What I did in Moscow.

Botanicka zahrada. (11. 06.) //Botanic garden. (June 11th)

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:03:49 GMT

Někdy minulý týden jsem se byla projít v Botanické zahradě MGU. Byl to v podstatě jen zarostlý park, ale jakožto student jsem platila vstupné jen 10 rublů, takže mi to ani nevadilo.

At some point last week I went for a walk in the Botanic garden of MSU. The garden was, in fact, just an unkept park, but since I only had to pay 10 rubles for my student ticket, I didn't even mind.

Tohle byla socha z písku. Nápis hlásá: Pozoruhodný svět přírody.
This was a sandsculpture. The writing reads: Wondrous world of nature.

Minulý víkend (07. - 08. 06. 2008) // Last weekend (June 07 - 08, 2008)

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:59:11 GMT

Před týdnem jsem byla na baletu v divadle Nová Opera – celý červen tam běží klasický festival, v rámci kterého hrají nejrůznější klasické balety a opery. Takže jsem konečně měla možnost shlédnout Labutí Jezero. Pochopitelně se mi to líbilo – nejvíc nadšená jsem byla z labutí. Hudba byla krásná, tanec též.

About a week ago I went to see a ballet at Novaya Opera – there is a classical festival taking place all June, and they play many classical ballets and operas as part of that festival. So I finally had the chance to see Swan Lake. I loved it, of course – I liked the swans the most! The music was gorgeous, as was the dancing.

Park Ermitáž, který je okolo divadla, je moc hezký. // The Hermitage Park, which surrounds the theater, is very pretty.

Nová Opera není tak pompézní jako Bolšoj... Seděla jsem v 7. řadě, odkud jsem viděla velmi pěkně celé jeviště. // The Novaya Opera is, of course, not as pompous as the Bolshoi... I sat in the 7th row from where I could see the whole stage very nicely.

Také před týdnem (v neděli) jsem byla na procházce okolo řeky a tak podobně...

Also a week ago (on Sunday), I went for a walk along the Moskva river...

Mamka se nedávno podivila nad tím, že Kreml je takový celý velký areál... takhle to tedy vypadá zvnějšku – ty červené zdi s několika věžemi jsou jen hradby, uvnitř je spoustu dalších budov, kostelů, park...
My mom was surprised a while ago that the Kremlin is such a big place, not just the famous bits you on postcards... This is what Kremlin looks from the outside – the red walls with several towers surround the whole area, which includes a park, many buildings and churches...

Fontána na náměstíčku zvaném "Bolotnaja Plošaď" – poslala mě tam moje spolužačka Elena, je to její oblíbené místo. // A fountain at Bolotnaya Ploshad (square) – my classmate Elena sent me there, it's her favorite place in Moscow.

Sousoší Děti jsou oběti neřestí dospělých. // The sculpture is called Children are the victims of adults' vices.

Neřesti (zleva): násilí, "pro ty, kteří zapomněli", dětská práce. Další, které tam jsou k vidění jsou válka, alkoholismus, drogová závislost, nezájem, chudoba, zlodějstvo...
The vices (from left): violence, "for those without memory", child labor. Some other vices in the sculpture include war, alcoholism, drug abuse, indifference, poverty, robbery...

Repin.

Fontány na řece, s pohledem k památníku Petra I. // Fountains on the river, looking towards the memorial of Peter I.

Tohle bylo zajímavé. Na mostu pro pěší, který vede z onoho parčíku, jsem uviděla tyhle železné "stromy" ověšené zámky... Novomanželé, nebo prostě zamilované páry, sem věší zámky pro štěstí, na znamení toho, že jejich vztah dlouho vydrží.
This was interesting. On a pedestrian bridge leading from that park I saw these iron "trees", hung with locks... Newlyweds, or just couples, put locks onto these trees for luck, to symbolize that their relationships will hold forever.

Malé zámečky... // Little locksies...

Velké zámky. // Big locks.

Dokonce pár homosexuálních zámků se našlo. // I even found a few gay locks.

Tohle byla úsměvná nálepka na pangejtu – Návštěvníci (Nájezdníci) z vesmíru proti fašismu. // This was a funny sticker I found on a street lamp.

Vzala jsem to okolo Tretjakovy galerie. // I walked past the Tretiakov gallery.

Glazunov & Kreml.

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:23:45 GMT

Ve středu jsem si řekla, že se konečně vypravím do Kremlu... Nicméně když jsem stála ve frontě na lístky, začalo pršet, takže jsem si to rozmyslela a rozhodla se místo toho zajít do galerie Ilji Glazunova, která je nedaleko a kam mají studenti vstup zdarma.

On Wednesday I decided to finally go to the Kremlin, which I'd been planning for quite a while now. However, while I was standing in the queue for tickets, it started to rain, so I reconsidered and went to the Gallery of Ilya Glazunov instead, because it's not far from the Kremlin and students have free entrance.

Glazunovy obrazy se mi moc líbily, zejména portréty – ty velké, smutné oči u většiny obrazů, jasné barvy... V posledních letech Glazunov vytvořil několik obrovských obrazů, které sahají přes celou stěnu a jsou reakcí na přechod Ruska od komunismu ke kapitalismu atd. Obsahují tolik detailů – přecházel by vám z nich zrak. V galerii je také sbírka ikon, které Glazunov restauroval. Jedna z muzejních dozorkyň si mě odchytila a začala mi o nich vykládat, jak se musím určitě podívat na tu a tu ikonu, až půjdu do toho a toho sálu...

I really liked Glazunov's paintings, especially the portraits – these big, sad eyes on most of his paintings, the bright, clear colors... In the last years Glazunov created several huge paintings (covering the whole wall) which are a reaction to the transition of Russia from communism to capitalism etc. There are so many details in those – you almost get cross-eyed when you look at them. There is also a collection of icons that Glazunov restaurated in the gallery. One of the museum guards (an old lady) started talking to me as I was passing her by and telling me how I should not miss this and that icon when I go to the next floor and hall number so and so...

Tohle už je venku, v centru. // This is outside already, in the center.

Včera jsem se konečně dostala do Kremlu – svítilo krásně sluníčko, takže to byla příjemná procházka. Vlastně jsem tam chtěla jít v době, kdy kvetly šeříky, protože v té době je tam prý nejkrásněji... Nějak jsem to nestihla a šeříky byly už – až na pár výjimek – odkvetlé.

Yesterday I finally made it to the Kremlin – it was wonderfully sunny, so it was a very nice walk. Actually, I'd wanted to go to the Kremlin while the lilacs were in bloom, because that's when the Kremlin gardens are the most beautiful... I sort of didn't make it, though – the lilac blooms were already gone, except for a few trees/bushes.

Vstupní brána. // Entry gate.

S tímhle dělem už jsem se jednou fotila.
I'd already taken a picture with this big cannon once.

Taky tam mají veliký zvon... // They also have a huge bell...

A na odchodu... // Leaving already...

Tohle už je fontána před Manéží. // This is already at the fountain in front of Manezh.

Dokonce se můžete projít pod stříkající vodou a nenamočit se (nebo jen trochu). // It's fun! You can even walk underneath the water arches and not get wet (or only a little).

Jedna ze soch ve vodním "komplexu" poblíž Manéže a obchodního centra Ochotný rjad. Labuť... // One of the sculptures in the water "complext" near Manezh and the Ochotniy riad mall. The Swan...

... a Fénix. //...and The Phoenix.

Pokud to ještě nevíte – 22. 06. letím domů! :)
If you don't know it yet – I'm flying home on June 22nd! :)

Zmrzlina a podvodní světy. // Ice cream and underwater worlds.

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:43:47 GMT

Dnes je, jak asi víte, den dětí... A v Parku Sokolniki se u té příležitosti konal Svátek Zrmzliny. Vypravila jsem se tam v naději, že třeba bude zmrzka zdarma... Zmrzka zdarma nebyla, jen spousty naprodej. Mám dojem, že nějakou rozdávali za splnění úkolů na jevišti apod. Takže zdarma jsem dostala jen sklenici kvasu – kvas je typicky ruský nápoj, nealko, má trochu něco společného s pivem, ale není hnusný jako pivo. (Ne, pivo mi opravdu nechutná.) Také jsem ukořistila balónek. :) Bylo tam několik jevišť, na tom hlavním jsem shlédla vystoupení jakýchsi breakdancerů/tanečníků, ale za moc to nestálo.

Today, as you may know, is the international children's day... And there was an Ice Cream Holiday/Festival taking place at the Sokolniki park. I went there hoping for free ice cream... There was no free ice cream, sadly, just many booth selling all kinds of ice cream. I think they did give out some for free somewhere in the park, but you had to sing or complete some other task on the stage etc. So the only thing I got for free was a glass of kvas – kvas is a typical non-alcoholic Russian beverage that has similarities to beer, but isn't as disgusting as beer. (No, I really do not like beer.) Also, I got an air balloon. :) There were several stages set up in the park; I only saw the main stage – there was a performance of some breakdancers/a dance group, but it was pretty lame.

Fontána a kousek hlavního jeviště (napravo). // A fountain and a piece of the main stage (on the right).

Odtud jsem se vypravila na stanici Čistyje Prudy, protože se tam na jednom bulváru/v parčíku koná venkovní výstava fotografií – nakonec se ukázalo, že tu výstavu zrovna dnes slavnostně otevírali, i když v novinách bylo napsáno od soboty. Hrála tam hudba, rozdávali balónky (takže jsem dostala druhý), dokonce přijel i sám fotograf (Američan) a krátce pohovořil.

Podobou výstavu – tehdy ale s motivy země viděné ze vzduchu – jsem viděla i tehdy v roce 2006, dokonce v tom stejném parku. Tentokrát šlo o podvodní fotografie Davida Doubileta. Pár fotek těch velkých tabulí s jeho fotografiemi jsem vyfotila.

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From there I went to the metro station Chistye Prudy because there was an open air exhibition of photographs in one of the streets/parks that I wanted to see. In the end it turned out that the grand opening was today, even though the newspaper said that it starts on Saturday already. There was music, they handed out balloons (so I got another one), the photographer himself was there and held a short speech.

I saw a similar exhibition in 2006, even in the same park, but back then it was views of the Earth from the air. This time it was underwater photographs by David Doubilet. I took a few pictures of the boards with his photographs:

Tohohle týpka jsem zahlédla procházet se kolem. Kouřil fajfku, měl dost vtipný knír, na nose brýle lenonky. // I saw this guy at the exhibition. He smoked a pipe, had a rather funny moustache, he wore John Lennon glasses.

Tahle fotka je hrozně zvláštní – bez té modré barvy moře to vypadá skoro jako by to bylo na zemi a ti platýzi se prostě vznášeli ve vzduchu. // This photo is so odd – without the blue color of the ocean it looks almost as if it was on the shore and the fish (what are these called in English?) were floating through the air.

Tady vidíte i odraz mě s balónkem. // Here you can even see a reflection of me with my balloon.

Ta "kytička", kterou vidíte, je ve skutečnosti medúza. // The "flower" you see is, in fact, a medusa.

A tohle už je jen park, v němž se ta výstava koná. // This is just the park the exhibition was in.

Chtěla jsem posedět na lavičce a chvíli si číst, ale už nesvítilo sluníčko a bylo dost chladno... Nějakých mizerných 13, 14 stupňů. :( // I wanted to sit down on a bench and read for a while, but the sun wasn't shining anymore and it was quite cold... Some measly 13, 14 degrees.

Cirkus a gymnastika. // Circus and gymnastics.

Thu, 29 May 2008 18:52:14 GMT

Včera večer jsem byla v cirkuse. Moskevský státní cirkus není ve stanu jako cirkusy, na které jsme zvyklí z našich zeměpisných šířek – sice tvarem stan trošku připomíná, ale je to v normální budově.

Představení, na kterém jsem byla, se jmenovalo 'Okolo světa za 130 minut'. Bylo víceméně plno, všude samý turista.

Představení začalo takovým laserovým úvodem, přičemž ta světla vypadala „plasticky“, místo paprsků vypadaly jako plochy apod. Bylo to moc fajn. Po úvodní scéně, v níž se tři vyrostlé děti vydávají na cestu kolem světa, naběhli klauni – nebo tedy přijel klaun na takovém obrovském bicyklu s nafukovacími dušemi místo kol a ostatní klauni-artisti za jízdy vyváděli různé opičinky.

Pak následovali kovbojové a akrobatické vystoupení na koních, během kterého se naneštěstí přivalila celá horda amerických důchodců, kteří seděli v řadách přede mnou. :(

Tanečníci uvedli Jižní Ameriku, v rámci té přišli akrobati v takovém... no, těžko popsat. V postatě to byly dvě kulaté klece pro křečky spojené dlouhou konstrukcí, zavěšené uprostřed ve vzduchu a otočné okolo toho středu.

