May 31, 2007 - Red Square Moscow, Russia

Red Square is Awesome! Click here for photos and information on sights in Moscow: http://www.waytorussia.net/Moscow/Sights.html


***St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan IV (also known as Ivan the Terrible) and built between 1555 and 1561 in Moscow to commemorate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan.

***Lenin's Tomb is the mausoleum that serves as the final resting place of Vladimir Lenin. His embalmed body has been on public display there since the year he died in 1924. On January 21, the day that Lenin died, the Soviet government received more than 10,000 telegrams from all over Russia, which asked the government to preserve his body somehow for future generations. More than 100,000 people visited the tomb within a month and a half. Each year on January 21, Communist Party supporters line up to lay flowers at Lenin's Mausoleum to mark the anniversary of the death of Vladimir Lenin. More than 10 million people visited Lenin's tomb between 1924 and 1972. Though supposedly "rejuvenated" annually by Russian undertakers, Lenin's body currently gives off a waxed appearance, prompting many to wonder if it is still real. Both the former Soviet government and the current Russian authorities refuse to comment on the topic of the body's authenticity. The family of Lenin's embalmers states that the corpse is real and requires daily work to moisturize the features and inject preservatives under the clothes. On a regular basis the corpse is removed from view to be undressed and treated.

May 30, 2007 - Moscow, Russia

My trip is almost over, so we are back in Moscow. I liked this city, but it was honestly my least favorite of the three cities I visited. Too much traffic, too hot, too congested. Hey, feels like LA! However, it was quite beautiful there and Red Square, well, that deserves it's its very own post after this one.

May 26-27, 2007 Random Photos

I had a wonderful time in Odessa. I decided I wanted to spend a month out of every spring or summer and live there. Kids and husband included, of course! That's how much I loved it there. The people, the food, the sea, the beach, the vibe. It's got it all.

May 24, 2007 - Deribasovskaya Street Odessa, Ukraine

Deribasovskaya Street is a pedestrian walkway in the heart of Odessa, Ukraine. The street is named after José de Ribas, who helped build the city, and who lived on the street.

Next to the street is Odessa's first park, which was built shortly after the foundation of the city in 1803 by De Ribas's brothers, Joseph and Felix. This park has a fountain, bandstand, and several monuments, including a sculpture of a lion and lioness with her cubs, a chair commemorating the famous book "The Twelve Chairs", two monuments to Leonid Osipovich Utyosov (a sculpture and also a phone which plays his music), and a monument to Sergey Utochkin, a famous pilot.

May 23, 2007 - Various Photos II Odessa, Ukraine

Odessa is famous for its massive food bazaar. They also have live duckies and chicks for sale. You buy them, you raise them, you eat them! Oh boy!

May 22, 2007 - Odessa at Night - Odessa, Ukraine

Odessa is beautiful at night as you will see from these photos. Here you will see the port of Odessa, opera house, Ivan Martos's statue of Duc de Richelieu. Duc served as the city's governor between 1803–1814 and served in Catherine's army against the Turks. He is credited with designing the city and organising its amenities and infrastructure. Richelieu is commemorated by a bronze statue, unveiled in 1828 to a design by Ivan Martos.

May 21, 2007 - Black Sea Beach - Odessa, Ukraine

Odessa has great beaches. I am told when I was a toddler I played on this beach every day in the summer time. I finaly made it back. I called my mom later that day and say "Mom, today I swam in the Black Sea...again." The only problem with this beach - men in speedos. Typical Europe.

May 22, 2007 - Akkerman Fortress in Belgorod Dnestrovskaya - Ukraine

This medievil fortress was an amazing place. The city of Belgorod Dnestrovskaya is as old as Rome, Athens, or Jerusalem. The history of the city starts 2500 years ago, when in VI century BC Greeks build a city Milet on the east shore of the river Dnestr (the old name of the city is Tira).The city had its own coins and actively traded with different Barbarian Tribes and other cities. During its long history the city was conquered and occupied by Rome, Barbarians, the Bulgarian Kingdom, the Hungarian Kingdom, the Tatars, Moldova, the Turks and Russia. Here is an ancient city Tira, a medieval Fortress and other historical landmarks.

We also visited two ships that washed up on shore. No one really knows what to do with them. For now, they are a treat for tourists as a curiosity.

May 21, 2007 - Various Photos Odessa, Ukraine

Just some random photos of friends and scenery. The big white building is what new construction looks like in Odessa. There is tons of new construction going on everywhere.

May 20, 2007 - Karaoke - Odessa, Ukraine

Have you ever done Karaoke for 4 HOURS? Dima wanted to show me downtown Odessa so we met up with a good friend of his, Tony, at his restaurant CasaNova. Downstairs is a room devoted entirely to Karaoke. Since it was late, we had the whole place to ourselves. We sang American songs, we sang Russian songs, heck, I think we even sang Chinese songs! We sang so much we lost track of time. It was one of the most fun times of my entire life. The photos speak for themselves!

