another good long day
today we had a morning interview
with memorial, a russian human rights umbrella organization. in the afternoon we
wandered over to the kremlin and g.u.m.
Sam woke me up at 5:55 a.m.. I
confess I'm getting so tired again that my temper tends to get short. For his
part, he's a wonderful three year-old but he's got a real case of cabin fever,
which makes it hard to keep him happy for long no matter what we
do.
So I just yelled a lot and we played games and watched videos until 8:00 a.m. when Monica and Ingrid woke up. After that we did a great job of getting breakfast made (I had granola which we'd bought yesterday and it was great) and getting ready to go to our morning interview. Our interview this morning was with Memorial, a Russian human rights organization. The interview was scheduled for 10:30 a.m., and our plan was to take Mom and the kids with us to a nearby park and let the kids run around on some green grass (de-pressurize). Moscow doesn't seem to have many places where kids can go to play (we hadn't realized how spoiled we got in Cambridge this way). Sam can run in Red Square because there aren't any cars allowed, but what he'd really love (Ingrid too) is swings and slides and a jungle gym to climb on and terrify us with.
So we headed out about 9:30, and had a pleasant walk up Petrovka street to the park, Hermitage Park, which turned out to be rather poorly appointed for kids. It had grass (being worked over by a swarm of city gardeners) and an old cast-iron fence with walkways and benches. Still, Sam sprang from the stroller and ran ran ran around the park, playing hide and seek with me before we finally had to leave for our appointment.
Very scary because Mom doesn't speak a word of Russian and doesn't move as fast as Sam. Still, Sam listens to her and there was only one exit from the park that we knew of. Monica and I said our goodbyes and Sam promised to be good. We walked a short distance (death defying run across the street) and watched Mom with them for awhile. Then when we were convinced they'd be OK we headed over to Memorial.
The building was old but charming, and the entranceway was filled with photos and exhibits of the organization's work on behalf of human beings everywhere. Our host met us in an office crowded with old tea and coffee making paraphernalia, books, Memorial publications, and computers, faxes, and printers. He was a tall, thin man; about 32 years old with a thin beard and reedy voice. He spoke excellent English.
And what did we learn? Well, Monica again asked what he thought about the likelihood of the Chechen war ending. His first point was that the war won't end because Moscow doesn't admit there's a war (as far as they're concerned they already won the second war). Also, on the Chechen side, there is too much bitterness and thought of revenge to take a peace proposal seriously, assuming even there was one umbrella Chechen organization capable of acting on or enforcing such a proposal (which there isn't any longer). I asked whether economic gain (looting) was any longer an incentive for soldiers on both sides, because we've heard a lot about how Federal forces had become masters at looting Chechens and how Chechen fighters had been attracted to the war by the prospect of economic gain as much as political independence. But our host thought the incentives were different on each side. On the Chechen side looting is for survival, and the main motivation of the fighters is revenge for raped and murdered family and friends. On the Russian side, most everything of value has already been carted off, and the government seems to be doing a better job of supplying troops stationed there (so looting for survival is not an issue for the Federales). Our host was also the second to note the demoralizing impact on Russian armed forces of Moscow's decision to award the Hero of Russia (formerly the Hero of the Soviet Union, equivalent to our own Medal of Honor except that one can get one in Russia for political reasons) medal to Kadyrov's son. He added that it also stands as an odious indicator of Moscow's true opinion of the war in Chechnya, because Kadyrov junior is a notorious violator of human rights and a greedy bastard to boot. If Moscow was serious about rebuilding a functioning state in Chechnya it could never have chosen this man as its front man there.
There were a number of other interesting points exchanged as well, but the bottom line is there will be no end to the Chechen war soon. On the other hand, we may expect "something spectacular" in the negative sense in the not-so-distant future. The Chechens have nothing to lose and they have young men with no prospects for jobs or marriage who have been brutalized in the extreme. We left with some great books (gifts of our host), including a report of a recent survey of Caucasian internet reading preferences. Very interesting.
