Yesterday, we were warned that today might be somewhat cooler.
i checked the weather first thing in the morning. 0°C to 1°C till noon. And if that weren't bad enough, the snarky weather app just had to add this comment that said feels like -6°C.
i was playing it safe compared to yesterday and wore as many layers as humanly possible. And pulled out boots. And sometimes even that wasn't enough.
2 thermals, 1 sweater, 2 jackets, 2 caps, muffler, gloves, extra socks... all i got was highly compromised movement and frostbite.
Svetlana's somewhat windy was an unparalled understatetement. If i could have worn one of those great overcoats one sees in war movies, absoloutely would have. So what if i couldn't move, at least i'd not freeze. My eyes and eyelids were freezing. This must be the coldest i have experienced in all my life.
I remember when it was -5°C and a blizzard in Japan. I remember taking the older one outside to play in the snow, had a snowball fight, built a snowman, shovelled the entry to the house. Maybe i was a couple of decades younger then. Or it could be the infamous Ural winds (damned if it doesn't sound like fancy flatulence)
As long as we kept moving it was somewhat bearable.
We started with the central square. There's a statue dedicated to the founders of Ekaterinburg, Vasily Tatishchev and Wilhelm de Gennin.
Tatischev and de Gennin were sent east from Moscow to set up infrastructure for mining and foundries.
They set up base on the Eastern slopes of the Ural mountains, and named it after the Empress, Catherine of Russia. Ekaterina II (with a Y) is Russian form of Catherine.
Ekaterinburg has broad streets and avenues set in geometric precision. This is attributed to Wilhelm de Gennin's native German love of precision.
There's an artificially created pond at the city centre, which is fed by nearby streams. There's a dam built across the pond, with sluices that control water flow and are used to power the wheels that in turn powered the foundries.
We stepped into the museum of Fine Arts.
The first one sees there is a beautiful intricate cast iron pavilion. This was designed and manufactured by the Kasli Ironworks.
The prizewinning pavilion was displayed at the world exhibition in Paris circa 1900. The workmanship is so intricate that one would be forgiven for thinking it is black lace.
There were many pieces that showcased the works of the Artisans of the Kasli Ironworks.
The next level had a display of Ural mountains' minerals, with examples of cutting and sculpture.
There was also a display that was part of a contest. Local artists, Artisans, designers and even students had made pieces showcasing the Ural minerals, and visitors to the museum could vote for their favourite pieces.
I voted. In Russia. Twice.
The next exhibit was a collection from the Hermitage (At Petersburg) obtained by the ural mining magnates at the time of the Bolshevik unrest.
My favourites were paintings by Ivan Shishkov and icons of the breakaway Russian church.
(I am still very unclear about what's the Russian Orthodox and the breakaway church and pray no one will attempt to enlighten me otherwisel)
The section devoted to Soviet art was.... Lesser said the better.
The system seemed to have destroyed art in the soul and the soul in art.
The last exhibit of 'Avant Garde' art was quite nice. The OH took one look and walked out. I liked some of the pieces I saw.
Our next stop was the Novo-Tikhvinsky Monastery. It's a community of female monastics.
The original building was destroyed during the revolution and was rebuilt over a period of thirty years after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Outside the gates we saw a huge mural of St Alexander, the patron saint of the convent.
As soon as we entered, we saw a beautiful mosaic grotto depicting the Nativity.
The access to the nuns' wing was closed to visitors.
All of the.decorative work in the premises has been done by the nuns themselves. The paths around the gardens were dotted with lovely cupolas with rich mosaic patterns.
And the gardens were dotted with almond trees, which were in bloom.
Almond blossoms in the Urals. How beautiful!
This picture is the Ekaterinburg circus. The outer dome supports the inner dome from outside. As a result of this, there are no pillars in the circus ring below. The audience has unrestricted views of the ring.
The Ekaterinburg Opera House. The Bolsheviks apparently announced the overthrow of the regime from the balcony of this Opera House.
This beautiful clock tower was a lovely surprise. Everyday at 10am, 2pm and 5pm, after the clock strikes the time, the panels below open up and we see a little puppet show, starring Petruchka, a favourite Russian character.
The Ekaterinburg University.
Apple blossoms lining the avenues.
The riverfront.
The Ekaterinburg press club.
The Church of the Blood.
The Church of the Blood is a Russian Orthodox Church built on the site of the former Ipatiev House, which had the dubious privilege of being the place where the Romanovs spent the last days of their life and were finally shot.
The church commemorates the sainthood of the Romanovs.
The church complex consists of
two churches, a bell tower, a residence for the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, and a museum about the royal family. The altar of the main church is built directly over the site where the Romanovs were murdered.
And because there were tulips I badgered the OH till he sang '
Dekha ek khwab to ye silsile hue'...
As we were driving to our next stop, we stopped at the Headquarters of the Ural Military Command, where we saw the statue of Marshal Zhukov, who was the architect of Russia's most decisive victories in WWII.
Our next stop was the Museum of Local Lore.
This museum showcases archaeological findings from excavations in the Ural region.
Their greatest find to date is this 9000 year old wooden sculpture. The oldest ever wooden sculpture in existence to date
Svetlana then drove us to the little town of Sysert, where could trek to the a hilltop for a view of the Ural mountains.
When we got there, this stray dog came up to me to say privyet.
I stood there and behaved the chill for all of one minute and sent the OH off on his hill climb.
I sat in this quaint little.coffee shop with lovely views of the lake.
I sat with the wise and benign Moossya, whose philosophy was to find a cozy corner and let the world go do it's thing in the freezing cold.
Cats are the best philophers ever.
The little church of Sysert.
To those who grew up reading 'Russian' books and who would have read the collection of Ural Folk Tales by Pavel Bazhov, this is house where he was born.
He was born in Sysert. He travelled the Urals compiling local oral lore, folktales and histories and published them.
I was really so excited to see this memorial to Pavel Bazhov. I think I have an old book somewhere at home.
We were very fortunate to have a wonderful guide in Svetlana who took us to see things off the well trodden tourist paths.
This Bas relief in a park next to the Scedlivsl Railway Administration building commemorates those who worked on building the Trans Siberian Railway and their contribution to the Great War.
The French gardens outside the Sverdlovsk Railway building.
The Sverdlovsk Railway HQ.
Ekaterinburg by night.
And off went to get on the last leg of our journey.
Next stop Moscow!!!
Or as the locals write it, MOCKBA!!
Till then
From Russia.. with Love
