Krasnodar, Russia - 23rd February 2008
By: Miss_Nadine
Today I didn't take lots of pictures...Actually, we had a relaxing mood as today in Russia is the Holiday of Armed forces, but it's widely celebrated as Men's day! So on the streets we could see lots of handsome men (all men are handsome on their holiday, sure thing) and they got lots of presents and congratulated each other by cell phones etc.
And! we were busy running through the shops, looking for a birthday present as tomorrow we are invited to the birthday of 1 Russian girl!
Still, there is 1 picture I managed to shoot - near the little cathedral. I like the sky on this picture! Although, it's kind of scary grey...
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Posted Mar 1, 2008, 12:44 pm
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Krasnodar, Russia - 24th February 2008
By: Miss_Nadine
Today I got a spontaneous invitation to a birthday party of 1 Russian girl. Of course I kindly accepted it, as I wasn't going to miss the chance to tell what the Russian birthday might look. Well, the birthday girl was gorgeous - in a beautiful red dress and everything! We celebrated in a cute restaurant, but all the tables were put in 1 long row (a very ancient Russian tradition) and the whole room was wonderfully decorated with balloons. There was enormously lots of food and drinks! I was really full, as most of Russian dishes are made with mayonese. It's like #1 souce here and hmm....what I found really weird, is that they love here hot mayonese! I even tried oysters under hot mayonese and was quite suprised...but there were lots of fruits and good cheeze. Strawberries were specially yummi!
I met 2 cute teddies there - they weren't guests, like me. They were presents for a birthday girl. So they weren't very talkative and refused to dance....
Anyway! I got lots of fun, taking part in different games - like dancing all together in a red ribbon, singing, dancing again, listening to Tzygane (Russian name for gipsies) and special Kuban folk songs by Kozak (a man in a uniform on 1 photo). Here are some pics....The party started at 17.00 and we left only at 24.30 so...you see it was really MEGA fun....
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Posted Feb 25, 2008, 6:43 pm Last edited Feb 27, 2008, 12:38 pm by Miss_Nadine
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On the Trail, Russia - 24th February 2008
By: wourpet
It is suddenly of the utmost importance that the Conejo family rounds up all the strays and travelers for a family reunion at Easter. It would seem that Ahumado (Coney) Conejo is due to return from Iraq. His timing, even if we don't know the eexact date, is excellent since it was one year ago on March 24 of 2007 that the Conejo family were rescued in Springerville Arizona and set off on their worldly adventures. However it seems the fate of the Conejo family is not a happy one and many may have possibly ended up in the stew pot.
Coney joined the army and was soon in Baghdad traveling around in tanks and hummers. Azul ran off with a new and unknown friend following a July 4th parade and is likely deep in the Navajo Nation with no internet communication and unable to report in. Picado has clocked a remarkable amount of miles as he has crisscrossed the globe and is currently in California. He will make one last visit to Florida before returning home for the reunion. Morado has just started out on the Russian TVT so he will not be able to make it home, or so he says, but the pictures from Germany and Russia are indicative of a fondness for partying. He is learning Russian though and checks in frequently. Rosa spent most of the year at home waiting for Coney but was invited by a park ranger (after she had left her wallet and ID behind at Aztec Ruins National Park) to visit a friend in France where she would be able to reach a life mission and visit a winery. First, though, she would spend some time with the Park Ranger, including a road trip around Montana. She traveled from the snow of Montana to the vinelands of France in December and will hopefully be heard from again this spring. Maybe she can even come home for the reunion and then return to France. Blanche went to Australia and it would appear she fell into the fate every little rabbit worries about -- the stew pot – and she was never heard from again. All attempts to contact her host or to have her moved on have gone unanswered. The rest of the Conejo family is of little help. With Azul missing in action on the Navajo Nation, or maybe also in the stew pot, Rosa snowed either under in the wilds of Montana or crushing grapes in France, or also in the stew pot, Morado partying and dancing in Russia, and maybe a little stewed even if he’s not in a pot and Blanche in the billycan -- it is going to be a sad affair when Picado is the only Conejo present to welcome his brother Coney home from his long deployment in Baghdad.
It would be so good if the missing Conejos could find their way back home.
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Posted Mar 1, 2008, 3:08 am Last edited Mar 1, 2008, 3:09 am by wourpet
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Krasnodar, Russia - 25th February 2008
By: Miss_Nadine
So! Miss_Nadine told me that the image of Russian cities is changing rapidly nowadays. And so does the fashion for monuments. If long time ago it was more typical to see the monuments of Lenin, Dzerzhinsky, Stalin, pioneers and others on the streets, nowadays the situation has changed completely.
