Russia's Magnificent Palaces in Photos!

Check out these spectacular palaces of Russia! It will leave you just awe-struck!

• Catherine's Palace in Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo) and Mariinsky Theatre

• Peterhof Palace
  

• Yusupovsky Palace and Russian Museum
  

Photos from Russia: Piter

Here are the photos from St. Petersburg. Enjoy!

St. Petersburg :

1. St. Petersburg: Here we go...
   
2. St. Petersburg at Night: Just beautiful!
   

More....coming soon!

PS: Facebook messed up the quality of my hi-res photos. Check out a few of these photos on Flickr.

Russia: High-Resolution Photos on Flickr!

I had uploaded a very few hi-res photos to my Flickr. Check them out on the Flickr banner or click here for :

• Moscow
  


• St. Petersburg

PS: Don't forget, there are PLENTY of photos on my Facebook. Check out the links above and below this post!

Photos from Russia: Moscow

Here are just a few photos from my trip to Russia. I took a total of 2800 photos. So, as you can imagine, it is a heck of a task to choose "the best of Russia". I uploaded a few photos to my Facebook albums. Click on the links and check out the photos...


Moscow:

1. Moscow ~ Москва
2. More of Moskva
   
3. Moscow Metro Deserves an Album!
   

More Photos Coming!!

PS: Facebook messed up the quality of my hi-res photos. Check out a few of these photos on Flickr.

My experiences in Яussiа

I have returned back from Russia last Monday. Put simply, this trip was the best holiday I have had so far in my life. I first flew to St. Petersburg and then traveled to Moscow for a few days. Russia is beautiful, especially in Winter. I loved many aspects of Russia. It was the Russia that I like, the Russia that I read about, the Russia whose culture is a matter of interest to me. It is the Russia I've imagined, the Russia I've expected. I have experience all the "Russian experiences" I wanted to experience - like drinking chai with blini, vodka with friends, wearing those crazy shoe-covers in the museum, ice-skating, riding a Marshrukta (a small taxi van), going to theater, coat-checks at literally every single place, babushkas, ..... and I can go on with examples like this! I left a couple of quintessential Russian experiences like Banya for my next trip. I did way too much in my two-week trip, but we simply were running out of time for doing more things : )

I first stated my Russian tour in St. Petersburg, perhaps one of the best cities in the world. I explored the marvels at the State Hermitage museum, walked all around the St. Petersburg on those beautiful bridges, enjoyed the small cafes and museums, explored the history of the city. I am not sure how to put this in words, but I was quite impressed by the city. St. Petersburg looks wonderful at night. The Neva river was frozen solid and it gave the city even a more beautiful look! I was awe-struck each time I visited the palaces of the Russian Czars, like the ones in Pushkin (Tsarkoe Selo), or the Yusopovsky Palace (Yusupovsky Dvorets), or the palace at Peterhof (Petrodvorets). Perhaps these Czars and emperors lived the grandest life possible! I definitely can't describe how grand these are in words, but I have many photos that will give you an idea of it! And what can I say about the ornate and architecturally-marvelous Russian Orthodox Churches!

I headed off to Moscow for three days. Watching Red Square at night was one of the highlights of my trip! I saw almost ALL sights in Moscow - Kremlin, Red Sqaure, Moscow Metro, Bolshoi, Moscow State University, Novodevichy monastery, Arbat, Kitai-gorod ... just to name a few! My next trip will include the towns around Moscow that form the "Golden Ring".


It was an unbelievable experience to see the sights and places that I was wanting to see for a long time. And of course, it was wonderful to see my old friends and some make new friends. Everything went exactly as I planned, and I would say thing turned out even better. I took many photos, I mean PLENTY. After my trip, the last count of photos came to around 2800 photos.

As you can imagine, I was kind of sad to leave Russia. But I know for a fact that Russia is a place I can not live in. Unfortunately. In short-term, I would have loved to stay there for at least 6 months or a year, but I am concerned about a few things. First, the skin-head violence targeting people with dark skin color. (Yup, a small minority of idiots are messing up the reputation of such a great country!). Another thing that I'm concerned with is the constant "harassment" of cops by stopping people with dark skin color and asking for documents. I know they are not racist and they do it for bribes. But there is a limit - I can't put up with it. Just in case you were wondering, the cops DID stop us and asked me *specifically* for documents. Yup!