Pak přišla, myslím, Paříž a žonglér s kroužky. Poté hlavní tři protagonisté nastoupili do balónu a odletěli... na severní pól. Během vystoupení hadí ženy, která navíc na rukou a nohou točila takovými látkovými kruhy (jako s pizzou), vyměnili manéž za ledovou plochu. Přišlo vystoupení na ledu... No, minule, když jsem v tomhle cirkuse byla, měli opravdové krasobruslaře. Tentokrát to byli lidé od cirkusu, kteří se naučili bruslit. Zato ale dva z nich předvedli vystoupení na vysuté hrazdě... v bruslích.
Pak přišli cvičení tuleni. To se mi moc nelíbilo, cvičená zvířata nemám moc ráda.

Po přestávce, během které vyměnili led zpátky za normální manéž, následovala myslím Afrika. Nejprve cvičení lvi – to už bylo vyloženě stupidní, lvi jsou úžasní v divočině, ale ne když je někdo drezíruje jako koťata. Pak vystoupila skupina akrobatů Kenya Boys – bylo to asi 6 černochů, kteří předváděli salta, metali přemety atp. To bylo super!

Pak přišel orient a Indie – nejprve vystoupili tanečníci, pak velbloudi a pak provazochodci! Chodili po laně do kopce, stojíce si na ramenou, pak po dvou lanech – to druhé držel jeden z nich na ramenou, nohama zapřený o první lano. Nakonec upevnili uprostřed lana – napříč – takovou dlouhou houpající se tyč a balancovali na ní... Fantastické vystoupení.

Zatímco všichni hleděli nahoru na provazochodce, zajela normální manéž a místo ní se objevil „bazén“, který se začal plnit vodou. Pak ještě vystoupily dvě hadí ženy, které dělaly stojky jedna na druhé – byly na takovém vyvýšeném postranním jevišti kousek ode mne, takže jsem si skoro ani nevšimla, že dole v bazéně už se taky něco děje. Plavaly tam akvabely se svíčkami v rukou.

Pak rozsvítili a na vodě – na takovém malém pódiu uprostřed bazénu – vystoupil pirát s cvičenými papoušky. Pak přišlo vystoupení akvabel v bazénu a zároveň se ze střechy snesla jakási „paní moře“ na diskotékové kouli a točila obručemi. Pak začala tryskat voda, bazén se proměnil ve fontánu a paní moře „vynesl“ gejzír zase nahoru.

Zhasla světla a tryskaly různé barevně osvětlené fontány, doplněné modernizovanou verzí Mozarta... A to byl konec. Rozhodně to stálo za to.

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Last night I went to a circus. The Moscow state circus is not in a tent like circuses most people are used to in Europe – it reminds of a tent a little bit, but it’s a proper building.

The show I saw was called Around the world in 130 minutes. It was more or less sold out, and there were many tourists.

The show began with a laser opening, but the laser lights looked a bit 3D – instead of just rays/straight lines, they looked like surfaces (so a waved line would give you plastic waves, it was so cool!) The opening scene featured three kids magically turned into adults who go on a journey around the world. Then the clowns came – one of them was riding a bike with huge tubes for wheels; the other clowns-artists bounced on these wheels and showed various stunts while riding.

After that came cowboys and acrobatics on horses, during which – unfortunately – my view was partly obstructed by a group of American pensioners who were late and sat in the rows in front of me. :(

Samba dancers introduced South America and were followed by acrobats on a... well, it was like two huge steel net wheels connected by a long straight ramp, hung in the air and rotating around the middle.

After that came Paris and a juggler with rings. After that the three main characters got into a hot-air balloon and flew off... to the North Pole. During a performance of a contortionist who – while twisting her body – twirled fabric-circles on her toes and fingertips (like when you’re making pizza), the stage was exchanged for an ice surface. Then came the performance on ice... Well, the last time I was in this circus, they had real figure skaters. This time it was circus performers who had learned how to skate a bit. But a two of them showed a number on a sort of a trapeze, while still wearing skates.
Then came trained seals. I didn’t really enjoy that, I’m not a big fan of trained animals.

They switched back to a normal stage during the break. Then came Africa. There was a number with trained lions, which I thought was pretty stupid – lions are wonderful in the wilderness, not when they’re being commanded around to do silly stunts. Then came a group of acrobats/dancers called Kenya Boys – it was 6 black men hopping around, doing saults and back flips etc. That was great!

The next part of the world was the Orient/India – there were dancers, camels and then tightrope walkers! Those walked on the rope stretched “uphill”, while standing on each other’s shoulders, then on two ropes – the second one was held on the shoulders of a guy standing on the first rope. Then they attached a long swinging bar to the middle of the rope (so they created a cross) and some of them balanced on that while the others were on the rope. It was quite fantastic!

While everybody was looking up at the tightrope performers, the normal stage was replaced by a “pool”, which started to fill with water. Then there was a performance of two contortionists who did handstands on top of one another etc. – that was on a side stage higher up, not far from me, so I didn’t even notice at first that there was some action going on the pool already. Synchronized swimmers were in there, carrying candles.

Then lights came on and on the water – or rather on a small stage in the middle of a pool – a pirate showed off with his trained parrots. Then there were synchronized swimmers in the pool again and, at the same time, a lady (some sort of sea-goddess, I assume) came down from the ceiling sitting on a huge disco ball to give a hula-hoop performance. Then water became to shoot out of all kinds of places, the pool became a fountain and a torrent “lifted” the sea-goddess back to the ceiling.

The lights went out and the only thing illuminated was the fountains, rainbow-colored fountains accompanied by the sounds of modernized Mozart music... And that was the end. It was a great show!

No a dnes jsem se vypravila na závody ve sportovní gymnastice, jednu z etap světového poháru. Vstupné bylo, jak jsem zjistila na místě, zdarma. :) Takže jsem se dvě hodiny dívala na holčiny na kladině a prostných, a muže skákající přes koně, cvičící na bradlech a na vysoké hrazdě. Nikdy předtím jsem gymnastiku na živo neviděla, ale bylo to docela fajn. Musím říct, že to bylo docela matoucí, neboť zároveň probíhalo všech pět disciplín. Navíc gymnastika má snad ještě nepochopitelnější bodovací systém než krasobruslení (a taky ještě méně publika), takže jsem se v těch výsledcích moc nevyznala... :D Bylo to ale úžasné, co všechno to lidské tělo dokáže!

Well and today I went to watch sports gymnastics; part of the world cup series was taking place in Moscow. The tickets were free, as I found out when I arrived. :) I sat for about two hours and watched – ladies on the beam and on the floor, men jumping, doing exercises on parallel bars and on the high bar. I'd never seen gymnastics live before, but it was quite fun. I have to say that it was quite confusing, since all five disciplines were taking place at the same time. Also, gymnastic has a scoring system even more impenetrable than figure skating (and even less spectators), so I couldn't really make sense of the results... :D Either way, it was very impressive. What the human body can do is so fascinating!

VDNX.

Mon, 19 May 2008 07:00:13 GMT

Včera ráno jsem vyrazila na nákup – obchody otevírají v 10, takže jsem se snažila tam být okolo půl jedenácté, neboť jinak je nakupování v Moskvě o víkendu utrpením (všude davy). Prošla jsem několik filiálek řetězce Zara a nakonec si koupila to, co jsem hledala – legíny, v kterých budu chodit bruslit.

Po obědě, který byl mimochodem velice dobrý, jsem se rozhodla zajet na procházku do VDNCh, respektive dnes se to už jmenuje VVC (Všerosijskij vystavočnij centr) – je to výstaviště, kde jsou krásné fontány a tak podobně. Bylo teploučko, takže jsem mohla jít v šatičkách.

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Yesterday in the morning I went shopping – most stores here open at 10, so I made sure to be in the city by 10:30; otherwise shopping on a weekend in Moscow is a pain – there are throngs of people everywhere. I visited several Zara shops until I finally found what I was looking for – leggins to wear for skating.

After lunch, which was – by the way – very yummy, I decided to go for a walk at VDNH, or VVC as it is called today (Vserossiyskiy vystavochniy centr – All-Russian Exhibition Center), which is an exhibition park with pretty fountains and such. The weather was lovely, so I could finally wear a dress.

Fontána přátelství národů. / Fountain of the Friendship of Nations.

Vchod do areálu výstaviště. Napravo ruské kolo, které postavili u příležitosti 850. výročí založení Moskvy. // Entrance to the exhibition area. On the right is the ferris wheel they put up in the year of the 850th anniversary of Moscow's foundation.

Pohled směrem k východu. Ta špičatá stavba napravo je muzeum kosmonautiky – chtěla jsem se tam vypravit, protože včera byl Den Muzeí a všude volný vstup, ale nakonec jsem to nestihla. // Looking towards the entrance/exit. The fang-like building on the right is the museum of cosmonautics – I wanted to go there, since yesterday was the Day of Museums and all museums were free, but I didn't make it.

Pavilon Arménie. // Pavillion of Armenia.

Hrála tam hudba, která mi připomněla volnou jízdu krasobruslaře Jeffreyho Buttla, tak jsem se pochopitelně musela jít podívat. Tu akci – prezentaci kultury Arménie – sponzoroval znamenitý arménský koňak Ararat, takže není divu, že mi to připomnělo to krasobruslení (Jeffreyho program se jmenuje Ararat a je na hudbu ze stejnojmeného filmu).

At the Armenian pavillion, there was music playing that reminded me of Jeffrey Buttle's free skate, so of course I had to go take a look. The event – a presentation of Armenian culture – was sponsored by an Armenian cognac brand Ararat, so no wonder I got reminded of Jeff (his program was called Ararat and the music was from a movie with the same title).

Uvnitř arménského pavilonu. // Inside the Armenian pavillion.

Fontána Kamený Květ. // Stone Flower fountain.

V parčíku. // In the park.

Den Vítězství v Parku Umění. // Victory Day in the Art Park.

Sat, 10 May 2008 14:59:29 GMT

Včera se tady v Moskvě slavil veliký "práznik" (svátek) – Den Vítězství. Ve většině Evropy se tento svátek slaví 8. května – ale protože se tehdy v roce 1945 ta mírová smlouva podepsala ve 23 hodin středoevropského času, což znamená v 1 v noci následujícího dne moskevského času, tak se tady slaví až 9. května.

Dopoledne se konala přehlídka vojenské techniky – po Tverské ulici směrem na Rudé náměstí mašírovali vojáci a jely tanky... Na Rudé náměstí směli jen papaláši a zbytek ulic, kudy přehlídka projížděla, byl zaplavený lidmi. Já jsem se ani neobtěžovala nikam chodit – a jsem tomu ráda; moje spolubydlící šla, ba i o něco dříve než přehlídka měla vůbec začít, aby si zajistila místo, ale nic neviděla, protože byly všude hrozné davy.

Tradicí v Den Vítězství tady je, že se po ulicích procházejí všichni veteráni ověšení medailemi a odznaky. A mladí lidé kupují květiny a dávají je veteránům, které potkají, každému jednu květinku.

Já jsem se vypravila po obědě do Parku Umění (Park Iskustv), který je vedle Nové Tretjakovské galerie. A protože byl svátek, nemusela jsem ani platit vstupné. Byla to příjemná procházka.

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Yesterday Moscow celebrated a big "praznik" (holiday) – Victory Day. Most Europe celebrates this holiday on May 8th – but because, back in 1945, the peace treaty was signed at 11pm CET, which is already 1am of the next day in Moscow, Russians celebrate on the 9th.

In the morning there was a parade of military technology – soldiers marched and tanks rolled down the Tverskaya towards the Red Square... The Red Square was closed for public, though, the only people who got to watch from there were some VIPs. The rest of the streets through which the parade passed was flooded with people. I didn't even bother to go, which was a wise decision; my roomate went, they even left a bit early in order to secure a spot for themselves, but in the end, she said she didn't see anything because it was so crowded.

The tradition on Victory Day is that all the WWII veterans go for a walk, wearing all their medals. And young people buy flowers and hand them to the veterans they meet, one flower for each.

I went to Park of Arts (Park Iskustv) after lunch. The park is beside the New Tretiakov Gallery. Since it was a holiday, it was freely accessible and I didn't have to pay entrance. It was a rather pleasant walk.

Tohle ještě nejsou sochy – to je kostýlek, který jsem viděla, když jsem šla oklikou, abych našla stánek s nanukama.
Not a sculpture yet – this is a churchlet I saw when I went slightly out of my way to find an ice cream stand.

Vstup do Parku Gorkovo, ozdobený praporky atd. "Veliké vítězství velikého národa," hlásaly nápisy.
The entry to the Gorki Park, decorated with flags etc. "Great victory of a great nation," read some of the banners.

A tady už začínají ty sochy...
And here we go with the sculptures...

Lena se s tímhle týpkem kdysi, když jsem tu byla v roce 2006, fotila. Ale tehdy ještě nebyl obestavěný lavičkami! :(
Lena took a picture with this guy back when I was here in 2006. But back then there weren't benches all around him. :(

Hezké tulipány.
Lovely tulips.

Puškin!
Pushkin!

Tak jsem se to tak vzala zkratkou pod stromy... A potkala jsem Labuť.
I took a short cut on a path under the trees... And I met the Swan.

Tak to je pěkně tlustá víla...
That is a pretty fat fairy...

Pohled na park s památníkem Petra I. v pozadí.
A view of the park with the Peter I. memorial in the background.

Ano, i takové sochy se tam najdou.
Yes, you can find sculptures like this in the park, too.

