The Resurrection of a Moscow Cathedral

On a recent trip to Moscow, a visit to Cathedral of Christ the Savior topped my list of new experiences. Having stumbled across the drama of its construction, destruction and eventual rebuilding, I wanted to learn more. I can't endorse all its teachings, but still, there's much to admire here, including the resilience of the Russian spirit. 

At the cathedral on a recent December evening.

Close up: Golden cupolas up there somewhere. . .

Life in the USSR grew darker still when Joseph Stalin looked out his Kremlin office window and was displeased by that cathedral, that Christ the Savior Cathedral which dominated the mid-distance. For one thing, he agreed with mentor Vladimir Lenin, that religion needed to be quashed. Another thing, the cathedral was a czar-era accomplishment, an era Stalin wanted erased from history.

Besides that, he had other plans for that very spot, plans bigger and bolder than had ever been imagined. And, so, December 1931, Stalin ordered the cathedral destroyed. Because he could.



Eyewitness account of videographer who captured the destruction.

Of course this wasn't the only Russian cathedral Stalin demolished. There were hundreds. But the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was exceptionally dear to the national psyche: It was built to celebrate surviving Napoleon's invasion. In fact, on Christmas day, 1812, as Napoleon's troops staggered out of Russian in defeat, Czar Alexander I, a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson, ordered a cathedral built . . . to signify our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her. 

Generations later in 1883, the cathedral was finished and for the auspicious occasion, ~ drum roll please ~ Russia's legendary composer, P.I. Tchaikovsky, was pressed into service to write the Overture of 1812. To this day, the overture is popular, even in the U.S. where it is often played during Fourth of July fireworks displays, complete with the sound of cannon fire.

During its 50 year history, the cathedral witnessed seismic political upheavals. Protests of the early 1900's, led to the the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the end of the Czarist monarchy and the Russian Civil War. Then, under Vladimir Lenin, the Russian Empire evolved into the Soviet Union during which massive military parades were staged in Red Square, just blocks from the cathedral. After Lenin's death, Stalin  had dramatic changes in mind for the structure itself.

In place of the cathedral, Stalin envisioned a massive Palace to the Soviets, planned to be the tallest building in the world, topped by Vladimir Lenin himself, his right arm extended in his favorite hail-a-taxi pose.

And so, on December 5, 1931, as per Stalin's decree, the cathedral was demolished. Only thing, after all that, Stalin's Palace to the Soviets never materialized: The spot stood empty for years while Stalin dealt more pressing concerns including Hitler's invasion in 1941. But on to Plan B for the site: After Stalin's death in the early 50's, Nikita Krushchev transformed the crater into a heated swimming pool, and in typical Soviet style, it was huge.

In the early 1990's, after perestroika and waves of political changes, the Russian Orthodox church requested permission of the Russian government and city of Moscow to rebuild the cathedral. The request was granted. First, the swimming pool was dismantled in 1994 and work begun on the cathedral. Six years later, the new cathedral was finished and dedicated.


Care to join me on a tour? Here's the backstory, reconstruction and dedication. Thrilling, indeed.

Current view from the Kremlin. The cathedral has been rebuilt.As for Stalin,
his grave is in Red Square, just yards from Lenin's Mausoleum. (Photo from book, below.)

The cathedral bookshop sells this book in several languages. Copyright in 2005, published by Ivan Fiodorov. Printed
in Russia. Photos by N Rakhmanov and V. Korniushin.

In  the closing words of the video, Maybe now, the future of the church's place is assured in the minds and hearts of the Russian peoples. History will surely tell.

We are told that God is the Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). May this magnificent cathedral serve to point searchers to God and to His truth.

A Thanksgiving with Frankfurters

Did I hear you say Happy Thanksgiving? Well, let me wish you the same. I had completely forgotten that today was Thanksgiving.

I had just started into breakfast at a little hotel in Frankfurt, Germany. The statuesque blond I'd noticed earlier was talking to me. Minutes earlier, I had considered joining her but she was busy with paperwork.

The easiest transfer ever: Exit the Frankfurt railway station, head straight ahead onto Kaiserstrasse Street and there's Quality Inn on the left.

