RUSSIAN SAYING AND ODD AND ENDS

   Understanding  RussianCulture

        

           Most Russian homes, especially in the countryside have a ‘red corner’. Originally that is where the religious icons were displayed. After the Bolshevik Revolution the religious icons were replaced with busts of Lenin and Stalin. Since the demise of the USSR in 1989 the religious icons again have a place of honor.

           

            Russians believe they have an angel on or over the right shoulder and the devil on or over the left shoulder. By spitting three times over the left shoulder sends the devil away.

           

            Flowers are always given in odd numbers.

           

            Never shake hands with a Russian over a threshold.  Step inside the room, otherwise it is bad luck.

            Always use the middle finger to point at something, never use the index finger as Americans do.

            When taking a picture Russians say, say raisins, which in Russian sounds better than say cheese, which just brings a confused look to a Russian.

            Denge means money, chi means tea, zavaka means  tea concentrate, pravda means truth.

Russian nesting dolls are called matryoshka.

The brightly colored and decorated lacquered boxes are called palekh. 

Russian expressions:

            Russians say got up on the left leg, not the wrong side of the bed.

            The expression when elephants fly becomes when crawfish whistle in Russian.

           

            The quieter you go the farther you get is equal to our haste makes waste.

           

            Two peas in a pod becomes two drops of water to a Russian.

           

            The first pancake has lumps is equivalent to if you don’t at first succeed, try try again.

             

SALISBURY CATHEDRAL

        A Lovely Gothic Structure

           
          In 1220 AD Bishop Richard Poore and architect Elias de Derham decided to build a new state-of-the-art Gothic-style Cathedral in a rough field called St. Mary's Mead. It would replace the old Norman Cathedral at Old Sarum.

        The cathedral in Salisbury, England is a beautiful gothic structure with the typical graceful curved arches with columns of stone and marble. Started in 1220, the church was completed 38 years later. However, the 404-foot tall spire, the tallest in England, was not added until 1320, and it took 40 years to complete---longer than the building of the original cathedral. The spire required 6 ½ tons of masonry.

60,000 tons of Chilmark Stone and 10,000 tons of Purbeck Stone were used to build the Cathedral and 28, 000 tons of oak were used to construct the roof. The 4 acre roof is  covered with 420 tons of lead. This magnificent gothic cathedral dominates the city and that spire can be seen from everywhere.

         One of the four columns supporting the tower has a slight bow in it. The tower leans 28-inches southeast into the wind. They say when the wind really blows one can feel the spire sway. Because of settling years ago major stabilization was necessary. On one very calm day a year, a mountain climber makes it to the top—to change a red aircraft warning light!

Water and slate run under the center of the cathedral. The water level is checked every day. If there is a drought, people become anxious, but if the water drops below a certain level, there is an arrangement with the water authority to release water to maintain a safe level. If the water table stayed down, the slate would dry out and shift, causing catastrophic results for the church.

     The stone used for the building was quarried 12 miles away. Apprentice masons were sent to the quarry to do initial trimming of the stones, which speeded up the construction. Stone could only be brought from the quarry to the church six months of the year because rain and mud made it impossible for the horses and wagons to travel the rest of the year. So stone was accumulated at the church site to keep the masons working during the slack time.

      The wall stones were moved from Old Sarum and taken to Salisbury where they were used to enclose the new cathedral. Its church area is the largest enclosed one in England. The choir stalls are the largest and earliest complete set in Britain

The church contains 365 beautiful stainglass windows. In the sanctuary the straight-backed cane seat chairs didn’t look very comfortable. No doubt that was intentional!  The chairs were in rows in lieu of bench pews. Originally a carved marble screen separated the learned folk from the peasants. Removed in the 1790s, it is now preserved in one of the side rooms There are 69 statues on the West Front.

    The original cross was kept on top of the church for 620 years. Made of iron and very plain, it was removed once after 200 years to be copper coated, as the lower shaft was beginning to erode; then it was placed back in position where it stayed until 1950. Now it is displayed in the main part of the church.

