There we saw two Swiss men dressed in traditional Swiss costumes with their two gigantic alpine horns, having freshly been summoned by a police car and a second car just pulled up. The discussion did not seem to be friendly and the two walked off. I wonder what would have happened, if their instruments would have fitted into the small police cars......?
Anyway, we spent the rest of the time trying to find a strip of green (a park or the likes), but ended up without having found any. We'll try again!
Cathédrale du Christ Sauveur
Today I joined the guided tour organized by the French expat club in town to see the big church named "Cathedral of Christ the Saviour". Under the pouring rain, but well equipped, the guide led us through this church that was undergoing some repair work.
Some history: built to commemorate the victory over Napoleon's French troops in 1812, it was finished in 1883 after 44 years of construction. Just like the Michailska Church in Kiev, Stalin ordered to destroy it in 1931 and on the site he planned to build a huge monument-building to soviet supremacy. The foundation was laid, but the project came to a halt when war approached. A big hole remained and rain water formed a natural pool that then later was transformed into a real pool under the rule of Nikita Khruchshov.
In the early 1990s, the church reclaimed the grounds, started collecting money and the church was rebuilt in 4 years and on December 31st 1999. In 2000, the church was already used to declare the last Tsar and his family Saints. There is a big assembly hall at the base of this church, which serves for conciles of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is here that new Metropolites are elected and big issues debated.
The dimensions of the church are huge, so when you stand inside and look up, remember that the distance between the two open hands of Godfather is 16 meters!
Something else: looking towards the iconostasis, women traditionally pray on the left side and men on the right side.
We were allowed to go up onto the terrace from where you have a great overview of Moscow. The famous "house on the embankment" is right next door and we could see the monument of the sail ship very well: I learned that it is a monument to Peter the Great.....
Some history: built to commemorate the victory over Napoleon's French troops in 1812, it was finished in 1883 after 44 years of construction. Just like the Michailska Church in Kiev, Stalin ordered to destroy it in 1931 and on the site he planned to build a huge monument-building to soviet supremacy. The foundation was laid, but the project came to a halt when war approached. A big hole remained and rain water formed a natural pool that then later was transformed into a real pool under the rule of Nikita Khruchshov.
In the early 1990s, the church reclaimed the grounds, started collecting money and the church was rebuilt in 4 years and on December 31st 1999. In 2000, the church was already used to declare the last Tsar and his family Saints. There is a big assembly hall at the base of this church, which serves for conciles of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is here that new Metropolites are elected and big issues debated.
The dimensions of the church are huge, so when you stand inside and look up, remember that the distance between the two open hands of Godfather is 16 meters!
Something else: looking towards the iconostasis, women traditionally pray on the left side and men on the right side.
We were allowed to go up onto the terrace from where you have a great overview of Moscow. The famous "house on the embankment" is right next door and we could see the monument of the sail ship very well: I learned that it is a monument to Peter the Great.....
20100927
One month today!
A month ago today, 2 girls landed in Moscow with their mother.
Immigration and baggage claim were a breath and even the cab driver was there :-)
After one and a half hours ride, we finally arrived at the lions' house (guarded by a huge stone lion) where Peter was - also - awaiting us.
We discovered our new home and the kids took possession of their new rooms, one for each!
After the first weekend, we could already confirm that most things were working. We still neeeded to work on internet and TV reception, some lights, a stinky water drainafe issue and we would have to find a solution for the sinks that were built for giants..... but apart from that, we were already almost back to a normal life. Just one little detail: all our personal belongings, such as school materials, clothing, documents, etc. were still caught up midway between our former place of residence and here with no clear information on an expected date of delivery or even the whereabouts of our things.
So we were headed for a school start with the things we had packed for our summer vacation!
The luxury aspect: we now have a great new coffee machine and can make real cappuccino at home :-)
First walk in the vicinity, we discover the shortcut to school (located in the street paralell to ours) and then head for a first dinner out in one of the many restaurants in our street ("Papa's Place").
Immigration and baggage claim were a breath and even the cab driver was there :-)
After one and a half hours ride, we finally arrived at the lions' house (guarded by a huge stone lion) where Peter was - also - awaiting us.
We discovered our new home and the kids took possession of their new rooms, one for each!