Overall, I would say I fell in love with Russia. It is just a great, great, great country. I was plainly thrilled to see my friends who took care of me in just an unbelievable way! I would definitely visit back as soon as I can.

До скорого, Россия!

In Russia!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yo yo yo!! I'm in Russia for just over a week now and I still can't believe it! Needless to say, I'm having just an AWEEEEESOME time here. Gosh! what a beautiful country this is! I was in love with her (Russia) even before coming here, and by coming here I just reaffirmed my love with Russia! : )

Get ready for LOTS of stories, day-by-day accounts, and thousands of photos! I am too busy to write detailed blogs or to upload photos. I will do that as soon as I return to the states.

Cheers!

Ready for Russia!

Here it comes! My trip to Russia!! I'm leaving for Russia tomorrow (Monday, 12th November) for about two weeks.

I have been planning to visit this country for about a year and half. Russia is one country that has fascinated me ever since I was a child. I was and am a big fan of the Soviet/Russian space technology! We Indians almost always have a universally good feelings toward Russia, and I'm no exception. My fascination with Russia came full circle when I moved to America for my graduate school. Ever since my initial friendship began with Russians early during my graduate school, I have been fascinated by the history, culture, and language of Russia. I do not know exactly why, but I continued to bond particularly well with the Russians. Some of the best friends I made are Russians. Even today, majority of my friends are Russians, and I am now participating in more Russian cultural events than any other cultural events. Many people are telling me how "almost Russian" I am! May be, I was a Russian in my previous life (if there were to be a previous life!). HAHAHA!

Tough as it is, I'm persevering to continue my pursuit of learning the Russian language. I am very happy to say that I'm semi-proficient in Russian, and by the compliment-showers that I get from native speakers, I think I have a "neutral" accent and not such-a-bad vocabulary! I'm very happy with my effort of the 3-semester Russian language study, and I will continue to pursue it as long as I can.

Another thing that I grew close to in the past few years is the Russian culture, the Russian way-of-life, thought, etc. Learning a language not just entails learning to conjugate verbs, or memorizing vocabulary, but also involves deeply understanding a culture. Then and only then, can one claim to be a "master" of a certain language. No wonder many people do a Study Abroad program when majoring in a language. Unfortunately, I can't do a study abroad program, but I will take this two-week opportunity to visit Russia to see everything I learned about with my own eyes!

It will be great to finally see the places that I read about, the places that I heard descriptions about, the cultural aspects that were taught in the class, etc! Most importantly, it will be great to catch up with some old friends. Wow, how exciting this whole thing is! Overall, I'm VERY excited to visit Russia. This is THE place I always wanted to visit, and I just can't wait for the firsthand experience of Russian culture!

I will be flying first to St. Petersburg, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Then, I will go to Moscow for about 3 or 4 days, and return back to St. Petersburg. The entire trip duration is about 13 days. I'm looking forward to enjoying every bit of it.

PS: I *will* update the popular "Russo-Travelo-Meter" once I reach Russia. I look forward to making it 100%. ; )

Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Yevgeny Yevtushenko, a famous Russian poet, was here at the University of Maryland. Today, he read some of his own poems in Russian! What a great event it was. Just imagine! a great Russian poet reading his own works...it is an experience you have to, well, experience yourself. Here's a photo of him reading one of his poems. He is a passionate man - just like a typical Russian writer.

Here's a poem of his I loved!! He read this poem to us today, just THE way it should be read.

Я люблю тебя больше природы,
Ибо ты как природа сама.
Я люблю тебя больше свободы –
Без тебя и свобода – тюрьма.
Я люблю тебя неосторожно,
Словно пропасть, а не колею.
Я люблю тебя больше, чем можно, -
Больше, чем невозможно, люблю.
Я люблю безоглядно, бессрочно,
Даже пьянствуя, даже грубя,
И уж больше себя – это точно,
Даже больше, чем просто тебя.
Я люблю тебя больше Шекспира,
Больше всей на земле красоты,
Даже больше всей музыки мира,
Ибо книга и музыка – это ты.
Я люблю тебя больше, чем славу,
Даже в будущие времена,
Чем заржавленную державу,
Ибо Родина – ты, не она.
Ты несчастна? Ты просишь участья?
Бога просьбами ты не гневи.
Я люблю тебя больше счастья,
Я люблю тебя больше любви.