May 20, 2007 - I'm Home! - Odessa, Ukraine

The drive from Kiev to Odessa was about 4 hours through gorgous countryside. Rolling hills, trees, and flowers as far as the eye can see. It was truly one of the most beautiful drives I've ever seen. I feel asleep in the car and woke up just as we were entering Odessa. I literally cried. I was so overwhelmed with emotion I just let it all out. It was such a surreal feeling to finally arrive.

We stayed at my cousin Dima's "dacha" which means beach house. Odessa is on the black sea and his house is a short walk to the water. His two youngest children, Daniel and Estee were waiting for us. I brought a suitcase full of gifts with me and they just tore right into it! Can you blame them?

Later in the evening, we strolled to the boardwalk for dinner at a sushi restaurant, Yokogama.

May 20, 2007 - Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav: Uman, Ukraine

Uman is also the burial place of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, the Rebbe of the Breslov group of Hasidic Jews. I don't have any photos of his actual grave because it was inside of a synagogue and I felt it was inappropriate. However, I did take some photos of the town. I felt like I was in Israel and for a moment forget I was actually in Ukraine!

Rabbi Nachman spent the end of his life in Uman, and specifically requested to be buried there. During Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year) there is a major pilgrimage by Breslov Hasidim and others to visit the grave - over 5700 chassidim attend each year. This practice dates back to 1811, the year after Rabbi Nachman was buried in Uman.

Why do so many make the pilgrimage? Rebbe Nachman breathed new life into the Hasidic movement by combining the secrets of Judaism (the Kabbalah) with in-depth Torah scholarship. He attracted thousands of followers during his lifetime, and after his death, his followers continued to regard him as their Rebbe and did not appoint any successor. Rebbe Nachman's teachings continue to attract and inspire Jews the world over.

You can read more about Uman, Rebbe Nachman, and people's personal experiences visiting his gravesite. http://www.breslov.org/roshhashana.html

May 20, 2007 - Sofiyivka Park: Uman, Ukraine

After spending a few days in Kiev, it was finally time for our road trip to Odessa, my hometown. It's a 4 hour drive of beautiful Ukrainian countryside. Green valleys and pretty flowers as far as the eye can see. There is a town called Uman about halfway to Odessa. We stopped there to visit a beautiful park "Sofiyivka" and took a ride on a horse drawn carriage. This park contains over 1220 different kinds of trees, 320 roses, 98 flowers, and over 774 plants. It's a feast for the senses and a landcapers dream!

May 17, 2007 St. Sophia Cathedral - Kiev

In Kiev we visited St. Sophia Cathedral. Saint-Sophia Cathedral symbolizes the capital of the Christian principality of Kiev, which was created in the 11th century.

Here is a link for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sophia_Cathedral,_Kyiv

May 17, 2007 - Kiev, Capitol of Ukraine

We stayed in Moscow overnight then headed to Kiev, the capitol of Ukraine. Such a gorgeous city and we toured lots of sights. The city is filled with buildings, churches, and monestaries that have onion shaped domes.

May 16, 2007 - Red Square at Night

My friend Katya lives only 20 minutes from Red Square, so we took a stroll there and she took these photos of me. It's such a beautiful place and even more amazing at night all lit up.

May 16, 2007 - Arriving in Moscow

It was a 12 hour flight direct from Los Angeles to Moscow. I am exhausted but elated to finally touch ground. The lady you will see in my photos is my aunt Nonna, my father's only sibling. Click on the slideshow to enlarge the photos.

How It All Began

I was born in Odessa, Ukraine on Sept. 23, 1971. I was 4 years old when we left Russia to come to America. That was 1975. We spent a year or so living in Rome awaiting our green cards to enter the United States. On May 6, 1976, my mother, father, and I arrived to Los Angeles leaving the U.S.S.R. behind forever and making the U.S. our new home.

I have thought about my birthplace many times over the years. I asked lots of questions of my parents and other family members about what life was like for them back home and what my life was like for those 4 short years. Within me has always been a longing, a curiosity, and a disconnection that was hard to explain. Don't get me wrong. Coming to America was a blessing and a privilege. But naturally, I've always been curious about who would I be today if we hadn't left? It's fun to ponder the possibilities.

I was only 4 years old. I have no memories of home. And yet, when I think about Russia, I miss it. I don't know why. How can you miss something you don't remember? Maybe the reason lies much deeper. At the end of the day, no matter how long I live in this glorious country, I am at my core a Ukrainian. You can take the girl out of Russia, but you can't take Mother Russia out of the girl. Hey, my ancestors survived Hitler and Stalin! Enough said!

On May 15, 2007 I returned home after 32 years. When I think about the events in my life that have impacted me the most, this trip is right up there with buying my first home, my wedding, births of Chloe and Erica, etc.

I am so excited and I want to share this amazing event with all of you. What better way than to blog it all from beginning to end! The photo is of my parents on their wedding day in Odessaa - December 25, 1970.