After the first weekend, we could already confirm that most things were working. We still neeeded to work on internet and TV reception, some lights, a stinky water drainafe issue and we would have to find a solution for the sinks that were built for giants..... but apart from that, we were already almost back to a normal life. Just one little detail: all our personal belongings, such as school materials, clothing, documents, etc. were still caught up midway between our former place of residence and here with no clear information on an expected date of delivery or even the whereabouts of our things.
So we were headed for a school start with the things we had packed for our summer vacation!
The luxury aspect: we now have a great new coffee machine and can make real cappuccino at home :-)
First walk in the vicinity, we discover the shortcut to school (located in the street paralell to ours) and then head for a first dinner out in one of the many restaurants in our street ("Papa's Place").
There is no more smoke in the air anymore, we have come just at the right time!
On Saturday, we went on a discovery tour to the sport venues that might be relevant for us. First, we took the metro to check out CSK, of course ;-) Test swimming and meeting with the trainer is possible on Tuesday. Then the rain started pouring so hard, that we called a driver who took us to Olimpiskii Sport Complex. There we gathered some information on swimming, but no gymnastics in sight.
Our feet were soaked by then, so we took a break in an Italian restaurant close to our home base ("Benvenuto") and sent the driver away. Nathalie's socks hanging for drying, we had a great pizza, put the wet stuff back on and went home for a change into dry clothes. Called another driver and went to Auchan for food shopping. What a crowd of people on a Saturday evening! Happy to finally be back home, we called it a day.
On Sunday moning, we had a late breakfast and then on to one of the three IKEAs in town. As we all knew beforehand, it cost us the day, but now we are much closer to finishing off on the moving in. Our personal deadline is the first school break at the end of October, let's see how it goes!
Monday morning, Peter already takes off for a business trip that will only bring him back on Thursday. We take a walk to school and get confirmation that both girls are attending school in the building where we want them to be.
In the afternoon, we pack our things and take the metro to Olimpiskii for test swimming, but it was not planned for today, so we are told to come back on Wednesday. Then we surround the stadium in search of the gymnastics place. Suddenly we find ourselves in a crowd of Turkish/Asian looking people, some selling things like small prayer carpets and melons, others hurrying by. Where are we???
Still no gymnastics in sight. Then a big construction site ahead of us, two minarets and a big copper half moon standing on the ground make it clear: we are taking a shortcut through an area surrounding a mosque that is being renovated or reconstructed.
Finally, we find a door on the backside of the arena that says "Olimpiskii Management", we enter and ask the security-guy and here we are: talking to a gymnastics trainer who wants to test Nathalie on Friday afternoon :-)
On this success we ride home.
Tuesday morning, we sleep in. Daria brings the equipment for internet and TV, but has no idea yet, when the technician will come to install it. She takes note of all other repairs that need to be done and tells us, that everything can be delayed because the landlady has just been hospitalized and her son cannot be reached....
For lunch, we treat ourselves to a Tanuki, same chain of Japanese restaurants as in Kiev. And then we rush off to ZSK for swimming. Many parents and children waiting in the hall, suddenly a woman with a clipboard and whistle appears, followed by a male assistant. She, the trainer, starts shouting out some commands and quickly two lines are formed: girls on one side, boys on the other side. The assistant "helps" the kids to stand evenly in line. Then she walks down the line of boys, taking down all the names and years of birth. The all boys walk off with the assistant. Now it's our turn. She is satisfies to hear thsat we come from ZSK Kiev. All girls follow her. No parent allowed. I sneak upstairs, from where I can peak into the pool area and see all kids standing in a row at the rim of the pool. They are called up one by one, jump into the water and show how they swim. Notes are taken . It's all rather efficient and fast. Our girls show crawl and back.
Then all kids are sent back to the changing rooms, the parents gather around the trainer in the entrance hall. She gives her verdict on each child individually, sometimes very severely.
20100627
Kamenets-Podolski, Xotin and Chernivtsi
Our p
resumably last family-weekend in Ukraine brought us to the South-West: 
resumably last family-weekend in Ukraine brought us to the South-West: 
Kamenets-Podolski has been our base for this week-end. A great medieval town, with a stunning fortress. There we shot with the cross bow and checked out all the hidden paths and corners of this huge and well preserved fortress. An absolute Must for everybody living in this country.
When in the fortress, you can see a very interesting building that is telling the story of this city, a church which has over the centuries served for many different purposes: First a catholic church and seat of a bishop, then taken by the muslims who added aminarett to it. Then it was re-conquered. This is shown by a golden statue of Mary built on top of the minarett. But after some time the church lost its status as a seat of a bishop, then seized being a church at all. The communists turned it into a museum for atheism. Since 1990 it has become a catholic church again and the Polish pope gave it its own bishop again in 2002. His statue can be seen in the garden behind the church. The tombstones show many Polish names, which explains teh strong catholic roots.
