Across the Baltic Sea

In early July, we took a week long jaunt to the Baltic Sea.  First we flew from Moscow to Tallinn, and while the flight was less than two hours, it seemed like the longest trip every because Aiden decided to have a tantrum and only fell asleep when there were about 15 minutes left to go, which meant we had to wake him up shortly thereafter.  Luckily, it was a short trip to our hotel, located right in the old town center. 

We went to dinner straight away at a place called "Grandma's" and enjoyed some authentic Estonian cuisine.  Aiden was put in a much better mood by the candle on the table, which inspired him to start singing Happy Birthday in his own special way.  By the time dinner was over, we were all pretty tired so we called it a night and rested up for the next day of sightseeing.

Tallinn's old town is fairly small and it's easily covered in a day of walking.  We headed up to the Toompea, which provides great views over the medieval town.  The weather couldn't have been better and was a nice break from a relatively warm June in Moscow.

Down in the old city, Stephanie and I took turns climbing the very narrow and crowded stairs of St. Olaf's church, which was used by the Soviet's to block TV signals from nearby Finland.  The view was amazing,  but it was a little daunting to look down and see that the top of the tower wasn't really built for people.  It has a curved edge with no railing and if it wasn't for the fence they put up, you would slip right off.

We stopped for lunch at a locally famous pancake place and had one stuffed with bacon and cheese, and another filled with brie, tvorog, and apricots.  It was delicious, but we were sort of put off our meal by the movie they were showing which featured some pornographic movie scenes that didn't really go well with pancakes or 2-year olds.

For his part, Aiden enjoyed running around, but it took some getting used to the cobble-stoned streets and he took a couple of spills.  Nothing serious and nothing that slowed him down really.  Tallinn is sort of an ideal destination for us with a combination of quaint medieval flare and excessive quantities of good food and beer.

In the evening, after lots of sightseeing and a little shopping, we succumbed to temptation and ate at the most touristy restaurant in town.  Fortunately, the food is as good as the decorations were kitsch and we enjoyed honey beer, herb beer, cinnamon beer, and a lot of interesting medieval (historically accurate) dishes that I can't really remember because of all the beer.  It was a good time, even for Aiden, who didn't get to have beer, but got to run around the little wooden patio.

That evening, we went to a local shopping mall to get supplies for our overnight ferry the next day.  I was very tempted to buy an ostrich egg, but Stephanie reminded me that I wouldn't have anywhere to cook it. I wonder what it would have been like hard-boiled?

On our last day in Tallinn, we took a trip out to the country side.  Figuring out the bus was it's own accomplishment, as I had to guess which language to speak.  In Estonia, the younger generation generally eschews Russian in favor of English, while the older generation doesn't speak much english but doesn't like Russian either (with good reason given their treatment under the Soviets). So when encountering older folks, I learned to ask if they spoke English first, then when they said no, offered to speak Russian, which seemed to be acceptable.

We took the bus out of the city to the open air museum, which is filled with houses, windmills, churches, stores, and other buildings from the 17th-19th centuries, all laid out in a bucolic park.  Aside from being peaceful and having plenty of space for Aiden to run around, it was very interesting.  They really did a fantastic job of collecting authentic buildings and artifacts and then setting up the homes as exhibits.

Aiden also got to see a lot of his favorite farm animals and got into a crowing competition with a rooster.  They're actually a bit frightening close up.

We made it back into town with a little bit of time to spare before heading down to the harbor to board our ferry, which was more like a cruise ship.  Aiden got very excited on the gangway and started shouting "Airplane" until we picked him up and showed him the boat out the window, at which point he started shouting "Boat" instead. 

We braved a very windy top deck to enjoy the views of Tallinn from the water as the boat pulled out, and then headed back inside to cash in our 50% off coupons for beer while Aiden played in the childrens' area.  Eventually, we had to take Aiden out of the ball pit because other parents, were enjoying their drinks too much to tell their kids to stop jumping on top of the smaller children.

Our cabin was comfortable, and the sleeping area of the boat was quiet, but I wouldn't call it the most restful night because Aiden kept waking up.  But even that had it's bright side as we were up nice and early to take in the beautiful views of the Stockholm archipelago, which we entered several hours before reaching our destination.

We only went inside long enough to enjoy the smorgasbord breakfast, where I made sure to eat my 11 Euros' worth of delicious smoked salmon (and then some).  Getting to our hotel from the port was a short subway ride away and we were shown to a cozy loft room where we spent the next three days trying to keep Aiden from climbing the ladder without adult supervision.

We spent the afternoon touring the old town in Gamla Stan and the surrounding islands.  Neither of us realized that Stockholm is basically a small archipelago, but it makes for beautiful views and lots of fresh air.

Even the palace is on the small island of Gamla Stan.  We finished our evening off with dinner in the old town and went back to our hotel to catch up on the sleep we missed the night before.

The next day, we took a different route and crossed one of the bridges to a couple of different islands, which gave us the chance to enjoy views of the old town from across the water.

A little later, we enjoyed a ferry ride around the inner islands, which was included on our three day transportation pass, on the way to the island of Djurgarden, where we spent the day.