/Евгений Евтушенко/

Форум - ЗАРЯ

фотки из форума - ЗАРЯ (Зарубежная Ассоциация Русскоязычной Молодёжи)

Посмотрите ещё фотки...

Russia Visa: Mission Accomplished!

Yup. I submitted my application today at the Russian consulate here in Mumbai, and my application was approved almost instantly!! Yaaay! My long wait of about a year and half finally paid off and I'm planning to visit Russia sometime this fall.

More news, perhaps even photos, to follow.


Pssssst! I'm in India right now and havin' an awesome time!

Ahh, the Приглашение, finally!

So, finally, my Приглашение, or invitation, to visit Russia has finally arrived. As you can imagine, this will a HUGE step in my Ruski travel saga! Just to make this fool proof, my friend Sasha has arranged for two kinds of Приглашение - 1. Personal Invitation and 2. Tourist Voucher from a tourist company. Ain't that awesome??!! I'm totally lucky to have friends like these! So, I'm forwarding the Russo-Travelo-Meter to 75%. The only major thing remaining is actually obtaining the visa when I visit India in the end of this month. So, yes, I am VERY excited about this! Hurrahhhh - Урааааааа!

Update: Russo-Travelo-Meters at 60% !

Yup!! I just received an update today, and the papers I require to file at the embassy in India are all done and ready - and are on the way from St. Petersburg to DC! I should have another update in about a couple of days, and that'll be when I receive the papers. Super cool...I'm excited!

Russo-Travelo-Meter: Now at 40%

The meter took a 20% jump last week! My friends have submitted my papers to be attested by the Russian authorities. And, it seems like the papers will be ready by the end of this month. (fingers crossed!)

And as you can see, I put a checklist of steps down by the meter for your easy understanding : - ) After all, traveling to Russia ain't no easy joke!

Once I receive the papers, the next step is to take them to India (my travel to India is confirmed for July-end) and get the visa stamped in India. I'm totally excited about this trip (if you can't see already).

Again, if there's any updates, I will post them here.

Introducing: The Russo-Travelo-Meter

What is the "Russo-Travelo-Meter" all about? I will explain.

I have been planning to visit Russian from quite a while ago. I have tried visiting Moscow last year for a friend's wedding. But, little did I know about the extra-freaking-long procedure that I must follow to obtain a travel visa (by personal invitation) to my beloved Россия. Very unsuspectingly, I talked to the Russian embassy last year to obtain a visa, and thought it would be a breeze, just like the way I got my Canadian visa. Or, like my planned travel to France. The procedure for French visa? Umm, take the metro downtown, go to the French embassy, and GET THE FREAKING VISA. That's it ! But with Russia? Uh-huh, no so fast!

First, they advised me to send all my papers to Russia to my friend, who in turn will go to the "Ministry of internal affairs" or something like that. She will then get her invitation letter signed, attested, worshiped, and idolized before sending it to me here in the USA. Then, I have to go to India (that's right, I must travel half the way across the globe to just get a visa to visit Russia!) and then apply there. After all this, if the visa is approved, I can travel to Russia. Pretty simple, eh? Yeah, I think so too!

Since any story related to Russia is of good interest to me, I thought I should keep you posted of this "bureaucratic adventure" for obtaining just a single-entry visa! So, here I created the Russo-Travelo-Meter to keep you guys posted of the status. It currently stands at 20% (the day of this posting) and my papers have reached Russia via some of my friends in Canada. Each time the progress bar moves forward, I will post a new entry to update what's new is going on. So, enjoy this thrill-ride with me! I can not wait to visit Russia and that should be another whole new experience. Until then, keep watching the bar and watch out for the updates on this pre-travel pastime!

Mess-ups!

Have you ever messed up? Big time? Have you ever made a mistake EXACTLY when you did not want to? It is the very concept of Murphy's law, it seems. Do I have any examples? Sure. Many! Like the times when I'm ready coding a new software project module, I test it before I demo to my bosses. It works fine, except when the boss is looking at it!

