LABRADOR TOWNS

                                                 Small and Rural

Red Bay was discovered in 1978. At the Discovery Center we saw a 400-year old Basque fishing boat. Mud and the very cold water had preserved it quite well. The Basque people lived at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. In the 16^th century Basque whalers fished waters in this area. In 1565 the San Juan sunk in 10 meters of water after breaking loose from her anchor in a storm. Many believe this boat is the San Juan.

Whale oil was a valued prize not only for light, but also for use in paint, varnish, soap, and for lubrication. Of the fifteen ports along the Labrador and Quebec coast that were involved in the whaling industry Red Bay is the best preserved. During the season, May to October, there were as many as 1000 whalers in Red Bay. Today the population is 300. Whaling ended along this coast in 1585 primarily because of the Spanish-English War when many of the Basque ships were destroyed. By the 17^th century the Basque had totally abandoned the Labrador coast.

     Whale boats were 26-feet long. Red ceramic roof tiles were used as ballast in the sea going ships and as the barrels of whale oil were loaded the tile pieces were thrown into the harbor. Our local guide told us she and her friends would find tile pieces and play with them. Little did they know they were playing with ancient artifacts!

In the lower building of the Center another Parks Canada guide showed us a miniature replica of the oil processing system saying, “It took two and a half days to process the oil from a whale. On average a whale yielded 40 barrels of oil. This was the largest whale oil processing area in the world. It was a very profitable business as a barrel of oil was valued at $4-6000 dollars.

     Whalers were after the Right and Bowhead whales because they were slow movers and had a lot of blubber so they floated after being speared. The Right whales are no longer seen in these waters. A whaling crew consisted of 50-120 men and boys who were divided into three groups: officers and skilled sailors, craftsmen seamen, and apprentice seamen. The captain of the ship was in charge of the whale venture and the master was responsible for the ship. The crew was generally not paid but given a percentage of the cargo.

     Once whale oil fueled the 109-foot Amour Lighthouse that is made of local limestone. It is the last lighthouse built before the province joined the federation.

    Steeped in history, the past invades the present and life of so long ago. The island has 5000 miles of coastline. The small population is richly diverse. Colorful fishing villages are scattered along the coast. Goods are delivered to coastal areas in summer by steamer and in winter by small planes or snowmobiles.

     The ferry left L’anse au Clair at 8AM for the Port Au Choix Historic Site. The 18^th and 19^th centuries Port au Choix was a center of French fishing. A 1713 treaty gave Britain sovereignty over Newfoundland. However, the French maintained its right to fish along the French shore and set up shore stations for fish processing, but they were not permitted to settle year round.

     The area has a 5000 year history. In 1967 when a fellow was excavating to build a movie theater in the center of town human bones were discovered. That resulted in a three-year archaeological dig. An ancient cemetery revealed 117 bodies buried in a fetal position. The bodies were covered with a mound of rocks. Also found were 15,000 artifacts. The lead archaeologist was Dr. Jim Tuff.

     Maritime Archaic Indians, who crossed over from Labrador, first settled this land some 5,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of their fully maritime lifestyle comes from L’Anse Amour in southern Labrador, which is also the site of the oldest known burial mound in the Americas. The major Maritime Archaic site discovered so far in Newfoundland is at Port au Choix, 160 kilometers north of Gros Morne National Park. Cooler times brought an arctic folk, the Palaeo-Eskimos to these shores. These people specialized in hunting marine mammals and intensely used whatever resources were abundant. Seals were their most important food, and when seals were scarce starvation resulted. For 16 centuries they hunted these shores, then disappeared.

    There are traces of ancient Indian occupation within Gros Morne National Park at Cow Head and at Broom Point.

See post: Beothuks 5-2--12

LABRADOR

Big but Rural

 

      The MS Apollo is a large ferry and at first we wondered why it was coming into the pier bow first. Suddenly the bow of the ship started to open and I remarked, “The whale is opening its mouth!” After the bus was parked in the ferry’s bowels, a crew member met us to escort us up the stairs to the lounge and then returned to escort those who were using the elevator. The crossing was smooth but it was so foggy and misty that you could hardly see the water from the top viewing lounge. The radar kept rotating and the fog horn blew regularly. There was no hope of seeing an iceberg and we just hoped we didn’t hit one! The crossing of the Strait of Belle Isle from Newfoundland to Labrador takes 90 minutes.