But now, she had come over to my table and was wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving with that unmistakable German accent. How did she know I was American? I try to blend in with the locals, keep my voice low, so how did she know?

Her suit tailored from royal blue tweed caught my eye when I first entered the room. Her blond hair was swept into a classic up-do. Such style hinted at an interesting person. She continued.

Being from Germany, she said, I thought nothing could be better than Christmas. But there really is. America's Thanksgiving is such a simple holiday, just to be thankful. It's not commercialized at all.

Oh, I understood what she was saying about Christmas in Germany. In fact, I was in Frankfurt for an extra day to catch opening night of Christmas Market, having wrapped up four days at the Euro-American Family Retreat in Rothenburg. several hours south by train.

In fact, wandering through Frankfurt's Christmas market the evening before, here's what I saw. . .

Cookies:Baked with intricate designs.

Cookies: With decorative icing piped on. Oh, and candy too.

Cakey confections of some sort. One of each please. Or not. . . Oh, they're busy strategizing. It's opening night, after all.

The pretzel man. Let's call him Prince of Pretzels, pleased with his chocolate-covered treat. I'll take one of those too.

Back at breakfast, Miss Statuesque shared that she's originally from Germany, teaches law at in California and was in Frankfurt for a conference. We talked at length, no worries that eggs and sausages were getting cold.

Finally I asked, How did you know I'm from the US? Seems she had overheard me wishing the dining room attendant a Happy Thanksgiving and giving her the historical scoop about the day.

Our breakfast room conversation that Thanksgiving morning was a delightful gift. Imagine the chances of being in Germany that morning, crossing paths with someone who also cherishes such a special holiday, so uniquely American, a day set apart to give thanks.

* * *

Say, care to join me for a look around Frankfurt?

Frankfurt: Center of baking for western Europe. There's the Euro sign: and yes, we can imagine it flipped horizontally.

Frankfurt Central Station and Yours Truly. Don't you know that site has seen some history.

Thanksgiving Day in Frankfurt: Hard to beat a quick hop-a-bus tour. . .

Friendly Aussies on the bus tour, mother and son. Once upon a time, perhaps a lifetime ago, I lived and worked in Sydney area. They filled me in on all things Australian since. . . since 1978.

Frankfurt on the Main is the city's official name, Oh I get it, just like my Rostov-on-Don, is on the Don River. Here's the view from the bus.

Frankfurt Trade Fair: The worlds largest book fair held here. Stay on the bus, Stay.on.the.bus.

Frankfurt Cathedral dominates the skyline. Amazing that it survived the war.

Wonderful gift, that day in Frankfurt after the conference. Oh, but here's some back story. Worst case baggage woes that turned out splendidly.

* * *

When I arrived in Frankfurt, my luggage was nowhere to be found. I'd flown Lufthansa from Rostov-on-Don directly to Frankfurt but the luggage had gone directly to Moscow. Oh yippee. I started to panic, needing to catch a train, then another, then another south to Rothenburg, wondering how Lufthansa baggage folks would ever find me there. But I left the airport to head south.

On the plus side, now I had only my carry-on bag to wrangle, a good thing indeed since this trip was November 2009, before my hip replacement surgery, back when each step was painful. Later that evening, during the opening session of the conference, I was quite pleased to be called to the hotel front desk because, tada, Lufthansa luggage folks had just delivered my luggage. What a relief to have my pjs, my toothbrush, my clothes for the next day. Perfect ending.

After the conference, found that I was already a bit spoiled, already accustomed to this personal baggage delivery. I was less than enthused about dragging my bag back on and off trains north to Frankfurt. The biggest challenge getting luggage up the steps at train stations, as per the Eastern European set-up. But another happy surprise awaited.

The gift of German engineering: A escalator for the luggage.

Thanksgiving in Germany: Off-hand, I don't remember lunch there in Frankfurt but I'm pretty sure it wasn't frankfurters. Dinner would have been airplane food. But I arrived back in Rostov-on-Don with all luggage and a long list of thankfulnesses for an extra day in Frankfurt.

