gerri and i walked a few blocks from our apt to get a good viewing spot for the military parade this morning. the main show was in red square, but that was for vets and vip's only. commoners are able to stand on some main roads and watch the tanks and trucks approach red square, and then leave it and return to their tank and truck homes. there was also a flyover by many different kinds of helicopters and military planes...some even had jet streams colored to look like the russian flag as they flew past.
gerri and i met some lovely brits while waiting for the parade...a mother and her daugher, who were here visiting the eldest daughter, who teaches at the anglo-american school with her husband. they have been living in moscow for 7 years, but they don't know ANY russian, and don't really care to learn. AND they hadn't been to many tourist sites that the mother and other daughter were seeing all week! i can't imagine. i mean, i know you get caught up in your life and things, and especially with kids, so visiting historical sights is not top on the list...but still. 7 years, and they haven't seen anything! they also have a home in florida that they go to during school and winter holidays. so i guess they don't want to spend much holiday time here in russia anyway. i've heard that the expat community here is pretty tight. and that not a lot of foreigners learn russian. which is why my russian colleagues are probably so excited that i and a few others are! i think it's important. and again, i do not intend on learning every grammar rule (that would take 7 years alone...) but enough to get around, to ask basic questions, to understand basic announcements and directions. which reminds me that i really need to do some studying...
anyway, victory day. so we watched the parade. a stoic show of military force. here are some choice pics. i also have a video, which i will try to upload. lower the volume before you play it. tanks are LOUD.
street cleaners...they cleaned the streets before the tanks came, and again after. and there were as many of them as there were tanks!
so after THAT...how does one follow up an extreme display of military strength and power? go to a park!
lots of parks around moscow were hosting various WWII remembrance and celebratory events. and one of those parks happened to be minutes from my apartment. we hooked up with a posse of co-workers and headed to krasnya presnya park to see what we could see. here is what we saw.
There were volunteers (or maybe soldiers) dressed up in WWII uniforms and tables with WWII-era helmets and guns that people could try out.
and a big gunner to, um, play on?
i love this little guy. he has no idea why he's holding a gun bigger than he is.
and i love this pic. the girl is good...but what's even better is the guy posing behind her.
my friend beckie tried one out on the shooting range.
dining tent set up i think for veterans and their families.
an old mess tent was set up, as if it were a little movie hall to entertain the troops. they even had an old projector! there were movies played later in the day, but we didn't stay for them.
a dog with converse sneakers!
there was also a stage set up with live entertainment. a 40's style band, 2 amazing violinists (that played live, but to track...kinda funny) and a folk singer who apparently sang all the good ol' tunes of Russia. all of the older generation were up dancing and singing along. very sweet. here are some pics:
to cap the day, there were several firework displays around town. we could see two from the river, which is just a block from our apartment. here we are waiting. this is a view of one of stalin's seven sisters building - this is the former Hotel Ukraine (now a Radisson!) across the river from us. the white/blue/red lights are strung along the bridge that spans the river here.
this is one of the two displays we could see.
was a fab day. and it's officially springtime to boot! 27 degrees! such a different city. more spring pics later. this was very much like our 4th of July. but with more military presence. ha ha! i'd love to see the des moines golf and country club allow century-old guns to be shot on the driving range before the firework display. ha! anyway, it was terrific. and the pride and honor this culture still feels for it's veterans is amazing. people were shouting "victory day!" (in russian of course) while the fireworks were going off. and as we were walking back to our apartment afterward, we heard strains of the russian national anthem being sung. the glory of winning WWII is strongly felt here...it was extremely meaningful here...meant they could continue their way of life, that they could LIVE. it was much more intense here than we could ever know. and they keep that feeling alive, as they should. it is a point of pride. what makes russia, russia today.
anyway, it was fantastic to rub shoulders with that pride, even if i felt wierd about kids playing with the guns. all part of history i suppose. and now it is part of mine!
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