Kolomenskoye

August 3 was a BEAUTIFUL day with temperatures in the 70's with a little breeze and sunny skies Elder Ken and Sister Jeannie Pierson, Elder Paul and Sister Shirley Millar, Elder Dean Smart and Sister Carolyn Sonda and Dave and I went to see the "wooden wonders of Kilomenskoye."
Kolomenskoye is a former royal estate in Moscow, Russia. The ancient village of Kolomenskoye  was first mentioned in 1339!

We arrived early and decided to take a walk around the park.  And walk we did. We walked for almost seven miles around this beautiful estate to see the sites! As we walked along, we saw the Church of the Ascension built in 1532  in white stone to commemorate the long-awaited birth of an heir to the throne, the future Ivan the Terrible. Behind it you can see the Moscow River.

 

We passed many apple trees, cemeteries sprinkled throughout the grassy areas of residents who used to live here. Sadly, many of the little homes were ordered destroyed  within the past 100 years.

We passed this horse drawn carriage as we were walking

This was a beautiful carriage we tried to get a picture of (but they moved it)

We walked up 100 plus stairs and down to continue our tour of these vast grounds. We passed an overlook where we were able to see for miles into Moscow and the Moscow River.

As we continued along we had another 100 stairs to climb and down again. we made our way around to the highlight and the main purpose of our trip today. The Wooden Palace.

In 1640, tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich ordered the construction of a luxurious wooden palace. It was built entirely without saws or nails and had 250 rooms and 3000 windows. Peter the Great spent part of his youth there. The palace fell into disrepair and Catherine ll refused to live there and had it demolished in 1768. A wooden model of the palace survived and a full-scale reconstruction of the Wooden Palace was completed in 2010. It is spectacular.

It is referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was built also without saws or nails. It also has 250 rooms and 3000 windows. WOW. The furnishings are either original from the period and in some cases replicated.

We enjoyed our tour very much. It is very beautiful. It is a nice change of pace seeing wooden buildings because most of the buildings in Moscow are cement and glass.

 

this is the church where there was a funeral going on. It certainly wasn't an easy place to access. but it is a church used today. Here is the name of the church:

The Church of the Beheading of St. John the Forerunner (the Baptist)

the front door was open and the open casket was right inside the door. there was music playing.

This lovely church is called The Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan

the Moscow River behind me

L-R - Sister Millar, Sister Pierson, Elder Pierson, Elder Millar and yours truly in front

                                         there was a red carpet on the stairs leading into the Wooden Palace.
We obviously were not able to go into all the rooms. We did see many of them though. The men and women each had their own "side." There were these HUGE intricately designed ovens used to keep each room warm. We could not figure out how they worked because there didn't appear to be any openings.
in the bath room there was a huge pit to heat large stones to make things steamy. I hope to have pictures later to share.
until then, dos vidonya.

Moscow River cruise

We chose a lovely day to go on a boat trip on the Moscow River. The weather was beautiful and sunny, without being too hot. We enjoyed going with our friends, Elder and Sister Richard and Jeannie Pierson and our wonderful office elders, Elder Bradford and Elder Bugg. We were able to sit up on the top. There were a lot of visitors from America. We heard English on every side of us. Drifting down the Moscow River we could see the Kremlin, Red Square and other beautiful buildings. Their architecture is so lovely. There is so much beauty in this vast land!

 

Our office elders, Daniel Bradford and Adam Bugg

Building with a face  

Jeannie and Dick Pierson and yours truly

Peter the Great

Side view of the space shuttle

Christ the Savior Cathedral, largest in the country

Russian flag with Christ the Savior Cathedral in the background

Kremlin

One of the Seven Sisters (one of seven buildings that look the same scattered throughout Moscow.)