"Falling Back" in Russia: A Government Decision I Heartily Endorse

Thank you, dear Russia for joining most of Europe last weekend and falling back an hour. We're now on standard time permanently, never again to change our clocks. At least for now.

Then again, in 2011 when Russia went onto summer time, as daylight savings time is called here, lawmakers announced it was the last time we would be changing clocks. That decision has been reversed, obviously, and I'm thrilled. This early morning sunlight suits me just Fine.

Freida Sergeyovna, Nina Vladimirovna and I meet weekly to pray. Our Saturday meeting was extra relaxed, knowing it was a 25-hour day.

That notion of staying on daylight savings time through the long, Russian winter was hardly enchanting, the sunrise as late as 9:00 here in southern Russia, as late as 11:00 in St Petersburg, in the far north. Personally, I'd had quite enough of that year-round so-called summer time.

And so, over the #clocksgoback weekend, as dubbed by Twitter, with the luxury of an extra hour, Saturday evening was the perfect time to get zucchini-pineapple muffins in the oven for Sunday tea-drinking after worship. Later, as I was working through that pile of dishes, I asked myself, Are you sure this is how you wanted to use this extra hour? The answer would come Sunday.

Time change weekend has special significance for the clock-tending team who cares for Big Ben in London, three time zones west. Known as the Palace of Westminster Clockmakers, twice a year when they change between British Summer Time and Greenwich Mean Time, the group's routine starts at 9:05 p.m. and continues through 2:00 a.m.. Besides changing the hour, the clockmakers also perform scheduled maintenance on what those Britishers consider the world's most famous clock.

Of course the most famous clock across Russia is the Kremlin Clock which overlooks Moscow's Red Square. We can imagine a Kremlin clock team was quite pleased to change the clock after a three year break. Here's hoping they get lots of experience in the years ahead.




Sunday morning when folks were enjoying these muffins with tea, my Saturday evening efforts were amply rewarded. The gift of time is truly a gift. Muffin-making gobbles up considerably more than an hour's effort, but I figure that's a good use of time, say, once a month for our Sunday tea-drinking. And just FYI, in case there's a turn-clocks-forward weekend in the Russian spring, chances are slim any muffins will be produced in my kitchen.

Zucchini-pineapple muffins are always a hit. On the rare occasion when I spot zucchini here in Russia, I snatch it up immediately for this wonderful recipe.

And Zee Winners are. . .!

Oh, before I name the winners, here's dear Janelle, an honest-to-goodness Olympic volunteer who's been here in Rostov over the weekend. Notice the official apparel!  All too soon, Janelle will be catching the train back to Sochi to help with the Paralympics. Besides volunteering at the games, Janelle volunteered to help me draw the winners of this contest. But you, dear friends, made that ever so easy ~ we had four prizes and four eligible contestants. Easy, peasy!

Janelle worked the bobsled run in Sochi and coordinated the press conference with the Canadian Hockey team.

Click here to follow Janelle's blog, I dream of Sochi. Here's a video interview with Janelle from CTV news, broadcast across Canada.

Thanks to Janelle for suggestions on my blog and on this contest. And here are zee vinners: Angela, Karen, Sonya and Michelle! I'll be getting in touch with each of you. And thanks so much to each of you for entering! May all your Olympic dreams come true!

You Can Win an Olympic Souvenir: 4 Gifts. . . and Going Fast!

Dear friends, here's your chance to be part of Olympic history! You can win one of four limited-edition official souvenirs from the Sochi 2014 Olympic games. Just scroll down to the bottom and leave a comment!

But here's the kicker: Gotta act now. Contest closes in less than twelve hours: Sunday midnight, Pacific Time ~ which is Monday noon, Moscow Time.

Here are the prizes. Oh and are they glorious. . . well, to someone they certainly will be!

Ski Boots Pack. This is nice: there's a zipper there on the back. Totally legal to use for tennies. Or lunch or books. Or Barbies or Legos, if you must. (Click photos to enlarge.)

Round Birch Box with the official mascots of the Sochi Olympics. Didn't you just love them skating at the Closing Ceremony?!

Official Olympic Bandages: Now these will sooth the pain!