At Djurgarden, we started with the Vasa museum, featuring the reconstructed ship of the same name.  Apparently, the Vasa was built in 1628 for the war between Stockholm and Poland, but it wasn't properly balanced and sank just minutes after leaving the port.  It was recently salvaged and reconstructed using 95% of the original wood.  It is increadibly impressive, particularly the detailed carvings all around the ship.  I think it would be easily possible to spend a whole day there, but our schedule and our son wouldn't allow it, so we moved on to the Skansen outdoor museum nearby.

Skansen has taken the outdoor museum to a whole new level. They transported an entire town center to the island and then set up outlying farms and villages nearby so that visitors can explore a whole community.  It includes buildings representative of different social classes and the employees are able to talk about the significance of certain items and what life would have been like for the particular inhabitants...

In the town center they have a general store, including the family quarters behind the shop...

A spice shop, where we learned that spices were primarily used to make spoiled meat edible after the long winter.  Above it, there was a small apartment where a family lived and we learned that the clothing factory would rent the sewing machine to the employee for about 50% of their income.  The plus side for the worker was that they could make their children work as well to increase productivity.

We also got to sample sweets at a working bakery and visit a glass blowing workshop.

On the outskirts, there were poor homesteads with working fireplaces...

A beautiful church with original paintings...

And wealthier home steads, signified by red coloring and extra rooms that were only used once or twice per year.

Aiden tolerated our visiting the buildings, so we made sure he got to spend time seeing the zoo of Scandinavian animals, including reindeer, lynx, bears, foxes, boar, elk, and others.  He was particularly excited to see the owl, which he recognized from one of his books.

The park was even divided to represent different landscaps and building styles, with forests in the northern part and bogs in the southern parts.  Even the architecture was different.

I was particularly fascinated with the wooden belfries, which could always be seen from a long way off.

Aiden really enjoyed an old-fashioned car ride.

We discovered our favorite building as the park was getting ready to close, an old manor house that would have belonged to one of the nobility. They even showed how the house would have changed over time, with additional panes added to the window (over the original wood exterior), and how the interior design would have changed from the traditional mural paintings to plainer solid colors.

That evening, we had dinner at the Bishop's Arms on the island of Soldermam, where we were staying.  It looked like a neighborhood pub, but it was some of the best food either of us have had in a very long time.  Just looking at the picture makes my mouth water.

On the way home we stopped to get some fruit for Aiden at a store and I couldn't resist two candy bars that I probounce "Day-um" and "Plop".

For our last day in Stockholm, we took a commuter train out of the city to the ancient town of Sigtuna, which dates back over 1000 years and is still organized along the original viking roads.

We spent a beautiful day seeking out the rune stones, walking along the lake front, and visiting the ruins of catholic churches that fell into disuse after the conversion to protestantism.

One church that was built a bit later was converted to a protestant church and is still in use.  It contains some artifacts dating all the way back to the 13th century.

Back in Stockholm, we decided to spend our remaining hours in Gamla Stan, and made it a point to visit the main church, which was closed when we were there the first day.  This is the church where coronation and royal weddings are held. There are spectacular gilded seat boxes for the nobility in the front and an unusual silver and alabaster altar.

I was particularly interested in seeing the famous sculpture of St. George and the dragon, which is amazing and has a lot of unexpected details (see this link: http://www.dodedans.com/Enotke3.htm).  It's hard to believe it is over 500 years old. 

We spent awhile longer enjoying the sights in the old town before hopping on the subway, which gave one last great view of the Gamla Stan before we headed back home.

Epilogue: After the success at the Bishop's arms the night before, we decided to try our luck in Soldermam again for our last meal, but alas could not agree on a place to eat. So we ended up getting smoked salmon and local cheese to have with bread from the supermarket.  We also bought some frozen lingan berries to have over ice cream.  It was a far cry from the amazing meal of the night before, but it wasn't a bad way to finish out the trip. 

Family Time

Well, time seems to have gotten away from me again.  I guess I have to accept that parenthood means less time for blogging, but it's a worthwhile trade.  Probably the biggest highlight of the last several weeks was having my parents come and visit.  We had a great time showing them around Moscow and it was nice for Aiden to spend some time getting to know them better. 

They really seemed to bring out some hidden talents in Aiden, particularly when it comes to throwing things.  The first night they were here, he almost speared my dad in the forehead with a fork.  Luckily his aim was off and it only flew all the way across the living room.  Later during their visit, he threw one of his toy trains across the room and broke the glass that my mom was holding in her hand.  Pretty amazing, even if he didn't do it on purpose. 

Overall, I think they had a great time, although they were a bit horrified by the impersonal crush of humanity on display in the metro stations.  We certainly had a good time showing them around.

While they were here, Stephanie and I took advantage of their desire to babysit and got out on our own for a bit.  On one outing, we went to the Tretyakov gallery, which is Moscow's most famous art museum.

We particularly enjoyed the paintings of places we've been from times past, which gave us a sense of how they used to look...

Like Red Square in 1801...

Or ice skating on the Neva river in St. Petersburg in the 19th century...