Tahle socha se mi líbila... Jen chlapec byl, nebožák, nějaký slepovaný – někomu se asi nelíbil.
I liked this sculpture... The poor boy was, though, glued back together – somebody apparently did not like this sculpture.

Video, v němž sedím v parku na houpačce a blábolím.
A video in which I sit on a swing in the park and babble.

A to už je památník Petra Velikého – je skutečně veliký!
The memorial of Peter the Great – it really is great!

Vidíte, kam až jsem došla.
You see how far I walked.

Park Pobedy.

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:27:14 GMT

Užívám si teď takových volnějších dní... Minulý čtvrtek a pátek bylo volno kvůli 1. máji, pak víkend, tento týden nemáme vyučování kromě zkoušky ve středu, pátek je opět volno kvůli 9. květnu...
Počasí bylo krásné, takže jsem se procházela po parcích apod.

I’ve been enjoying a free-er schedule lately... We got last Thursday and Friday off because of the 1st May, then it was weekend, this week we don’t have classes except for an exam on Wednesday, Friday is a holiday again...
The weather’s been lovely, so I’ve been walking around parks etc.

Zvony v parku Kolomenskoe/Bells in the Kolomenskoe park:

Přijíždějící metro na stanici Paveleckaja./The arrival of a metro train at the Paveletskaya station.

Dnes jsem se vypravila na procházku do Parku Pobědy (Parku Vítězství), ale když jsem vystoupila z metra, začalo pršet. :( Takže jsem ani do parku nedošla, jen jsem se prošla po promenádě a udělala pár fotek.

Today I wanted to go for a walk at Park Pobedy (Victory Park), but when I got out of the metro, it started to rain. :( I didn’t even make it to the park, I just walked along the “promenade” and took a few pictures.

Z toho asi budou sršet jiskry v ten velký den... / This will probably have some pyrotechnical effect on the big day.

A ještě další lehce přiblblé video./And another slightly silly video.

Květinky. // Flowers.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:01:44 GMT

Dnes mám celý den volno - tedy až na zkoušku, která mě čeká asi za hodinu. Takže jsem se po brzkém obědě vypravila na většinu odpoledne do parku.

Today I had the whole day off - well, except for the exam, which begins in about an hour. So, after an early lunch, I went to spend the afternoon in a park.

Kolomenskoe & Krišna. // Kolomenskoe & Krishna.

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:41:02 GMT

Už je to nějaký ten pátek, co jsem se neozvala... Tak tedy začněme několika zbytkovými fotografiemi z předešlých dnů (a týdnů):

It’s been quite a while since I last posted... So let’s begin with a few photos from the past several days (and weeks):

Pohled na mou kolej v louži – to bylo, myslím, minulý pátek, kdy jsem se navečer vracela domů a na chviličku, po týdnu zamračeného počasí, vykouklo sluníčko.

A view of my dormitory in a puddle – this was, I think, last Friday. I was coming home in the early evening and the sun came out for a moment, after a week of cloudy skies.

Metro Majakovskaja. Zde kdysi dávno řečnil Lenin, když Moskvu během války bombardovali. Já jsem sem zavítala minulé úterý, kdy jsem s Lenou šla na oběd do Českého Domu (ňam svíčková!).

Metro Mayakovskaya. Lenin held a speech in this station while Moscow was being bombarded during the war. I came here last Tuesday to have lunchat the Czech House nearby.

Tento týden bylo počasí už lepší... Dnes jsem si konečně, po všem tom lítání po všech čertech (škola, papírování, nakupování, aerobic, krasobruslení atd.) udělala čas na pěknou procházku na sluníčku. Zamířila jsem do parku Kolomenskoe, protože je z těch větších parků nejblíž. Bylo tam pochopitelně spoustu lidí – mnoho z nich ale jen stálo frontu před kostelem, protože zítra jsou tady v Rusku Velikonoce a je tradicí nechat si pocmrndat svěcenou vodou typické velikonoční pečivo atd. V parku jsem se uložila na louku a hodinku si hověla na sluníčku, četla si... Lebeda!

This week the weather was much better already... Today I finally made time for a nice walk in the sunshine; I'd been so busy this past week with all kinds of things (school, trying to get some paperwork-ish stuff done, shopping, aerobics, figure skating etc.) I headed to one of the larger parks here in Moscow, Kolomenskoe, because it's the closest.
The park was, of course, full of people – many of them just queued in front of the church, though, because it's orthodox Easter tomorrow and it's a tradition to get your Easter pastries etc. sprinkled with holy water. In the park I laid down in a meadow and just enjoyed the sun for an hour, read... Perfect!

Tahle budova byla minule, když jsem byla v Moskvě v roce 2006, ještě celá schovaná, v rekonstrukci.
This building was all covered up when I was in Moscow back in 2006, as it was being reconstructed.

Mžourám proti slunci. Prosím povšimněte si knihy, která leží vedle mne. Je to kniha Jevgenije Pljuščenka, kterou čtu a která je zajímavá. (A taky je rusky, ale psaná takovou hezkou, "přístupnou" ruštinou.)
Squinting against the sun. Please notice the book beside me. It's Evgeni Plushenko's book – I'm currently reading it and it's interesting. (And it's in Russian, written in a nice, understandable Russian.)

Ten strom je něčím významný – asi je starý nebo tak něco. Neobtěžovala jsem se jít podívat se na popisnou cedulku, ale lidé se u něj fotili...
This tree is special – it's probably very old or something. I didn't bother to go look at the sign besided it, but people took pictures with it...

Odtud jsem se vypravila na Arbat, protože jsem si chtěla koupit chleba a poslat dopis a pár pohledů a na Arbatu minule měli známky.

From there I went to Arbat because I wanted to buy bread and send a letter and a few postcards; the post office on Arbat had stamps the last time.

V metru Plošaď Revoluciji, kde jsem přestupovala.
In the station Ploshad Revolucii where I changed lines.

Známky bohužel neměli, takže jsem se na poštu táhla zbytečně. Ale chleba, který jsem si koupila v tom jednom obchodě s vlastní pekárnou, je velice dobrý a byl ještě teplý, když jsem ho donesla domů. Také jsem se stavila ve Starbucks na záchodě – od té doby, co nám Prof. Rohan prozradil, že Starbucks má "open restroom policy" (něco jako "pravidlo volně přístupných/otevřených záchodků") tu kavárnu zneužívám a kdykoliv jsem na Arbatu a musím si odskočit, zajdu tam. Protože normální placené veřejné toalety v Moskvě jsou prostě hrůza – obvykle jen takové ty plastové budky, kde ani nemají tekoucí vodu.

Unfortunately, they didn't have any stamps, so I went to the post office in vain. The bread I bought in this one store with its own bakery is delicious, though, and it was still warm when I brought it home. I also stopped at Starbucks to use their restroom – ever since Prof. Rohan informed us that Starbucks has an "open restrooms policy", I've been taking advantage of their reasonably clean restrooms whenever I'm on Arbat and need to go. Especially since regular public restrooms here in Moscow, despite being paid, are a catastrophe – usually they're just the transportable plastic booths without running water, eww.

A hádejte, kdo se tentokrát promenádoval po Arbatu... Ne, nebyl to Johnny Weir. :( Byli to vyznavači filozofie Hare Krišna. Jak se ukázalo, krišňáci jsou všude na světě stejní – odění v oranžová sárí a rozesmátí. Tentokrát měli s sebou i slečny, které nesly podnosy plné jakýchsi kokosových kuliček, které chutnaly jako podomácku vyrobené Raffaello, a nabízely je okolojdoucím – měla jsem hned dvě a byly moc dobré!

And guess who I saw on the Arbat today... No, not Johnny Weir. :( It was Hare Krishna followers. It seems that the Krishna people are the same everywhere in the world – dressed in orange saris and laughing. This time they had these ladies with them who offered home-made coconut pralines that reminded me of Raffaello to the people passing by. I had two and they were very yummy!

Hare Krishna! :D

A znovu Arbat. // Arbat again.

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:42:51 GMT

Vlastně to není náměstí, jen takové prostranství s touhle konstrukcí uprostřed.
It's actually not even a square, just an open space with this piece of art in the middle.

Výhled z mostu pro pěší.
A view from the pedestrian bridge.

Zmíněný most.
The abovementioned bridge.

Kievské nádraží, Evropské nákupní centrum a v pozadí nějaké moderní mrakodrapy ve výstavbě.
Kievskiy vogzal (train station), Evropeiskiy shopping mall, and some modern skyscrapers being built in the background.

Výtahy uvnitř nákupního centra (viz video).
The elevators inside the shopping center (see video).

Expres manikúra. :D
Express manicure. :D

Včera večer jsem se opět byla projít na Arbatu, protože tam je po večerech vždy spousta lidí a muzikantů a celkově spousta zajímavých věcí k vidění, kromě jiného také Rusky a Rusové v zajímavých oblečcích nejrůznějších stylů, s zajímavými barvami vlasů atd.

Last night I went for a walk on the Arbat again, because there's always a lot to see in the evenings, including ladies and boys in interesting outfits of different styles, with intriguing hair-colors etc.

Metro Smolenskaya.

Hudebníci na Arbatu – od týpků s kytarou, přes dospělé i mladé pískaly, až po dechovou kapelu, která dala k dobru i nějaký ten taneček:
Musicians on Arbat – from guys with their guitars, over adult and young flute-players, to a dancing brass band:

Pátek na Arbatu. / Friday at Arbat.

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:01:35 GMT

Pátek večer, příjemně teplé počasí... komu by se chtělo sedět doma. A protože jsem stejně potřebovala zajít do knihkupectví, vypravila jsem se na procházku po Arbatu. Arbat je čtvrť okolo dvou ulic – Starého Arbatu, což je pěší zóna plná prodavačů suvenýrů, pouličních muzikantů atd., a Nového Arbatu, široké silnice s luxusními nákupními centry a kasíny po stranách.

Na Starém Arbatu jsem viděla breakdancery (viz. video), několik dalších muzikantů např. s kytarami, lidé, kteří nabízeli čtení z ruky či karet atd. Také tam bylo hned několik žebrajících, kteří měli vystavená svá domácí zvířata a u nich ceduli, že prosí o pomoc pro „mlíčko pro kočičku“, „krmivo pro štěňátko“... bylo tam několik králíků, ba dokonce i myši!

Na Novém Arbatu jsem se prošla okolo všech těch blikajících světel, viděla celou hordu kluků na skateboardech, kteří si tam chodí „hrát“, pak také nějakého týpka, který bubnoval na prázdné kýbly od barvy... No prostě taková všehochuť.

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Friday night, pleasantly warm weather... of course I didn’t want to sit at home. And because I needed to go to a bookstore there, I headed to Arbat. Arbat is a part of the city around two streets – the Old Arbat, which is a pedestrian zone full of souvenir shops, musicians etc., and the New Arbat, a broad street with luxury shopping venues and casinos on the sides.

I saw some breakdancers at Old Arbat (see the vid), many musicians with guitars and such, people who offered palm-reading or tarot etc. There were also several beggars who brought their pets in their cages and were asking for support for the animals, collecting money for „milk for the cat“, „meat-granules for the puppy“... there were also several bunnies and even mice!

On New Arbat I walked past all the bright lights, saw a bunch of skaterboys who come to play there, then some guy drumming on empty paint buckets... A little bit of everything.

Zabíjení zombií. / Killing zombies.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:22:31 GMT

Lena mě včera večer vzala do takové jakési "herny" s různými videohrami apod. – nikdy předtím jsem něco takového ještě nezkusila, takže to bylo fajn! Měli tam nejrůznější hry – od simulátorů jízdy autem a na motorkách, přes střílečky, takový "ping pong" s vznášející se "placičkou", až po hry nejzábavnější, kde se muselo bubnovat či tančit. Ta taneční hra byla vlastně důvodem, proč jsme tam vlastně šly. :)

Lena took me to a game arcade last night – I'd never done that before, so it was fun! They had various games – from car and motorcycle simulators, over shooting games, a "ping pong" kinda game with a vibrating/hovering disc, to the most entertaining games where you had to drum or dance. The dancing game was actually the reason why we went there. :)

Tahle vypadá zabiják zombií: / This is what a zombie killer looks like:

A ještě malé video, abyste si udělali představu, jaké že hry jsme vlastně hrály.
And now a little video to show you what games we played.

A jelikož budu mít narozeniny (a taky protože Lena je miloučká), dostala jsem dárečky!
And because it's my birthday soon (and mainly because Lena a sweetheart), I got presents!

Takhle si ten odznak s Čeburaškou trůní na mém batohu. Čeburaška pochopitelně krasobruslí – ať vás ani nenapadne myslet na hokej. :P Zezadu je na tom odznaku dokonce napsáno "krasobruslení".
The Cheburashka badge on my backpack. It's doing figure skating, of course – don't even think of thinking of ice hockey! :P At the back of the badge it reads "figure skating".

Bosco Sport peněženka okolo krku – to aby mě ve velkoměstě nikdo neokradl.
A Bosco Sport wallet that you can hang around your neck – so nobody steals your money in this big city.

Výšivka zezadu. / The stitching on the back.

:D

O chrámech, počasí a čokoládě./About churches, the weather and chocolate.