Lapel Pin. And you know where to put this.

So there are your prizes. . . and here's the backstory.

In recent days, I stopped by SportMaster here in Rostov-on-Don, to pick up a few little trinkets. Here's what I saw. And here's what tempted me to buy and buy and keep on buying. 

SportMaster Window "Official merchandise, Sochi 2014. Best gifts" Figure skates for 1299 rubles,at 33 rubles to the dollar, that's  about.... 40$. Guess they're vinyl.

Here's the department of things Olympic. The manager, or some nice fellow parading around as such, gave me permission to photograph, and of course I bought enough Olympic loot to make it worth his while. So, up there on the wall, *Department of Licensed Merchandise, Sochi 2014.*

*Buy Olympic Merchandise* I am, I am! Decisions, decisions: What to buy? What will ship?

Official Leopards: Available for a good home. A blue-belted leopard is no ordinary leopard.

Down-the-Hill Stuff. Or perhaps giant frisbees there, far right. How about one of these inner tube-y things? Tempting, tempting, haha.

Hockey team shirt: These might be discounted now, or not: Guessing we're busy grooming hockey players for the next winter games. Go Russia!

Serious about Seat Pads. There are those among us who need more layers posterior. And then. . . there's the rest of us. ;)

Official Mascots inside of their "House of Mascots." Here they are but without their cute little ice skates.

Olympic hopeful 2026? This young lady's got stars in her eyes. All under Grandma's guidance, of course.

Olympic stickers: Two sets given away to classroom teachers. You'll forgive me, I trust. These things go fast, gotta tell ya. 

Silly me, in the heat of the moment, got this hockey puck ~ it was so very cheap, really ~ Got home and weighed it: 250 grams, or so. And at the post office they're so very picky about every little gram. So onto Plan B: The puck's in good hands now. Given to a local physical education teacher, knowing he will help inspire the next generation of hockey players.

Store window: here's the website where you can find more merchandise. Because of course you want to order your own hockey puck. Or official ice skates or. . . snow board!

Comments Please: 
a) Dear friends, please share something YOU ENJOYED about the Sochi Olympics!
b) WHICH prize do you want? (Which one will keep you awake tonight?)

Here's the fine print: 
1) Contest closes SOON! Comment right away! Drawing here in Rostov-on-Don Monday afternoon local time. That means: If you're in North America, enter Sunday night before you go to bed!
2) Prizes limited to folks residing in North America. (See, the prizes I've already mailed to Dallas! Umm, yes. Seemed like a good idea at the time....!)
3) Enter once.
4) Watch this space for announcement of zee Vinners on Monday! We're hurrying and later I'll tell you WHY!

Weathering the Ice and Snow of Southwest Russia: Sochi 2014

Let's talk about the weather of southwest Russia. Because if you're into the Olympics ~ and oh, surely you are ~ the weather is significant.

In a nutshell, although it's well below freezing here in Rostov-on-Don, it is not cold in Sochi (pronounced SO-chee), in fact today's high was 46 F.  But as you may know, there's a plan in place to maximize Sochi's unique geography ~ thus its climate cocktail ~ that will please even the most discriminating skiers, skateboarders and aficionados of all things snowy. We'll have a look at that shortly. . .

* * * * *

But first, please join me on the icy streets here in Rostov-on-Don. Several afternoons ago, the day's high was -7 F and felt like -31 F. Given the choice, most folks were hibernating at home, but I was itching for fresh air, wanted to check on an elderly friend and swing by the statue of Yuri Gagarin (pronounced Ga-GAR-in), the bigger-than-life Soviet cosmonaut, the first man in space. I was hoping the fresh snow and late afternoon sunlight might flatter him.

As it turned out, Comrad Gagarin was in spectacular form.

In front of Rostov Technical University is Yuri Gagarin, first man in space.
(Click image to enlarge.)

From atop his obelisk along the square named in his honor, Yuri Gagarin overlooks Voroshilovskii Street, a major north-south artery. Continuing ever-so-carefully several blocks south, I met a challenge of near-Olympic proportions.