And it's more likely to create new funny monuments, like this one - the statue of two dogs in their beautiful suits, strolling and chatting around. I was confused to see the coins in the mouth of 1 dog...and their noses seemed to me tooo yellow and shiny....But my host explained me, that it's just such tradition, the citizen created: to rub the nose of a dog and to put the coin in his mouth...And the happiness will stalk you! Well! I did all those ritualso now just have to wait and see!
P.S. There is a funny signature to this monument - a quote of Russian poet Mayakovsky, telling that Krasnodar - is doggy capital! I also noticed that! There are lots of dogs and cats, crossing the streets everywhere. And only few of them are homeless. Just Krasnodar cats and dogs have got a real spirit of freedom and don't like to stay in their houses....
I should definitely show you Krasnodar houses later on...
Poka-poka! (bye-bye)
XXXXXX
Morado
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Posted Mar 1, 2008, 9:48 am Last edited Mar 1, 2008, 9:52 am by Miss_Nadine
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Krasnodar, Russia - 28th February 2008
By: Miss_Nadine
Today was calm and relaxing. I got acquainted with Lavando, the teddy bear- I guess we have so much in common! Here we are in the flowers. And these flowers grow in a very old iron...May be even 100 years old! Who knows...
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Posted Mar 9, 2008, 2:48 pm
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Krasnodar, Russia - 29th February 2008
By: Miss_Nadine
Today is the official last day of winter! Yuppie! I am very happy to see sun And Miss_Nadine proposed just not to stay inside and have a healthy ballade around the city to bless our hearts! I am a good pedestrian tourist, I think
But, first of all, let's get some unhealthy, but so yummy calories!
Russian ice-cream was okay: vanilla with orange flavour...
And...Off we go!
Well, this time we decided to shoot (with the photo cam of course! lol) some houses around.
Krasnodar is a strange city, to my mind...Here the modern rubs shoulders with the old! There are lots of high-rise dwelling houses, but most of the city is full of little ones...really I find some of them mega old and definitely seeking remodeling...But Miss_Nadine says, that this city was damaged a lot during World War II and just was slightly rebuilt after this by communists...
For example, on this place centuries ago was a magnificent cathedral...
And what I also find significant, is that Krasnodar was reunited from lots of little villages around to become the city. So that's why there are still lots of little really old houses!
Look at this house - I find it quite strange:the mixture of stone and really ancient wooden roof...
I like very much the entrances of some houses - really artistic
This tree in Russian is called Sosna. And it is really really old and high!
Ha! Look what I found!
Cutie-cute flowers and grass! Now I can really feel the smell of Spring!
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Posted Mar 1, 2008, 10:58 am
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Krasnodar, Russia - 3rd March 2008
By: Miss_Nadine
EKATERINODAR
Today we made a little tour to the main monument of Krasnodar - the statue of Ekaterine the Great - Russian tzaritsa. In fact, this city was her gift to kozaks for their noble service. And its name wasn't Krasnodar, but Ekaterinodar. After the revolution the communists changed it's name to Krasnodar = "the gift of Red army". This city was destroyed a lot during World War II by fascists, but now it's under the reconstruction and is changing its face day by day.
This is me near the monument of Ekaterina the Great! It's very high I must say...
I love Russian cathedrals - all white and golden...
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Posted Mar 6, 2008, 7:36 pm Last edited Mar 9, 2008, 2:44 pm by Miss_Nadine
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Krasnodar, Russia - 5th March 2008
By: Miss_Nadine
Today we were roller blading with Miss_Nadineand then made a quick tour to the city again. Look what I found! what a funny bicycle!
After so much sport I decided to take some nap on this big old tree....What a wonderful time!
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Posted Mar 9, 2008, 3:01 pm
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Krasnodar, Russia - 6th March 2008
By: Miss_Nadine
Today we cooked "Bliny" - pancakes or creppes, if you wish.
Just cause Russian people are celebrating Maslenitsa this week - so they visit each other and taste bliny with different dressings inside. Ours were with rice and fish. But there could be chocolate, or meat, or ice-cream, or whatever...Actuallly, that's quite hard to cook nice bliny I must say...but I managed to do this! Look!
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Posted Mar 10, 2008, 2:57 pm
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