     Labrador is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south and west by Quebec Province, and is separated from Newfoundland by the Straits of Belle Isle. Labrador is larger but less populated than the better known island. It is remote and undeveloped except for small ports on the coast and a few towns inland.

     Wildlife abounds among the spectacular scenery where culture and heritage is unlike anywhere else in the world. Newfoundland is often referred to as The Rock. Much of the country is considered rural, but a modern vibrant society still retains its Old World charm with a story to be told or a song sung in every bay.

     Labrador is the home of the largest caribou herd in the world. Isolated from the rest of province, it has remained wild. However, Goose Bay has all the amenities of an urban area.

The soil is red and much more plentiful than in Newfoundland. The terrain is different and very green and lush. Larch trees are numerous and the area reminded me a lot of the Scottish highlands.

     Labrador is French meaning arms of gold. In 1520 Fernandez, a Portuguese traveler and landowner, spotted Labrador but did not land. Labrador’s population of 27,000 is spread out over its 300 square kilometers, so the whole area is very rural. Labrador is two and a half times bigger than Newfoundland. The people are proud and self reliant. Innu and Inuit peoples have lived in Labrador for thousands of years and their cultures are rooted in a deep spiritual relationship with the environment.

     Newfoundland became part of Canada in 1949 as its tenth province and the seventh largest. Less than one percent of the land is owned by the federal government. The province of Newfoundland is divided into four areas: the beautiful Northern Peninsula where Vikings landed ten centuries ago; the Central and Eastern Regions with their wilderness forests and seaside villages; and the Avalon Region featuring the historic capital of St. Johns.

     The island measures 325 miles north to south and 320 miles east to west and is about the size of Virginia. Mount Caubvick, at 5322 feet, is its highest peak. Newfoundland forms the northern extremity of the Appalachian geological province of North America. Glaciation has left its mark on the area with most hilltops having been scraped bare and many valleys and low-lying areas containing a thick mantle of rocky glacial deposits. The main rivers draining the island are the Exploits, Gander, and Humber. Thousands of lakes, ponds, and bogs are found throughout the province. Many long finger-like lakes have been formed in glacial valleys with the Grand, Red Indian, and Gander lakes being the largest. Newfoundland’s west coast is an endless fascinating natural wonder with cavernous fjords, dense forests, tufted heathlands, ancient mountains from Port aux Bosques in the south to L’Anse aux Meadows in the northern tip of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula.

     We often saw the Labrador flag flying. The blue, green, and white flag has a spruce twig in the left corner of the white strip representing the five regions and the top three needles represent three peoples, Inuit, Innu and the settlers.

    The people have a good sense of humor and don’t hesitate to poke fun at themselves. They even make s spruce beer, which I guess you either like or hate. The Trans-Labrador highway is only paved in three small spurts. Most of the highway is connected by either dirt road or ferry. We traveled the 55 mile-long section to Red Bay. Caribou are native to the area and 600,000 of them roam the province.

     The Labrador Coastal Drive showed us tundra plateaus, rugged coastal headlands, and valleys thick with fir and spruce forests. Small picturesque fishing villages with populations up to 600 dotted the landscape. The fog lifted and suddenly someone yelled, “ICEBERG!” And sure enough in the distance we could see a big iceberg floating. Actually the icebergs were early that year and most of them had already passed.

      Newfoundland and Labrador form one of Canada’s four Atlantic Provinces. A particular combination of geographical, economic and historical forces has shaped its society. The isolated location, marine environment, work patterns and social relationships developed in a fishing economy and the British and Irish roots of the majority of its people.

     English is the first language of 98 percent of the population. Less than one percent speak French as the first language. There are 4700 Native Americans living in the area.

     The Hudson Bay Company set up an outpost in 1752. Moravian Missionaries arrived in the 1770s establishing the first missions in Northern Labrador. They provided religious, educational and social services to the Inuit peoples. They also traded with them and provided a link with the outside world. In the 1760s England sent a governor to Labrador who soon requested naval help and received 5000 men.

NEWFOUNDLAND TOWNS

Few and Far Between

TWILLINGATE Ice berg capital of world

 

     The quaint scenic old fishing village, one of Newfoundland’s oldest seaports, has a famous lighthouse overlooking picturesque Notre Dame Bay. Residents have made their living from the sea for two centuries. Today it remains a fishing and sealing town. Four main islands are connected by causeways. The population of the islands is approximately 5000 divided among 17 communities in an area called the Kittiwake Coast.

     Settlers arrived in the 1700s. The area acted as a trading station for merchants from England in the mid 1700s. The village had its own newspaper 1883-1953.