Or, the other times when you write an email, and mess it up, and realize it just after you hit the "send" button. I wish there were a "recall email" functionality whereby you can get back the email you sent out before being seen by the recipients. Mess ups are even harder when you write in a foreign language. For example, yesterday I was sending an e-card out in Russian, and I *COMPLETELY* messed up the heading line in the card. I originally typed something, changed it, undid it, redid it, changed the case/tense, and at which point I was half-asleep (it was 2 AM in the morning). When I read the sent copy of card, I realized I messed it up.

Hey, if you are the person who received my e-card yesterday, this is how my header should have read "Просто хотел поздравить тебя ... ля-ля-ля-ля-ля". It was my bad - I'm very embarrassed : O )

Accept my apologies and congratulations!

Русская версия моего сайта

Посмотрите мой ( профессиональный ) сайт на русском языке.

Вот эта ссылка ...

http://www.glue.umd.edu/~silav/ru/

День Победы

May 9th is a big holiday in Russia. Called "День Победы" 0r Victory Day, it commemorates Red Army's victory over the Germans. Anyway, here are some of the pictures from our "celebration" with my Russian club here in Washington

Check this out...

So, here's something interesting. Remember, a few weeks ago, I posted some photos and videos from Slavic Fest here in Washington DC? I also posted the videos on YouTube and I got a bunch of hits.

Anyway, two of my posted videos were from this dance ensemble called "Barynya". They are from New York. Apparently, the owner of the ensemble, Mikhail, saw the videos and he liked 'em. He wrote to me and asked me if he could have a copy of the videos. The gentleman I am, I gave him the videos and also, I gave him some pictures I took. He posted them to his website, and their Google group.

Check out the link ... http://groups.google.com/group/Russian-folk-dance/web/01 and ahem, my name's on it : - )

Here's Baryna's homepage... http://www.barynya.com/barynya/index.htm and if you saw the Slavic Fest photos on this blog, you would recognize that the photos on that website under the heading "March 2007. George Washington University" are mine! Wink-Wink!

I thought it was pretty cool that my photography skills have been appreciated! Feels good!

Videos from Slavic Fest

I finally uploaded the videos I shot during the Slavic Fest and uploaded them to YouTube. Turns out there's a lot of people who uploaded their videos - mostly of Ruslana. I have some video from a Russian folk art (dance/music) called "Барыня" (Baryna ). The videos are of not such a great quality - I shot them with my photo camera! In either case, enjoy!

Ruslana Lyzhychko from Ukraine singing her super smash hit

Barynya (Барыня)

"Барыня, барыня, сударыня-барыня ... Барыня ты моя, сударыня ты моя" : - )

Slavic Fest 2007

[Update: Here are a bunch of pictures from my Facebook album: Click here ]

Last Saturday, there was the first annual Slavic Fest 2007 in Washington DC. All Slavic countries were showcasing their country's arts, culture, song, music, dance, etc. However, Ukraine was the most dominant, followed by Russia. The Ukrainians even brought their star performer - Ruslana (her website), the winner of Eurovision contest!! I didn't know there were these many Ukrainians in DC! Overall, it was a great day full of fun, lots of Russian/Ukrainian arts, folk songs, dance, and of course, extremely tasty food!

The story coming up soon. Until then, enjoy these pictures...

"See you in Ukraine"

The guy at the Ukrainian table almost convinced me to visit Ukraine in Summer!! I told him that I came very close to visiting Ukraine a couple of years ago. He said I should still visit Ukraine and he assured me that I'll love it! Look at the cool brochure he gave me. : - )











Yup! that's Ruslana - the winner of Eurovision Contest from Ukraine.

Ruslana Lyzhychko was the star performer of the evening. She performed a bunch of Ukrainian songs and an English song. A Ukrainian band called MEPI (pronounced "Meri") opened for her.


















Beautiful decorated Easter Eggs like this one were on display. Eggs of all sizes were beautifully painted over with intricate designs. Just amazingly aesthetically pleasing stuff.

















Ukrainian Ethnic costumes, artifacts, cutlery, and other artsy stuff was on display and sale.













There are a lot more VERY interesting pictures. View them on my Facebook album (link is provided at the beginning of this blog).