Wee Westie, Russian Style

Photo by Randy Son Of Robert

Moscow

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/cliche/

Alrighty, today we are talking about Russia's capital-- Moscow.  Moscow is the most populous city in Russia, as well as being the most northern city and largest city on earth.  Moscow is located on the Moskva River, after which it is named ("Moskva" is Russian for Moscow).  Moscow was sacked several times during its history, but it is a survivor!

Christianity is currently the most predominant religion in Moscow.  Moscow is Russia's capital of Orthodox Christianity, and Orthodox Christianity is the most predominant religion.  Other religions practiced in Moscow include include Islam, Protestantism, Old-believers, Single-believers and Judaism.

Moscow has some amazing, world famous architecture including the Moscow Kremlin (an ancient fortress that now houses the Russian president and the executive branch of the government of Russia).  Other famous architecture includes the elegant onion-domed Saint Basil's Cathedral (pictured at the top of this post) and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Seven Sisters.

Moscow is served by an extensive transit network, which includes four international airports, nine railroad terminals, as well as the Moscow Metro.

After the fall of communism in Russia, overall economic stability has improved in Moscow; however, Moscow is currently ranked as one of the most expensive cities in the world.  I don't know about you, but the fact that Moscow is so expensive won't stop me from going the first chance I have!

Photo by Eldar

Dacha Think It's Summer?

Photo by MelvinSchlubman



It's summer, which means it's Dacha season in Russia.  A Dacha can theoretically be translated as "summer house" or "cottage," but it's not neccessarily as comfortable as those words make it sound.  A Dacha can be anything form a ramshakle outbuilding with no electricity or plumbing to (increasingly nowadays) a summer house with all the comforts of home.  During their short summers, many Russians flock to their Dachas in the country to enjoy the summer and remember days gone by.

Photo by Daniel Gasienica

This Dacha looks super rustic!

Photo by AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker

I think this one is beautiful.  I sure hope, though, that it has electricity for cold winter days like the one pictured!

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/cliche/

This one is supposedly the haunt of Russian mafia.  Yikes!

As you can see, Russian Dachas can have various looks.  Some Russians scoff about the tradition of Dachas, but like them or love them, they will admit that Dachas are part of "Russianness."

Photo by anutkak43

More Info about Dachas: SRAS.org

St. Basil's Anniversary

Russia is celebrating the 450th anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral.  Wow!  Read more in this article from the Associated Press.

Photo by Katie@!

Diverse Russia

And now... (drumroll please!) for some Russian geography!  (Okay, so maybe that's a bit of an anticlimax, but still, this is still interesting stuff if you're curious about Russia.)

Russia is THE largest country in the world.  It covers a huge variety of climates, including forests, rivers and lakes, tundra, mountains, etc.  Most of Russia has long, bitterly cold winters and short, mild to warm summers.  Russia has coastlines on the Arctic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and Pacific Ocean.

Major landmarks include The Ural Mountains (which separate Europe and Asia), the Lena river in Asia, the Volga river in Europe, and Lake Baikal-- which is the world's deepest lake (located in Siberia).


Photo by crschmidt

Major cities include Moscow (the capital) and St. Petersburg.  Three fourths of Russians live in cities and towns in the western part of Russia.  As Russia is such a large country, it is inhabited by a large variety of ethnic and national groups.

What I learned as I was researching this is just how large and diverse Russia is.  You could spend a lifetime just traveling and seeing all the different places and people in this massive country!

More info: HowStuffWorks

Funny Friday Joke

I found this joke at AhaJokes.com:

"Three prison inmates were locked in the same cell; they soon began talking. 'What are you here for?' asked one inmate of another. 'They put me in for beating up some old Jew named Khaimovich,' snarled one man. 'And why are you here?" asked the second of the first. 'For having defended some old Jew named Khaimovich in a fight,' he replied. 'And what were you arrested for?' the third inmate was asked. 'For being Khaimovich,' he sighed."

Money, Money, Money

The official currency of Russia is the Ruble (Рубль).  It is one of the world's oldest currencies, first being used way, way back in the 15th century!  The name comes from the way a silver coin was originally split in half when they coin was no longer useable.  "The Russian word for 'split' or 'cut' is 'rubit' and the half coins were called 'rubles.'"  Russian coins no longer come in halves, but hey, the name had already stuck.