Unique pit saw

     We visited Prime Berth, a private museum created and run by David Boyd. Dave a 60-year old fisherman started at age six with his dad. Here I saw a replica of a pit saw. With no power of any kind the logs had to be cut by hand. By building the saw into a hill one man could be above and one down below so that a long saw could be pushed and pulled through the log. It didn’t produce a perfect board like saw mills do but it worked. Electricity did not arrive in this part of the world until 1963.     Always looking for something different and new I was fascinated with that pit saw.

    Later we moved on to the shed over the water which is called a stage. We were told every fisherman has a stage. It is where the fish are prepared. To demonstrate he took a cod and broke off its head, then cut away the backbone. The cod resembled a kite when laid flat. It was then salted and left for days to cure before being moved out into the sun to dry. The liver was removed and put in a bucket of water where after a few days cod liver oil could be collected and bottled.

    From the head the tongue and the cheeks were cut out. The cheeks are like scallops and both the tongue and cheeks are eaten by the family, not marketed.

    Two small round bones removed from under the cheeks are ivory-like and called ootlith. If sliced crosswise, growth rings can be counted to determine the age of the cod. Today these little bones are finding their way into jewelry, especially ear rings.

    At one time the cod was so thick in this area one could walk on them. They were over fished and the stock was badly depleted when the steel boats and nets came into practice. It was necessary to put a moratorium on cod fishing, which was particularly hard on fishermen who had fished for generations. One year there was no cod fishing at all.

After leaving this very interesting and informative visit we stopped at the 331 foot high Long Point Lighthouse,1867. A foghorn blasts every 60 seconds. The unique design of this lighthouse encompasses a square cylindrical base topped with an octagonal conical and tapering 50-foot tower. The brick structure was encased in concrete after it cracked during a 1929 earthquake. A covered passageway attaches a round watch room to 1-1/2 story keeper's house. The tower is painted red, the lantern and watch room is painted white. It is staffed by the Coast Guard as a light station.

CORNER BROOK

    The city of Corner Brook, now with a population of 100,000, grew up around the mill and inn. The city is nestled among the folded and faulted Long Range Mountains, which are a continuation of the Appalachian Mountains stretching from Georgia. Set at the mouth of the Bay of Islands the city is 25 miles inland from open waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is an area of rugged and beautiful scenery including magnificent fjords, jagged headlands, thick forests, and many off shore islands. Wildlife, forest and water mingle with the city's borders.

     Corner Brook, the second largest city in Newfoundland, is the hub of the west coast. The city has a long and diverse history. People have lived and worked along the shores of the Bay of Islands for thousands of years.

    In 1767 Capt. James Cook was first to survey and map the Bay of Islands. Mountains fringe three sides of the city. The area has more clearly defined seasons than the rest of the province so lovely gardens bloom in summer.

    It is a marketing and distribution point for local fishermen who fish the Strait of Belle Isle in summer and who spent winters working in Corner Brook’s lumber woods. The arrival of the railway contributed to permanent settlement, which was followed by the construction of a paper and pulp industry. Soon after WW II a cement plant and gypsum plant were established adding to the economy

    Four distinct areas with unique commercial activities make up the city. Curling has its fishery, Corner Brook West has retail businesses, Corner Brook East has railway operations, and Townsite has the world’s largest pulp and paper mill ever undertaken in the history of paper making. In 1956 these four communities became the present day City of Corner Brook.

    Between the Old World Heritage, scenery that changes every mile, the most spectacular coastline in Canada, quaint coastal villages and smiling friendly people who speak with an Irish lilt, Newfoundland is truly a special place. It is unspoiled, has few tourists and the air is fresh and clean. The people were warm and friendly with a wry good sense of humor, and we had a fabulous time here.

NEWFOUNDLAND HISTORY

A Little Trivia Too

     John Cabot sailed to Newfoundland in 1497 with sixteen Englishmen and one Burgundian, but the English made no effort to colonize. Portuguese established the first regular fishery in the early 1500s. In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert arrived in St. John’s with letters from Queen Elizabeth authorizing him to take possession of Newfoundland. However John Guy established the first English colony in 1610. In 1623 Sir George Calvert, later known as Lord Baltimore, arrived in Newfoundland from Yorkshire, England. A patent from King James conveyed the whole southern peninsula to him. He built a fine house and resided there with his family for many years. In his later years he left for Maryland and founded Baltimore.

