Life on the road

Hitchhiking is not about a big risk in Russia, especcialy, when you move in a pair. It is more about picturesque crazy views of the fields & forests in their true festival spring. Adventures in the rain and in the sun. Then it is a lot about totally different drivers: intelligent, smart and cute or sheely dull and a bit rude, but funny anyway. Sure, hitchhiking is a lot about exhausting movement along the highways or staying at some doubtful position with your thumb, when nobody wants to stop and lift you. And you begin to lose your patience, self-confidence, and belief in this world. But it's like a small model of the life. Wait longer, or go ahead on the road, or do anything else to change situation, try another way and other position, and smile more - then you will definitely catch your luck again. This week I went to a forest & lake.Beautiful relaxing nature is the best prize for a tired megapolis mouse :) So, it was about 300 km East from Moscow + 40 km South from the main highway. We didn't know much about this lake. Just went at random. And it seems great.

May days - to take a deep breath & travel

On the threashold of May all Russian people are looking forward to their legal additional days off. This is a present from our Past and it seems will never change in the Future. Everybody likes this May weekends.
It's an interesting mix of relaxing practices and visiting some serious ceremonial events dedicated to the Second World War End.
Normally we have 3 days off at the very beginning of May (can vary 30th of April - 2nd of May, or 1st-3rd of May). These are the holidays of our Soviet and Socialistic past, when the working class gathered for festival marches and parades to show their class strength, unity and solidarity. The USSR had fallen into oblivion more than 20 years ago, but nation still enjoys festival atmosphere during these days and like previous generations of working class people, they don´t like to work on these days, too. That´s why nobody replaced, removed or canceled these holidays. And we still have them.
Another 3 days off come to 7-9 or 8-10th of  May. This is our Heroic age holidays. Second World War and millions of our ancestors - grandmoms and grandfathers died during this cruel struggle with nazi. We will never forget (at least try) their feats of arms and all those scary stories left from that terrific war. So, these days are still considered the main holidays in Russia, may be - the main sacred holidays. Their honor and popularity is obvious.
Sometimes when we have a late Easter - all three parts of  these spring holidays that go one after another coincide together - into a big  sparkling and tempting bulk of holidays. For doing nothing - or, for doing everything. That's a real luck. An anormous space for travellings and weekend creativity  - for everyone, especially for those who are tired to sit in the grey office.

This May Day weekend, I made a small holiday trip on the car with my friend and visited just a nice place. We've been there only for a sunset time. But it was really nice and full of deep breath of spring nature. The High bank of river Klyazma, around 200 km East from Moscow.

Sudden surprise

You never know what you can meet in the place that seems completely known to you.

It was like a sudden surprise today. I decided to have a refreshing walk somewhere through Moscow. The sun and warmth outside were so delicious and inviting, that it was irresistible to stay at home any longer. First, thought to go to Kremlin and somewhere to historical center. But then went straightway to Kolomenskoye – a huge historical park, quiet and silent, a former land and one of the residences of Russian Kings (Tzars).

 Here is more nature and less people.  Though going to Kolomenskoye is not very interesting, cos we’ve been here for thousands of times: winter, spring, summer and autumn.

 Every path seems to be walked all over, every corner is known there. And no new view for my camera, Kolomenskoye is very popular place for walks in our life. So I went there and just enjoyed starting spring, sunny space and people.

 

Calm and wide River Moscow, ancient churches, empty fields and freedom. These buildings are so ancient, alive history. 1532 year – this church was built just at the time when America’s continents were discovered and had started to settle by Europeans. And in Russia severe frosts changed severe wars, peasants were poor and Kings as usual struggled for throne.

 This land has magic energy and atmosphere. A big piece of well-preserved land and wild forest along the river in the heart of a huge industrial overpopulated city. 

 

Then I went to abandoned apple garden. It is very poetic and beautiful place, when it is captured by blooming spring. But now the trees are still sleeping. They are waiting the right time to blossom out.

 And then was a surprise. I have never walked farther then this garden and decided continue my way to see what’s there after trees. The alley was long, near-empty with great shadows on it. I thought 15-20 minutes more – and the park will just finish. Imagine my surprise when I sow some ancient roofs and buildings again. 

 

A miracle wooden castle stood in front of me. There were almost no people. And everything looks like great decorations to historical movie. 

I was puzzled and amazed. Have never seen it before, never heard about it before! The place which I considered completely familiar to me. It turned out to be a recently restored wooden palace of one Russian King, that live here in 1673-75. 

 The building had been rebuilt for several times since its construction, when 100 years later, in the 18th cent. Queen Catherine II made a decision to destroy this palace, because it was spoiled and out of good state. 

  Before pulling down the castle masters decided to copy architectural diagrams and building plan – to save the image of this palace for future Russian progenies. Thus, it was left for centuries. 

  Only in 2007 Moscow authorities decided to start reconstruction of these buildings. Recently it was completed. And now astonishing style and image from the 17^th century make us glad again. It is worth visiting and admiring! Very fresh and original.  

Music Deluge of rainbows and storms

 I´m busy now, and every story gets its birth in the past time. The most favourite word now is yesterday. Still fresh to remember and recollect, and still alive and topical - to share. Though sometimes some events and occasions in my life remain so bright and significant, as if  they always exist in the close Yeterday. One of such  things was yesterday.