Monica and I raced back to the park after only 40 minutes. Where were the kids and Mom? After a few moments I spied Mom pushing them both in the stroller.
Turns out they'd run and run and just before we arrived Mom had put them in the stroller for a tour of the rest of the park. So where to eat lunch? We decided to take a recommendation from Simon and Nabi and try the Tibetan place near our apartment, so we walked back down Petrovka street and past the Marriott Aurora, where Mom ran in for a pit stop and I snapped a few more photos:
We arrived at the restaurant with two sleeping kids and as usual the decision was, should we wake them up and feed them (they need to eat) or let them sleep (they need sleep too). We decided to let them sleep while we got started and then wake them up toward the end of the meal to feed them. After a harrowing trip down some steep stairs into the windowless restaurant, the plan worked perfectly. The food was delightful too. We had crispy spring rolls, fluffy white rice, round bread that seemed a cross between a tortilla and pita bread. We finished with strong green tea. The kids woke up just toward the end (Ingrid first), and ate like hungry horses.
After that we stopped by the house to clean up and plan our afternoon. Mom and Monica read while I played with the kids, and Mom eventually drifted off on the couch (Monica started too, but the kids woke her up). Soon we were recharged enough to head out, and our plan was simply to drift over to the Square and possibly see the Kremlin.
We started at Alexander Gardens, where we watched several Russian brides lay flowers on the tomb of the unknown soldier before Sam was (as usual) irresistibly drawn to the four-horses fountain. Ingrid loved it too, as did the bridal party (one of the brides wore a light blue hoop dress kind of thing and neither Monica nor Mom approved of it as a wedding dress).
From there we bought the kids some ice cream and then strolled over to the ticket office for the Kremlin. It was about four o'clock and since the Kremlin closes at 5:00 p.m. we decided to skip a tour for today. Instead we decided to walk to Red Square and then GUM (Mom hadn't seen the Square without high security and we were hoping to find some older Soviet-style shops still inhabiting some corner of GUM). Preparations for the Independence Day celebrations were well under way (Sam and I watched as hundreds of white balloons were filled then corralled in preparation for some big theatrical moment to come).
The Lenin mausoleum was again available for photographs so I took Sam and Mom over for a few photos before wandering about the Square itself, reflecting on all the Soviet celebrations hosted there (think how long those stones have been there).
Next we walked across the rest of the Square (toward St. Basil's) to the far side entrance to GUM. Inside we decided to explore all three long galleries (each of which has three levels connected by bridges and stairwells). But we were disappointed to find no old Soviet-style stores remaining in GUM. On the other hand, the WWII exhibition was still there, and that plus the interior architecture made it worth a visit.
By now we were all getting tired again so we decided to walk home. Monica gamely tried to get Mom or me to make dinner (since she's cooked every meal since we arrived at the apartment and deserves a break) but I begged off, claiming to be too full to care about dinner. I'll make something tomorrow night to make up for my laziness tonight, but Monica eventually put together [yet another] excellent meal of pasta with onions, garlic, and imported parmesan and broccoli (broccoli is about eight bucks a pound here; which reminds me of a quip from one of our earlier State Department contacts "In Russia, if you have enough money, you can buy broccoli or a nuclear weapon"). Sam watched Sponge Bob Square Pants on Nickelodeon in Russian. Dinner was great, and Mom did dishes while I bathed the kids and made their chocolate milks for bed.
They went to bed at 8:00 sharp with very little fuss (I think all the fresh air and running around had its usual great effects). Monica and I watched a few minutes of a Betty Davis movie called "A Catered Affair" (very good) before Monica went to bed and I got to work on the blog photos and (now) blog. I shot some good video today too, but I'm too tired now and it's too late in the evening for me to fuss with processing a clip to put in tonight's blog. Maybe tomorrow night.
I'm pooped and going to bed now. Maybe Monica will get up with the kids tomorrow morning? We have no interviews scheduled for tomorrow or Sunday, so our plan tomorrow is to get up relatively early and get to the Kremlin by 10:00 a.m. when it opens.