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:09:28 GMT

Včera bylo krásné jarní počasí – na internetu psali +10 stupňů, takže jsem se po dopoledni stráveném psaním práce na předmět Russian Civilization (Ruská civilizace) rozhodla jít na procházku. Nevěděla jsem kam, chtěla jsem se vyhnout přecpaným přestupním stanicím (což se mi nakonec tak úplně nepovedlo – Bibliotěka im. Lenina byla pochopitelně docela plná, jako vždy)... Nakonec jsem skončila na Kropotkinské a prošla se okolo Chrámu Krista Spasitele (což je největší kostel v Rusku – stojí na místě původního kostela, který komunisté strhli a na jeho místě vystavili plovárnu). Než jsem tam došla, už bylo zataženo, ale teplo bylo pořád.

Yesterday the weather was all beautiful and springy – the internet said that it's +10 degrees Celsius, so after a morning spent writing a paper for Russian Civilization, I decided to go for a little walk. I wasn't sure where to go, I didn't want to get stuck in one of the super-busy metro stations (that didn't quite work out – Biblioteka im. Lenina was of course quite full, as always)... I ended up at Kropotkinskaya and walked around the Church of Christ the Savior (which is the biggest church in Russia – it's in the place of the original old church, which got torn down so the Communists could open a swimming pool in there). Before I got there, it was already cloudy, but still quite warm.

Jen tak mimochodem – ten plot v popředí patří Arabské ambasádě. / By the way: the fence in the front belongs to the Arabian embassy.

Chrám Krista Spasitele. Když přecházíte přes tento most, všude to voní čokoládou – za řekou se totiž nachází továrna firmy Krasnyj Okťábr, což je ruský výrobce čokolády.
Church of Christ the Savior. When you walk across this bridge, the air smells of chocolate – there's a factory of Krasniy Oktiyabr, a Russian chocolate producer, on the other side of the river.

Tohle mi připomnělo ty zámky, které jsem viděla okolo jednoho slavného památníku v Tallinnu v Estonsku – když se dva lidé vezmou, přinesou a zacvaknou svůj zámek, jako symbol věčného svazku.
This reminded me of the locks I saw around this famous memorial in Tallinn, Estonia – when two people get married, they bring their own lock to symbolize that they're bonding forever.
(I totally got a little nostalgic at this point, aww.)

Reklama avízující, že se tu staví super obytný komplex. / An advertisement on the wall informing about what an awesome apartment community they're building at that place.

Začalo pršet, takže jsem se chtěla dostat domů... Nakonec jsem došla až na stanici Poljanka.
It started to rain then, so I wanted to get home... In the end I walked all the way to the Polyanka station.

To jen pro ilustraci, abyste věděli, co jsem měla na sobě. :D Bylo teplo – poprvé jsem nepotřebovala zimní bundu.
This is just to show you my outfit. :D It was quite warm – the first day I didn't need a winter jacket.

Kostel u Poljanky zvenčí. / A church at Polyanka (the outside).

Kostel u Poljanky zevnitř. / A church at Polyanka (a peek inside).

Pro ty z vás, kteří rozumí anglicky, ještě jedno přiblblé video... Ti z vás, kteří nerozumí – no, v podstatě tam neříkám nic důležitého, jen mluvím o chrámu a té plovárně, o tom, jak to tam voní čokoládou, a o počasí. :)

For those of you who understand English – the next silly video:

Práce, práce... a taky nějaká zábava! / Work, work... and also some fun!

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 07:57:47 GMT

Abyste se taky pokochali, jaký mám výhled z okna:
Just so you know what a marvelous view I have from my window:

Tohle bylo včera, dneska sněží a je mokro a zataženo. Většina víkendu padla a ještě padne na práci nad projektem. Možná si vzpomínáte, jak jsem se těšila, že tady v Moskvě nebudu mít tolik stresu a práce – no, zdá se, že jsem se pletla, protože všichni profesoři si tak nějak usmysleli, že musíme odevzdat eseje, projekty, prezentace a tak podobně. Navíc je semestr rozdělený na dva bloky, první z nichž končí už někdy v půlce dubna – takže všechno musí být do té doby hotovo, navíc mě v polovině dubna čekají první zkoušky. (Zatím to vypadá, že budou asi jen dvě, i když jeden předmět – Management informací – jsme ještě neměli, protože profesor tu jaksi není, takže kdo ví.)

The picture was taken yesterday, today it’s snowing and wet and cloudy. Most of the weekend was and will be dedicated to working on a project. Maybe you remember how I’d been looking forward to being here in Moscow, because I thought I wouldn’t have quite as much stress and work – well, it seems that I was a little mistaken, because all the professors suddenly decided to have us hand in essays, projects, papers, presentations etc. Besides, the semester here is divided into two blocks, first of which ends in mid-April already – which means that everything has to be done and handed in by that time, plus I have my first exams in mid-April. (So far it looks like there are going to be only two of those, but we haven’t had one class yet – Information Management – because the professor just isn’t here, so who knows.)

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Kromě toho jsem si koupila nové brusle – trvalo mi docela dlouho, než jsem našla vhodný model a než jsem si je konečně koupila, ale teď už mám vše, co potřebuji (boty, ostří, chrániče na ostří), takže dnes večer vyrazím na zimák!

In other news, I bought new skates – I did a lot of research and it took quite a while to finally get them, but now I finally have everything I need (boots, blades, guards), so I can go skating!

Trocha baletu. / A bit of ballet.

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:07:49 GMT

Dnes večer jsme se – já, Steffi, Amélie, Lea (kamarádka Amélie) a Magi – vypravily na balet Korzár do divadla Bolšoj. Steffi a Magi byly odpoledne v Kremlu, takže nás už dříve zašly zapsat na seznam zájemců o studentské vstupenky. Když jsem chvíli před půl šestou, kdy začíná prodej studentských lístků, dorazila na místo, stála před tou budovou ohromná fronta studentů. Holky nikde. Nakonec přišly... Vyšlo najevo, že většina těch studentů se nezapsala na seznam, takže jsme se dostaly dovnitř a dostaly lístky, zatímco mnoho dalších šlo domů s prázdnou. Studentský lístek stojí 20 rublů, což je méně než 20 korun, zato ale nemáte zaručené místo k sezení – může se stát, že budete stát nebo že vás vůbec nepustí dovnitř, když studentů přijde příliš mnoho.

Nakonec to dopadlo tak, že bylo více méně plno – tedy alespoň na balkóně, kam jako student musíte jít „sedět“. Takže jsme museli stát, jen pár obzvlášť drzým se podařilo si sednout – paní nám řekla, že musíme stát, ale nějaké ruské holky si sedly na sedadla, která, jak se ukázalo, nakonec zůstala volná. Kvůli tomu jsem zůstala jen na první akt ze tří – bolely mě záda a nohy a nechtělo se mi ještě další dvě hodiny stát, navíc jsem viděla jen půl jeviště a to s natahováním krku. Balet byl ale krásný – vystupovali v něm orientální piráti, dvě z dívek byly hlavní hvězdy a tančily v takových těch baletních sukýnkách, radost pohledět!

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Tonight I went to watch the ballet Le Corsaire with Steffi, Amélie, Lea (Amélie’s friend) and Magi. It was at the Bolshoi theater. Steffi and Magi had been at the Kremlin in the afternoon, so they stopped by the ticket office to put our names onto a list of those wanting student tickets for the evening. When I arrived a while before 5:30 when they start selling the student tickets, there was already a huge queue. The girls weren’t there yet, but arrived soon after. We found out that most of the students waiting weren’t on the list, so we got in and got our tickets, whereas many others went home without any. The student ticket for the Bolshoi costs 20 rubles, which is less than $1, but you don’t have a seat and only get to sit when there are free seats – it can happen that you’ll have to stand or that they won’t let you in at all if there are too many students who want in.

In the end, the theater was more or less full – at least the balcony where students have to “sit”. So we stood, only a few particularly fresh girls got to sit – the lady in charge told us to stand, but these girls sat and their seats stayed vacant. Because of this I decided to leave after the first act – my back and my legs were killing me and I didn’t want to endure that for two more hours, especially since I only saw half of the stage and that only with straining my neck.
The ballet was lovely, though – there were oriental pirates, two girls were the main starts and wore tu-tu’s, it was a joy to watch! There were these main male dancers, too, one of them had a rather magnificent butt that I admired in his solo. He did these twirly jumps – he rotated completely around once and came back down, so I joked (in my head – my friends wouldn’t get the joke) that I know a guy who can do that, even on the floor, three times. ;)

Fotky ze schodiště divadla Nová Scéna, kde Bolšoj balet toho času vystupuje - samotný Bolšoj těatr je stále v přestavbě:
Photos from the staircase in the Novaya Scena where the Bolshoi Ballet performs now - the Bolshoi theatre building is still being reconstructed:

A ještě dvě fotky ze včerejška, z metra:
Arbatskaya

Maslenica.

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:39:00 GMT

Včera - v neděli – končila tzv. máslenica, což je týden, během kterého se Rusové cpou palačinkama apod., načež následuje 49 dní půstu, kdy se smí jíst jen ovoce, zelenina a pár dalších věcí. U té příležitosti se měl ve městě konat průvod – tedy alespoň tak nám to rušstí studenti, kteří tam organizovali výpravu, slibovali. V jednu po obědě jsme se tedy vydali do města, přešli po Rudém náměstí, které bylo plné lidí, protlačili se obrovským davem skrz detektory kovu... A nakonec jsme se dostali až pod chrám Sv. Vasilije, kde bylo vystavěné pódium, stánky s palačinkami a tradičním medovým pivem... Bylo tam spoustu lidí, na jevišti poskakovalo pár muzikantů. Dali jsme si medové pivo – malý kelímek za 50 rublů, fuj – které ani nechutnalo hnusně jako normální pivo. Navíc bylo horké, což přišlo vhod, protože jsem byla už docela zmrzlá. Když už se blížila třetí hodina a stále se nic nedělo, sebrala jsem se a šla domů, protože mě zábly nohy a ruce a nechtěla jsem nastydnout ještě víc. Steffi mi později sdělila, že také odešly, než průvod začal, a pak ho potkaly v nějaké vedlejší ulici – prý byl jen maličký, nic zajímavého.

---

Yesterday – on Sunday – was the end of the so called "maslenitsa", which is a week during which the Russians eat lots of pancakes etc., and then fast for 49 days and eat only fruits and vegetables and a few other things. At this occasion there was supposed to be a parade – or at least the International Students' Council promised so. At 1pm we headed to the center, walked across the Red Square which was full of people, squished through a huge crowd waiting by the metal detectors... And finally, we arrived under the St. Basil's cathedral where there was a stage, stands with blinys and traditional honey beer... It was crowded, there were a few people hopping around on stage. We had honey beer – a small cup for 50 rubles, ew – the beer wasn't actually as disgusting as regular beer. Besides, it was hot, which I greatly appreciated, because I was already pretty frozen. It was almost 3pm by then and there was still nothing going on, so I went home, because my feet and hands were freezing and I didn't want to make my cold worse. Steffi later told me that they also left before the parade began, but then saw it pass through some street and that it was really very small, so I didn't miss anything interesting.

Blížíme se k místu konání. / Nearing the area where all the action took place.

Panenka Máslenica, kterou pak spálili a tím se rozloučili se zimou a přivítali jaro.
The Maslenitsa doll which got burned later to say goodbye to winter and welcome the spring.

Boris (náš ruský průvodce), Amélie a Magi s medovým pivem.
Boris (our Russian guide), Amélie and Magi with honey beer.

Fakt vypadám nemocně. :(
I really look sick. :(

Pohled na Kreml z mostu přes řeku.
A view of the Kremlin from the bridge.

Rudé náměstí ve dne, v noci./Red Square by day, by night.

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 08:58:58 GMT

Rudé náměstí je večer a v noci možná ještě pohádkovější než přes den. Ve čtvrtek večer se mi zachtělo jít na procházku, tak jsem se sebrala, popojela kousek metrem, a vystoupila v centru. Všechny budovy jsou impozantně osvětlené, lidí je méně...

The Red Square is maybe even more fairy-tale-like in the evenings and at night. I felt like going for a walk on Thursday evening, so I hopped on the metro and went to the center. All the buildings are rather impressively lit, there are less people...

V pátek jsme se se Steffi vypravily do IKEA, abychom si nakoupily nějaké nádobí, neboť nádobí je na koleji nedostatkové zboží. Dojely jsme metrem na konečnou stanici šedé linky metra a pak, protože se nám nechtělo mrznout a čekat na bezplatný autobus k nákupním centrům, jsme nastoupily do "maršrutky", což je takový linkový taxík-dodávka. Paní nás usadila hned dopředu, vedle řidiče... Ten měl celou cestu tendence se s námi vybavovat – odkud jsme, jestli jsme přijely do Ruska (které nazýval Země Zázraků, haha) na dovolenou, jestli je levnější studovat v Rusku (ne), jestli Česká Republika ještě pořád vyváží motorky Jawa, protože v dobách Sovětského Svazu to byly nejlepší motorky na trhu... Také naznal, že vypadáme jako cizinky, že moskevských dívek je mu líto, protože vždycky koukají tak ustrašeně... No, snad jen podotknu, že bezpečnostní pásy neexistují, řidič se během jízdy díval na televizi na takové mini obrazovce (na nějakou telenovelu!) – do té doby, než se paní vzadu začala rozčilovat a pokárala ho, aby se laskavě díval na silnici.
V Ikee jsme nakoupily, poobědvaly a zase se vydaly zpět domů (tentokrát už autobusem).