One of the four surviving originals of the Magna Carter (1215) is on display in the Chapter house on the grounds.

        The oldest medieval clock in England, and probably the world, is housed in the cathedral. The 1386 clock has no face, but is connected via pulley and cord to a bell in the bell tower ringing it every hour. Once upon a time it acted as an alarm clock to warn the bishop that he better be in church for services. It was originally located in a bell tower that was demolished in 1792. Following this demolition, the clock was moved to the Cathedral Tower where it operated until 1884. The clock was then placed in storage and forgotten until it was discovered in 1929, in an attic of the cathedral. It was repaired and restored to working order in 1956. The clock is most unusual!

         The 1877 church organ has three sets of pipes.

         The cloisters, the largest in England, were added 50 years after the church was completed. Cloisters usually signal monks, but no monks have ever resided at the church in Salisbury, although the original church in Old Sarum was monasteric. The Close gates are locked from 10.30pm every night through until 7.00 AM the next morning

         This fabulous church is one of my favorites as it has so much interesting history. I really recommend one pick up a docent when visiting, as there is so much to learn. This is particularly true when visiting other well known churches and oriental gardens.

ELIJAH CHURCH

                     A Russian Church That Survived

         In Yaroslavl, Russia the embankment is one of the most pleasant found among Volga towns. Landscaped in the 19^th century it comprises a long promenade bordered by a picturesque green belt referred to as linden alley. The colonnaded gazebo, perched atop the bank, offered wonderful Volga panoramas. The river freezes in winter and all too soon we were to find that very true!

       The industrial city—chemical—is also home to eight state universities catering to 20,000 students. Half of the churches in Russia have been destroyed, but we still visited many on this trip. In Yaroslavl we visited Elijah the Prophet Church, 1647-50, that features an asymmetrical exterior created by five unevenly arranged green cupolas on the main building, covered galleries, a belfry, portico, and a bulky spire of an adjoining chapel. Frescos, painted in 1680, blanketed the interior. The 1696 lace-like iconostasis is regarded as a Russian baroque masterpiece. The 1660 carved wooden czar thrones are superb examples of ancient craftsmanship. The frescos in this church were done by 15 artists in only three months! I swear every church we visited had frescos more beautiful than the previous church.

       In this small winter church we listened to the most fantastic quintet. We stood and listened to them for a long time. I still wish I had bought one of their CDs.

     After leaving the church and the fantastic music we walked through a greenbelt to a statue, the only religious statue in the country.

  The next day we learned that Lake Onega was still iced in. We just laid to for a few hours while an ice breaker caught up to us to clear a clean passage through the very southern portion of Lake Ladoga. It was a clear sunny day so we spent much time on deck enjoying the weather  and ice. The next two stops were cancelled; however, we made a couple of unscheduled stops to small villages which were interesting.

THE EDEN PROJECT

                      An Amazing Exhibit

        I had read about the Eden project in the paper a few months before a trip to England. We arrived just at opening time. Some waited for the little cars to take them down into the crater, but I walked it.

It took two and a half years to build the Eden Project, which did not open until Easter 2001. It created so much interest that 500,000 people visited during the six month period of May-November to view the construction and progress of the project. The mission of the Eden Project is, “To promote the understanding and practice the responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people, and resources leading towards a sustainable future for all.”

            The popularity of the $150 million (US) Eden Project far exceeded expectations, and 300,000 people visited in the first ten weeks after opening! The project had large umbrellas in many locations. I grabbed an umbrella as it looked very threatening, and at the very least it would make a nice walking stick. I had no more than entered the first biome when it started to rain, and it continued to rain very hard all day.   

            Space age technology meets the lost world of a giant abandoned 50-meter (163’) crater china-clay quarry. The size of 35 football fields Eden houses two gigantic geodetic domes housing thousands of plants. These biomes are the largest in the world, covering over two acres, and are made by joining 800 huge steel hexagons. Each hexagon is 25-feet across. If tears or holes appear in the solar paneled roofs they can be repaired with a special tape. This remarkable engineering feat uses no internal supports.

