Spring in the City

Let me take you to a short walk from inside the Kremlin to the streets and views around it.

The pillars are portraits and stories of prominent artists - painters, musicians, singers, composer, writer, poets, playwright, actors & actresses who served and one of those considered heroes in the WWII. The posts are dedicated to commemorate them in connection with the Victory day celebration.

Outside Kremlin is the statue of Musa Dzalil who was a poet and a resistance fighter against fascists. He was caught and beheaded. 

Musa Dzalil's story of Bravery

Starting spring the carriage that goes around the Kremlin is now out ready for tourists.

The Kremlovskaya street is just across the gate of Kremlin. It goes down to the Kazan Federal University.

Standing on the Kremlin grounds you will see a view of the main roads where all public transports passes by to get to another point. 

Although the day was partly cloudy, the sky was still beautiful especially at the end of the day. A grand flock of birds flew by above me - it was wonderful!

After a bit of showers, I still manage to see the sunset. I was a bit late to catch the huge sun in its way down but I  was still lucky to witness the sky changed from day to evening.

Some of you might be already familiar with this dragon. It is the same dragon I've posted in winter. It is the symbol of the city located just outside and below the Kremlin wall.

I'm linking this post to:

Scenic Weekend

Our World Tuesday

Look Down for Views

Since I already have posted the Ferris wheel and told you that I was once up there. I thought that I'd continue with the views down the wheel. Like I said I didn't  really look down. I was just sitting very still looking at what's on my eye level. But thankfully, I was with a bear... a kind of special Bear and he took all these pictures in this post.

 

There's  the road going to the city center. The Kremlin, commercial building, some residential and the beach Kazanka. 

Last time I've posted a sign that forbids people from swimming and some of you asked why it is forbidden. Well, you see there is a road that spans at the middle. Fumes, dust and maybe something else are brought about by every passing vehicle. The water is not really dirty. I have been there several times in summer and in winter too. There are no rubbish nor sewege from factories. There are no factories in the city. It's just not considered good for swimming. But you know some people still try like in those people in the previous post I've written about.

The Ferris wheel is a part of entertainment in Kurlai. It's  an amusemrnt park. I like being there in summer, not to take rides but to eat cotton candy :) 

Nah, I just like places where people go to enjoy. Kids, a lot of kids and their families could be seen in this place. 

Farther you can see a UFO. They land in Russia from time to time. Didn't you know that Russia and aliens are allies? 

:)

Of course I'm  joking. That's  a circus. I haven't been there. Another paranoia I've got is that animals could go wild and get loose...you know what happens next. (I'm  sorry I've got weird imaginings sometimes).

This is right below us. You can probably even see the shadow of the wheel on the umbrellas. It's a BBQ place by the way. They also have good kebab. Yum! Summer, hurry up please.

The park isn't open yet. They close from late fall to early spring. As soon as snow is gone, they'll  open again.

The river is still frozen, everything's covered with snow. Although it is already spring, our temperature today's nearly -10. 

Tomorrow's  gonna be -17...hopefully not. It is March 8 - it's  Women's  Day and I already mentioned to you before  that this day is widely celebrated in Russia. I am planning to go out and see around, make pictures if I  get a chance and later tell you about it.

I'm  linking this post to Scenic Weekends

Is it Spring yet?

Is it really? Come with me and let's have a look at the city center.

The dragon of Kazan has been cleared from snow. It melted, yes. But a bit stayed on the dragon's crown.

The view from where the dragon was. Part of the main street and further is the river, still frozen though. The beach is still covered with snow. There are no signs of green yet.

The entrance to Kremlin has much less snow. Asphalt can now be seen. 

Ah asphalt - you have no idea how much I have missed you. :) It is much easier & lighter to walk now. Now I  can walk faster without falling or struggling.

Across Kremlin is the National Museum. No more thick snow on the roof or ice mountain alongsides. Asphalt, it is nice to see you here  too. :)

So what do you think? Has spring really come to us?

I wish you Happy March and warmer days.

Please click the links below yo see what's  going on around the world:

Our World Tuesday

WATW

Watch Out for Anything that is Falling

The city center is the most taken cared of part of every city. If skyscrapers have window cleaners who are hanging in a rope, here we got snow on the roof removers. I don't  really know if there is a title for such a job. The guy below is a watcher. His job is to make sure pedestrians don't walk under where they're  de-snowing.