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On Friday morning Steffi and I went to IKEA to buy some dishes, because there is a horrible lack of those in the dormitory kitchen. We took the metro to the end line of the grey line and then, because we didn't want to wait in the cold for the free bus that would take us to the shopping center, we got on a "marshrutka", which is like a van-taxi that follows a certain schedule. The lady in charge sat us down in the front, beside the driver... The guy wanted to talk to us all the way there – where we're from, if we came to Russia (he called Russia the Land of Wonders, haha) for vacation, whether it's cheaper to study in Russia (no), if the Czech Republic still exports Jawa motorcycles, because the Jawa motorcycles were the best you could get in the Soviet Union back then... Also, he concluded that we look like foreigners, and said that he feels sorry for Moscow girls because they always seem so scared and intimidated by everything – and we, apparently, don't. Well, just one more thing – there are, of course, no safety belts in Russian cars, and the driver watched a cheesy soap opera on a mini-tv all the while – until one lady in the back started to complain and asked him to please look at the street.
We got what we needed in IKEA, had lunch, went back, this time on a bus.

------

V pátek odpoledne jsem se ještě vypravila na procházku dolů po Tverské, protože jsem si chtěla koupit pohlednice. Nakonec mě to zaneslo – opět – až na Rudé Náměstí a do obchodního domu GUM.

On Friday afternoon I went on a walk down the Tverskaya, because I wanted to buy postcards. I ended up walking all the way down to the Red Square again, then through the GUM a little.

Tohle byla taková zláštní pyramida vystavěná uvnitř GUMu.. ani nevím, co to mělo být.
This was a rather odd pyramid they built inside the GUM, I don't even know what it was supposed to be.

Katok na Krasnoy Ploshadi.

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:21:01 GMT

Už delší dobu jsem se chystala vypravit se bruslit na to kluziště na Rudém Náměstí. Včera jsem se k tomu konečně dostala. :)
Vlastně jsem měla mít v 11:30 první hodinu ruského jazyka. Nicméně paní vyučující přišla, pravila, že jelikož jsem Češka, tak se v její skupině moc nenaučím, protože její skupina umí povídat, ale neumí ani základní gramatiku, takže s nimi dělá gramatiku... A řekla mi, ať zkusím jinou skupinu zítra. Takže jsem se sebrala a od 12ti šla bruslit, protože bylo konečně docela přijatelné počasí.
Zaplatila jsem 500 rublů za vstup a vypůjčení bruslí a tradá na led.

I've been planning to go skate at the Red Square for quite a while already. Yesterday I finally got to do it. :)

In fact, I was supposed to have my first Russian lesson at 11:30. But the teacher arrived and told me that since I'm Czech, I won't learn much in her group, because while her students can speak Russian, their grammar is no good – so she's doing basic grammar with them... She told me to come try another group tomorrow. So I went and hit the session at noon at the Red Square, because the weather was finally quite acceptable.

I paid the 500 roubles (entrance + skate rental) and in I went.

Pohled na chrám sv. Vasilije a jednu z věží Kremlu z kluziště.
A look at the St. Basil's and one of Kremlin's towers from the ice.

Bruslila tam jedna malá holčička s trenérkou, ale ta pravá zábava přišla, když se na ledě na poslední půl hodinu zjevili dva krasobruslaři. Probruslila jsem kolem nich a vyšlo najevo, že jsou Američané. Byli to kluk a holka, chlapec předvedl pár kroků, skoků a piruet, bylo fajn se na něj dívat. Jinak se jen fotili a bruslili jen tak pro zábavu. V šatně, když jsem se přezouvala, jsem se s nimi dala do řeči a vyšlo najevo, že jsou tu s Holiday on Ice, což je šou, která existuje i u nás – byli milí. :)

There was one little girl with her coach, but the real fun was the two figure skaters who arrived for the last half an hour. I skated by and I heard them speak American English. It was a girl and a boy, the boy did some steps, jumps, spins – it was cool to watch. Other than that, they just took pictures and skated around for fun. I talked to them a little in the changing room and they said that they came here for Holiday on Ice, the ice show that exists in other parts of Europe as well. They were pretty nice, especially the boy.
Tady malé video, v němž blábolím anglicky, ale můžete si přinejmenším prohlédnout okolí :)

Here's a little vid of me babbling and showing you the Red Square. :)

Potom jsem se stavila na stanici Park Kultury, kde jsem si podala žádost o studentskou jízdenku na metro – měla by být hotová za 10 dní.

Then I went to the metro station Park Kultury to hand in my application for a student metro card – it should be ready in about 10 days.

První výprava do města./My first trip to the city.

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:58:39 GMT

V pátek jsem se vyspala a vypravila se do školy s tím, že se zaregistruji. Pochopitelně jsem se nezaregistrovala, protože slečna, která to má na starosti, tam nebyla. Naštěstí jsem narazila na dámu, která má za úkol tak nějak koordinovat příjezd zahraničních studentů. Dostala jsem od ní svůj studentský průkaz a doporučení, ať se zaregistrovat přijdu v pondělí okolo 11ti a ať přivedu ostatní Master studenty, aby dostali své materiály. (V pondělí okolo 11ti tam dáma pochopitelně nebyla, ale naštěstí se to nějak vyřešilo.) Teoreticky se člověk má na policii registrovat do 3 dní po příjezdu. Pondělí byl můj čtvrtý den, ale nikomu to očividně nevadilo.

Po absolvování první rundy organizačních věcí jsem se v pátek odpoledne vypravila do centra, jen tak se projít.

------

On Friday I slept in a little and then went to school to get my registration done. Of course I didn't get my registration done, because the girl responsible for that was not available. Fortunately I at least ran into the person who's coordinating the arrival of us international students. I got my student card and was told to come on Monday at around 11 because of the registraiton. Also, I was supposed to bring the other Master students who'd arrive, so they could get their paperwork. (On Monday at 11 the lady wasn't there, obviously, but we managed somehow.) In theory, you're supposed to get registered with the police within 3 days upon your arrival. Monday was my fourth day, but it didn't seem to bother anyone.

After round 1 of organizational + paperwork-y crap, I went to the city center for a walk.

:D

Kluziště přímo na Rudém Náměstí. // The rink at the Red Square.

Den či dva poté se na náměstí konal velký open-air koncert. Proto ty budky pro televizi apod před Historickým muzeem.
A day or two later there was a big open-air concert at the square. That's why there are those ugly TV cabins in front of the History Museum.

Ano, opravdu demokratické – "Společně zvítězíme!" hlásá ten plakát s pány Putinem a Medvěděvem.
Yes, very democratic – "Together we'll win!" reads the huge poster with misters Putin and Medvedev.

Vydala jsem se pak nahoru po Tverské... a takovouhle parádu mají ve výloze Bosco Sportu. :)
I walked up the Tverskaya and saw this rather lovely shop window at Bosco Sport. :)

Také jsem se zastavila u několika divadelních stánků a vyptávala se na lístky na rockovou operu Junona i Avos, kterou jsem chtěla vidět už dávno... Když jsem konečně našla dámu, která lístky měla, bylo mi sděleno, že si nejprve musím rozmyslet, jestli za ně skutečně chci tolik zaplatit – stojí totiž 2000 rublů. :( No, uvidím.

I also stopped by several theater ticket booths and asked for tickets for Yunona i Avos, which is a Russian rock opera I've been wanting to see for a long time already... When I finally found one lady who had tickets, she told me that I first need to think about whether I want to pay that much money for them – a tickets costs about 2000 roubles, which is about 60 euros. :( Well, I'll see.

Privet! - Příjezd a ubytování./Arrival and my accomodation.

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:10:32 GMT

Tak jsem opět tady a konečně zase v síti – zatím je tedy připojení velmi pomalé a nedostačující, ale údajně je to přes den lepší.

Ve středu jsem se tedy vydala do Berlína, kde jsem přespala u známých. Ve čtvrtek ráno jsem byla odvezena na letiště a čekalo mne první dobrodružství – dostanu se se svým velmi těžkým kufrem do letadla nebo ne? Chlapec u přepážky nejprve zvážil můj velký kufr – kupodivu to bylo jen nějakých 26kg a ani se netvářil, že by chtěl něco platit. Zeptal se, na jak dlouho jedu. Řekla jsem mu, že na celý semestr, a když se zeptal, kdy se vrátím, odpověděla jsem, že ještě nevím, záleží na zkouškách. Chtěl vidět vízum a poté můj kufr nechal projít. Později jsem se dozvěděla, že když pobyt trvá déle než 28 dní a máte už koupenou zpáteční letenku, smíte si vzít 30kg. (Já ale zpáteční letenku nemám.) Pak chtěl ale ještě vidět mé příruční zavazadlo. Oops. Musela jsem je postavit na váhu... 10,6kg. Měl trochu řeči a musela jsem to příruční normálně odevzdat, ale nakonec mě nechal projít. (Ještě, že nechtěl vážit můj batoh a laptop.)

Let proběhl bez problémů. Přistáli jsme v Moskvě, počasí hnusné. Prošla jsem hraniční kontrolou, vyzvedla si zavazadla a pak už jsem našla Lenu, která mě přišla na Domodědovo vyzvednout. Společně jsme se vyhnuly milionům chlápků vnucujících nám taxi, taxi a zamířili k expresnímu vlaku, který nás za 40 minut dovezl přímo na Paveleckij vogzal, což je nádraží blízko koleje.

Nějak jsme se i s kufry dotáhly až ke koleji. „Děžurnaja“, která zrovna měla službu, chuděra nemohla najít moje jméno v jejich knize, takže nevěděla, kam se mnou... Nakonec musela zatelefonovat vedoucí. Pak už mě zavedla do pokoje, který je, jak uvidíte níže, na místní poměry téměř luxusní. :)

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So, I’m back here in Moscow and finally online again – though my connection is very slow and insufficient right now, but I’ve been told it’s better during daytime.

Let’s recap what I’ve been up to so far. On Wednesday I went to Berlin by train and stayed at my friends‘ place. On Thrursday morning, I was brought to the airport where my first adventure awaited me – will they let me onto the plane with my very heavy luggage? The boy at the counter first put my big suitcase on the scales – surprisingly enough, it only weighed 26kg and the boy didn’t even look like he wanted me to pay for the overweight. He asked for how long I’m going. I told him that for the entire semester, and when he asked when I’m coming back, I told him that I don’t know yet, that it depends on the exams. He wanted to see my visa and then let my suitcase go through. Later I found out that when you’re staying at your destination for more than 28 days and you already have your flight back booked, you’re allowed to take 30kg. (I don’t have my flight back yet, of course.) Then he wanted to see my carry-on suitcase. Oops. I had to put it on the scales... 10.6kg. He bitched a little and I had to check in my carry on suitcase, but he let me go, yay! (Thank goodness he didn’t want to weigh my laptop and my backpack – those were at least another 6 kilos.)

The flight was okay. We landed in Moscow; the weather was hideous. I went through the passport check, picked up my luggage and then I already found Lena, who came to pick me up at Domodedovo. Together, we dodged about a billion of men offering us a taxi, taxi! and went to the express train, which took us to Paveleckiy trainstation in only 40 minutes – that trainstation is very close to my dormitory.

We somehow dragged the whole luggage to the dormitory. The dezhurnaya who was on duty couldn’t find my name in their arrival book, so she didn’t know where to put me... In the end, she called the head-lady. Then she brought me to my room which is, for Russian dormitory standards, almost luxurious as you’ll see below.

Mám sice malou postel, ale zato psací stůl i s lampičkou. A také velké zrcadlo. :) Lena mi kdysi povídala, že to tady celé rekonstruovali a předělávali... No, moc toho vidět není, kromě snad vyměněných oken a tu a tam nových dveří.

I might have a small bed, but I have a desk with a reading lamp. And also a big mirror! :) Lena told me some time ago that they reconstructed and improved the whole place... well, you can't really see that, maybe aside from the new windows and a few new doors.

Ano, dokonce tu máme domácí rostlinu! Sice je plastová a pěkně zaprášená, ale...
Yes, we even have a house plant! It's made of plastic and very dusty, but...

Vrchol luxusu – máme v pokoji vlastní lednici!!!
The greatest luxury of them all – we have our own fridge!!!

Pak jsme se s Lenou vypravily na krátkou procházku a na nákup a to už bylo vše. Má spolubydlící dorazila v neděli – je to Steffi, se kterou se znám z Drážďan, a zatím se snášíme dobře. :)

Then Lena and I went for a short walk and to buy some groceries and that was pretty much it. My room mate arrived on Sunday – it's Steffi, one of my classmates from Dresden, and we get along well so far. :)

Пока! (23. 12. 2006)

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:34:34 GMT

Tohle bude zatím poslední zápis a doplňuji ho jen pro úplnost, abych tu měla všechno pěkně od začátku až do konce. :)

This will be for now the last entry and I'm adding it just so that this journal is complete, so that there is everything here from the beginning to the end. :)

Má spolubydlící Paula a já. / My roomate Paula and me.