So I just yelled a lot and we played games and watched videos until 8:00 a.m. when Monica and Ingrid woke up. After that we did a great job of getting breakfast made (I had granola which we'd bought yesterday and it was great) and getting ready to go to our morning interview. Our interview this morning was with Memorial, a Russian human rights organization. The interview was scheduled for 10:30 a.m., and our plan was to take Mom and the kids with us to a nearby park and let the kids run around on some green grass (de-pressurize). Moscow doesn't seem to have many places where kids can go to play (we hadn't realized how spoiled we got in Cambridge this way). Sam can run in Red Square because there aren't any cars allowed, but what he'd really love (Ingrid too) is swings and slides and a jungle gym to climb on and terrify us with.
So we headed out about 9:30, and had a pleasant walk up Petrovka street to the park, Hermitage Park, which turned out to be rather poorly appointed for kids. It had grass (being worked over by a swarm of city gardeners) and an old cast-iron fence with walkways and benches. Still, Sam sprang from the stroller and ran ran ran around the park, playing hide and seek with me before we finally had to leave for our appointment.
Very scary because Mom doesn't speak a word of Russian and doesn't move as fast as Sam. Still, Sam listens to her and there was only one exit from the park that we knew of. Monica and I said our goodbyes and Sam promised to be good. We walked a short distance (death defying run across the street) and watched Mom with them for awhile. Then when we were convinced they'd be OK we headed over to Memorial.
The building was old but charming, and the entranceway was filled with photos and exhibits of the organization's work on behalf of human beings everywhere. Our host met us in an office crowded with old tea and coffee making paraphernalia, books, Memorial publications, and computers, faxes, and printers. He was a tall, thin man; about 32 years old with a thin beard and reedy voice. He spoke excellent English.
And what did we learn? Well, Monica again asked what he thought about the likelihood of the Chechen war ending. His first point was that the war won't end because Moscow doesn't admit there's a war (as far as they're concerned they already won the second war). Also, on the Chechen side, there is too much bitterness and thought of revenge to take a peace proposal seriously, assuming even there was one umbrella Chechen organization capable of acting on or enforcing such a proposal (which there isn't any longer). I asked whether economic gain (looting) was any longer an incentive for soldiers on both sides, because we've heard a lot about how Federal forces had become masters at looting Chechens and how Chechen fighters had been attracted to the war by the prospect of economic gain as much as political independence. But our host thought the incentives were different on each side. On the Chechen side looting is for survival, and the main motivation of the fighters is revenge for raped and murdered family and friends. On the Russian side, most everything of value has already been carted off, and the government seems to be doing a better job of supplying troops stationed there (so looting for survival is not an issue for the Federales). Our host was also the second to note the demoralizing impact on Russian armed forces of Moscow's decision to award the Hero of Russia (formerly the Hero of the Soviet Union, equivalent to our own Medal of Honor except that one can get one in Russia for political reasons) medal to Kadyrov's son. He added that it also stands as an odious indicator of Moscow's true opinion of the war in Chechnya, because Kadyrov junior is a notorious violator of human rights and a greedy bastard to boot. If Moscow was serious about rebuilding a functioning state in Chechnya it could never have chosen this man as its front man there.
There were a number of other interesting points exchanged as well, but the bottom line is there will be no end to the Chechen war soon. On the other hand, we may expect "something spectacular" in the negative sense in the not-so-distant future. The Chechens have nothing to lose and they have young men with no prospects for jobs or marriage who have been brutalized in the extreme. We left with some great books (gifts of our host), including a report of a recent survey of Caucasian internet reading preferences. Very interesting.
Monica and I raced back to the park after only 40 minutes. Where were the kids and Mom? After a few moments I spied Mom pushing them both in the stroller.