Or Samarqand in Uzbekistan before the Russians conquered it...

And there were also paintings that gave life to historical events in Russian history, like Ivan the Terrible's murder of his own son...

And more mundane parts of Russian life prior to the Soviet Union, like family trips to church...

Or sledding to celebrate Maslenitsa...

Then there was a whole collection of iconography from Russia's churches, dating back to the 11th century, which was really incredible...

For Father's Day, we took dad on a boat cruise down the Moscow river.  It was a neat way to see the city and gave some particularly unique views on the Kremlin. 

My family's visit seemed to go by very quickly, and it was over before we knew it.  But summer in Moscow leaves little time to ponder such things and the next day we went to the food market near out apartment for a plov cookoff.  I was so excited when I heard about it because unlike Tajikistan, the plov here is usually expensive, the portions are small, and the quality is not that good.  The cook-off really took me back.  There was a variety of preparations, the portions were huge, and it was all delicious!  We didn't get to stick around for the winner, but that wasn't really the point anyway...

This time of year, the market is also exploding with fresh fruits and we've been enjoying our fill of strawberries, cherries, blueberries, wild strawberries (which are totally different and amazing), and now peaches are starting to come into season.  It makes me wonder how we survived the winter here.

While my parents were here, they snagged an opportunity to go to the Bolshoi theater.  Sure the tickets were outrageous, sure the seats were horrible, but from what they said it was all worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  We still haven't been to the Bolshoi, but it did inspire us to make an effort to see a ballet.  We discovered that The Nutcracker was being performed at the Kremlin Palace Theater and decided to get tickets.

That was easier said than done. Prices on the ticket websites were around $80, and I thought I could do better at the ticket booth.   I tried to go to the t on Russia's National Day because I was off from work, but that turned out to be a bad idea.

The ticket both is right next to the Kremlin, and I found the sign pointing the way from the underground passage, but it was blocked by a guard. He told me to go outside and around instead.  So I went outside only to find both sets of stairs blocked by other guards.  They told me to go inside and up the stairs.  So I put on my Russian hat (figuratively) and my won't-take-no-for-an-answer posture and went back to them.  But to no avail, my sternest approach is no match for official Russian impassiveness. No one can muster the indifference to personal plight better than a Russian official with a mission to keep people out..

Downhearted, but not defeated, I went to the Kremlin ticket booth (which was selling tickets even though the Kremlin was closed for the week), and tried to get the inside scoop.  The first two windows gave me nothing, but on the third try, the woman told me that there is a kiosk just outside the metro entrance where I could by tickets.  Feeling cautiously optimistic, I went back into the passage, and started looking for the kiosk.  I looked at every kiosk they had and didn't see it.  Ready to give up, I started back to the metro.  But there, by the door, unlit, and so covered by stickers that the only thing you could see of the booth was the little slot about waist level, I found the kiosk! And even better, I got tickets for about $15 apiece on the first balcony.

Stephanie and I were very excited for the performance and got there early, which provided another bonus.  Our tickets gave us access to the Kremlin grounds prior to the show, and we had about an hour to walk around cathedral square and the park overlooking the river.

The Kremlin Palace Theater is where the communist leadership used to hold important meetings.  And it is massive.  Inside is a huge entry hall with the emblems of all of the former Soviet Republics on the wall. Inside the theater, there isn't a bad view to be found, and we thoroughly enjoyed the show.  At intermission, they sold snacks in the ballroom on the top floor with views over the Kremlin Cathedrals.  It was a great experience and we'll definitely go back. 

The next weekend, we decided to try the Moscow flower show at Gorky Park.  When we got there, we could see enough through the fence to know that it wasn't worth the $20 admission fee per person, so we just ran around the park with Aiden and had lunch.  On the way out we were rewarded with a show of waterboarding (yes, the pun is amusing), where a guy was holding on to a rope that was tugged back and forth on a pulley system.  I wouldn't have believed that you could get enough speed in such a small pond, but I have the video to prove it.

On the way back, we bought the best cherries we've ever had from a lady on the sidewalk.  They were almost as big as plums and were just amazingly delicious!

This past weekend, we took Aiden to the park known as VDNKh (pronounced Veh Deh En Hah), which is an abbreviation for a bunch of words that mean All-Russia Exhibition Center. On the way there, we passed a very impressive monument to Russia's space program, which includes an engraving of the first dog in space. 

We also took Aiden to a butterfly farm, which was very exciting for him as he chased them all around.

The park itself is a wild mix of beautiful fountains, ornate buildings representing the different Soviet Republics, amusement park rides, flea markets, and Russian fast food stands.  We enjoyed it all, having everything from Ossetian pies to fresh donuts, to a bottle of medovukha (which we took home to drink).

 There was also a man with a spectacular mullet on display. I blurred his face out to avoid any copyright issues, but I don't think it detracts from the main show.

So that's what we've been up to.  Work is as busy as ever and as usual, there isn't much I can say about it due to privacy concerns.  But if you read the news, you know it's an interesting time in Russia.  We're gearing up for another trip soon and you never know who you might see in an airport around here... (just kidding).