Na letiště jsem jela taxíkem – byla to stará ruská Lada bez bezpečnostních pásů…
I went to the airport by a taxi – it was an old Russian Lada without safety belts…

Já se svými zavazadly na letišti Šeremetěvo 2. / Me and my luggage at the Sheremetyevo 2 airport.

Poslední fotka s Lenou… / The last picture with Lena…

Bez problémů jsem prošla check-inem i se svým kufrem, který vážil 28 kilo.
I got through the check-in without any problems, although my suitcase had 28 kgs.

Chvíli před odletem se začalo chumelit, ale když jsem usedla do letadla, na pár okamžiků vykouklo slunce, jako by se se mnou chtěla Moskva hezky rozloučit. / It started snowing a while before my departure, but when I sat down in the plane, the sun came out for a short moment, as if Moscow wanted to give me a nice goodbye.

A pak už jsme stoupali výš a výš, nad mraky… / And then it went up, higher than the clouds…

Nevěřili byste, jak jsem byla nadšená, když nám k obědu naservírovali letadlovou verzi českého knedla-vepřa-zela, s lineckou rybičkou jako zákuskem!
You wouldn't believe how thrilled I was when we got a the airplane version of probably the most typical Czech meal for lunch, with a typical Czech Christmas cookie for desert!

Trošku jsem se nudila, tak jsem se bavila focením mraků z okýnka… Strašně zajímavé, že jo./I was a little bored, so I occupied myself with taking pictures of clouds from the window… Terribly interesting, don't ya think.

A tohle už jsou české kopce vyčuhující z mraků! / And these are already Czech hills sticking out of the clouds!

V Praze bylo hnusně… /The weather in Prague was disgusting…

Ale skoro jsem uronila slzu, když jsme přistáli. / But I almost started crying when we landed.

A TO JE KONEC! / AND THIS IS THE END!

Pokud vás zajímá, co budu nyní půl roku vyvádět v USA, sledujte luvus. :)
If you're interested in what I'll be doing in the USA in the next 6 months, follow me to luvus. :)

St. Petersburg & Grand Prix Final, Day 3 - December 17th 2006 (Sunday) - English

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 11:24:15 GMT

On Sunday morning I got up at about 11 and had another very yummy breakfast, this time including a different type of blinis – I don't remember what they're called, but they're the small blinis. Ksenia's father had offered to drive me around the city a little, so that I'd get to see a bit more, and that's what we did. He showed me many streets and important buildings and also told me several interesting facts about St. Petersburg. Then, at the Vasilievskij island I got off the car, said goodbye and walked a little along the Neva river and the surroundings.

I may be wrong – please correct me if I am wrong – but I think this is Smolnyj monastery. We stopped there, so that I could take a better look at it. It also houses parts of a university. It's definitely one of the most unique monasteries I've seen in Russia!

The Neva. It was a cold, windy day – I think it might have been a few degrees below zero. I liked walking around in such weather, though my fingers were freezing. The Neva is very broad and unique.

Hermitage, part 1.

Petropavlovskaya krepost' (Petropavlovskaya fortress).

This building used to be a stock exchange, now it's a museum.

These are two lighthouses at the shore of the Neva. One has a statue of a woman at its foot – that statue symbolizes the river Neva. The other one has a statue of a man – I forgot the name of the river it symbolizes, but I remember that it's one close to the city Novgorod (I think).

Looking from Vasilievskij island to the "shore". This bridge (Dvortsovyj most) gets opened in the middle when a ship needs to pass.

Hermitage, part 2.

Russian flag on top of the 'Glavnoe admiralteistvo'.

Even more Hermitage. I walked around the main building – this is probably the most famous part of the gallery, but there are several other buildings that belong to the Hermitage.

Dvortsovaya plotshad' (Dvortsovaya square).

And more Hermitage still.

Then I walked into the yard of the main building and took even more pictures:

They had several of these painted plastic lions in the yard. This was the Night Lion.

Looking around the square...

The gate of the 'Glavnyj shtab'.

Glavnoe admiralteistvo once again.

St. Petersburg is full of pretty channels like this.

I visited a bookstore to buy some postcards and then started looking for a café with reasonable prices where I could have tea and something small to eat before going to the ice palace. Well, in fact I was looking for the café I had been to with the girls the day before, because they had a cake called "Tschornyi les" (Black Wood) and it reminded me of the German Schwarzwaldkirsch-Torte and I wanted it so badly. It took me a while, but in the end I found the café and got my tea and my cake – it wasn't by far as good as the German version, but it was okay. :)
Then I hopped on the metro and went to the ice palace. I tried to sell my ticket for the exhibition because it was expensive (1200 roubles) and I didn't really need it – I figured that I could save that money and watch the gala from the press stands for free. But I didn't succeed – an old, grumpy man offered a 100 roubles for my ticket and I was like no way!, because I'd rather sit on my place with the girls than sell it for a price that low. So in the end I went in and got seated at my regular seat. The girls were late, so for a while I was the only one there. Then Alessya came and started telling us about how Johnny's doing and that he wrote her a letter (she was staying in the hotel with the skaters).

The Gala Exhibition
The exhibition started at 3pm and it opened with an opening with all skaters. I didn't really pay attention then, because I was just getting seated etc.
The first to perform was a little girl from St. Pete – Maria Stavitskaya. She skated to music from Aladdin and I thought she was a boy at first, because her costume was sort of boyish. She was cute.

The next to come were Petrova/Tikhonov, who only got to perform because Zhang/Zhang couldn't participate in the gala. Petrova/Tikhonov were 6th and only the top 5 skated in the exhibition. But everybody loved them, because they are so cute together and they're from St. Petersburg, so they were performing for their home crowd.

Miki Ando was next, then came Jana Khokhlova/Sergei Novitski who had been fifth in dance. Their performance was fun to watch!

Valerie Marxoux/Craig Buntin, who had been 5th in pairs, performed to Big Spender - it was entertaining.

Fumie Suguri started her exhibition program right in front where we were sitting, so we cheered for her enthusiastically. She took off a part of her costume in the middle of the performance – that much about shy Japanese girls! ;)

I don't really remember what Delobel/Shoenfelder did, but Alban Preaubert performed after them and I do remember his program. The people who were sitting in the same row a few seats further paid close attention – it turned out that one of them was Joubert's mother, I don't know who the other man and woman were, but clearly they were French and supported both Preaubert and Joubert. They gave us a few queer looks when some of the girls got loud, haha.

Anyway, Alban Preaubert. He skated a romantic program to You're so Beautiful by Joe Cocker and he started his performance by sitting on the boards at the opposite side of the rink, a white rose in his hand. I don't know why, I can't help it, but it didn't really work for me – I didn't feel the romantic mood at all. Preaubert just can't do romantic, in my opinion. I said it before and I'll say it again – just like Joubert, he doesn't stir any emotion in me, which is not that bad when he's doing his funny bee program, but it is a problem when he's trying to be all romantic. In the end, he tossed the rose to some ladies in the audience.

Rena Inoue/John Baldwin skated to Mandy and it was nice, but they're a little like Preaubert – they just don't work for me, somehow.

Sarah Meier did her program to Memory from Cats and that was nice to watch. Alessya confermed my suspicions that Sarah had been wearing the costume she skated in for competition last season – she was the one I noticed at Worlds, the hot girl in a hot red&black bodysuit. The costume really looks good on her – some girls totally can wear bodysuits (like Sarah Meier, Irina Slutskaya or Tatiana Totmianina), whereas some just shouldn't (Elena Sokolova, for example).

Oksana Domnina/Maxim Shabalin were the last to perform before the break – I had already seen their ex-number at the Cup of Russia, but it was nice even the second time. They wear these beautiful flowing white tunics and they're beautiful to watch.

During the break, the girls had decided to go take a look at the "stalker window" of the ice palace – it's like a big "window" (in fact it's a row of glass doors) through which one can see the backstage area, and the entrance through which the skaters walk to the rinkside. I went there with them, we saw Yu-Na Kim, but I left quickly, because I had to go to the bathroom and there wasn't anything or anyone interesting to see, anyway.

After the intermission, another local kid performed – Artur Gachinski. He reminded me of Plushenko (esp. the step sequences he did) and later I was told that he is considered the new Plushenko in St. Petersburg, that he already is getting a lot of attention for his skating. Personally, I am not that fond of Plushenko's style, and I don't know if it's the ideal solution to teach kids how to skate Plushenko-style – the kids should get more space to develop their own styles, in my opinion. But I shouldn't judge. Little Artur probably loves Plushy an it's probably only natural for him to go in this direction. Either way, it was sort of cool to watch him – I wonder what will become of him, maybe we'll see him on the international podiums a few years later. He did a Biellmann, by the way, and I was all ooh, the world needs more men with a Biellmann spin!

Then came Nobunari Oda and we cheered for him a lot, because he's sort of cute. He wore a latex outfit – latex pants, latex jacket (which he threw away in the beginning of his program) and a see-through t-shirt. I liked him. He blew a kiss in our direction when he finished, haha. Alessya had brought a bouquet for him, but couldn't give it to him, so she decided to catch him after the exhibition.

Mao Asada wore a black&hotpink dress, which I didn't really like. She skated to music from Carmen and she attempted a triple axel in her program, which she fell on.
Lena: That was a triple axel attempt.
me: I know. [The Axel is a jump I almost always recognize, so of course I knew that it was a 3A.]
Lena: I don't get it. In an exhibition… Why?
I didn't say anything, I just shrugged and went back to watching Mao, but I think it might have been something like… her coach wanted her to try the axel once more in front of an audience? I don't know.

Dubreuil/Lauzon (2nd Ice Dancing) skated to a French chanson song and I loved them, her dress was very classy again.

Then came Savchenko/Szolkowy – they had such funky costumes! She wore a pink strapless dress and colorful striped tights, he wore a combo of green, white and black (it looked sort of like the typical outfit from Bayern, but Szolkowy is from Sachsen, as far as I know). They skated to Hey Ya! by Outcast, it was an amusing performance!

Yu-Na Kim skated next – again, I loved her costume, it was baby-pink (I think) and so so pretty! She performed to something French – or so I remember, but the info-sheet says that it was something from the Mulan soundtrack, so I don't know.

Denkova/Staviski (1st place Dance) performed to Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles. I think they used a chair in their performance (?). I didn't like the color of her dress, it was neon-orange. Their encore was to a Russian song and the audience went mental. Obviously, Denkova/Staviski seem to be very popular in Russia, although they're not Russian. And it's a clever trick to perform to Russian music in Russia – the audience always appreciates it (see Johnny Weir and his Yunona i Avos program).

Then came Joubie… Right before his first performance, Nadia yelled Yeah baby! - later she explained that she felt a little guilty, because she hadn't been very polite to him in the hotel earlier, or something like that. (???) So she wanted to make up for that by being extra loud. :D
His first performance was AeroDynamic (by Daft Punk). The beginning made me laugh – the music starts with the ringing of a bell and Joubert kinda pretended to be a bell, lol! ;) This exhibition program of his is the less boring one, I'd say. He wore a silvery shirt with black writings on the chest. His encore was to music by the Safri Duo. Somewhere in his performance – I don't know whether it was the first, or the second one – he started to move like a robot and all of the girls laughed (including me), because the joke about Joubert being a robot is a well-spread one. People clapped and cheered for him… I clapped, too, because I'm polite and because I respect his achievements. But he gives me no emotion, not even his quads can change that, and even if Johnny wouldn't jump at all, I'd still prefer him to Joubert, because he has so much more charisma and artistry than Joubert. I just don't like Joubert, the end.

Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhao were the last to skate. When they started skating, I was like… Wait, this music sounds familiar - and then I realized that it's My Way, but sung in Spanish. It made me sigh and I had a moment of sadness, because skjflajf! Johnny's exhibition program music! I could just close my eyes and see him skate to it.
But the Chinese were beautiful, too, and their encore was to Come What May from Moulin Rouge, and I loved that!

In the end everybody came back onto the ice for the finale… Petrova/Tikhonov did this crazy move from Cutting Edge again, as did Savchenko/Szolkowy – it's so awesome, but very scary to watch, I kept being afraid that the girls might end up on the ice, seriously injured or something.
When he skated past our sector, Joubert kinda raised his eyebrows in our direction, because some of the girls had been very loud in response to his performances, haha.