Bare, bumpy ice. My task was to get across that mess and turn right on Maxim Gorky Street, the next intersection. This was an Olympic contest between the ice and me. I won, yes I did. (However, the outcome the next day was quite different.)

Ten meters to the left of the icy sidewalk, here's the view. I noticed an older woman in Soviet-era rubber boots trudging up this footpath along the curb. When in doubt, imitate the nearest Russian babyshka, or grandmother.

South on Voroshilovskii Street: Approaching the Gorky Street bus stop.

Thanks to these slippery walkways, I've had reason to haul out my new full-length down parka from Eddie Bauer, long enough to protect the knees, in theory at least. And protecting the lower limbs is a very good idea ~ said with a bag of frozen Brussels sprouts draped over my left shin, nursing an ice-related injury.

* * * * *

To head from Rostov toward the Olympic action, go southwest 250-some miles and you'll reach Sochi. That's an overnight train trip, as I know first-hand, and the temperatures there are considerably more moderate, thanks in part to the Black Sea. Here's a handy-dandy map of southwest Russia showing Sochi and environs. Click on the wide view and Rostov-on-Don is visible to the northeast. Zoom in closer and east of Sochi you see Krasnaya Polyana (Beautiful Valley), the Olympic ski area, 40-some miles inland, in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountain Range.

With the snow in question, a Michigan-based company, SMI, Snow Makers, has installed 400 snow-making machines, according to this National Geographic video. Before Thanksgiving, Jon Wax, an SMI employee based in central Washington, took leave of his snowmaking duties and headed to Sochi where he's been on the Olympic snow-making team. Here's his story.

Lastly, thanks to RT, Russia Today, "Don't Worry if There's No Flurry. . ."

How about you, dear blog-reading friend? Have you attended or participated in Winter Olympics? Or have you spent time in Sochi? Please do share!

It's Not the Polar Bear Club: It's Orthodox Epiphany

What would it take for you to plunge yourself into icy waters? Over the weekend, more than 90,000 devout Russians visited frozen rivers and ponds across the land, peeled off clothing down to their swim suits and dipped themselves three times in icy waters, so as to imitate Jesus Christ and his baptism in the Jordan River. One fortunate difference: the Biblical account doesn't mention ice. No surprise there. . .

This exercise is part of the January 19th epiphany, an official holiday on the Russian Orthodox calendar.

These hearty believers dip themselves under the water three times, one time each for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. One man, shown in a video I encountered somewhere,  added two more dips, one of those being for Russia, as I understood him. Now that's patriotism.

Folks immerse themselves to receive forgiveness of sins and, as I was reminded by a previous post, the fewer sins one has, the less frigid the water will feel. Thus the expression, Oh the water really wasn't all that cold! Being healed of illnesses is another goal of this exercise. As one Orthodox priest explained, each January 19th, water is thought to miraculously revert to the perfect water, as it was just after the Creation, thus with healing powers..

Well, although I'm not in particular agreement with this practice, I'm in awe of what folks are willing to do in hopes of getting closer to God. Here are lots more photographs from English Russia.

Have you ever jumped into icy cold waters. . . for whatever reason? Please do share!

Wrapping the Holiday Season: Russia Celebrates *Old New Year*

It's January 14th and today Russia finishes the holiday season by celebrating the Old New Year. This week, folks will be dismantling their holiday decorations and dumpsters will be full of Christmas trees. But before bidding a heart-felt dos vedanya (до свидания), that is, See you later to this season, please join me for a look around our beloved Rostov-on-Don to see a few decorations from the holidays.

Here comes a family on an outing, bet they've just been to see Father Frost. (Click to enlarge photo.) On the left, they're walking  past the *Kingdom of Furs.* Poster on right *(Congratulations) with the New Olympic Year! Rostov-on-Don. 2013-2014.

In Theater Square, the largest poster in town is probably on this bank building. It's simply massive. Again, *(Congratulations) with the New Olympic Year! Rostov-on-Don. 2013-2014.*

McDonalds is always fun, it's name still recognizable in the Cyrillic Alphabet. Windows are jazzed up with twinkle lights. This McDonald's on Pyshkinskaya Boulevard is a favorite hangout for university students. The free Wi-Fi certainly doesn't hurt! 

