30Nov.
Chicken,rice, tomatoe, smoked salmon – my breakfast. Delicious! There’sno way I would normally eat that much at 8am, or indeed anything forthat matter. But I feel a lot more healthy for is. I’m actuallytrying to delay going out as long as I can for fear of the cold.Colder than yesterday apparently. I really hope it isn’t like thisall the time in Moscow – barely three weeks ago it was almost +15oCapparently. Strange to think that tomorrow I will be in Moscowalready.
Can’tsee how a warmer coat would really help more in this weather as it’sreally my face that’s taking a battering here. Had a real highearlier though when I succeeded in getting my watch fixed at thislittle place near the entrance to the ‘Torgovy Centre’. All itneeded was a replacement battery in the end – took about 5 mins ofthis very friendly skin-head attacking my Seiko with a pair of pliersand a hammer and all is well again (if a little scratched). I agreedto meet a mage of Ivan’s later on tonight called Tanya who works asa English teacher here.
TheCrystal Museum was closed unfortunately so opted to go visit theVladimir history museum where I saw a very famous, very old AndreiRublev icon called the ‘Holy Virgin of Vladimir’ - ВладимирÑ�каÑ� икона Божией Матери. Actually thebest bit of the museum was the children’s not least because it waseasier for me to understand the captions. Got some great chat fromeach of the lovely old dears who worked as the assistants on eachexhibition. One was a pre-historic display with lots of mammoth tusksand old bones. The attendant mate me sit down on a rock and try tomake a fire by rubbing two sticks together – I didn’t succeed butnor did I mind at all acting like an idiot since there was nobodyelse in the museum. In another exhibition I was take through a lessonin old Slavonic Script – occasionally being asked questions alongthe way. I found it really interesting even though I probablyunderstood less than 10%. I think I’ll stick with modern Russianfor now before moving on to Old Slavonic.Wellwhat an interesting evening (I seem to be using that adjective a bittoo much I find – both in English and in Russian. Oh well, it wasinteresting). I went to meet Tatyana – a friend of Ivan’s who waskeen to meet me. Based on our brief phone conversation I wasexpecting someone about 30 years young but no worries. She certainlyhad a lot more to say than the last Russian I met who wanted topractice English (back in Nizhny Novgorod). She invited me to herflat where we shared an ice-cold bottle of red wine in her kitchen.She lived alone in a 3 bedroom flat she had previously share with herfather and sister. She was a very open person and her stories werequite poignant in many places. We spoke about many things. Some ofher views were a bit wacky. Such as the one about how Russian isHelium and Arabic is Hydrogen and all the other languages arechemical elements too which derive from these two sources… orsomething. There were many other pseudo intellectual andphilosophical exchanges between us – most of which went over myhead. She was very friendly and offered for me to stay with her nexttime I was passing through Vladimir. She said that Russians like torevel in a gloomy inferiority complex which has existed since the ageof Peter the Great. Thought for the day from Tanya: Americans arepeaches – soft on the outside hard on the inside. Russians arecoconuts – hard on the outside soft on the inside. Ok.
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