Travelog for: Helen Bear

Today I've visited the Russian-German House where Kristl studies German and Economics. I was surprised to see there so many Russian things made as souvenirs I think - I liked them!

Here are some hand-made Dymkovo toys (very famous hand-made toys in Russia - these ones are made by children):







And even more hand-made souvenirs!





There I found a German Newsletter publishe in Russia - Moskauer Deutscher Zeitung - it is free, everybody can take it and read - very nice for them who's learning language, I think:



This book is about an old Russian city Kostroma, look great, huh?

Today I've visited the Russian-German House where Kristl studies German and Economics. I was surprised to see there so many Russian things made as souvenirs I think - I liked them!

Here are some hand-made Dymkovo toys (very famous hand-made toys in Russia - these ones are made by children):







And even more hand-made souvenirs!





There I found a German Newsletter publishe in Russia - Moskauer Deutscher Zeitung - it is free, everybody can take it and read - very nice for them who's learning language, I think:



This book is about an old Russian city Kostroma, look great, huh?

Today while driving to Moscow I managed to see some sightseeings of the town Zheleznodorozhny where Kristl lives.

Here's the playing ground that looks like Kremlin! (Realy -I've seen it!!)



Here's an Italian cafe Pronto that Kristl and her friend use to visit



And here's a BP filling station - it's very popular here

Today Kristl and her friend rid bikes, we went with them! Andcan you guess what we've seen???

FLOWERS!!!! The first flowers here!!!! The're called coltsfoot



all the TVs were so happy!!

Today I'm leaving Moscow. That's a bit sad cause I'll mis everybody here.. But I'm sure I have many adventures waiting for me - so I must hurry

Good bye, Moscow!!



Good bye, Helen! We'll miss you very much!!

Hello everybody!
Yesterday I arrived in Novosibirsk to Oksana- my new host.
Here I met 3 other TVs- Morado, Mousy Mouse and Budd.
We soon became good friends! What a pitty that Morado and Mousy Mouse have to leave us soon- today they are going to Moscow to Kristl.


As soon as I arrived I started examining Oksana's flat. I could see many interesting things.
Here I'm with the teddy bears from Oksana's collection:





And this bear is made from a news-paper!


I'm with my new friend- little teddy bear Tommy:


With Oksana's cat:


Oksana has a domovoi in her flat. Domovoi  is a house spirit in Slavic folklore.


Here I'm with a picture where you can see an old post card with a small girl and her bear. I like it very much!


I found this decoration on the wall in Oksana's living room. Oksana did it herself when she was attending decorating classes.


There are many indoor plants in Oksana's flat. She has them in every room.


Oksana have Guinea pigs at home and I had a chance to feed them! They are so-o cute!


Russians have their Easter today, so I wish you Happy Easter!


Yesterday we helped Oksana to cook cheese soup and to dye eggs for Easter.


There is a tradition in Russia to dye eggs with onion husks:


Our Easter meal:


One more tradition in Russia is to cook Paskha-special Easter meal made from curd. Oksana explained us that Paskha
means "Easter" in Russian. We didn't cook it, but Oksana showed us it's picture, so now we know how it looks like.



The traditional shape of paskha is a pyramid, symbolizing Christ's tomb. It is traditionally made in a wooden mould assembly called pasotchnitza that can be taken apart for cleaning, but more modern materials, such as plastics, are used nowadays. On the sides of the paskha are engraved (using the mould) traditional religious symbols, such as the "Chi Ro" motif (Labarum), letters "GW" (X and B in Russian letters, standing for Chistos Voskrese which is the Slavonic equavalent of the Paschal greeting "Christ is Risen!"), the Cross, eggs, and a lance, all symbolizing Christ's Passion and Resurrection.

Another traditional Easter food is kulich.
It is a kind of Easter bread, traditional in the Orthodox Christian faith — Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, etc.

Traditionally during the Easter service, the kulich, which has been put into a basket and decorated with colourful flowers, is blessed by the priest. Leftover kulich that isn't blessed is eaten with Paskha for dessert. Blessed kulich is eaten before breakfast each day.
It is baked in tall, cylindrical tins (like coffee or fruit juice tins), and when cooled is decorated with white icing (which is slightly drizzled down the sides), colourful flowers, and XB "Christ is Risen") is decorated on the side. Kulich is only eaten during the 40 days after Paskha (Easter) until Pentecost.

Oksana took me and Budd to the post-office to send our friends Mousy Mouse and Morado to Moscow. I went there by the Metro. It was very thrilling!



The post office and near it:



Oksana showed us the Irish pub. It's called "St. Patrick's corner". You can see ST patrick on the roof of that pub. It looks very funy! And there is a tree (I guess it's a wild apple tree) near the pub with empty bottles on it's branches:



I could see the first green leaves on the trees!


This is the cinema-house. It was built many years ago, but it was reconstracted, so now it's a modern and popular cinema house- "Victory":


Here I'm near the casino- there are many casinos in Novosibrsk, but Oksana has never been there.

And here is a car- it's prize which you can have if you win in casino. I want to try Perhaps I will return to Steve and Helly in my own car! ))


Look what funy ladies!

And they have a cat. At first we didn't noticed it:


I could see the house which was built almost 100 years ago- in 1924. In fact it doesn't look so-o old at all.