And then it was over and we left the arena and it was decided that we'd all go to the back entrance to wait for the skaters, as Alessya still had the flowers for Oda. I saw many skaters march past and people were asking for autographs and taking pictures with them. I didn't go talk to anyone, because I figured that there are people who are much more interested in doing that than I was… Really, the only two skaters I would have liked to talk to for a minute or two were both at home with injured hips, so no fangirling opportunities for me there. Oda was really cute, he took pictures with many girls and kept saying Spasibo, spasibo whenever he received a gift. Gilraen almost jumped Robin Szolkowy – he tried to walk to the bus without anyone noticing him, but Gil noticed and jumped in front of him and asked him for a picture and she probably scared him to death, it was funny!
Most of the skaters are so small and you wouldn't even notice them if you weren't paying close attention. I saw Rena Inoue – she's ultra-tiny! Maxim Shabalin, on the other hand, is very tall. I also saw Marie-France Dubreuil, Oksana Domnina, Sarah Meier (a few people waved at her). I think it was Shabalin who got left in front of the arena with the fans, or maybe Olivier Schoenfelder, I'm not sure – the bus just left and he didn't have anywhere to go, so he had to wait for the next one, haha. Joubert walked past, too, and Udgin asked him for a picture – in a minute he said, and then somehow forgot about it and just went into the bus.
Then we decided to take pictures of ourselves, of our group:

Gil, Lena, Udgin (Evgenia), me.

I don't know the name of the girl on the right... I just know that she's from Latvia and that she came to Saint Petersburg to see Johnny Weir, but she only arrived in time for the free skate and thus didn't get to see him, after all. :(

While we were taking pictures, some of the fans who were hanging around the back entrance came to look – to find out who we were taking pictures with. I think they were a little disappointed when they realized that none of us are famous skaters! :D

Some of the girls went to a café to eat something, but I wanted to get back to Ksenia's parents to pack my things, take a shower, eat a bit and get ready to leave. I went on the metro with Udgin, who is very sweet and speaks very good English. She told me that she had been a skater herself, that she skated until she was 13 (I think – or was it after 13 years of skating?), but then had to quit because of an injury. She said that it was horrible, that she couldn't even watch figure skating on TV for a year, because it made her cry. Sigh, I can't imagine how hard it must be to spend many years practicing and working so hard – and then be forced to give it up so abruptly. :(

Okay… This won't be related to the exhibition, but it's tid-bits from the hotel that Alessya and the two other girls who'd lived there shared, and I don't know where else I could mention them… so I'll talk about it here.
Their room was right next to Priscilla's and Marina's. One evening, Alessya and Marina (not Marina Anissina, but Marina, Alessya's friend) were going on an elevator with Nobunari Oda and Daisuke Takahashi. The Japanese started talking about the girls in Japanese, saying stuff like look, the girls are quite pretty etc. When they were leaving, they wished the girls good night in Russian – to which Alessya responded by wishing them good night in Japanese. She had lived in Japan for a few years, so of course she understood everything Takahashi and Oda had been saying about them, haha. The Japanese laughed, and were a bit embarrassed. XD
Also, Alessya got a little letter from Johnny – as far as I know, it said something like Hi Alessya, thanks for the support. I hope we'll see each other soon again. (in Russian, of course). I think that was cute of him. :) And that's all!

One more thing:

Press! :D

Program booklet and my tickets.

I went back to Ksenia's parents, packed, showered, ate... and then it was time to leave, so I thanked them sooo much and said goodbye. I went to the Moskovskii train station by metro and I met up with Lena under the memorial of Peter the Great:

Our train was leaving at 10:40pm. It was a much nicer train than the one I traveled with on my way to St. Pete – it was cleaner, it wasn't so hot… We talked for a long time on the train. There was a fairly large group of female Joubert fans in the carriage with us, lol.
We arrived in Moscow at 5:55. Back at the dorms, I took a shower and went to sleep. And that's the end.

Saint Petersburg & Grand Prix Final, Day 2 - Dec 16th 2006 (Saturday) - English

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 21:41:53 GMT

On Saturday morning I got up at 8:15, so that I could be at the ice palace at 10 to watch men practice at 10:20.
Men LP practice
My cell phone had stopped working that morning due to some problems with the net, so I couldn't contact the girls… We were supposed to meet at 10, but I arrived a while after 10 and nobody was there, so in the end I just went in. Lola was inside the arena already, sitting in the press stands. I sat down with her and a journalist – a Russian girl who was reporting for Swedish media, I had already met her at the Cup of Russia.
Johnny came out of the backstage area to wait for the practice to begin. He sat down in a chair near the Kiss&Cry, wearing his costume and the Team USA jacket. A plump, bald guy with glasses – a member of the Team USA, obviously – sat down next to him, flung an arm around Johnny's shoulders and started to talk to him, obviously trying to encourage him, it looked as if he was going to ruffle his hair. The fact that Johnny sat down was already untypical enough, then this guy… He made Johnny laugh a little, but he still looked very tired and downcast.
Then they let the men onto the ice finally. During the warm-up, Johnny did a few singles and one double, nothing more. He was the first one to practice to music. I started to film when he struck his opening pose on the ice… Here's a tiny clip of the beginning of Child of Nazareth that morning – and what you can see in this video is practically all that Johnny practice of his program that day.

Johnny, LP practice

He just skated around while his music was playing. At some point he went to take off his jacket – it was sort of dramatic, the music was playing, all intense, and we watched Johnny skate to the boards, take off his jacket slowly… It was time for the straight line step sequence, so we thought he was going to do that at least, but he didn't. He skated around some more, then put his jacket back on. At one point, while he was standing at the boards with his coaches, Marina Anissina made a face at him, as if she was saying DO SOMETHING, what are you doing? your music is playing, why aren't you practicing?. In response to that, Johnny raised his arms, palms up, Jesus-style (it was the part of the music in which he does something like that, I think)… He skated around some more, then came to them again, they talked, Priscilla started counting something on her fingers – she showed him her index finger (as if saying: First, you do this and this), then added her middle finger (Second, this and this..)… They all laughed a little, then Johnny bowed to them, went off ice, talked to one of the officials who were hanging around, and disappeared.
I still didn't think about the possibility of him withdrawing, not until Lola started panicking, wondering if he withdrew or not. She called Alessya who was much closer to them than we had been, because she had a Service accreditation and service people can walk pretty much anywhere. She told us no, he did not withdraw, so we were relieved for the moment.
The moderator of the Russian Angels' website should have a really good video of the whole practice, because she was filming Johnny non-stop – she had a service accreditation and filmed with a real video-camera.
Lola and I left the arena (though maybe I would have liked to watch the other men practice) and stopped in the corridor to talk to James Pellerito, one of the film-makers who are making a documentary about Johnny Weir. He told us that they had talked to Priscilla earlier and that she told them that Johnny has only slept for like 2 or 3 hours and that he's exhausted. James was like if you don't sleep, you can't jump when I told him that Johnny was on the ice for only 10 minutes and that he barely jumped at all. He thanked us for telling him – they didn't let him and David in for the practice with their camera. He seemed as concerned about Johnny as we were, and I think it's wonderful. Not only are they making a doc about him – they also seem to genuinely like and respect Johnny. I can't wait for the documentary to be ready, I'm sure it will be super-interesting and will give a fairly complex picture of who Johnny is and what he's like. I am very very excited about the doc! Sidenote for the Hanson-fans among you: Wanna bet that David & James can finish, sell, and release the Johnny-mentary before Hanson manage to release theirs? ;)

Oh and – we saw Mao Asada (or was it Yu-Na Kim?) in the corridor as we were leaving, she was practicing her jumps on the floor, with her coach standing by, watching.

In front of the arena, we met the rest of the girls, exchanged a few words with them, then headed to the center to have something to drink/eat. We sat down in a café close to the Nevskij Prospekt – it was Lola, Lena, Gilraen, XXX and me. We sat there for quite a while, talking, and it was fun, five Johnny fans and slashers at one table. Among other things, I found out that Gil had been planning to yell Lyse, I want you, baby! just before Evan's short program – she was very disappointed that he withdrew and she didn't get the chance to do it.
Then Lena and I went to sightsee a little - we went in a rush, because we didn't have enough time, but I still got to see a few things.

Aleksandrovskij park with the building of the Glavnoe Admiralteistvo.

Isaakievskij cathedral, aka one of the most famous buildings in St. Petersburg.

From there, we went to Sadovaya metro station, got some blinis for a late lunch in a nearby café (St. Pete is definitely cheaper than Moscow – I got two pancakes and a drink for a price for which I'd get just one pancake and maybe a drink in Moscow).
We went to Prospekt Bolshevikov by metro, Lena was almost falling asleep. I sat there and was already getting nervous about Men's free skate. I was mentally crossing my fingers, hoping that maybe – since he didn't do well in his short – Johnny might be amazing in the long program, in spite of everything. I was merely worried about him skating poorly. And then it occurred to me – if he goes out and skates in the shape he's in, he might fall down and get injured! :-o :( When we got off the metro, we were still in a rather cheerful mood. I remember telling Lena that Johnny needs to get a medal, that it would be only fair – there are three nations in the Men's event, so it would be fair if each nation was represented on the podium. And with Evan gone, Johnny is the only man who could win a medal for America. "For America! For Evan! For love!"

Johnny Weir withdraws. :(
I decided to go in through the press center to pick up the jump sheets etc. I ran into Lola – she was picking up some materials, too, standing at the stands with all kinds of announcements and information available to the press. I came up to her, saying Look who's here!, smiling. She looked at me, said something like You don't know, do you?, then took a copy of one of the press announcements and handed it to me without warning. This is what it said:

I read the title – oh shit!. Then I read through the rest of the advisory. After that, Lola and I started walking to the arena. I remember that she started speculating that he probably is not really injured, probably just tired… My reaction? No way! I simply did not and still do not believe that he would withdraw from any competition – and especially one in Russia – if he could skate. He can't jump, he can't skate properly, clearly withdrawing was the wisest thing to do. Sure, he could have skated anyway, but he would have ended up with a more serious injury – there's no point in that, is there? It made me a little mad that so many people, even some of his fans, thought that he's just faking the injury. Damn! He's been working so hard to get to the level he's at, and to stay at the level. He goes around saying how he much he desires to be a champion. Do you really think he would pull out of a competition if he didn't have to? I do not. In my opinion, it's sort of rude and disrespectful to accuse him – or anyone, for that matter – of faking an injury. So yeah, I was quite devastated about his withdrawal, but at the same time I think I was a little relieved, because this way, he'd not risk any major injuries – which could have been the case if he had decided to compete. I ran into Lena at the entrance to our sector and while we were both rummaging in our handbags trying to find our tickets, I handed her the media sheet – without comment – and let her read it. It was all sort of sad and rushed.

Ice Dancing – Free Dance
We came late for dance, I missed some of the couples. Domnina/Shabalin were on the ice when we arrived, they were just finishing their program.
I remember seeing Denkova/Staviski, Delobel/Shoenfelder and Dubreuil/Lauzon – I really liked the latter, she wore a gorgeous dress and they were awesome. But I was generally a bit too shaken by the news to pay any real attention to the ice dancers. I kinda feel bad about it, I think I should start paying more attention to ice dance, for there are some really interesting, talented couples in there… Maybe next season. ;)
Denkova/Staviski won, Dubreuil/Lauzon captured silver, Domnina/Shabalin were third, which I think was a disappointment for Russia – their only medal and only bronze!

Men Free Skating
Since both of my favorite people in this competition had withdrawn due to injured right hips, I decided to cheer for the Japanese – I'm not a huge fan of neither Oda, nor Tahahashi, but I still like both of them better than Joubert or Preaubert. Out of the four remaining men, Takahashi was probably my favourite. It was kinda funny because the entire Weir-section was now cheering for the Japanese men – I bet Daisuke and Nobunari must have wondered how come that they gained so much popularity overnight. ;)
Oda skated first, and he did very well. He got 147.71 in the long. Among other things, he landed a clean 3A+3T+2Lo combination, which is worth 13.00 points (Oda got 14 for it).
This equals a quad toe+triple toe combo… and that makes me think about something Reet had said – about Johnny being able to get the points he needs even without the quad, by doing triple-triple-double combos. I'm no expert, of course, but I would think that a triple axel-triple toe-double loop must take more energy than a quad toe-triple toe, especially since a triple axel is closer to a quad than a triple. So… I see no way of getting around the quad. (Though for me, it's not about the quads at all – I'd give Johnny a thousand points just for being so graceful and beautiful on the ice, for waking so many emotions in me through his skating.) But back to the triple axel – it's almost a quad, right? And Johnny's triple axel is usually pretty awesome. That's one more reason why I think that the problem with The Quad really is just a mental thing most of the time for Johnny. After all, we know he can land quads beautifully. I hope he'll be able to get over it and make them perfect enough, so that he can start doing them in competition regularly.

Alban Preaubert skated next – his LP costume is just a little less ridiculous than his SP costume. The music is fun, the program is fun, but sadly, that's all he is for me – fun. Amusing guy, yes, and it's fun to clap along to his music and watch him hop through his program, but that's all – and in my opinion, that's not enough. He's one of the skaters that I can't feel, he's fun to watch, but he doesn't excite or thrill me. He did fairly well, as far as I remember, but he fell on his triple axel (if I remember correctly) and generally got a lower technical score than the other three – he was the only one without a quad or something that would get him the points one can get for a quad. He got a 129.69 for his long.
As a sidenote, Udgin and I were actually discussing Preaubert's coach before and partly even during his performance, because she looks really nice and she was dancing and swaying while he skated, practically skating the program with him. We thought it was really cute!

