The story telling about churches in a country that tried abolish them or turn them into museums is a bit baffling. The attempts to own the churches that were turned into museums with shared stories Read More …

Just a dark thought as I was walking beside the ice-slide on Mandrogi Island. Sheltered between the artisan workshops and the long cold winters, this image was both festival and challenge. A slide every child Read More …

The grand staircase at the Hermitage speaks to an era gone by. It also speaks to a class distinction that contributed to much of the economic divide in pre-revoloution Russia. The fear of leaving St Read More …

When the news reporter for Moscow TV asked me what was different about the agricultural fair in Yaroslavl and any I had seen in Canada, I answered with one word, “Fun!” The Zucchini dressed for Read More …

In the middle of a reservoir… A steeple! The flooding of a valley in 1935 or so created one great hydro-electric project. The locks and infra-structure are a testament to visionary leadership and communal goals. Read More …

It is amazing that when, after a hectic week, a rest on a park bench, an old park bench, changes every perspective and connects all the loose ends. There across the grass, a red Squirrel Read More …

The Tretyakov Galleries are a monument to Russian art and a monument to Tretyakov, a patron of the arts. In his life-time Tretyakov collected 2000 works of Russian art and donated them and the gallery Read More …

I woke up this morning in Moscow thinking about the quiet waters of Nita Lake in Whistler, BC. The canoe reflecting sunshine. The drizzle outside was familiar. The splatter of rain drops blurring vistas. Then Read More …

The soaring monument and poster spoke of human achievement. This was not your usual war-monument (ok cold-war). This monument celebrated human achievement. A memorial to that first human space flight. Once inside the museum this Read More …

Some quiet loving part of me wants to rebel against classical religious symbols. And then some spirited movement from within is repeatedly awe struck at how far images, memories and phrases percolate from those traditions. Read More …