In the McDonald's window, *Taste of the Season Spicy* Items are Beef Roll Spicy, Caesar Roll Spicy and Royal DeLuxe Spicy.

Yours Truly with poster for Beeline, a cell phone service provider. Poster says *(Congratulations) with the Upcoming Holidays!*

The Old New Year is a throw-back to the Julian Calendar which Russia abandoned after the Russian Revolution of 1917, if I'm not mistaken, when they switched to the Gregorian Calendar as is used in the west. Oh, but to keep things interesting, the Russian Orthodox Church declined to switch to the updated calendar and even today continues with the Julian Calendar which means that they're two weeks behind. So although today is January 14th on the street, step into an Russian Orthodox Church and viola, the calendar spins two weeks in reverse, so that it's January 1st as per the old calendar. Thus the name, the Old New Year. 

What's the purpose of this calendar dance? Granted, there could be a profoundly spiritual reason to someone, somewhere. Or perhaps the Old New Year simply provides folks another opportunity to celebrate. And the Russian folk, bless their dear souls, are quite fond of celebrating. The traditional fare for Old New Year is vareniki and most certainly across Russia today, women folk have been busily mashing potatoes, rolling dough, filling and serving these little potato-filled dumplings. You might enjoy a favorite blog post about varenkiki, Here's to a Bean in Your Dumpling!

More about the Old New Year:

Vareniki or not, wishing you and yours a very blessed official end of the holiday season!

Russian Calendar: First Official Work Day of 2014

Today, January 9th is the first black day of the new year on the Russian calendar. You see, January 7th is Russian Orthodox Christmas, thus an official day off or red day and the 8th is a buffer day of sorts. So for many, today was the first day back into usual work-a-day routine.

Margarita is tickled with her new calendar. (Click to enlarge photo.)

Speaking of calendars, they are my usual gift for the holidays so I'm self-proclaimed queen of calendars. The Bible League publishes attractive wall calendars with a Bible verse and scenic photograph for each month. These are available through a local Christian bookstore and the manager stocks a box of 50 calendars especially for me.They're perfect for sharing with church family, neighbors, friends and it's a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year with a fresh page each month.

Gotta love this calendar with the Kremlin clock tower.

Three-month calendars such as this are used in many offices with a view of the past month, present month and future. This calendar hangs on my office door and the early morning routine, when still I'm barely coherent, is to slide the red square over onto the new day.

Nice that the month and days are in English as well as Russian.

Here's a zoom in on this month. As you see, Sundays are considered the last day of the week. Although in my book, Sunday will always be the first day of the week.

Surrounded by horses. The very best ones have been snatched up already.

By the way, 2014 is the Year of the Horse, as per the Chinese horoscope. And so we're surrounded by horses fashioned from onyx, fabric, paper and ceramic.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

We have hope: Whether it's the year of the dragon, the snake, the horse or the pig; whether the day is a red day or black, God is in His heaven and rules as King of kings and Lord of lords. Hallelujah, Amen!

Here's to Russian Orthodox Christmas

Greetings from Russia where it's Christmas Eve as per the Russian Orthodox Calendar. There's a reason for that, of course, and this afternoon at the area supermarket, folks were rather intense, gathering last-minute groceries for the holiday. Care to join me for a quick look?

Entrance to local supermarket decorated in royal blue, the traditional Christmas color. Friends have been intrigued to learn about the western choice of red and green.

"Herring under a fur coat" is a popular holiday dish. It's a multi-layered, labor intensive salad folks make special for winter holidays. Or. . . you can buy a slab at the supermarket. Why such a name for a salad? I'm guessing that here in the land of exotic fur coats, this could be translated as "gussied up herring and veggie salad."

"Could chicken be substituted for the herring," I asked this lady in the food-to-go department. She nearly fainted at the very notion and insisted that anything other than herring would be unorthodox.

Here's how the pro's whip up this dish. Well, whether or not you go for herring in a fur coat for this holiday, wishing you a wonder Russian Orthodox Christmas!