Turns out they'd run and run and just before we arrived Mom had put them in the stroller for a tour of the rest of the park. So where to eat lunch? We decided to take a recommendation from Simon and Nabi and try the Tibetan place near our apartment, so we walked back down Petrovka street and past the Marriott Aurora, where Mom ran in for a pit stop and I snapped a few more photos:
We arrived at the restaurant with two sleeping kids and as usual the decision was, should we wake them up and feed them (they need to eat) or let them sleep (they need sleep too). We decided to let them sleep while we got started and then wake them up toward the end of the meal to feed them. After a harrowing trip down some steep stairs into the windowless restaurant, the plan worked perfectly. The food was delightful too. We had crispy spring rolls, fluffy white rice, round bread that seemed a cross between a tortilla and pita bread. We finished with strong green tea. The kids woke up just toward the end (Ingrid first), and ate like hungry horses.
After that we stopped by the house to clean up and plan our afternoon. Mom and Monica read while I played with the kids, and Mom eventually drifted off on the couch (Monica started too, but the kids woke her up). Soon we were recharged enough to head out, and our plan was simply to drift over to the Square and possibly see the Kremlin.
We started at Alexander Gardens, where we watched several Russian brides lay flowers on the tomb of the unknown soldier before Sam was (as usual) irresistibly drawn to the four-horses fountain. Ingrid loved it too, as did the bridal party (one of the brides wore a light blue hoop dress kind of thing and neither Monica nor Mom approved of it as a wedding dress).
From there we bought the kids some ice cream and then strolled over to the ticket office for the Kremlin. It was about four o'clock and since the Kremlin closes at 5:00 p.m. we decided to skip a tour for today. Instead we decided to walk to Red Square and then GUM (Mom hadn't seen the Square without high security and we were hoping to find some older Soviet-style shops still inhabiting some corner of GUM). Preparations for the Independence Day celebrations were well under way (Sam and I watched as hundreds of white balloons were filled then corralled in preparation for some big theatrical moment to come).
The Lenin mausoleum was again available for photographs so I took Sam and Mom over for a few photos before wandering about the Square itself, reflecting on all the Soviet celebrations hosted there (think how long those stones have been there).
Next we walked across the rest of the Square (toward St. Basil's) to the far side entrance to GUM. Inside we decided to explore all three long galleries (each of which has three levels connected by bridges and stairwells). But we were disappointed to find no old Soviet-style stores remaining in GUM. On the other hand, the WWII exhibition was still there, and that plus the interior architecture made it worth a visit.
By now we were all getting tired again so we decided to walk home. Monica gamely tried to get Mom or me to make dinner (since she's cooked every meal since we arrived at the apartment and deserves a break) but I begged off, claiming to be too full to care about dinner. I'll make something tomorrow night to make up for my laziness tonight, but Monica eventually put together [yet another] excellent meal of pasta with onions, garlic, and imported parmesan and broccoli (broccoli is about eight bucks a pound here; which reminds me of a quip from one of our earlier State Department contacts "In Russia, if you have enough money, you can buy broccoli or a nuclear weapon"). Sam watched Sponge Bob Square Pants on Nickelodeon in Russian. Dinner was great, and Mom did dishes while I bathed the kids and made their chocolate milks for bed.
They went to bed at 8:00 sharp with very little fuss (I think all the fresh air and running around had its usual great effects). Monica and I watched a few minutes of a Betty Davis movie called "A Catered Affair" (very good) before Monica went to bed and I got to work on the blog photos and (now) blog. I shot some good video today too, but I'm too tired now and it's too late in the evening for me to fuss with processing a clip to put in tonight's blog. Maybe tomorrow night.
I'm pooped and going to bed now. Maybe Monica will get up with the kids tomorrow morning? We have no interviews scheduled for tomorrow or Sunday, so our plan tomorrow is to get up relatively early and get to the Kremlin by 10:00 a.m. when it opens.
Posted: Fri - June 10, 2005 at 09:59 PM
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Published On: Jun 10, 2005 11:05 PM
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Published On: Jun 10, 2005 11:05 PM