     In 1713 British sovereignty over Newfoundland was recognized by the Peace of Utrecht. Labrador became a British possession in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris, but it was transferred to Quebec in 1774. It became part of Newfoundland in 1809, but the boundary with Quebec remained in dispute until 1927. Colonization of Labrador did not take place until the 19^th century. In 1832 Great Britain granted Newfoundland representative government and self-government in 1855. In 1948 Newfoundland united itself with Canada and in March 1949 became the tenth Canadian province.

     In 1650 the population from Cape Race to Cape Bonavista was 2000. In 1662 The French founded Placentia, known as ye ancient capital. Nearly thirty-five years later in 1696 The French captured St. John’s and all surrounding areas. In 1729 Captain Henry Osbourne, an Englishman, was appointed governor.

     Historical records mention the first seal fishery in 1763. The first lighthouse was built at the entrance to St. John’s harbor in 1811. Fires in 1816 and 1817 destroyed St. John’s. The railroad arrived in 1881 and electricity in 1886. In 1888 dollars and cents replaced the pound shilling and pence. In 1892 another fire in St. John’s destroyed the city leaving 11,000 people homeless. The Wabana iron ore mine opened in 1895 and shipments were made to Europe and America. Mail and the first passenger train arrive in 1898. A hydroelectric plant at Churchill Falls, Labrador began operating in 1971.

    Exploitation of the abundant mineral resources began in 1864. Disputes over fishing grounds have existed for years.

A little Trivia

    The trans-Canada highway starts in St John’s with marker zero and extends 4660 miles across the country to Victoria, British Columbia,

   The word fish refers to cod, if any other fish is talked about it is identified by name.

   Tickle refers to a small stream of water.

   Wedgies are fried potato chunks.

   Deck on a house is called a bridge.

   Shed is a store and a store is a shop.

   If you are not a Newfoundlander, you are from away.

  In rural areas front doors frequently do not have any steps because the house is      considered not finished and the taxes are lower. It is referred to as the mother-in-law door.

  Screech is rum.

  The pitcher plant eats bugs.

  The partridge berry tastes a lot like a cranberry.

  Scuff means to dance, scoff means to eat so one can partake of a scuff and dance.

  The Newfoundland pony was imported from Ireland and England. They weigh about 700     pounds and have strong forequarters.

ADDITIONAL MOSCOW HISTORY

More Moscow History

Our Moscow hotel, situated on the western bank of the Moscow River, is one of Stalin’s seven famous gothic skyscrapers. Built in the 1950s they demonstrated the prowess and glory of the Soviet regime. Stalin’s Gothic buildings, are referred to as wedding cakes or seven sisters. Across the river sat the Russian Government’s White House. The hotel was not far from the bustling Novy Arbat Street and a ten-minute walk to a Metro station. With a population of ten million, the city has two and a half million people arriving or departing every day! The city runs 25 miles north to south and 19 miles east to west. Russia has 93,000 miles of railroad. Like Rome, Moscow is built on seven hills

     The old red flag of the USSR with the sickle and hammer is gone. Today’s flag now goes back to the days of Peter the Great who was quite taken with the Netherlands, so the flag reflects the colors and style of their flag. The flag of the Russian Federation has three equal stripes, one of white, blue and red in that order from top to bottom

Russia, the largest state of the former Soviet Union, spans two continents, Europe and Asia, and is the largest country in the world. On the west it is bordered by Norway, Finland, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, and the Black Sea. On the south lies Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China. The Northern Pacific Ocean is on the east, and the Arctic Ocean borders the north.

       Moscow, Russia’s largest city, is the country’s current capitol. In 1147 the prince decided the area had the makings of a future metropolis, and in 1156 when a wooden fortress was built the city of Moscow was born. Today the 850-year-old city exists in the midst of rapidly changing political and economic conditions. The city presents a dizzying array of the old and new, the alienating and quaint, the shabby and sparkling. The city is full of mammoth buildings, many spanning an entire block. Moscow has several ring roads around the city. They are wide with six lanes going in each direction.

      Mongols burned the city in 1382. In the 15^th century Ivan the Great declared Moscow the capitol of Russian lands. Italian architects were summoned to rebuild the old wooden Kremlin in stone. By 1495 the walls and towers were completed. New cathedrals were commissioned, squares laid, decorative gardens planted and Moscow became known as the ‘beautiful big village’.

     Ivan the Terrible was born at the Kremlin, and crowned himself czar at age 16. He married seven times and killed his own son in a fit of rage. He claimed the entire Volga region for Russia, and he also commissioned beautiful St. Basil’s Cathedral.