The crystal caves of Krivche: As it was raining, the biggest adven
ture was the way to get there. After driving a mile or so throught the mud, we come to the entrance. We happen to be there at 5 to 12. At 12 a man comes and opens the caves, and we get in together with a group of Ukrainian kids and their accompanying adults. The tour through the cave takes 1 hour, and we see many crystals in the walls, and fascinating forms of the rocks inside the mountain.
ture was the way to get there. After driving a mile or so throught the mud, we come to the entrance. We happen to be there at 5 to 12. At 12 a man comes and opens the caves, and we get in together with a group of Ukrainian kids and their accompanying adults. The tour through the cave takes 1 hour, and we see many crystals in the walls, and fascinating forms of the rocks inside the mountain. The fortress of Xotin, above the majestic river Dniestr: Was built in 1002, and was only conquered twice since then. A huge sign of old power which immediately makes you think of some medieval armies attacking, people selling their goods in front of the fortress and so forth. No wonder this fortress is today used for many movies today.
Chernivtsi: Just 40km south of Xotin, the old capital of Bukovina. previously part of the Austrian empire, you can still see some influence from those days. Chernivtsi is our culinaric high
light of the week-end: First a nice beerhouse for a late lunch. Then short site seeing under heavy rain. The University and the greek-catholic church are impressive. Finally we find a Viennese coffee house, in which we spend a great time with Sachertorte (a Ukrainian version), Apfelstrudel (100% original recipe) and other cakes. Sitting in majestic seats we can feel the the planned music party in the evening will be a success. The owner talks a lot with us about this event, in 
which she intends to lend old aristocratic hats to all ladies. A place to come back.
light of the week-end: First a nice beerhouse for a late lunch. Then short site seeing under heavy rain. The University and the greek-catholic church are impressive. Finally we find a Viennese coffee house, in which we spend a great time with Sachertorte (a Ukrainian version), Apfelstrudel (100% original recipe) and other cakes. Sitting in majestic seats we can feel the the planned music party in the evening will be a success. The owner talks a lot with us about this event, in 
which she intends to lend old aristocratic hats to all ladies. A place to come back. 
20100208
Election
Last night, the exit polls showed a victory by Yanukovich (50% to 45%) that seems to be confirmed this morning by the first counts.
20100207
Election Day
Today is the second round of the presidential elections.
It's sunny and cold.
The outcome is supposed to be very tight.
The looser is not expected to accept a loss, so the next days will be very interesting!
In the afternoon, the center feels deserted. The two main places, where the two camps have set up their camps (Michalska for Yanukovich and Sofievska for Timoshenko) are emptied, the stages and the tents are gone.
Strangely enough, the only thing that remains on Michalska square is the big screen with a live TV show on the election, shot from a pro-Yanukovich-decorated studio. Nothing on Sofievska square.
On Maidan, it is just cold. Not many people are out. The ice-rink sponsored by a coffee company functions normally.
It's sunny and cold.
The outcome is supposed to be very tight.
The looser is not expected to accept a loss, so the next days will be very interesting!
In the afternoon, the center feels deserted. The two main places, where the two camps have set up their camps (Michalska for Yanukovich and Sofievska for Timoshenko) are emptied, the stages and the tents are gone.
Strangely enough, the only thing that remains on Michalska square is the big screen with a live TV show on the election, shot from a pro-Yanukovich-decorated studio. Nothing on Sofievska square.
On Maidan, it is just cold. Not many people are out. The ice-rink sponsored by a coffee company functions normally.
Karneval am Dnjepr
Achmed and a Cowgirl on their way to the Karneval Party 
at the German embassy. 400 people, a packed dance floor, Leberkäse and Kartoffelsalat, beer and all that music you could also be hearing on the streets of Düsseldorf these days..... what a blast!
Location Check sequel
When this pot stands on your balcony and is filled with your own home-made borschtsch..... then you know you are in Kiev :-)20100128
Location-Check
Wenn du es normal findest, dass es im Büro 15°C hat und du täglich zum Kunden fährst zum Aufwärmen......
Wenn du den Eisschwimmern glaubst, die sagen, dass es sich warm anfühlt, wenn man bei -20°C in den Fluss baden geht, weil das Wasser ja +4°C hat.....
