Tretyakov Gallery

We had a second day of wonderful weather. Our first stop was the Tetyakov Gallery. I don’t see how one person can know so much about so many things. Sletvana knows names of painters, names of who was painted, who was related to whom and how, when it was painted, and why the paintng was important artistically. I’m not all that interested in Russian artists. I kept up as long as I could. After several hours, Sletvana and Danita were still going strong. I went off to find a seat, as I often do in art galleries. Danita understands and continues looking at the art, but Sletvana didn’t want to continue without me. I’m afraid I cut our visit a little short. But the lunch in the museum cafeteria was pretty good.

Summer Palace

From there we went to Peter the Great’s father’s sumer palace. This was a log cabin on the outskirts of Moscow. The cabin was reconstructed based on measurements taken by Catherine the Great when she had the palace dismantled. This was much more interesting. I even paid extra to go to the upstairs balcony.

Typical State Meal

They had a typical state meal laid out. When they served swan, the entire bird was displayed for the guests to appreciate. They cut it up while the Tsar and guests were present. I also learned why the Tsar always entered the room first, when there was any public appearance. The royals wore so many clothes and jewels that weight made it hard for them to walk. The Tsar, being the most rank (so to speak), had to carry the most weight. He needed two helpers supporting him, one at each arm. It’s hardly the image of a strong leader.

The Tsar’s throne had an unusual feature. There were lions, one on each sid of the throne. One of the Tsar’s assistance could make the lions roar. Their heads moved back and forth. When this was re-created, they added eyes that light up; but of course the feature of electric lights in the lion’s eyes was beyond the technology of the day. The Russians liked being rude to foreign ambassadors. They would ask the ambassador a question, then activate lion roars to interrupt his answer.

Solomon and the Baby

Of course there was plenty of artwork. These were portraits or religious. This is a painting of Solomon’s wise decision about the baby that was claimed by two different women. If you look closely, you will see that the baby is being held upside-down by one foot. I found it funny. In many of the paintings and icons, the Russian artist had no idea what some story element looked like. we would see Jesus riding into Jeruselem on a wierd looking horse because nobody knew what a donkey looked like. Men didn’t spend much time around babies in those days. I suppose they didn’t know how a baby is held.

Tented Church

We took a tram to the other side of the grounds to see more buildings. (The palace had to be recreated a kilometer away from its origial site to prevent tearing down old trees.) I thought all Russian churches had to have onion domes, but it turns out that’s not true. This church has a tented roof.

Metro station

We were done early, so we took the metro back to Moscow and visited meto stations. This was much more interesting than I thought it would be. The older stations are done in a “art deco meets Soviet Hero” style. I’ll include two pics to give an idea. This station was the deepest. It doubled as a bomb proof in WW II. On Nov 7, 1941, Germans were on the edge of Moscow. But Stalin wanted to celebrate the anniversary of the revolution. So they held their celebration in this station.

Heroic mosaic

The station has 24 mosaics in the ceiling; each in al oval lit by lights around the perephery. Each mosaic is viewed at a diffeerent hour of the day. This mosaic is during the day time. It shows a Soviet Hero parachuting from a plane. Other stations have other themes. One shows each of the Russian invasions. One shows heroic professions, etc.

We ended our day with the best meal we have had in Russia. The concierage told us how to get to a restaurant with Russian food and an informal atmosphere. It turned out to be a neauvo quisine with “Farm to Table” food. I put that in quotes because the phrase isn’t used in Russia, and also because it is so over-used in the US that it is almost meaningless. But this was excellent food using fresh ingredients. We had a delightful time.