In Czarist times the Ruble was backed by "serious stockpiles of gold" and in the Soviet era, there were some major price fixing going on.  After the democratic revolution of 1991, price fixing was abandoned.  So nowadays, the Ruble is reliant on market forces just like other forms of curency.




1000 rubles (May 2007)
photo by mundane.rossiya

 More Info: TravelAllRussia

All Dolled Up!

I found this hilarious picture on Flikr:

Photo by Qole Tech

Apparently this Russian gal has just spent some time at farm in Mexico!

A friend of mine has a gorgeous set of custom-made matryoshka dolls (the ever-popular Russian nesting dolls such as the one pictured above).  I can't wait till my first trip to Russia to pick out my own set!  Perhaps I'll display mine with a fez? :)

More Info: History of Russian Nesting Dolls

Russian Documentary Now on Public TV

Don't miss "My Perestroika," a documentary about five Rusians living in "extroardinary times."  This documentary is now airing on Public Television here in the USA.

Click here to see "My Perestroika" immediately.

Russian Flag



Okay, so let's get started with some Russian basics.  Today, let's talk about the flag.  The current Russian flag looks as follows:

In modern times, the flag of Russian Federation was officially adopted as the national flag on August 22, 1991, though it had been in use much earlier.

It is "tricolor of three equal horizontal fields, white on the top, blue in the middle and red on the bottom."  It is mythically based on the flag of the Netherlands, but no one really knows the true story.  There are several explanations for the colors.  One follows: "The three colors came from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Moscow, which depict Saint George wearing white (silver) armour, riding a white horse, wearing a blue cape and holding a blue shield, on a red field."

Whatever the history, it's a cool flag for this complicated country.
More info: RussianStory.com

Fun Friday Movie!

Today, I have for you a movie from Mosfilm (an awesome free and legal online streaming resource for Russian movies).  When I heard of this channel, I was so excited I immediately watched the movie "The Star" (Zvezda).  It's a very gripping, beautifully shot war movie, subtitled for us English speakers.  I hope you enjoy!

Introducing "Fun Friday"

It's Fun Friday here at Passport to Russia!  Fridays are always fun, right? So in that vein, Passport to Russia will always have something fun for you on Friday: for example, a Russian movie, recipe, or personal musing about Russia. Short and breezy blog entries for the best day of the week. :)

Dublin Festival of Russian Culture

For you Dublinites and wanna-be Dublinites, there is a Festival of Russian Culture Monday, February 28th through Monday, March 7th at the Dublin City Centre. It features photographic exhibitions, lunchtime lectures, music events, and children's activities. Sounds like a not-to-be-missed event!

More info: Dublin.ie

Pancake Week

Photo by Julien Haler

In researching Russian holidays that I might adopt, I came upon Pancake Week (Maslenitsa, or "Butter Week."), a Russian folk holiday, which features the iconic Russian pancake ("blini"). Interestingly, Pancake Week is Russia's oldest surviving holiday and may have been celebrated as early as the second century A.D. Originally a pagan holiday, Pancake week transitioned into a Christian holiday, with the purpose of marking the week before Lent (think Mardi Gras or Carnival).

This year's Pancake Week is coming up very soon: it takes place between the 28th of February and the 6th of March. I dare you to try some blini out on those near and dear to you this Pancake Week. Click here for a blini recipe to try!

For additional information on Pancake Week, visit the informative SRAS.org.

Welcome!

photo by anjči

At the tender age of nine or ten, I remember watching a movie at school about a family escaping from communist Russia. From that day, I have had a fascination with Russia. Was it the culture itself that first caught my interest? The language? Fascinating, but, no. I believe now that it was the mystery of the unknown: the excitement (in my young mind) of people being trapped in their own country and having to escape.

Since then, I have learned more about Russia, but not enough to truly whet my appetite. I have taken a year of college-level Russian language classes, and I know who Pushkin is, but Russia itself remains as much a mystery as it always was. In this blog, I intend to explore Russia in as many ways as possible: from its history and literature to its food and current day events. One day, I fully intend to get a Russian stamp in my passport, but until then, my passport to Russia is right here on the blogosphere. Won’t you join me?