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Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Saint Petersburg
William had the opportunity to visit St. Petersburg a couple weekends ago. He had a 4 day weekend off of work, so he and a few coworkers flew to the second largest city in Russia. Just a short 2 hour plane ride from Nizhny they were able to have a long weekend away from work. From Cathedrals to Palaces, he saw so many aspects of the city. He said there is amazing architecture on every building, and he really had a great weekend!
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
80
Happy 80th Birthday Shirley Girl!
Friday, March 27, 2015
Home Sweet Home
Oh boy!
Russia was a great experience. I am back state side now, enjoying my time with family and friends.
Great people and adventures in Russia! But the job isn't done yet. William will still be there for a few more months, coming back to the states for visa trips though.
Updates to continue :)
Russia was a great experience. I am back state side now, enjoying my time with family and friends.
A few things I missed about Chicago:
- Deep Dish Pizza
- Italian Beef Sandwiches
- Regular TV
- Free Water
Great people and adventures in Russia! But the job isn't done yet. William will still be there for a few more months, coming back to the states for visa trips though.
Updates to continue :)
Friday, March 13, 2015
American Music
Everywhere we go there is American music playing overhead. Very rarely will I here a Russian tune.
There is background music in the breakfast restaurant as well as the downstairs Sports Bar. The songs are all American, and most, are fairly recent. The songs are not quite the same as at home. The Sports Bar music is arranged more upbeat and techno styled. Similar to what you would hear on late night radio: songs breaking for a techno beat. I recently heard a techno mix with a cover of No Scrubs by TLC.
The breakfast restaurant is where a bit of hilarity comes in. Wide variety of songs, all arranged at a slower beat, and more jazzy, relaxing music. Some almost like a 50's style, Elvis impersonations. These covers always bring a laugh at the table.
Some songs are appropriate with this style such as
--I Love You Baby- Frankie Valli
--Sweet Dreams- Eurythmics
Others are bizarre to hear in this way.
--23 - Blink 182
--Enter Sandman- Metallica
--Billie Jean- Michael Jackson
--Another Brick in the Wall- Pink Floyd
Thank goodness for Shazam. Here are some examples of the covers:
Hot and Cold- The Baseballs
Smells Like Teen Spirit- Paul Anka
He also sings I Love You Baby
Tik Tok- Avril Lavigne
I Will Survive- Sister Kat
One of our personal favorites,
Another Brick in the Wall- Richard Cheese
There is background music in the breakfast restaurant as well as the downstairs Sports Bar. The songs are all American, and most, are fairly recent. The songs are not quite the same as at home. The Sports Bar music is arranged more upbeat and techno styled. Similar to what you would hear on late night radio: songs breaking for a techno beat. I recently heard a techno mix with a cover of No Scrubs by TLC.
The breakfast restaurant is where a bit of hilarity comes in. Wide variety of songs, all arranged at a slower beat, and more jazzy, relaxing music. Some almost like a 50's style, Elvis impersonations. These covers always bring a laugh at the table.
Some songs are appropriate with this style such as
--I Love You Baby- Frankie Valli
--Sweet Dreams- Eurythmics
Others are bizarre to hear in this way.
--23 - Blink 182
--Enter Sandman- Metallica
--Billie Jean- Michael Jackson
--Another Brick in the Wall- Pink Floyd
Thank goodness for Shazam. Here are some examples of the covers:
Hot and Cold- The Baseballs
Smells Like Teen Spirit- Paul Anka
He also sings I Love You Baby
Tik Tok- Avril Lavigne
I Will Survive- Sister Kat
One of our personal favorites,
Another Brick in the Wall- Richard Cheese
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Moscow Weekend Part II
Pancakes in the park was our next adventure. We walked around the park first where there was a ice skating path set up. Not just a normal circular rink, but a path to travel through. On the other side of the park was the fest. There was a live band, and a lot of food and drink vendors. We found a place to sit and had warm honey beer and pancakes with sweet milk. Although it was a bit cold, we enjoyed our time in the park.
For dinner we decided to go to an Irish style pub called Mollie's. William ordered chicken wings with blue cheese sauce. Here it means mayonnaise with blue cheese. Mayo and sour cream are in nearly everything, or at least put on the side. To drink, I had a cherry beer called Belle-Vue Kriek. It was really yummy. We called it a fairly early night, since the night before we were out way too late, and Monday was our last day in Moscow.
