Trinity Tower is the main entrance into the Kremlin.

The Kremlin wall, as evidenced by this photo and the one below, is an imposing edifice.  It has stood the test of time–and Russian winters!–since the late 15th century.

The Kremlin walls are from 3 to 7 feet thick and, taking into account the sloping terrain toward the river, from 16 to 62 feet high.  The wall is nearly a mile and a half in circumference, enclosing an area of about 68 acres.

This glittering array of golden onion domes and crosses adorns the top of the “Church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Holy Virgin.”

The beautiful entrance to the Assumption Cathedral.

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower consists of numerous bells that are rung on national holidays.

The Tsar Bell is the largest bell in the world weighing in at a mind boggling 220+ tons.

The Tsar Bell was never rung because it broke during the casting process. The broken piece weighs over 10 tons.

This giant cannon is another example of the “bigness” of Russia.

The next generation of Russian military leaders marching inside the Kremlin.  I would guess they were probably about 10-12 years old.

The vast expanse of Red Square is difficult to capture in a single photograph, but this is taken from the north end looking south toward St. Basil’s Cathedral.

On the north end of Red Square, opposite St. Basil’s, is the colossal Russian History Museum.

Opposite the Kremlin wall and Lenin’s Mausoleum is a building that extends nearly the entire eastern length of Red Square–the GUM (pronounced “goom”) shopping center, a beautiful 19th century building.

Three glass domed roofs extend the entire length of the building. Each shopping lane is three levels, linked by catwalks. There are over 200 stores in the shopping center.

Many countries have a “mile zero” (or more commonly “kilometer zero”) marker; Russia is no exception. Its marker is just outside Red Square where people gather to throw a coin over their shoulder and make a wish. We saw several “babushkas” (Russian grandmothers) swoop in to pocket the coins.

The most common souvenir sold in Moscow (and Russia) is the famous matryoshka or nesting dolls. The largest and most expensive one I have seen featured 32 hand painted dolls and cost $10,000!

A great many outdoor sculptures can be found throughout Moscow. Most memorialize military or political figures. This one, however, honors one of Russia’s long line of literary giants, Mikhail Sholokhov, for his Nobel prize winning novel, And Quiet Flows the Don.

Peter the Great is memorialized in this statue for creating the Russian navy. It is one of the 10 tallest statues in the world.

One of the most visible monuments to the Soviet era in Moscow is a series of buildings known as the “Seven Sisters.” Built between 1947 and 1953, and combining Gothic and Russian architectural styles, the seven buildings are now used as hotels, government buildings, and apartments. One of the sisters is Moscow State University that includes a dormitory with over 5,000 rooms! The “sister” pictured here is the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building.

Lenin’s visage is the most famous in Russia, depicted here in the Moscow subway system.

One of the great achievements of the Soviet era was building the subway system that still serves Moscow today. As mentioned in the previous Russian art and culture blog post, not only does the “Metro” include beautiful art and sculpture, it moves 9 million people per day! In my eight trips to Moscow utilizing the metro at every time of day and every day of the week, I never waited more than 30 seconds for the next train.  The price just went up to $1 per ride!

The symbol of the USSR–the hammer and sickle–found in the dome of a subway station.

On a beautiful fall day last September we took a boat to Bolgar. The Volga River, Europe’s longest, reminded us of our own Mississippi River, with its embankments, fall colors, and Lake Pepin like width.

On the way to Bolgar the boat made several stops at floating “train” (i.e., boat) stations like this one. Passengers were required to exit and enter the boat very quickly.

This map of ancient Bolgar gives you a sense of how large the Tatar capital was, including in the foreground a depiction of its kremlin walls.

This structure covers the primary ruins of ancient Bolgar.

In the foreground are the restored ruins of Bolgar’s original mosque; in the background, the just completed 21st century mosque majestically overlooks the Volga (see photo below).

Bolgar is considered a pilgrimage site for Tatars, both to pay homage to their presumed birthplace and to commemorate the founding of Islam in Tatarstan.

The tall tower is the restored minaret from the original, ancient mosque. Of special note is the presence of the Russian Orthodox cathedral (green roofs with crosses), symbolizing both in stone and in reality the centuries long peaceful co-existence of Christianity and Islam in Tatarstan.

Sandra and our daughter, Ana, outside the entrance to the Tatarstan History Museum.

Wood carvings that depict particular periods in early Tatar history are featured in a series of cases with beautiful quilts providing the background.

Period costumes are displayed as well.

Although difficult to photograph through reflective glass, this ornate jewelry is typical of Tatar culture.

Tatar history includes a nomadic, horse phase. Horse meat is standard fare of Tatar cuisine.

This amazing chair and table were created from a whole tree trunk.

This Tatar elder doll welcomes visitors to the village souvenir shop as well as to souvenir shops throughout Kazan.

“Elesh” is akin to a mini chicken pot pie. The flavorful pastry is filled with chicken, potatoes, and seasonings.

Everyone who visits Kazan samples this treat and takes it back to wherever they came from as a gift. It’s called “chak chak”–fried dough drenched in honey and sugar. Best enjoyed with a cup of tea as it is sweet enough to give you instant cavities!

Performances at the Kamal Theatre are in the Tatar language. Live translations (via ear buds) are provided for Russian and English speakers. One of the performances we attended was a comedy and audience laughter followed a typical translation pattern: native Tatar speakers would laugh immediately, then there would be a delayed reaction by the Russian speakers, and then we English speakers would laugh last…rather obviously!