Daisuke Takahashi did a quad toeloop and delivered a quite good performance, but towards the end of the program, it was obvious that he was exhausted. He looked like he was going to faint the next second. But he pushed through the rest of the program, and I think one of the things that helped him was the audience – the spectators were clapping and encouraging him as he struggled through his straight-line step sequence and the final spins. Daisuke clutched at his stomach when he finished, his face twisted, and we thought that he must have some internal injury – it looked scary. He barely could bow. In the K&C, his coach immediately wrapped a jacket around him… He really looked sick and miserable, but I was sort of proud of him for finishing the program. He earned 144.84 points in the free skate.

Brian Joubert skated last and it was by far not as spectacular as his performance at the Cup of Russia had been. He fell on his second quad and got a 152.71 in the long, which of course was more than enough for him to win. I think I already said it in my Cup of Russia review – I sort of like this program, or at least parts of it, but Joubie just gives me no emotion whatsoever. I would sit there and watch and think – hmm, cool quad, hmm, cool footwork, Brian, but you're kinda boring. Sorry, Joubie fans. *shrugs*
So, Joubert won the gold, Oda got silver, Takahashi the bronze.

The medal ceremony for ice dancers and the men took place afterwards – Domnina/Shabalin got a lot of cheers and cries of you're the best.
Daisuke Takahashi barely made it to the podium to get his medal, he looked incredibly sick, poor guy. We later found out that he had a flu, that he'd had high temperatures even before the competition. When asked why Takahashi competed nevertheless, his coach Nikolai Morozov said: Two competitors already withdrew, we really couldn't withdraw!
By the way, according to a sheet with quotes that I picked up, Joubert mentioned to the media that he saw the beginning of Takahashi's performance and that the quad wasn't perfect and that there were other mistakes. Maybe I wasn't focused enough then. I just think it's interesting to know that some of them actually do watch their competitors skate, because I know that Johnny doesn't.

After the Men's event, the girls decided to take down all the Johnny-banners. The Queen banner was definitely the most popular one, everybody wanted to take pictures with it – to the great amusement of people sitting around us.

Me and Udgin feeling up Johnny. :)

I don't remember who it was, but one of the girls took a hilarious picture with it (or maybe the Pure Art banner?) – it looked as if she was holding Johnny's breast in her hand, haha.
It was fun!

Anja and I.
This was really cool! Remember Anja, the Joubert fan I got to know at the Cup of Russia. I was walking down the stairs to our seats before the Men's free skate, I think, and suddenly somebody called my name. I turned around and saw Anja sitting there, waving at me. She explained that she had come with her friend and her husband to watch the competition – just the free skate. She said that she wanted to go see some more figure skating before the season's end, and that she wanted to see Johnny and Brian skate once more, so she decided to go to St. Petersburg quickly to watch a part of the Finals. Her husband decided to come with her, because he's a little jealous and didn't want her to watch all the handsome men without being around, haha! So they took the night-train from Moscow to St. Pete, spent a day in St. Petersburg, and were going back in the evening. That's crazy! It was really nice to see her, though! :) I told her that Johnny withdrew and she was sad because he was one of the big reasons why she had decided to go through with this trip. We talked a little and we also talked about Johnny and at some points she asked: Lucy, what do you think – is he… gay? Haha! And I'm like well, he hasn't made any official statement about it, because it has nothing to do with his skating, but I mean… he calls himself 'a princess'… personally, I think he's making it pretty obvious without even saying it.

All of the Weir.ru girls decided to leave the arena and go to the hotel to send Johnny flowers and try to send him their gifts, too, just to let him know that they love him and care about him and hope he'll get well soon. I was torn apart because a part of me really wanted go to with them and buy a bouquet and bring it to the hotel and send it to him (though I felt weird about that at the same time… the whole going to the hotel idea) , but a part of me really wanted to stay to watch the Ladies and the Pairs. The problem was that my phone still wasn't working and we hadn't decided when & where we'd meet the next day and it was all so rushed… So I went out of the arena with them, but then decided to stay after all, so I made some quick arrangements with Lena about seeing her at the exhibition, and went back inside just in time. I felt rather lonely in the stands because almost the whole row in our sector was empty, and the row in front of me, too. But later Anja came to sit with me, so it was okay. She told me how sad it is that this is the last competition in figure skating she'll get to see and that the Grand Prix is ending, because she's been practically living on figure skating in the past weeks… I could totally relate to how she feels!

Ladies Free Skating
Surprisingly, I enjoyed the ladies this time much more than I usually do – it was probably because I really loved the young Asian girls (Asada and Kim).
I only remember parts of the competition and I have no materials that would make it easier for me to recall what went on in the Ladies' LP, but…
Julia Sebestyen didn't do well with her Otonal free skate, Miki Ando wasn't that good, either, I think. I liked Fumie Suguri's music, the title is something like Spirits of the Forrest, or Song of the Spirits, I don't know. Sarah Meier did well, but like I said, who I really really loved were Mao Asada (JPN) and Yu-Na Kim (KOR). Mao wore a gorgeous red&gold dress, but she fell twice in her long – I felt so sorry for her.
Yu-Na Kim wore a beautiful baby-blue dress, but I noticed that she had skin-colored tape wrapped around half her back – and I thought wow, she's tough! Later, I read that she's been having back-problems and that she's in a lot of pain, but one couldn't tell from the way she skated. You know, it's stunning just how brave all these kids are and what they're willing to endure.
I think it's remarkable that Japan had three ladies in the competition, four of the female skaters here were from Asia, only two European women. Also, I think it's very exciting to see these young girls like Asada and Kim – they have sooo much talent! And they have triple axels, of course! I don't know about Yu-Na Kim, but Mao Asada certainly has a triple axel and so does Kimmie Meissner, who's almost as young as the other two. Plus there's Elene Gedevanishvili who I like a lot, too, even though she hasn't really won anything important yet. I wonder who of the ladies we'll see in 2010 in Vancouver – if these girls I just mentioned stick around, it could be a lot of fun to watch the Ladies at the next Olympics! I also wonder if any Russian girl will appear until 2010 – I mean, they have Sokolova, but she's not that good and she's not the youngest anymore, and they have Volchkova, who I've seen at CoR, but she's by far not as awesome as Asada or Kim (in my opinion). Well, we'll see!
Also, interestingly enough, when I was a little girl and watched figure skating, I was in love with Maria Butyrskaya, who was a very different type of skater than these girls I enjoy now – she was very mature and ripe, whereas all these young ladies are still developing artistically, full of energy and talent, but not quite as refined maybe as the older ladies (like Irina Slutskaya, Shizuka Arakawa, or even Julia Sebestyen). Now I seem to like this young, dynamic & still learning thing. (But then again, I used to be very fond of Tara Lipinski, and she was like 15 when she won the Olympics, wasn't she? I'm probably rather unstable as far as my taste is concerned, hehe.)

But back to the Ladies at the GPF… Yu-Na Kim won in the end, Mao Asada got the silver, and Sarah Meier was third. I was very happy with this podium, because all three ladies I liked most got medals! :)

Pairs Free Skating
I wish I remembered more about the Pairs competition, sigh.
I don't remember how the Canadians – Valerie Marcoux/Craig Buntin – did. I mean, I know they placed fifth in the end, but I don’t remember their program.
Rena Inoue/John Baldwin had a few mistakes in their program… I must confess that I don't like them very much in general (sorry Americans).
Anja had lent me a Russian flag, so that I could cheer for Petrova/Tikhonov with them, hehe – they had one extra, her husband didn't feel like waving a flag. Sadly, Petrova/Tikhonov didn't skate well at all, there were many things that went wrong. Maria fell in the middle of nothing, practically – it happened twice, even, if I'm not mistaken! The way Alexei helped her get back on her feet was really cute. ♥ After the program, Alexei shrugged apologetically… The audience still loved them, though. When they were in the Kiss&Cry, somebody in the audience screamed It doesn't matter, guys, we love you! They both seemed really thankful for the support they got from the spectators.

The second warm-up group came onto the ice... I noticed that Aliona Savchenko has band-aids on her hips, one of them was peeking out of the panties of her costume, she had some bruises, ouch. It's little things like this – Takahashi almost fainting after his free skate, Yu-Na Kim's taped back, Savchenko's band-aids, I don't remember whose bleeding calf – that make one realize just how many times these skaters have to grit their teeth and ignore the pain and try to do their best even when they're injured or ill… I think that we – non-skaters – have no idea how hard they work and how much pain they often are in. It's amazing that usually you can't even tell that somebody is injured or in pain until the commentators tell you. I watched a lot of Johnny's old performances lately (2001, 2002, 2003) and I think it's quite scary to hear stuff like he had to get two shots of cortizone to be able to skate and he's proved he's got the guts here by coming out 'twice' when injured… but maybe it was unfair to ask and read in his journal from 2001 or 2002 that he injured his ankle and put some ice onto it and then skated the next day etc. I think every skater has many many stories like this. And this is one more reason why I feel tempted to smack my brother whenever he says that figure skating is not a proper sport and that the skaters are not tough enough, that they get injured when they fall down once, whereas the hockey-players get smashed against the boards a dozen times and are alright. So much respect & admiration for all figure skaters!

Back to GPF now…
Dan Zhang seemed to be really unsure of her landings – she had Hao Zhang toss her into a single throw jump several times, just to practice the landing, and she practiced landings herself, simply jumping up on one foot and landing, jumping up and landing, jumping up and landing… The interesting thing about Dan Zhang/Hao Zhang is that she looks very tall – even next to him, but in fact she isn't tall at all (164 cm). Also, Hao Zhang sprays something onto his hands before the performance, probably to prevent his palms from getting sweaty and slippery.

Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy did well and after the program they came over to our side of the rink because somebody had flowers for them… I yelled Sehr schön at them and Robin – clearly surprised to hear German – looked in my direction and nodded appreciatively. I used to not like them because Aliona Savchenko seemed so bitchy, but I changed my mind – I like watching them skate, they have some creative positions in their programs.

The Zhangs didn't do their best, she looked really rather exhausted, but I still liked them. Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhao had a fairly clean performance as far as I remember, and they're very elegant on the ice, I liked them. Apparently, Shen bent one of Zhao's fingers in one lift, so his hand was hurting afterwards, ouch. They won the final, though, Savchenko/Szolkowy were second, Zhang/Zhang third.

I watched the medal ceremony from the press stands afterwards – Dan Zhang didn't even come to get the medal, she was not feeling well and later I read that they even had to take her to a hospital, so Hao Zhang came to accept medals for both of them.

After the pairs, I went back to Ksenia's parents, had dinner with them, we talked a little… Me and Ksenia's mom watched Russian Stars on Ice for a while – I remember seeing Alexei Yagudin and the chick he skated with, they did a program that reminded me of Alexei's Passion Ex-number.
Then I just went to sleep, intent on sleeping in a little the next day. :)

Koltsevaya!

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 14:10:04 GMT

Než odjedu z Moskvy, rozhodla jsem se provést jednu věc, kterou jsem chtěla provést už dlouho. Vydala jsem se tedy na metro – a objela všechny stanice kruhové linie, na každé z nich vystoupila a vyfotila ji, pak zase nastoupila do metra a jela dál… Proti směru hodinových ručiček od stanice Paveleckaja… do stanice Paveleckaja. :)

Before I leave Moscow I decided to do one thing I've been wanting to do for quite a while already. So I headed to the metro – and went to all the stations on the round line, got off on every single station, took pictures, then got onto the next train and went to the next one… Counter-clockwise, from Paveletskaya station… to Paveletskaya station. :)

PAVELETSKAYA

Nad eskalátorem na Pavelecké./Above the escalators at Paveletskaya.

TAGANSKAYA

KURSKAYA

KOMSOMOLSKAYA

PROSPEKT MIRA

NOVOSLOBODSKAYA
Tady jsem nikdy předtím nebyla a tohle byla jediná stanice, na které jsem nechala projet ještě jeden vlak – či dokonce dva?! – protože ty skleněné mozaiky prostě stojí za to. Je jich celkem 30, každá je jiná.

I had never been here before and this was the only station at which I didn't jump directly on the next train, but missed one – or even two?! – because the glass mosaics were totally worth it. There are 30 of them, none is quite like the other.

BELORUSSKAYA

KRASNOPRESNENSKAYA
Tady jsem také byla poprvé. / This was my first time in this station, too.

KIEVSKAYA

PARK KULTURY

OKTYABRSKAYA

DOBRININSKAYA

A jsme zpátky na Pavelecké... / And we're back at Paveletskaya...

Po takové dlouhé cestě trocha odpočinku v postýlce. / After such a long journey a bit of relaxtion in bed.

Celkem mi to turné trvalo zhruba hodinu a pár minutek. / The whole tour took approx. an hour and a few minutes.

PS: O mém výletu do Petrohradu a o finále Grand Prix v krasobruslení se dočtete později - v sobotu odlétám a ještě musím stihnout tolik věcí... Ale během svátků snad všechno sepíšu a pak doplním. :)

You'll get to read about my trip to St. Petersburg and about the Grand Prix Final in Figure Skating later - I'm leaving on Saturday and there are still so many things left to do... But I'll write everything down during the holidays and then complete this journal with all the reports. (They might be backdated, though, so they won't show up on your friends page.)