So on Monday, we went to MSU- Moscow State University and an observation area near it. It was a bit foggy, so the views weren't the best, but still pretty neat to see the city in a different way. For lunch we did a grab and go buffet place, appropriately named, Grabli. Near this restaurant we got to see the Moscow UOP office. We had to end our day fairly early since our train back to Nizhny was at 4:45pm.. I had a bit of time to go to the Hard Rock Cafe and grab a collection pin, and into another souvenir store, for a couple more things. We packed up at the apartment, and headed to the metro, and then the main train station.
Our trip to Moscow was great! Big thanks to our "tour guide" Evgeniya, it easily would have taken us twice as long to everything we did. I'd love to go back if we ever have the opportunity. We also want to go to Saint Petersburg. There is a train the goes there too, or we could fly. But as everyone says, its best to visit in the spring or summer. So we will see if we get a chance to go there when the weather warms up.
For dinner we decided to go to an Irish style pub called Mollie's. William ordered chicken wings with blue cheese sauce. Here it means mayonnaise with blue cheese. Mayo and sour cream are in nearly everything, or at least put on the side. To drink, I had a cherry beer called Belle-Vue Kriek. It was really yummy. We called it a fairly early night, since the night before we were out way too late, and Monday was our last day in Moscow.
So on Monday, we went to MSU- Moscow State University and an observation area near it. It was a bit foggy, so the views weren't the best, but still pretty neat to see the city in a different way. For lunch we did a grab and go buffet place, appropriately named, Grabli. Near this restaurant we got to see the Moscow UOP office. We had to end our day fairly early since our train back to Nizhny was at 4:45pm.. I had a bit of time to go to the Hard Rock Cafe and grab a collection pin, and into another souvenir store, for a couple more things. We packed up at the apartment, and headed to the metro, and then the main train station.
Our trip to Moscow was great! Big thanks to our "tour guide" Evgeniya, it easily would have taken us twice as long to everything we did. I'd love to go back if we ever have the opportunity. We also want to go to Saint Petersburg. There is a train the goes there too, or we could fly. But as everyone says, its best to visit in the spring or summer. So we will see if we get a chance to go there when the weather warms up.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Moscow Weekend Part I
It's quite rare that we have the opportunity to leave the city we are staying in. So this trip to Moscow was pretty special. We went with two other people from UOP, Ryan and Evgeniya. Evgeniya is from the Moscow UOP office, so she became our personal tour guide for the long weekend.
We left by train Friday evening. Although it wasn't a high speed train, we got to Moscow in 4 hours while it would take 6 hours of driving. We passed the time by playing Euchre and having some snacks. We arrived late into Moscow, at 11pm. Evgeniya was able to rent us an apartment for the three nights, which is cheaper than a hotel. We dropped our stuff off, and went out to dinner. Our first meal was at an Uzbekistan restaurant, Chaihona No. 1. We ended up staying out a bit later than planned, but it was a great start to our weekend adventure.
On Saturday, we had a 12pm time to go to the Kremlin. Inside the walls contains cathedrals, museums, and even government buildings. We had tickets for the Armory Chamber, which was a museum of Russian history artifacts. It is one of the oldest museums in Russia.We did a self guided audio tour. There was so many different display cases, it would have taken twice as long to look at everything, but the audio tour just talked about main points, and took about an hour. There was of course armor and weaponry, as well as armor and decoration for horses, different thrones and crowns of tsars, coronation gowns and other dresses, royal carriages, and a large collection of silverware. In addition to the Armory Chambery, we went to the Diamond Fund Exhibit. It contains a collection of rare precious stones, intricate jewelry from the 18th and 19th centuries, a collection of the symbols of the royal power, and extraordinary sizes and unique platinum and gold nuggets.
We then headed to the Red Square and met up with one of Evgeniya's friends. As we walked up a small hill, we could slowly see the top of Saint Basil's Cathedral. It was breathtaking from the very first moment. The colors are so vivid and bright, its beautiful. On the inside, there are many small passage ways and winding walkways. William and I even got lost from the others for a bit. In the Red Square there is also Lenin's mausoleum, which you can view his embalmed body. We did not, because it was closed. We walked through the mall, and then decided to get some dinner at a Ukrainian restaurant, Taras Bulba. I had borscht and chicken Kiev.
