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.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
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.
Monday, February 16, 2015
The Internet is Not My Friend.
We still have no word on when we will be moving to our apartment in Kstovo, so we switched rooms. We now have a living area with couch, and newer TV, and a separate room for the bedroom, as well as a larger bathroom. With this new room comes gym access, better living space, and bad internet. I haven't really been on the computer much this past week due to the slow internet. But I was slacking with the blog, so I better get on it.
We ended up going to the hockey game last Friday night instead of Sunday. The stadium is actually quite small. Nothing compared to the United Center. But when the Torpedoes scored, it was like we were in the UC based on the noise and excitement level. They celebrated as if they just won the Stanley Cup. It was fun chanting TOR-PE-DO! with the crowd. It was even more fun to hear everyone yell the last name of the player who scored: IMM-O-NEN!
Classic crowd pleasing songs were played to get us riled up such as We Will Rock You, Can't Touch This, and Are You Ready For This. The Torpedoes won, and it was a great night!
We went to two malls as well. There was a four story mall, that only had fur stores. Lots and lots of fur coats and hats. The other mall was similar to an American mall, but instead of individual walled in stores on two sides, it was more of a flea market style on each floor. Many stores, also in the middle areas, but none enclosed by actual walls. The only thing we ended up buying was an XBOX One. William really wanted to play NHL 15. And I ended up buying Zoo Tycoon, so I get some use out of it too!
We ended up going to the hockey game last Friday night instead of Sunday. The stadium is actually quite small. Nothing compared to the United Center. But when the Torpedoes scored, it was like we were in the UC based on the noise and excitement level. They celebrated as if they just won the Stanley Cup. It was fun chanting TOR-PE-DO! with the crowd. It was even more fun to hear everyone yell the last name of the player who scored: IMM-O-NEN!
Classic crowd pleasing songs were played to get us riled up such as We Will Rock You, Can't Touch This, and Are You Ready For This. The Torpedoes won, and it was a great night!
We went to two malls as well. There was a four story mall, that only had fur stores. Lots and lots of fur coats and hats. The other mall was similar to an American mall, but instead of individual walled in stores on two sides, it was more of a flea market style on each floor. Many stores, also in the middle areas, but none enclosed by actual walls. The only thing we ended up buying was an XBOX One. William really wanted to play NHL 15. And I ended up buying Zoo Tycoon, so I get some use out of it too!
Thursday, February 5, 2015
It's Snow Problem
I know Illinois has gotten a lot of snow, but so has Nizhny. It's been snowing about 3-4 inches everyday for about 4 days now. At least it's not all at once, and mostly overnight.
Side road, and sidewalks are not clearly plowed. And commuting back from work can take William about an hour and half, normally 45 minutes. I went for a short walk today to the park, and that was mini workout trying to hike through the snow on the sidewalks. On the way back though, there was a tractor plowing part of the sidewalk.
Cross Country style skiing is very popular
Who's car was also like this in Illinois??!
Very pretty at the Park
The Snow Stroller is where it's at! Super popular here.
I usually see this style, but there are Deluxe versions too. Looks way more convenient than a wheeled stroller, but not as much storage area. Seen one on Amazon for those who are super interested :p
More snow to come this weekend. We also should be moving into the apartment this weekend. (FINALLY!) And I believe we are also catching a hockey game on Sunday. The Nizhny Novgorod
Torpedo vs The Novokuznetsk Metallurg Nk. The Torpedo Ice Rink is actually right next to our hotel now.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Crochet Projects
These are the projects I've completed while here.
Hat using single crochet
Same hat, turned into a basket. It's a bit big and bulky
Matching Cowl Scarf and Headband
Matching Long Scarf and Headband
3 long scarves.
2 end ones are done with single crochet
Middle one is done with half double and alternating front loop and back loop only.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Skiing
The last time I went skiing I was either a sophomore or junior in high school. I missed out on a couple ski trips that my friends went on recently, so it had been a very long time. William use to snowboard fairly often, but again, that was too many years ago. We had the opportunity to go this past weekend with a couple people from the Lukoil Refinery, Marie and Sergei. Another UOP guy, Ryan, also went with us.
After an about an hour taxi drive, and one minor spin out on the snowy side road, we made it to the ski resort, Habarskoe. We were warned a head of time that it was windy out, but it was a bit worse than I had thought. It was also snowing, so that was blowing everywhere as well. When Sergei and Marie arrived, we found out why the area was so empty. The slopes were closed due to the windy and near white out conditions on the hill. We did the next best thing, go the the restaurant to get drinks and snacks. Marie and I had some coffee while the guys had some beers. We enjoyed the company, although things were not quite as planned.
Soon, we saw the lifts going, and the restaurant was clearing out. The hill was now open! We decided to only rent for an hour at first, just because it was so windy out, which made it quite chilly at times. William was the only one to be on a snowboard in our group.
Marie and Sergei are professionals compared to us. Although I only fell down the hill once, it was pretty steep and icy at times. The lift is a bit different than the usual chairlift I was expecting to see. This is a surface lift that uses a T-bar attached to a cable, while we are being pushed back up the hill.
Just about an hour in, we were more confident, but a bit worn out. We went back to the restaurant for food and drinks. Hoegaaarden beers, borsch (beetroot soup), then a chicken and potatoes dish. Food was very good.
After an about an hour taxi drive, and one minor spin out on the snowy side road, we made it to the ski resort, Habarskoe. We were warned a head of time that it was windy out, but it was a bit worse than I had thought. It was also snowing, so that was blowing everywhere as well. When Sergei and Marie arrived, we found out why the area was so empty. The slopes were closed due to the windy and near white out conditions on the hill. We did the next best thing, go the the restaurant to get drinks and snacks. Marie and I had some coffee while the guys had some beers. We enjoyed the company, although things were not quite as planned.
Soon, we saw the lifts going, and the restaurant was clearing out. The hill was now open! We decided to only rent for an hour at first, just because it was so windy out, which made it quite chilly at times. William was the only one to be on a snowboard in our group.
Marie and Sergei are professionals compared to us. Although I only fell down the hill once, it was pretty steep and icy at times. The lift is a bit different than the usual chairlift I was expecting to see. This is a surface lift that uses a T-bar attached to a cable, while we are being pushed back up the hill.
Ryan and William
Sums up how the day went.
Just about an hour in, we were more confident, but a bit worn out. We went back to the restaurant for food and drinks. Hoegaaarden beers, borsch (beetroot soup), then a chicken and potatoes dish. Food was very good.
Borsch
We definitely plan on going skiing again while we are here. It was a blast!
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