The Amazing Adventures of Avrelia Part II

[avrelia]

As the title suggest, the second part of the notes on my visit to Moscow.


One of the pleasures of the visits are watching old movies, looking through books I read long ago, walking in familiar places, Another one is sorting through photograghs, choosing some to take with me. The photos, by the way, presented a serious challenge tis time. My late grandmother left a number of old photos, part of which neither my mother nor I have never seen before. And they are quite old - the earliest is 1915, and sometimes it took us a lot of time and arguing, and reminiscences on family history to figure out who was where, but couple of pictures stays mysterious - possibly they have friends, not relatives there, and we have no way of placing the names. The main question is why grandmother didn't show them to us?

Back to movies - I haven't expected I will enjoy the old, many-times watched movies that much. After all this years, I saw them absolutely differently. Fun!

The places are both different and the same. Or, probably, I should say some were different, and some were the same. neither buildings nor people haven't changed much. My old place, where my parents and my sister live, hasn't changed at all - though, despite having nice nostagic feelings towards it, I wish the building was demolished already - as it was supposed to for a long time. So days of my stay in Moscow were running by. Some days I was walking alone, shopping, visiting favourite places, some days I was meeting my friends. I saw "The Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind" with my friends - unfortunately, it was dubbed, not subtitiled. It was a usual practice in Russia, but it is no fun for me anymore - as well as for my friends. I always considered myself foreign languages-challenged - compaird to them, at least. It took me moving to Canada to actually start speak English - after many years of studying.

Another day I went to one of my favourite bookstores - and almost went crazy from the sheer amount of books I wanted to buy and read. I made my common sense work a little, and bought only four books - for the time being. While living in Moscow, I could figure out which books I really want, which not so much, which I can buy and throw away, which to keep, which to buy now, which - the next month. Here I have only two weeks to decide, and only so many place in my laggage. Hence the stress in the bookstores. Rather sweet stress though - yet still I am missing all books I didn't buy terribly. Oh, well. I am not complaining, really: I have piles to read here, both in Russian and English. It just bookstores, you know: they do this to me.

With newly bought books, an ice-cream and a bottle of kvas (a traditional refreshing drink) I walked down the Tverskaya street to Manezhnaya Ploshchad (Square). There, surrounded by cheerful crowds, I sat and began to read a book, drinking kvas and generally feeling happy. After some time, young guys that were sitting near tried to hit on me. Now, I am a respectable married lady, and even though it is nice to know that I still can attract attention, I am in no way will encourage it. So I didn't. I kept reading my book. The guys looked over my head at the book, saw that it is some historical non-fiction, and got very confused as to why would anyone would read history before June. (exams in colleges and universities are in June) I would.

Anyway, I enjoyed that day, and next one, and the next one when I went to my favourite museum - The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. Since my school years, when we had our field trips there - to look at Egyptian and Babylonian artifacts, Greek and medieval art, great collections of paintings - I loved being there. I would go there whenever I read a book on art or history era represented there, or they have any interesting exhibition, or just because. Every time I can find something new there - usually not what I came looking for. But my visits now have a feel of visiting an old friend, when I can come to run through the halls, to wave my hello at a mummy of a cat, to Caryatids of Erechtheion (casts), to Uta, to Athena, to David (all casts), to Botticelli, Rembrandt, Renoire, Cezanne and others - not expecting any new insights, but enjoying the comfort of faniliarity. So it was this time - there was a new exhibition, too - Etruscan Art, from Italian museums. I looked at Etruscans and ran to say hello to my favourites. Botticelli was missing - as I was visiting my Moscow, he was visiting his Florence. Totally understandable. Here is the link to the official site of the Museum: http://www.museum.ru/gmii/

It's getting long, so not to bore anyone, I conclude the second part of my travel notes.

Comments

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

I'm terrible with store names, but I remember the one on Tverskaya. I visited there a couple of times with my friend.

I once almost went to the bookfair with my mother's friend... how I wish I had gone now.

Now all these childhood memories are sprouting up in my head... I remember going to quite a few bookstores with my Mom, but of course, I hardly remember where.

The largest bookstore closest to our apt was 'Progress', near metro station Park Kultury. I wonder if it kept the name. When I first visited in 1996, it had already been turned into a Western style supermarket, with a tiny book section left over (mainly expensive art books, foreign language books). It was right next to my school, but I hardly ever ventured there because of the intimidation factor. But my God, it was truly impressive, all the three floors devoted to books.

I also have memories of smaller boosktores, the ones I enjoyed visiting. There was a tiny one two blocks from our apt and the salesgirls were mostly friendly. I'd beg my grandmother to leave me there while she went to the food stores across the street.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

I haven't been in Progress this time, but the last year it was the way you described it. But I remember it being quite impressive, too - with the best selection of books and textbooks in foreign languages. Interesting that I don't remember being intimidated by salespeople in bookstores (I was - in other places, but then salespeople in Russia can scare anybody off). I guess, I was too absorbed by books to notice them.

I also loved the tiny stores that lived in our Moscow University building - they had very specialized selection of books.

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Sadly I didn't attend the Moscow university, I chose (and I still wonder about it) to study in the US. But I visited MSU on numerous occasions, with my parents and with my grandmother. And I remember all the little bookstores. They created this incredible academic atmosphere that I miss here.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Well, I studied there - still wonder about it, too - it was sheer luck, or "reality bends to desire" case. The problem that I've got a rather untrasferrable profession that I cannot fit in Canada with. Of course, I didn't plan to live in Canada... But back to bookstores - I think most of universities, etc. have that kind of small book places, but I am familiar with the ones I used to hang around.