minats_zone

Hey there, It was my B-Day yesterday. Really, it was not an easy day for me at all. God knows how I survived and managed to get over it. We drove there in Stanislaw's car with Georgy as a chauffeur. It took us 2,5 hours through the traffic jams! Awful! And not only this, psychologically it was really hard for me, though I invited only close friends, Marina and Kostya. Well, now it's already over... Have a look at some shots I made there. There was Russian striptease show in the background. Girls were very prefessional...I published an album on Facebook,too.

Hey, there, I've just got back from Nizhny Novgorod, which is on the Volga and Oka rivers. I went there for a day (a flying visit) as I took part in the HSE conference there. I've been in NN several times before, but this time I was in mid February so it was pretty cold and snowy there. The city is beautifully located and has a splendid embankment along the Volga. It was early in the morning (7.30 am)when I took a walk there and it was almost empty. There was one jogger there and me. Another very pleasant surprise was the trains: they have become really modern and comfortable with flashy bio-toilets and smiling conductors. Sth really good to perlace our previous rough trains!!! Love and smiles from me to all of you...

Hey there, Bitterly cold weather at the beginning of February gave the way to windy and harsh days on the Eve of Easter fasting (Easter - April 4th this year). But now we're enjoying the so called 'Maslennitsa' or a 'Pancake Week', which ends up tomorrow. We've been eating pancakes the whole week with various fillings. Today I've made some shots of'Russian Sledges' with kids and also Stanislaw's cooking some fancy cake stuffed with ground meat and potatoes puree.All this is covered with the thick coat of cheese. God knows how he manages all those recipes??? Real Talent!!!

Hi everyone, I decided to post this update right now after walking around our dacha and thinking hard over John's set of pictures in a slideshow that I got yesterday. Those slides show mostly dark sides of our Russian life; people drinking, kids taking this example, messy situations etc. It was a kind of promotion of a very negative image of Russia. Surely, some aspects of life here can be really rough, ecpesially for those who are seeking only them. But generally, I wouldn't agree with the message of those slides as in any country one can find sth reflecting only dark sides. So today, on this bright and sunny day (-20C) I've made some funny shots which show other features of 'Russian Character'- extremely odd for foreigners behaviour (those people are not drunk) and love for sth else except drinking. Anyway, Jon, thanks a lot for the slides and keep sending sth like that. It gives food for thoughts. Have a look...