St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square

YO! Our elders enjoying the cruise

Interesting sculpture

Our last fast and testimony meeting in Zelonograd

The first Sunday of the month is almost always Fast and Testimony meeting in the Mormon Church. It gives members a chance to stand and bear their testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It allows us to strengthen each other. Since we will be leaving at the end of the month, this was the last one we will be attending in our Zelongrad Ward in Zelonograd, Russia.
Due to the language barrier, our participation in our ward has been limited. Sometimes one of us would make a comment in Sunday School class (we attended the Investigator's class which caters to those who are "checking out" the Church.) One of our young missionaries would translate for us. But for the most part, we have not been able to take an active part.
Anyway, today being Fast and Testimony meeting, I decided to ask our Sister Nielsen to translate for me so I could share my feelings with the Zelonograd Ward, which has been our home ward for 17 months.
I was taken by surprise by how hard it was standing up there looking out at these people whom I have grown to love . It's true that I don't know all their names, but I can tell you where they sit in Sacrament meeting. I can tell you if they are missing from church. One of those most dear to me is Tyeetzeeya, a babushka in her early 80's. We have always seemed to have a special connection and she has given us gifts which I will always cherish. (She used to be a singer and she has given me a cassette of her singing that she put together especially for Dave and I).
She told me before Church started that she was going to bear her testimony and that she would probably cry because she loves the church so much.
Because we haven't had a chance to share much, I didn't want to leave this country without this ward knowing how I felt about them. I wanted them to know that it had been a privilege to play a small part in helping the church to grow here in this great land of Russia. I wanted them to know that I loved serving in the mission office serving our missionaries who in turn served them and so many others. I wanted them to know I loved them.
I don't remember exactly what I said, but after I spoke a couple of other members who shared their testimonies, thanked us for our service.  After the meeting was over I had two different sisters, Natasha and Olga come up and give me gifts (of Russian chocolate). The missionaries we share this with will be most grateful :0).
One sister (I don't know her name) came up behind me and gave me a big hug and kept whispering spasiba, spasiba (which means thank you.) Another sat next to me and put her arm around me ad said spasiba, spasiba. One brother who has always been very friendly, came up and wrapped me in a big hug and kissed me on the cheek (not normal behavior for the normally reserved men). A big hug from Luba and warm smiles from others let me know that they understand how we feel about them. 
I played peek-a-boo with Ina, a toddler I have known since birth, 7 year old Nikita ran up to us as we walked to church from the church and wanted us to walk with him and his grandma, little Slava, while no hug today called me baboola. (means grandmother) Both of these little boys 7 year old Nikita reminds me of our grandson Kevin and little Slava  makes it a bit easier to be away from our precious grandchildren.
One sister wanted to know when we were coming back and offered her home to us to stay if we came back for a visit.  Through some help from one of our missionaries she shared that even though we weren't able to talk to each other, she enjoyed the smiling spirit that I shared with her.
It was one of our nicest days in Z-grad.
It will be hard to say dosvidonya.
I want to say to them spasiba, spasiba....thank you for your example, for your dedication and for making our stay in a foreign country so much more pleasant.
Next week I will be taking pictures of our wonderful ward family and will share them on FB and the blog. I don't want to forget the faces of these incredible people.

Coming in for a landing

It is surprising how few bugs we see here in Moscow. I have yet to see a mosquito.There are bees. Big and black and ugly bumble bee-type and regular-looking little bumble bees. We first encountered one of these black bees last summer when there was one on the bus trying to get out. We were told that they are aggressive and I was glad he didn't come near me.

 It wasn't until a few days ago that we encountered our second black bumble-sized bee. This one was on the metro. He was flying clumsily around also trying to find a way out. He was making some of the passengers uncomfortable and I was practically holding my breath hoping it would keep it's distance from us.

However, the bee had other plans.  We watched anxiously as this little dive bomber came in for a landing.......right on the tip of Dave's nose! It was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Dave had an alarmed look on his face and he  zeroed in on the bee from both sides as his arms and hands came out to quickly push it off in a sweeping motion. It landed on the floor where it bounced once and then clumsily flew off. Fortunately, it took off and left us alone.