After going back to the apartment to get ready to go out, we went to a bar with great cocktails. William even had a Pina Colada. We met up with a few more of Evgeniya's friends and had a great time at the bar. We switched bars, and went to Rock and Roll. They played many songs from the 90's which were really fun to dance to. We stayed out dancing till the wee hours of the morning. But, that's the Russian Way. Moscow is the city that doesn't sleep, more so than New York (so I'm told). I believe it though, because when we leave, there's always a fresh crowd just getting there.
Sunday morning came quickly. We decided on an American style restaurant for breakfast/lunch so we went to Beverly Hills. I ordered scrambled eggs with vegetables, toast, and breakfast potatoes with a milkshake. William ordered a bacon blue cheese burger and a milkshake. We are getting use to the slow service in Russia, but it took an hour for my eggs to be served.
After lunch, we walked to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Inside, people were already getting ready for a prayer service that would take place in the main area. The domes are all painted, which you can see right when you walk in. There were a lot of candles being lit in front of various saints. There was even a basement to this Cathedral, which was already so large, I was impressed there was more.
We left by train Friday evening. Although it wasn't a high speed train, we got to Moscow in 4 hours while it would take 6 hours of driving. We passed the time by playing Euchre and having some snacks. We arrived late into Moscow, at 11pm. Evgeniya was able to rent us an apartment for the three nights, which is cheaper than a hotel. We dropped our stuff off, and went out to dinner. Our first meal was at an Uzbekistan restaurant, Chaihona No. 1. We ended up staying out a bit later than planned, but it was a great start to our weekend adventure.
On Saturday, we had a 12pm time to go to the Kremlin. Inside the walls contains cathedrals, museums, and even government buildings. We had tickets for the Armory Chamber, which was a museum of Russian history artifacts. It is one of the oldest museums in Russia.We did a self guided audio tour. There was so many different display cases, it would have taken twice as long to look at everything, but the audio tour just talked about main points, and took about an hour. There was of course armor and weaponry, as well as armor and decoration for horses, different thrones and crowns of tsars, coronation gowns and other dresses, royal carriages, and a large collection of silverware. In addition to the Armory Chambery, we went to the Diamond Fund Exhibit. It contains a collection of rare precious stones, intricate jewelry from the 18th and 19th centuries, a collection of the symbols of the royal power, and extraordinary sizes and unique platinum and gold nuggets.
We then headed to the Red Square and met up with one of Evgeniya's friends. As we walked up a small hill, we could slowly see the top of Saint Basil's Cathedral. It was breathtaking from the very first moment. The colors are so vivid and bright, its beautiful. On the inside, there are many small passage ways and winding walkways. William and I even got lost from the others for a bit. In the Red Square there is also Lenin's mausoleum, which you can view his embalmed body. We did not, because it was closed. We walked through the mall, and then decided to get some dinner at a Ukrainian restaurant, Taras Bulba. I had borscht and chicken Kiev.
After going back to the apartment to get ready to go out, we went to a bar with great cocktails. William even had a Pina Colada. We met up with a few more of Evgeniya's friends and had a great time at the bar. We switched bars, and went to Rock and Roll. They played many songs from the 90's which were really fun to dance to. We stayed out dancing till the wee hours of the morning. But, that's the Russian Way. Moscow is the city that doesn't sleep, more so than New York (so I'm told). I believe it though, because when we leave, there's always a fresh crowd just getting there.
Sunday morning came quickly. We decided on an American style restaurant for breakfast/lunch so we went to Beverly Hills. I ordered scrambled eggs with vegetables, toast, and breakfast potatoes with a milkshake. William ordered a bacon blue cheese burger and a milkshake. We are getting use to the slow service in Russia, but it took an hour for my eggs to be served.
After lunch, we walked to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Inside, people were already getting ready for a prayer service that would take place in the main area. The domes are all painted, which you can see right when you walk in. There were a lot of candles being lit in front of various saints. There was even a basement to this Cathedral, which was already so large, I was impressed there was more.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Valentine's Day
This Valentine's Day, William and I actually got to spend together, unlike the past 2 years. We went out for lunch to Pronto Pizza. We got two pizzas and they were both really good. The restaurant even gave us little heart shaped cookies, which were also delicious. It was a nice afternoon.