     Between 1610-1612 Polish forces occupied Moscow during the peak of the Time of Troubles. Moscow’s fall from grace began during the rule of Peter the Great, 1696-1725. He believed Russia would be better westernized from the Gulf of Finland, and started building St. Petersburg as his new capitol. In 1712 Peter’s “Window on the West” wrestled the governing powers from Moscow and moved them to St. Petersburg.

      Napoleon went after Moscow in 1812, but found himself and his troops in a basically abandoned city to brave the cold winter on their own. When leaving he burned most of the city, but failed to topple the mighty Kremlin itself.

    A year later a large-scale industrial expansion created smoke-belching factories, and shabby suburbs sprang up around the city to house the influx of workers to Moscow.

    In October 1917 the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, overcame savage street fighting to capture the Kremlin. Six months later Lenin brought the capitol back to Moscow. When Lenin died in 1924, Josef Stalin took over Russian leadership. Stalin along with other irresponsible leaders virtually raped the city by blowing up thousands of historical and architectural monuments, including the Church of Christ the Savior. (It was totally rebuilt in 1997) Streets were straightened and widened, neighborhoods demolished and seven ‘Stalin Gothic’ skyscrapers appeared on the landscape. Fully one-half of Moscow’s monuments had been turned to dust by the time Stalin died in 1953.

       During Khrushchev’s years, 1957-64, hastily built concrete block residential projects appeared in Moscow’s outskirts. Except for a brief period in 1880 when Moscow prepared for the Olympics, Brezhnev’s years were marked by stagnation.

     Privatization sparked by Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika resulted in renovation of world class hotels and the appearance of up-scale restaurants, clubs and casinos. In the 21^st century Moscow resembles a bustling Eurasian metropolis as kiosks and street traders enter Russia’s furious fledgling capitalism.

     There are 17 convents in the city, 18 monasteries, and 450 churches, which is about half the number of churches before Stalin set about blowing up and demolishing them, and most are Russian Orthodox.

You may want to check Posts 3-27-13, 12-5-10, 8-21-10, 11-20-10, 2-26-12, 7-8-12, 7-22-12, 2-10-13, 2-17-13, 2-13-13, 7-3-13, 10-30-13, 7-10-13, 10-10-13, or 3-17-13

KALOCSA, HUNGARY

                                 Hungary's Cowboy Country
        Once a swampy area, homes are built up off the ground to cope with frequent flooding.  A visit to a country home revealed white walls were covered with floral designs. Originally only the ceiling borders were painted, but eventually  painting emerged to cover the entire wall. White lace curtains graced the windows below the open-beam ceiling. Even the stove in the corner of the room was painted with flowers.

       On one wall was a picture of a girl    in native costume which  is worn only to church or for special occasions. Over the years the colors of the flowers on her dress change. Young girls would have red roses, as she grows, matures and marries the flowers will change to lilac and in old age the colors will be quite drab. The art of Kalosca embroidery was born in the second half of the 19th century. The motifs were borrowed from nature.

      Assumption Church is the fourth built on the same site, this one 1734-1755. The 4664 pipe, 3 keyboard organ is the second and dates to the mid 1800s. One of four Roman Catholic archbishops of Hungary, the town has a beautiful cathedral, archbishop's palace, and seminary.  The unusual thing I noticed in this church was the use of pastel pink and yellow in many places on the walls. There are four side chapels. We enjoyed an organ concert here but the music was very loud.

    Kalocsa is located six miles from the eastern bank of the Danube River in the Puszta, the Great Plains of Hungary.  Hungarian cowboys are called csikos.  There are many large ranches in the area, and we drove to one of the horse farms for an excellent goulash served over barley. An interesting milk pie, like nothing I’ve ever eaten before, topped off lunch.  

     At the Puszta horse show Magyar cowboys demonstrated their equestrian skills. The entertainment started with a horse parade, followed by all sorts of exercises that were once practiced for wartime. For example, riders taught their horses to sit or lie down providing a

smaller target or protection for the rider during battle. A boy on a small burro provided comical contrast to the magnificent steeds. The highlight of the show was when a cowboy completed a complicated twist to the Hungarian five-horse racing, more commonly known as the Puszta-fiver. Standing on the rear ends of the back two horses the cowboy controlled eight horses with his reins!  Amazing! It was my first such show and it was outstanding.