            One dome contains a humid tropical rain forest, complete with waterfalls and ponds. The plantings were grouped in nine different areas designed as Madam Wealth, Dr. Health, Mother Nature, Lady Beautiful, World’s Feast etc. Plants were clearly marked, and periodically there was a small about 18 X 18” canvas bulletin board with drawings and interesting facts. In the 17^th century a cargo of cloves was a king’s ransom, pepper could pay the rent, and a packet of nutmeg could buy a mansion! The temperature in this biome was 98 degrees with humidity of probably 90%. The crowds here prevented anything but a leisurely amble.  Droplets of water were beginning to accumulate on me as I neared the end and the exit!

            The other biome was a bit cooler, but still demanded the peeling off of outer garments. This biome was also divided with winding paths, up, down, and around. Someone had a very creative mind and a good since of humor as whimsical decorations were found in various nooks and crannies.

            I managed to stay dry as I walked back up the hill to the coach. It is a very steep incline in and out of the project as you walk to the bottom of the quarry. Little Disney-like trains run back and forth, but we walked it faster than the line waiting for it, and the umbrellas were nice and big.

            The complex is an educational facility, museum and display area. There also are three indoor cafeterias and an outside café.  Benches surround an outside pool. One could easily spend all day here. The parking lot sections were labeled with fruit names (banana, apple, etc) as well as with numbers, the theory being that it is easier to remember a name than a number.

            The tremendous popularity of this project, I think, says something about our concern for the future. The project was a gigantic undertaking that is proving to have been worthwhile.  Now a decade later I’d like to revisit the site. It is an amazing place.

CHOCOLATE

                       Who Can Resist Chocolate?

Europe was introduced to cocoa beans in the late 16th century when Spanish explorers brought them back from what is now Mexico,  but they did not reach Belgium for another 100 years. The people of Bruges are connoisseurs of fine chocolate and buy their chocolates fresh daily, like other people buy pastries. Tempting chocolate-filled display windows are seen all over town. The average Belgian consumes over 15 pounds of chocolate annually!

Chocolate like fashion, wine and finance has become a complex cultural phenomenon. There is basic chocolate for the masses, artisanal chocolate for purists and avant-garde creations for connoisseurs.

Ever since the Brussels chocolatier, Jean Neuhaus, invented the praline 100 years ago, the city and country have been at the forefront of the chocolate business. Belgium is home to two of the biggest chocolate companies in the world-- Godiva and Leonidas, as well as hundreds of boutique chocolate-makers and haute chocolatiers. The melting point is just below that of the human body so the chocolate melts in the mouth!

One study showed that melting chocolate in your mouth produced increased brain activity and heart rate that was more intense than passionate kissing! It also lasted four times longer after the activity ended. What good rationale for eating chocolate—savoring it that is!

When King Leopold II colonized the African Congo (1885-1908), partly for the cocoa crops, the resulting genocide was a dark moment in the country’s history. In the late 1800s Belgian chocolate started earning its formidable reputation. It is hard to resist chocolate when viewing showcases full of caramel, marzipan, chocolate mousse, ganache and cream-filled pralines. Mary, a 92-year-old chocolatier is a favorite of the Belgian royal family. Mary makes small batches of chocolates to avoid storing, which causes loss of flavor. The by-product, cocoa butter, is used in Belgian chocolate as the makers refuse to supplement vegetable oils or shortening as is often done in other countries.

            Leaving one chocolate shop I turned to my friend saying, “Remember that museum in York, England when we lifted the answer boards to all those questions on chocolate?”

            “Oh, yes. Wasn’t that fun? Don’t I remember that we learned England was the largest consumer of chocolate in the world?”

            “Wasn’t that a surprise!  I remember it was an enormous amount of money spent hourly on chocolate, yet it is no way as well touted as it is here.”

            Walking around Bruges I swear there is a chocolatier on every block! We watched several at work and visited several chocolate shops.

            Finally I decided I’d done my share of supporting the Bruges economy!