The sloping, blue-tiled roof of the theatre shines brilliantly on sunny days.

The interior of the theatre is a modern blend of marble, water, and light.

This painting of Shurale is found in the Tatarstan National Library.

We walk by this sculpture of Shurale regularly. It’s a part of a large plaza with beautiful fountains fronting the Kamal Theatre.  Laughter is good, but not when Shurale is around!

Flowers themselves are not a cultural oddity, but there are a couple of idiosyncrasies related to them. First, flower shops are open 24 hours. No excuse for not bringing flowers for any occasion at any hour! Second, flowers need to be purchased in odd numbers. An even number of flowers is only for funerals.  No dozen roses!

The two locks above and the one below the door handle control a series of multiple deadbolts.  This photo is taken from inside.

Each of the 9(!) holes receives a deadbolt corresponding to the three locking mechanisms in the previous photo above.  On a tangential, door-related note, you aren’t supposed to shake hands or extend a gift across a threshold.  I made that mistake last week when a professor introduced himself to me while standing outside my classroom door.  I automatically extended my hand, but he refused it until he had entered the room.  Ooops!

The silver tubes have hot water running through them, and are found in every bathroom.  It’s nice to have a warm towel after a shower, especially in the winter.  Also pictured is our washing machine, a small, but very efficient unit.

Typical of European-style bathrooms, the toilet is in a separate room adjacent to the bathroom sink and tub/shower. It’s more like a closet; hence, the acronym “WC” for “water closet.”

There are miles and miles of sidewalks in Kazan like this one, made from thousands of individual pavers.

Each of the pavers is individually placed by hand and tamped into position with a rubber mallet.

Besides the shovels, this photo also shows 3-inch thick yellow styrofoam that was installed the entire length of this major road in Kazan. I suppose it was used to insulate the central hot water heat system that appeared to be piped under the road.

We look out on this beautiful building from our bedroom window, where a new roof has been installed over the time we’ve been here. Note the workers atop this 3-story roof and the close-up in the second picture below. We sometimes cringe at the thought of a worker slipping on the snowy, metal roof.

Don’t fall!

This photo is out our living room window where workers in both the foreground and background appear to work without fear of falling.

These are two popular Russian beer brands–”Barrel” and Kozel.

Viktor, a young Russian acquaintance of mine, schooled me in Russian billiards.

Since the pockets are barely larger than the ball, Russian pool requires a different strategy (i.e., not trying to pocket balls at a severe angle), something I was rather slow to pick up on!

I snapped this picture while strolling around Red Square in Moscow. From what I could tell, it appeared to be three generations of fur: the granddaughter in black holding her grandfather’s hand, the grandmother in black fur to her left, and the mother a step ahead in the white fur.

This shoe shop is no more than a 4×8 building. It sells everything for shoes and boots as well as provides repair services.

High heeled boots are the footwear of choice for all women with the possible exception of the older “babushkas” (grandmothers). Women claim that the high heels actually help them navigate the snow and ice better than flat soled shoes because they can dig in the heel for stability.

Wedding cars are decorated in a classy way, like in this photo and the one below.

The Bolshoi is a Russian landmark that recently underwent a $750 million(!) renovation.

Why a picture of me holding our tickets? I waited up until midnight the day tickets were available online, only to find them sold out! I continued to check daily until I was able to obtain the last two tickets for a later performance. Whew!

Because there is no photography allowed during performances, I could only take a photo of the curtained stage. Our seats were on the right side; hence, the angle of the photo.

The dominant feature of the theaters we’ve visited has been the chandelier. The Bolshoi was no exception, but it dwarfed the size of all the others we’ve seen.

These upper seats form a semi-circle facing the stage. We were on the second level.

These are the VIP seats, a luxurious box with individual velvet-covered, gold embossed seats.

The regular boxes include seating for 8 people in 3 rows. Each patron has his/her own chair on staggered levels to preserve sight lines.  The red draperies combined with the gold accents reflect the luxuriously rich motif of the theatre.

A curtain call for the “prima ballerina” and “prima danseur.” Shouts of “bravo” echoed through the theatre for nearly 10 minutes after the conclusion of the performance.  It was a night we will remember for the rest of our lives.

The exterior of the Winter Palace. Inside the courtyard is the entrance to The Hermitage.

The marble staircase flanked by massive granite columns.

One of the most impressive aspects of The Hermitage is the seamless integration of art, sculpture, glass, gilded accents, and architecture.

In this photo and the one below you can see that even the wood floors are works of art.

The woman in this picture gives you a sense of how large this painting of a Russian military commander is (this is the end of a hall devoted to military portraits).

This striking, green vase is formed from malachite, a mineral found in the Ural Mountains of Russia.

This Metro station was filled with stained glass art.

A station of mosaics celebrating the Russian Revolution. This one features the father of the revolution, Vladimir Lenin.

Stalin’s favorite station, “Revolution Square,” features 80 life-size bronze sculptures celebrating Soviet men and women from all ranks of life. Notice anything unusual about this one of a hunter and his dog? The dog’s nose is whitened from all the people who walk by and rub it for good luck! I watched scores of people stroke its nose without breaking stride.

Street-side view of the theatre “castle” complex.

The inviting entrance plaza features colorful clown figures, reflective glass, and a bronze sculpture of a child, seemingly transported into her imagination.

Like this child, we too have been transported by Russian art and culture.