You may want to read all about Paprika on post 7-31-11

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KIEV'S CHURCHES

                              Just a few plus a Couple Sweet memories 
       Kiev has many churches and we by no means got to them all but we did visit a few impressive ones

      St. Vladimir’s church took 30 years to complete, 1862-96. The seven dome, three aisle church only slightly resembles old Ukraine. A team of accomplished artists did the inside decorations and painting in eleven years. On each side of the big door were bronze figures of Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir on a blue enamel background. The white marble walls, marble floor, and richly painted walls accented with bronze ornamentation, all gave a feeling of spaciousness inside the church.

    

       Old Town’s historic buildings include St. Sophia’s, a UNESCO site since 1990 and the oldest church in the city. The 11^th century, 13 domed church is considered one of the most remarkable structures from the Kievan-Rus period. Built 1017-31 by Prince Yaroslav, the church houses some of the country’s greatest mosaics, frescoes, and ancient icons.  Modeled on St. Sophia in Istanbul, the church is actually a small complex of two churches, bell-tower, school and monks’ cells. Renovation in the 19^th century was done in Renaissance and Ukrainian baroque styles.

      On the extensive tour of the complex we learned there are 177 hues of color used inside. The old frescos were magnificent. Stalin closed the church in 1934. Gold covered domes were very popular with Slavs and the city is full of them---there are domes everywhere! The iconostasis is gilded over carved linden wood, a popular technique and is about one third the size of the original one.

      The four-story bell-tower stretches 230 feet into the air and features several architectural styles. The first story is typical Ukrainian of the early 17th-18^th century. The next two stories are embellished with molded decorations of Ukrainian baroque style and the fourth story is pseudo-Byzantine.

       We had a clear view of St. Michael’s domes in a straight line from the large church plaza. Almost a straight shot, it was an easy walk. A large statue sat in the left side of the large front church plaza. We did not spend a lot of time here but did marvel at the hues of slate blue, tan, brown and black that decorated the inside.  

    The magnificent 11^th century Cave Monastery is a collection of gold-domed churches and underground labyrinths lined with faithful monks who were mummified by the dry soil. Monks who lived in natural caves with the goal of spreading Christianity founded it in 1051. Spread over two rolling hills southeast of the center of Kiev, and located along the Dnipro River the Monastery of the Caves (Perchersk Lavra) is an active, functioning monastery compound containing restored churches and towers, as well as a printing works and miles of maze-like underground tunnels where ancient crypts hold ecclesiastical treasures.  For centuries Orthodox Christians from throughout Europe traveled on pilgrimages to the famous monastery. Many compared Kiev to Rome as a religious destination.           

      The 11^th century (1051) monastery consists of 86 buildings and eleven churches. At its zenith 1200 monks lived and studied here. Now there are 100 monks. Holy Assumption Church  has been damaged and rebuilt several times since 1073, but in 1941 Nazi planes reduced it to a pile of rubble. In 2000 the present cathedral was rebuilt in the same spot as the original one. There is a concert hall in the church.

      The bell tower was built in 1744 by a German after he won a competition. The 96 meters, four story tower  is the tallest monumental structure in Ukraine and is the center of the monastery. A library is housed in the first two stories. Three of the original 13 bells remain on the third story, and the clock is on the last story. There are 239 steps leading up to the top.

     Monks have a three-year probationary period. Monks do not marry, but priests do. The monastery was closed in 1922, became a museum, and reopened in 1988.

KIEV MEMORIES

     We had many vodka drinks on this trip. We learned that vodka is often mixed with a fruit liqueur. Many of them were very good.

    I happen to like borscht and I ate a lot of it on this trip, however, the very best was in a Kiev cafeteria. It was hearty and superb. The worst was in the Kiev hotel.

      That year the Russian Orthodox Easter corresponded to May 1. Big festivities were planned for the breaking of the fast. Walking into the restaurant on the sunny Sunday morning we accepted a glass of wine and was greeted with Christos voskrese (Christ is risen). We were unable to respond in Ukrainian. We were then directed to a nearby table holding decorated hard-boiled eggs and paska. Paska is a special decorated bread which is always torn and never cut. The breakfast buffet held special Easter fare. A local gal translated much of the food for us. What a nice surprise!

    Later in the morning at the Lavra Monastery there were long lines of people with their baskets of food waiting for it to be blessed by the priest.

     We  learned about salo—a pig fat product that is served many ways. It is white in color and reminded me of Crisco. Apparently it is popular in this part of the world although it did not appeal to me in any form.