We could see these lovely Easter bunnies in some shop window:


Finally we came to the church. As you already know today Russians celebrate Easter, so there are many people in every church. This one is the main in Novosibirsk. It's called
the Voznesensky Cathedral:

It looks very beautiful!






All these people came to the church to sanctify their Easter food and special church wine:




After that we went to Oksana's friend. At first we had Easter dinner there and then we traveled back home in a car.

Today morning we were very surprised when Budd and me looked into the window- everything was white from snow! It turned out that while we were sleeping it started snowing.

Today is May,1 and Russians have a public  holiday.  May, 1 used to be International Workers' Day or Labour Day in the USSR, which celebrated the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. But in 1992 that holiday was renamed in The Day of Spring and Labour. But we still have demonstrations on May, 1. They are organized by different political parties (mostly by the party of the communists).
Today Budd and me had a chance to see such demonstration.
There were many people with flags and red ballons:






But besides that demonstration there was another one made by young people of Novosibirsk. It had no meaning- it was just a funny joke- most young people who took part in it, prepared some funny costumes, masks or had strange make up on their faces and they had  posters with  funny slogans (they can hardly be translated into English). In fact Budd and me liked that demonstration more than the demonstration of communists.

After the demonstration Oksana took us to the cafe where we had a very tasty breakfast.


Then we went for a walk about the city. We could see such a lovely small Chapel- St. Nickolas' Chapel:

And here we are in the Pervomaysky Garden- pervomaysky means "May,1":

It's written here Novonikolaevsk. Oksana told us that Novonikolaevsk is the old name of Novosibirsk. After October revolution in 1917 this city was renamed in Novosibirsk, which means New Siberia.
We saw a  horse in that garden- it looked very funny with it's red ears

And there was a women who was selling these lovely dolls:


We also saw some interesting wooden and stone sculptures
in that garden:



And there is the local museum:


Later we went to Ikea- we were looking for a present for Oksana's colleague.


So we bought a photo frame as a present and Oksana also bought some mirrows and a small chest of drawers for herself.
When we finished with our purchases we when to Ikea's cafe and drank cola and ate ice-cream there.

Today we were walking in the Narymsky garden. It was the last day of Easter week so there was some celebration in the garden- with a concert, fair and different games. We could see many people in old Russian traditional clothes.
















And in the evening Oksana took me and Budd to her drum class. It was very interesting there! We were allowed to play a real drum djembe from Africa!

Today Russians celebrate the Victory Day- this day marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War commonly referred to in the Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War. This capitulation was signed late in the evening on May 8, 1945 (May 9 in the Moscow time zone), following the original capitulation Germany signed earlier to the joint Allied forces. The Soviet government announced the victory early on May 9 after the signing ceremony in Berlin.

The May 9 Victory Day is celebrated in most of the successor states to the Soviet Union, especially in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The day is traditionally marked by ceremonial military parades with the most prominent one being traditionally held in Moscow on the Red Square.


There was a parade in Novosibirsk too- it was held on the Lenin's Square and there were lots of people, so that we couldn't see the parade very well

But we could see the exhibition of military machines. It was very interesting, esp for Budd









Then we went to the park to watch the fountains- they've just began to work after winter break.
On our way to the park we found this wall with drawings:

Look! What a lovely bear-fountain!

And this fountain is much bigger than the one with a bear:


We saw these boys and girls in the blue uniform near the memorial to the Heroes of the USSR:


We also found the place where some people were preparing everything for the evening fireworks:


The weather was so warm and sunny so that we couldn't help admiring the nature in the park:






When we saw that sculpture, we at first thought it was made of snow, but it turned out to be made of white stone



And this monument is a present to Novosibirsk from the Armenian community of the city. It was made for the 2000th anniversary of Christianity:


We met many veterans of the Great Patriotic War:






In the evening there were fireworks on the Lenin's square. Thousands of people came there to watch it. It was the most beautiful fireworks me and Budd ever saw!

Today Oksana took me and Budd to the Zoo.





Here we saw some dinosaurs- they looked very big and dangerous, but of course they were not real






Look what a lovely animal! It's a lemur.


And here is a small exhibition of the birds' houses- they all
look very interesting! I could live in any of them


And it's a lynxs.


We could see many birds there- some were very-very big!


And this animal is very unusual, because it's not a lioness- it's a crossbreed of a lion and a tiger. And it lives with a lion.
We also saw a white tiger.


I'm with a deer:


Do you know this animal? Oksana says in Russian it's called "mangust", but we couldn't translate it into English.












We are with some forest flowers:








We saw some big bears in the Zoo!





As you see we met many interesting animals and birds and spent a wonderful day!

The last few days we had  hot and sunny weather in Novosibirsk and we enjoyed walking in the parks. Many trees and flowers are in blossom now and the city looks wonderful!

Look what an interesting sculpture of a policeman and  traffic lights we found!  Isn't it funny?



An old traditional Russian house made of wood:


What a pink miracle! Oksana says that it's an almond-tree.


And here's the sculpture of 2 storks- the symbol of a new family. Newly-weds like to make photos near these storks.




Wild apple tree is in blossom. It smells so-o tasty!





Some wild flowers:

Today Mittens has arrived and we were very happy to meet it!
Oksana made these photos on our way back to Oksana's work from the post-office. Dandelions are everywhere here and they look like small suns in the green grass.



What I like about May in Novosibirsk, that there are many trees and flowers in blossom now:



And here we are already in the office with a teddy bear Timosha. It looks very sweet! Oksana's friend made it.