In the evening we had plans to learn to play Russian Billiards (also known as Russian Pyramid) with a few other people from UOP. But before that, we were able to video chat with my mom for a little while, even with our bad internet.
The billiards table is a bit larger, we played on a 9 ft table, as opposed to 7 ft. The pockets are also smaller and yet, the balls are larger and heavier. It makes it more of a precision game, no going with lucky shots and sloppy playing.
We played Free Pyramid which is played with 15 white balls and 1 dark red ball. The red ball is used to break, but after that acts as if it is white, the color doesn't matter. Simply, at any point any ball may be used as the cue ball. Players can even pocket the cue ball. First player to get eight balls in, wins.
There were enough of us that we decided to eventually play on two teams of three, just so we all could play. The Chiefs vs The NOT Chiefs. The NOT Chiefs won (aka me and not William) We then decided to play American billiards and did teams of East vs West; Americans vs Russians. It was weird to switch between the games because of the table size and ball weight. But the Americans won all the games.
We all then sat down for some more beers and played some card games in the restaurant area. William had struck up a conversation earlier with some Canadians and Americans who played hockey for the KHL Croatia team, here to play the Torpedoes. And the few that were left, had joined us. These guys had actually played a few games in the NHL. So technically we were hanging out with a former Blackhawk, Marty St. Pierre and former Blues, Mike Glumac, who are both Canadian. It was fun to also talk to a fellow American, Cal Heeter even if he is from St. Louis, giving us a hard time about our hockey and baseball preferences. As we were getting ready to leave, Cal had told us he could get us tickets to Sunday's game against the Torpedoes. We couldn't pass us another hockey game!
We felt like VIP going to the players entrance to get our tickets the next day. Again, it was a great game in the Torpedo stadium. Although Croatia lost, the Torpedoes won their last home game of the regular season and it was quite the celebration in the stadium.
It was a great weekend, and another great weekend is to come. We are going to Moscow for a long weekend. Leaving Friday night and coming back Monday, since Monday is a holiday here. It is Defender of the Fatherland Day. Many Russians observe this as men's day because military service is obligatory for most men in Russia. But don't worry ladies, International Women's Day is March 8th.
In the evening we had plans to learn to play Russian Billiards (also known as Russian Pyramid) with a few other people from UOP. But before that, we were able to video chat with my mom for a little while, even with our bad internet.
The billiards table is a bit larger, we played on a 9 ft table, as opposed to 7 ft. The pockets are also smaller and yet, the balls are larger and heavier. It makes it more of a precision game, no going with lucky shots and sloppy playing.
We played Free Pyramid which is played with 15 white balls and 1 dark red ball. The red ball is used to break, but after that acts as if it is white, the color doesn't matter. Simply, at any point any ball may be used as the cue ball. Players can even pocket the cue ball. First player to get eight balls in, wins.
There were enough of us that we decided to eventually play on two teams of three, just so we all could play. The Chiefs vs The NOT Chiefs. The NOT Chiefs won (aka me and not William) We then decided to play American billiards and did teams of East vs West; Americans vs Russians. It was weird to switch between the games because of the table size and ball weight. But the Americans won all the games.
We all then sat down for some more beers and played some card games in the restaurant area. William had struck up a conversation earlier with some Canadians and Americans who played hockey for the KHL Croatia team, here to play the Torpedoes. And the few that were left, had joined us. These guys had actually played a few games in the NHL. So technically we were hanging out with a former Blackhawk, Marty St. Pierre and former Blues, Mike Glumac, who are both Canadian. It was fun to also talk to a fellow American, Cal Heeter even if he is from St. Louis, giving us a hard time about our hockey and baseball preferences. As we were getting ready to leave, Cal had told us he could get us tickets to Sunday's game against the Torpedoes. We couldn't pass us another hockey game!
We felt like VIP going to the players entrance to get our tickets the next day. Again, it was a great game in the Torpedo stadium. Although Croatia lost, the Torpedoes won their last home game of the regular season and it was quite the celebration in the stadium.
It was a great weekend, and another great weekend is to come. We are going to Moscow for a long weekend. Leaving Friday night and coming back Monday, since Monday is a holiday here. It is Defender of the Fatherland Day. Many Russians observe this as men's day because military service is obligatory for most men in Russia. But don't worry ladies, International Women's Day is March 8th.
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