Across from us sat Jeannie and Ken Pierson, who hadn't noticed the commotion and the office elders who, along with a Russian man was watching this unfold. All of were laughing.
We're glad that the bee took off and that no harm was done.
I imagine the bee is flying around the metro still, bringing a bit of excitement to the passengers,  so I suggest to all our metro riders to BEEEEE -ware!

Watch what you say!

The Russian language has not come easy to me and there are SO many rules and exceptions, it's enough to boggle my mind. As in English, sometimes the same word and same spelling can have different meanings. However, in Russian the emphasis is put in a different place.
Take for instance the word mooka.  MOOka means torture.
                                                          MooKAH means flour.
I recently learned that for many months I asked for torture when I meant flour. Whoops. I'm glad I can recognize flour in the store and don't have to ask for it..
Thank heavens for signing. I can generally get my point across with a bit of Russian and some signing.
The girls in the productee (pronounced proDOOKtee) love to talk to me. They chatter away in Russian and I try so hard to get the gist of what they are saying (with success sometimes). Usually I just shrug my shoulders and smile and they laugh. I was able to get across yesterday that we are going home on August 30th and that I love Russia. I guess that's enough for now. They just appreciate it if you try. :o)

Business as usual

It appears to me that the Russians are hard working people. When Gohar was here we were talking about the fact that Sunday is just another day to the Russian people. There is no day off for the hair dressers and store clerks. It is just another work day. AND their work days are long. It's not unusual for an electrician to show up at your home at 10:30 at night, just about the time you are ready to go to bed. If you have an appointment with them and they are running late, they will just show up late.

 Some of our young missionaries have had their landlord or landlady show up to collect the rent at 10 at night. I have mentioned before that I have seen workers out on the playground cleaning up or shoveling or raking at 6 am in the morning.

She's crazy!

Our apartment building has a concierage.  Her name is Svetlana. She takes her job very seriously. Maybe a little too seriously. The apartments around here do have someone who is a "guard" so to speak and that is a form of protection. However, I feel like we live in a very safe apartment. There is a second concerage who works a different shift. She doesn't smile much either, but is more pleasant than Svetlana. Even our landlady who owns the apartment we live in wonders what Svetlana's problem is. I am guessing that Svetlana is bored to death sitting in a little room watching the people come and go. Anyway  I am sorry that she seems so unhappy.

In order to get into the apartment building in the first place there is an 8 number code to get in, a second door to go through, the "guard" to pass and up the elevator two doors each locked to go through before getting to our apartment door with 6 locks on 2 keys. Wow.

Anyway, she doesn't smile readily and watches the door like a hawk which is her job. However, she has an attitude and sometimes gives our guests a hard time. I really think Svetlana has it in for Gohar, my hairdresser, who has been to our home many times. She gives her a hard time whenever she comes to the point where she starts yelling. Hmmmm. I had to rescue Gohar this past week. I heard Svetlana yelling from the tenth floor. Gohar was standing outside the elevator door ready to jump in to get away from the icy glare of Svetlana who was watching her intently. I popped my head out so Svetlana could see me and practically pulled Gohar onto the elevator and up we went. When the elevator closed she said, SHE IS CRAZY!  I think Svetlana needs to work on her social skills a bit. She has also given our visiting missionaries a hard time. However, the difference between the missionaries and Gohar, is that Gohar doesn't put up with it and talks back to her where the missionaries don't.

She seems a very unhappy person. I have gotten her to smile at me a few times and a time or two I have taken her down some homemade muffins which she takes but doesn't acknowledge. The biggest smile I got from her was when I called her by name and handed her a big candy bar. I have to remember to introduce her to the Meilstrup's, our replacements, so she will know that they now live here and doesn't give them a hard time. The Meilstrup's will move in on August 30.