The noise of early morning is a low hum. It’s going to be warm and I might finally get the clothes right…
First of all dark clothes are the norm here…. but then again it is the same in any big city.
The first day I was cold all day, yesterday I was hot all day…. so now I’ve given in and wearing my comfy summer clothes that beam a beacon and say “Tourist”
What the heck.
It's hard to put into words the experiences we've had in the past few days.
Of course it's always better to travel with a local person and view the city through their eyes.
We visited the Kremlin yesterday.. and yes, we did see the President as he sped past in his big black limo….
The churches, are covered from ceiling to floor with the most wonderful paintings of icons and I hope to investigate them further to understand the meaning and techniques.
Never having been exposed to them before I find the subject fascinating.
Icon painting appeared not as art for art's sake, but for the Church. Thus, its content was determined directly by the needs and the purposes of the Church. These purposes were not material but spiritual. The content of icon painting was interwoven with the life, the evolution, and the whole tradition of the Church, so much so that a knowledge of this tradition will be incomplete without a knowledge and understanding of icon painting.
We arrived home far too late for me to write last night….
We attended a Military Event in Red Square…… We watched the Ballet, A choir singing Ode to Joy and then they sang Beatles songs…. for 2 and a half hours we sat enthralled…. It doesn't get any better than that….
