Shoe removal...

Tearing hair out at present...no Internet connection in the apartment!  Beyond frustrating.

Questions for you:   What socks do you have on right now?  Thoughts on their condition?  Upon close inspection, perhaps a hole...or two?  Any chance they are in need of a little Clorox?  

A shock wave of these questions went racing through my brain as I entered the home where the Moscow Christmas Traditions event took place the other day...  

Brain:    “Ut oh....not good...trouble ahead...warning....warning....this is about to get really really embarrassing!”  In slow motion I removed my boots....holding my  breath....eyes darting around sizing up everyone else’s sock situation...............................then a huge exhale when I realized I was in the clear!

  Disclaimer:  these are not my socks, no really.

Proper Russian etiquette, and actually, almost a requirement when entering any home in Moscow, is to remove all footwear at the front door.  This is so second nature to most...shake hands, remove shoes.  Spring, summer, winter, fall - shoes off.  Even workmen, I learned today, enter all homes with special slipper type flip flops.  Boots off, flops on.  It has a bit of a Japanese-esque feel to it but the truth is, Moscow has a bit of a soot issue.  It’s actually more like the fine dust you kick up driving over a gravel road.  It’s not that we’re walking through a constant cloud of this...it just seems to be everywhere.  The entrance way of every home has a shoe rack for shoes during the visit and most people (at least the Russians) offer slippers to wear while visiting.  I’m planning to swap out an old pair of shoes for an upgrade during our next home visit...

How great are these?  Mop the floors in comfort!

Christmas Russia Style...

Today, I attended an event with a speaker who shared Russian Christmas traditions...fairly fascinating.  Here’s the scoop: 

Russians used to celebrate what they call the “old style” Christmas on December 25th which was mostly a religious celebration, (very little commercialism - meaning no singing bass with Santa hat mounted to the wall).  Decorations were somewhat limited to ornaments on spruce trees with star on top.  

During the Soviet era, starting in 1917, all Christmas celebrations (and New Years eve celebrations) were illegal.  Soldiers and guards looked into windows of homes to make sure there was no celebrating.  All production of ornaments and decorations ceased.  

Only foreign embassies celebrated Christmas.  Children grew up knowing nothing about Christmas...until one day...in 1935...Stalin and his family attended a holiday reception at the British Embassy in Moscow.  Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana, asked her father why they didn’t have a huge Christmas tree with decorations.  From that day forth, celebrations were allowed in Moscow, but not to celebrate Christmas....only to celebrate New Years Day.  So, all former Christmas traditions were moved to New Years Day traditions.  And, to this day, the big holiday celebration in Moscow is New Years Day (they do not have a December 25th celebration).  They also have a Russian Orthodox Christmas that follows the Gregorian calendar.  The Russian Christmas is celebrated on January 7th and is mostly religious with a midnight church service (most churches do have trees and candles to celebrate).

Here are a few other interesting tidbits:

• Russians exchange their gifts on New Years Day.

• Most spruce trees (“New Years” trees) are sold starting December 25th.  When the holidays are over, some people chop off the branches and carve the date into the tree trunk as a memento from the holiday.  They will collect these over the years.  If you buy your tree at IKEA, at the end of the holiday, IKEA will buy your tree back and reuse the wood.  No wonder that bookshelf is so lopsided!

• The Kremlin has the biggest and best tree in Moscow (similar to our Rockefellar Center tree) and it is delivered by helicopter.  It has a theme each year and is decorated with ornaments that represent a historical event (i.e. Sputnik space travel).  

• Their Santa Claus is “Father Frost” (again, no Christmas connection).  He is a grandfather and has an assistant (like an elf) called the Snow Maiden - some say she is his granddaughter.  Parents put all their children’s gifts in a big sack and a live Father Frost visits each house (apartment) on New Years Eve.  The parents like to celebrate with the Father F and offer him shots of vodka....apparently he can hardly walk by the end of the night.  And what child doesn’t like a tipsy Santa to kick off the celebration??