Wenn du dich täglich einmal auf dem Eis langlegst, weil du nicht wie die Mädels mit diesen 10cm hohen ein-spitzigen Steigeisen herumläufst......
Wenn jeder Schnee- und Eishaufen unter 1m Höhe in deinen Augen ein super Parkplatz ist.....
Wenn du bei -8°C denkst, der Frühling ist schon da......
Dann, ja dann bist du in Kiew!
Wenn du den Eisschwimmern glaubst, die sagen, dass es sich warm anfühlt, wenn man bei -20°C in den Fluss baden geht, weil das Wasser ja +4°C hat.....
Wenn du dich täglich einmal auf dem Eis langlegst, weil du nicht wie die Mädels mit diesen 10cm hohen ein-spitzigen Steigeisen herumläufst......
Wenn jeder Schnee- und Eishaufen unter 1m Höhe in deinen Augen ein super Parkplatz ist.....
Wenn du bei -8°C denkst, der Frühling ist schon da......
Dann, ja dann bist du in Kiew!
20100124
Back on the ice !!!
With temperatures below -15 celsus outside for more than a week, it's time to get back to the frozen waters. (By the way - colder temperatures are forecasted for next week)
We went skating on a pond west of Kyiv, where friends of ours live in a nice house. For those who don't have the experience: Comparing skating in such conditions to indoor-skating is about the same difference as between off-piste skiing and a well prepared "Blaue Autobahn".
Needless to say - we couldn't stay outside very long. But you should see thos
e ice fishers, they drill hole after hole, sitting there for hours drinking vodka!
Ericsson's new program to increase "time with customer"? :
temperatures in Peter's office have gone down to approx. 15 (at least +) , and a cold wind is blowing through the non-existing isolation round the windows. At such circumstances it's a question of survvial to organize a meeting at the customer's premises once per day to warm up.
We went skating on a pond west of Kyiv, where friends of ours live in a nice house. For those who don't have the experience: Comparing skating in such conditions to indoor-skating is about the same difference as between off-piste skiing and a well prepared "Blaue Autobahn".
Needless to say - we couldn't stay outside very long. But you should see thos
e ice fishers, they drill hole after hole, sitting there for hours drinking vodka!Ericsson's new program to increase "time with customer"? :
temperatures in Peter's office have gone down to approx. 15 (at least +) , and a cold wind is blowing through the non-existing isolation round the windows. At such circumstances it's a question of survvial to organize a meeting at the customer's premises once per day to warm up.
20100122
Between elections
The first round of the presidential elections took place on Sunday. Timoshenko and Yanukovich will face each other again on February 7th for the runoff.
On the day of the elections, the face of Kiev changed radically. All the political posters and banners disappeared, no more Timoshenko embracing a lion, no more Yanukovich stating nothing, no more Yushtshenko saying that Europe is great.
With the real cold setting in now (minus 15°C today, then down to minus 19°C and minus 22°C on Sunday), the new campaign will probably be frozen 'til shortly before the next round of elections.
On the day of the elections, the face of Kiev changed radically. All the political posters and banners disappeared, no more Timoshenko embracing a lion, no more Yanukovich stating nothing, no more Yushtshenko saying that Europe is great.
With the real cold setting in now (minus 15°C today, then down to minus 19°C and minus 22°C on Sunday), the new campaign will probably be frozen 'til shortly before the next round of elections.
Water Administration
Drinking water is delivered to us in containers of 19 liters that we order regularly (in Russian!).
It used to be the four containers delivered by two strong men who took the empty containers with them, had us sign a little form and left the signed receipt with us.
Yesterday, another delivery. As a result we were left with 5 (five!) papers:
The usual one, another one stamped and signed, also stating that 4 containers were delivered.
A third one reading "invoice", also with stamp and signature.
A fourth one with stamp and signature and finally a fifth one (also with stamp and signature, of course) detailing the taxes paid for the water and the delivery.
It used to be the four containers delivered by two strong men who took the empty containers with them, had us sign a little form and left the signed receipt with us.
Yesterday, another delivery. As a result we were left with 5 (five!) papers:
The usual one, another one stamped and signed, also stating that 4 containers were delivered.
A third one reading "invoice", also with stamp and signature.
A fourth one with stamp and signature and finally a fifth one (also with stamp and signature, of course) detailing the taxes paid for the water and the delivery.
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