Yesterday I went to some nice piano concert. Nice - is an unpropper word. Better to say - brilliant and touching, though it was very modest, with a few people in the hall and only one pianist on the small stage. Russian Academy of Music named after Gnesiny  sometimes holds free-admission concerts of their students. Before going to some international contest or taking part in a crucial concert students need to revise their programme, try it in front of public for one more time and make sure they are ready to go ahead.
Yesterday was about it.
A young pianist man, a winner of some big international contests, was playing in front of near-empty hall.
But it was great. We waited for him about 10-15 minutes, when he suddenly appeared in the doorway. Like a soldier, decisively and bravely,  he went quickly - straight to the stage and after a two-seconds sitting rush to the attack. It was a storm. He was performimg List and Shopen, downpouring a small hall with sounds of desperate rainfalls, thunderstorms and heavy winds. At once He swept  all the calmness and sleepy state of the site and began to fill the place with a presence of life, struggle and  harmony.And then - with rainbows and sounds of blooming Spring. And then - with sadness, disbelief, nostalgia and beauty. And then - again this an army of sounds.The sounds sparkled like brilliants, jumped out of his fingers running in every which way. And this racing and immediate stops of rage were like a real never-known behaviour of raging sea. And trying to cope the uncertain waves. It was beautifully done.
I'm not a very good expert in music and performance. But it seems that every real professionalism is an art. When you feel that the work is done at the very edge of possibility, at the highest level of quality, with the tiniest polishing of its every movement and step, even breath. That's the art, no matter where it's perpormed. Music, painting, Olympic Records or surgery operation. This is an art - at the edge of possible. And yesterday we heard an art like this. Ever-living classical music with a great performance of it.
And we were sunk into it for 1,5 hour. After that real touch of Art many things seem different when you go back to real life. I usually don't want to see TV or read some yellow newespaper for a while - not to poison and destroy that unreal castle of beauty, that is still inside after touching of real art.

I went back home, to the metro, watching dirtyness at the rainy Moscow and two drunk men coming back home. Everything, everywhere were totally mixed in this world.

Cruelty can not to be cured?

Yesterday's evening was a kind of tragic mix - real and fictional, but indeed real, too. First, while checking e-mail around 18 o'clock we found out from
Internet about a bomb blast in the Belarussian underground. What?????????? What a heck??????????? Peaceful and calm Belorussia, really far from modern wild tracks of terrorism and police-goverment-terrirosm battles.What a horror? What a sense? Killed and injured people again! For what's sake? It's so incredibly awful to die in the bomb blast in Belarussian subway, cuz it incredibly unreal. This country is still living in some socialism-soviet standards, with well cultivated goverment agriculture and plants. And with poorly developed private business sector. They have more or less active opposition to their "perpetua motion" President. But this opposition will never blast the people in metro. They strive to be some foretellers of Democracy, not organizers of ugly blood in subway, aren't they?  For one more oppositionist put in prison? It's incredibly unbelievable, it's can't be right.
It's a cruel terrorist style, that was too far from the peaceful belarussian society till yesterday.

Yeah, we are from Moscow. And we absurdly used to bomb attacks in metro. It's normal in Moscow - to live under the threat that one day you can be involved in subway terrorist crash again. And there is no garanty that the next time you will be out of this cage. The nearest point I was to the bobm blast was at March 2010, when I was late just for 15 minutes to change my lines and go downright to that station, where the bobm exploaded. But we are here, struggling with hard city: weather, unemployment, traffic jams, dense crowds and bombs in metro - this is "normal" set for us. I'm so sorry.

Late in the evening we sow a famous film "Schindler's List" - magnificently done and therefore - very hard to see strip. This is one more film in the row of stories how Nazi blindely killed people. Not Jews, it doesn't matter who you are, nazi killed just people - for nothing, as a morning exercises from your balcony, before taking a cup of coffee and having pee-pee in the toilet. It was terrible fiction with an awfully true background.
 ******
Say us, World, it's so important to be positive and live in love - this life we were once prized and blessed for. But how to cope with all that cruelty that seems never to be cured and is even inevitable?

Annual Soap Bubble FlashMob in Moscow

We try to struggle with winter. It's hard to feel youself in the middle of April with snow still falling on your head. It's injustice-  cuz the last time we blew bubbles - we were in T-shirts and hats - the same April, on the same street Arbat, in 2010.
Anyway despite the rainy and cold weather in 2011 we were full of conviction - real spring and summer comimg soon. And there is no way for sadness and winter laziness still hide inside any longer.
Normally this flashmob turns to a a big improvised festival on the main Moscow street of art - Arbat. With clowns walking on stilts, musicians, dancers and oddly, strangly and fantascically dressed people. You can yell loudly, anyone can do whatewer they want. Don't forget your soap bubbles. They  are heroes of occasion.
This year there were fewer people and costumes, almost no dances and music bands. But thanks to everybody who come to the streets from their warm flats. Soap Bubble Flashmob in Moscow was alive. And every of us smiled at least 15-30 minutes during this promenad. Now a few photos.