• From December 20th to January 10th, the Kremlin Palace holds a children’s performance and the audience is children only - 6,000 a day!   The parents must wait outside on the outskirts of a big square, (there are adults inside who help the children with their coats, etc.).  When the performance is over, each child receives a box with a gift inside - usually chocolate.  They then go outside and parade in a circle around the square until they spot their parents in the crowd.  Fairly amazing - don’t you think?  Apparently this was a very special event during Soviet times...now the children are hoping for a video game in their gift box rather than chocolate!

Deck the halls!

We were forewarned....Moscow can be a land of inconvenience for American Ex-pats.  We moved into our new apartment on Saturday and thought we were thinking 10 steps ahead by having the Internet guys meet us first thing.  They did get our Internet up and running...but the minute they walked out the door...not so much.  I found myself scrambling to the window shouting down the street “Wait!!!”.  That apparently doesn’t translate so well in Russian...they were gone.  We now have Internet access for about 32 seconds then it conks out for an average of 47 minutes.  When the Internet is your life line to the outside world - you want the thing to work!  They will be back in the morning...

It brings me great joy, along with glad tidings, to tell you Christmas tress are available in Moscow!!!  Steve and I bought our mini live tree yesterday at OBI, Moscow’s version of Home Depot, (complete with orange decor).  We just had our traditional tree trimming party (it took all of 8 minutes).  The lights are a touch on the florescent side - but we were thrilled to even find lights!  We also found the cutest ornaments at IKEA made out of straw... 

Moscow is beautiful at Christmas time.  Lots of decorations and lights strung across most streets.  Christmas decorations are in the stores along with English speaking Christmas carols....it’s kind of amazing to hear Jingle Bells in a store while surrounded by Russian speakers who have no idea what “Jingle Bells” means. I love it as it makes me feel like home.  I’m attending a “See Russia” event tomorrow put on by the American Women’s Organization.  The topic is Russian Christmas traditions - can’t wait!

All things fur!

No room for PETA in Moscow.  This place is climbing with fur.  The people watching is fantastic!  What you most likely imagine Russians wearing walking along the busy streets is exactly what they are wearing.  It’s a fashion show of fur...men, women and children.  

The full length fur coats are mostly worn by older women who absolutely have the matching fur hat.  Many women wear the mid thigh fur - in every color combo you can imagine.  Then you have the huge wild fur bomber hats....worn by the category of people who feel the crazier it looks, the warmer you feel.  

Many of the older men are wearing the typical Russian fur hats....as are the police.  Everyone is wearing fur lined boots and their fur-lined puffy coat hoods are in the “up” position at all times.  We’re all running around completely bundled Eskimo-style, with just a little face showing... it’s actually quite charming...until you remember it’s negative 100 degrees outside.  

I’ve seen a handful of men wearing this:

I think Steve would look great in one of these...don’t you?  Perhaps a little something for him under the tree Christmas morning...

I had a few extra hours to kill before our landlord stopped by for a sign off on the apartment.  I thought I would take in a walk around our new neighborhood - get to know the area, the people, make friends.  Ten minutes into the walk I realized under no circumstances should I ever, EVER leave the house without long johns.  I should probably wear them at all times during waking hours, sleeping hours and possibly in the shower.  My jeans felt like a wind sieve and my legs became sticks of ice.  I also remembered I had on thin socks and a pair of dressier boots that had no business walking the streets of Moscow.  I cut the walk short and bolted back to the apartment.  Mother Nature can get ‘r done in Moscow...

Observations...

Today, a potpourri of observations...

Steve was given our apartment key on his last trip to Moscow several weeks ago.  While finishing our moving prep in Atlanta I asked him if we needed to make a couple of copies.  He said....”well....I don’t think we can...”  Here’s why: This is our apartment key!  

Can you believe it?  I knew we were going back in time - but this looks a touch medieval. At least it doesn’t get lost in my purse.  I almost impaled myself with it when I went diving into the car to get out of the cold.  I like to think of it as the “key to our castle”.  Guess who’s the Princess?  (I also respond to Queen).  

On the nights Steve has been out of the country (three of the last four since we arrived....side note, he’s currently in Baku, Azerbaijan), I have taken in as much Russian fare for dinner as possible.  This is what I order most nights:  

Russian Borscht!  This really needs no explanation since, per the name of the blog, I’m still trying to find out who moved mine.  Simply stated, I LOVE BORSCHT!  Russian beet soup with a dollop of sour cream - complete heaven.  I plan to have it every day.

