Visiting Arhangelskoye

Arhangelskoye is the Russian version of France's Versailles. It's a beautiful palace, located just a few kilometers outside of Moscow on a wooded territory.

 Beautiful wild flowers speckle the lawn in bright white and lavender shades. 

       

There are sculptures everywhere!!!!

Some sculptures are better than others...just look at that doggie! 

I want a sculpture of my dog to be placed in my palace!

But one of the most interesting parts that my mom and I stumbled upon was a forgotten soccer field overgrown by dandelions! Although the picture doesn't do it justice, there was an immense amount of flowers patching the entire field - it was an incredible sight!

I love that right outside of a major city like Moscow, there is a natural oasis such as Arhangelskoye. The architecture is beautiful, the territory is peaceful, and the air is clean and fresh. As a little getaway from the rushed city life, Arhangelskoye is a fantastic destination for a more relaxing change of pace. :)

Spring Blooms in Russia

(WARNING: POST ABOUT FLOWERS)

Finally, after the longest winter in the history of winters passes in Russia, spring arrived and was certainly worth the wait, as it gifted the world a multitude of gorgeous blossoms.

As my mom and I strolled though out Moscow and the neighboring town of Krasnogorsk, the sights had to be documented. 

(P.S. Does my mom look like the sculpture lady? I think so!)

"Cheremuha" or European Bird Cherry is the most fragrant of the flowering shrubs, and its scent is the definition of a true spring in Moscow. 

"Anutini Glazki" (literal translation: Anuta's Little Eyes) or Pansies are often used to add bursts of color and line the banks of the Moscow River.

"Podsnezhnik" or Snow Drops - not the ordinary white coloring, but still in the family

If there was a way to enlarge this picture any more, I would because this is my favorite flower that blooms in Russia - "Siren'" or Syringa (from the Lilac family). Not only is the gentle purple color breath-taking, the fragrance is unbeatably delightful, and the multitude of little flowers that make up each 'bunch' are absolutely riveting.

Classic Cherry Blossoms that are prevalent in California are also found in Russia. 

But unlike most of California, Russia is very humid and therefore lush, allowing for the growth of little woodland plants and flowers such as these ones.

This lush forest is adjacent to my Grandmother Lilya's house in Krasnogorsk. That vibrant green color is the true hue of the leaves - it's incredible how much of a difference a humid climate makes to the coloring of the vegetation. 

And these cute little woodland flowers and clovers grow in that forest, which has a path right to my grandmother's house. It's a very peaceful and pleasant walk through the forest, especially since you are immersed in such beauty.

Dacha aka Our Home in the Countryside

Just when you thought my adventures were done, I'm back after a little break and am going to finish up writing about my time in Russia. Still some fun and exciting happenings to write about, and then I'll begin occasionally writing about my life back home in America. 

So, welcome back!

This post is about a trip that took place on May 2nd - around the time of the Russian May holidays, which are dedicated to relaxing, time off, celebrating the beginning of summer, and enjoying the warm weather. 

My mom, grandma, and I took the train to visit our countryside home, just an hour outside of Moscow. 

Turns out that May Day is the single most popular day for people to go to their dachas, because the train was jam-packed and we had to stand for most of the journey. But it was worth it!

Russian dachas are situated in the more rural part of the country, surrounded by fields and forests. 

The train stop for our dacha is called Portnovskaya, and it overlooks a small lake that we used to swim in as kids when we would visit during the summer. 

 This is it! Our Dacha - a cottage of sorts that my grandfather built by hand a near fifty years ago. Though old and squeaky in places, it is wonderfully preserved and holds many childhood memories of past summer visits.

That top open window is the room where my sister and I would sleep!

And we have a small garden and orchard that needs to be taken care of from time to time. So here my mom is hard at work, picking away all the old, rotten apples that fell last year and now have begun decomposing into apple vinegar - a stench that was inescapable in any corner of the dacha. 

Luckily, in May the mosquitoes are not out yet like they are in the summer. (Lots of "great" memories with those nuisances...)










And then, after working hard, we took some time to relax on the hammock!

My grandma enjoyed the hammock very much, too.

 The water hadn't been turned on yet (turn-on day was May 3rd...the following day), so my mom and I went to the well and brought back a bucket of water. 

Look how cute that well is! For those folk who have never used a well before, it works like this:
You open the side door and inside you'll find a bucket hanging on a chain. Crank the handle to lower the bucket into the well until it fills with water and crank back up. Pour that water into your own bucket, and you're good to go - fresh water for you and your family!

And of course, how could I not take pictures of the multitude of flowers growing on our property?

This is the panoramic view of our dacha from the hammock. Notice the campfire on the right, which I took care of myself and even chopped some wood for with a real hatchet! There's an embarrassing video of my (eventually successful) attempts, but I won't include that here...

And finally it was time to leave, since we decided not to stay the night because the house hadn't been cleaned or prepared after the entire winter of idleness.

We walked out of our side gate, which exits into the neighboring forest, and made our way through the field, across the road, past the lake, and to the platform, all accompanied by this breath-taking farewell sunset. 

And the most mystical view of all was the wall of fog/clouds/mist that hung over the tracks and through which the train looked like it had to break through to get to the platform. I had never seen such direct and obvious contact with mist before - it was incredible.

A great May Day trip to the Dacha, and I'm glad that finally after all those years of visiting, it was documented. 





Stay tuned for more posts about Russia, including some discussion-based "looking back" posts. Hope you enjoy!