Salmon caviar and Bellini pancakes!   Another completely melt in your mouth delicacy as far as I’m concerned.  By the way, Steve will have none of the afore mentioned, (I’m sure many of you are saying “smart man”).  I give my amazing mother complete credit for my love of caviar and Bellinis!  She is known for passing this hors d’oeuvre on special occasions and I believe the tradition started with her amazing mother.  The tradition lives on...

The traffic.  Holy smokes.  It took me 1 hour to drive 2 miles from the apartment to our hotel this evening.  Now, I will say, this is a bit unusual as the other nights have not been this bad.   But when it is bad, it is really really baaaad.  It makes D.C. and Atlanta traffic look like childs play.  I just took this photo from our hotel window...

Some big performance must be going on in the center of Moscow tonight - unbelievable.  In the middle of the photo you can see the Moscow River - it froze over last night and is covered with snow.  Quite Christmasy, really.  It’s currently -5 degrees, but only feels like -20, thank goodness!

Grocery Shopping Moscow Style...

Ventured into our grocery store today - the fact that it is in our apartment building is a huge bonus as it is minus all rational temperatures outside at the moment.

Here’s what I found...Eva Longoria (U.S. actress) greeted me as I walked in.  She was standing as a life-sized cut out and did not look at all Russian.  She’s apparently a spokesperson for a hair color line....purple seemed to be sold out. 

Skittles - they must have 30 different varieties of Skittles combinations (tropical, sour, passion fruit, arctic blast...).  This nation is crazy about the rainbow of bite sized candy - who knew? 

  

Other brands I recognized - Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Garnier for hair, several US toothpaste brands, Nivea.  Lots of flavors and sizes of baguettes, pastries, the chocolate aisle was endless.  Lots of salmon, chicken and many items hard to make out but appear to be in the pate family.  Frozen food was somewhat limited but pre-made perogies and puff pastry seem to be a hit. Yogurt went on and on - drinkable, thick, custard style, etc.  I was thrilled many products had a picture of what was inside or was in a see-through bag, like pasta.  Otherwise, we’ll be hoping to win the lottery each time...although that could get fun.  Perhaps we’ll buy a surprise item each week just to roll the bones!  The other challenge - even if we know what’s inside, we can’t read the preparation directions.   But who needs those any way?  Cooking directions are overrated...

Found this under our kitchen sink...any idea what this is for?  My guess - to keep the pipes unclogged...but who knew our pipes were coated with candy-colored sprinkles? How fantastic!

The Arrival...

On terra firma in Moscow!  But I seem to be missing something....ah yes...my husband!  I arrived...Steve did not.  

Here’s the scenario:  We’re at the Atlanta airport on Saturday checking in with Delta and I just happened to open our freshly delivered visas/passports (they arrived first thing Saturday morning for our afternoon flight).  While I was comparing our approved entry and exit dates, (side note:  Russia is very specific about which day you can enter and exit the country, wrong date = no entry), I notice my entry date was 11/28, Steve’s was 11/29.  There was no way he was going to get into the country yesterday.

So...Steve flew to Kiev, Ukraine, (he was going to fly there this morning for a meeting any way) and I went solo to Moscow.  I hope to meet up with him around 2 a.m. when he arrives at the hotel.  What would travel be without a little drama?

I flew with a total of 6 huge bags!!! Delta cast pity on us and allowed me to take a few of Steve’s due to our drama.  I must have looked ridiculous at baggage claim as I somehow, single-handedly, hoisted all 6 bags on top of each other on a baggage  cart “leaning tower of Pisa style”.  A Russian porter did offer to help...for $40 US dollars!  I thought he said $14 and when I confirmed, I dug deep and found my inner Helga and hoisted those puppies one on top of another.  I knew there was no other choice as I needed to get through customs and security.  Unbelievable.

I stopped by the apartment which is truly fantastic.  This is the photo I took of the Kremlin this morning from our living room window...

and while it was a beautiful sunshiney day, this is the photo I took outside our kitchen window...and yes, that is snow on the ground, (whimper)...

I also just noticed my computer has turned Russian.  My Google headings and side bar items  are now all in Russian.  Well, thank goodness I know Russian...oh wait...