If you go outskirts or visit some smaller areas in the city, these guys are seldom seen. In general, they remove snow on the roofs of all blocks and buildings before spring. They just do it more often in the downtown.

That is why in those areas, signs like this are found. I saw it yesterday from a building close to the Metro station going to the market.

WARNING!

FALLING  SNOW 

AND FRAZIL 

FROM THE ROOF

Perhaps they forgot about ICICLES!

Or maybe they are too big not to be seen, therefore, a warning sign isn't  necessary.  :)

I honestly didn't  know what a frazil is (obviously, they are never produced in my tropical country) until I've  translated the word.  

See this thick snow just above the mini icicles? It's melted snow forming into ice. A frazil so to call. If cold temperature succeeds, it'll harden. That is why roof de-snowing is necessary. 

I've seen it falling on people's head. I was once hit too. Luckily it wasn't ice but a thick wet snow. It was painful though. Don't  worry, nothing bad happened to my brain, my skull was hard enough :) 

It's the busiest time for such workers. The big work has begun. Ice-cracking on the roads, de-snowing of roofs and mud cleaning. Yes mud, where do they come from? They use ground on icy pavements instead of salt for traction. So in spring when ice melts, it becomes muddy in some areas. That's probably one thing I don't  like about spring 'coz it can get really messy. But there are always puddles where you can wash the sole of your boots if you got muddy :) It's always fun to play.

Linking with: signs, signs

Sweeping Cold

Maybe in other parts of the world have already seen signs of spring. 

We are still definitely far from thawing. After a cold week of temperature not higher than -20 degrees celcius, we were recently swept with a strong blizzard sweeping snow into the air leaving parks with thick snow looking like a whipped cream or blown up powder.

Kremlovskaya street during the blizzard.

It was later then followed with ice rain that left icicles hanging on leaves.

  

It was a beautiful weather eventhough it was difficult. Maybe it is changing slowly by now. Maybe, but I 'm just fine even if it stays a bit more. 

I have a feeling that I 've learned to like the cold, or maybe I just just haven't  had enough of it this year. Also, it maybe that I know that the whole February is still winter so I  don't  expect it to thaw. 

I remember last year how I was begging for warmth and sun in March. I thought I couldn't  live longer in that cold but hey I survived it. I remember after my first winter, I  almost cried on the first day I felt the warmth of the sun on my head, on my face. I still remember the moment very well. I felt I went to a different world without a sun, without colors but white. I mean you could see it on the sky but you never felt it. I even had a feeling that people were just physically walking, talking, working but it all seemed to me that they weren't  totally there. Maybe they were hibernating on the inside and were just mechanically functioning. Everybody was quietly busy doing their things.

This is my 4th winter. First one was exciting and worrying. I was very worried that I'd get frozen like ice outside :) well, I was very naive of cold then. Second was enjoyable. That time I already learned to like it. Third time was full of complains. I think excitement faded. This year, I think, I naturally have accepted it as part of life. One thing I  have noticed, I haven't  complained (yet maybe) :)

Honestly speaking, if one day I have to leave Russia, I'll miss winter for sure.

To see what's  up in the other parts of the world, please click the links below.

Our World Tuesday

WATW

Winter Cars

Mornings don't  usually start with a cup of coffee in winter. You can figure out yourself in these pictures.

Majority of the population live in blocks which mostly were still made from the Soviet era. The amount of garages is not equal to the amount of cars residents have. There was a surge in the number of cars in the last several years. The same problem goes with parking. There are not enough parking spaces. Very often, people end up parking on the sidewalks or along the main roads which builds up traffic sometimes. They get fined, they pay and they park again. They've got no other place to go. Fines just became an additional expense to everyone's monthly budget. Towing didn't really solve illegal parking in the long run. Fine grew a lot bigger plus all the beaurocracy that come along with claiming your car back. It angered people but there was no other choice but to pay fine, risk getting towed, or simply keep your car at home and take public transport. There are simply too many cars for the parkings and for the roads. I guess the state's doing something about it. I've seen new signs after the new year's holiday. Close to the place I work, are new legal parking spaces. They were the sidewalks which before was illegal for parking. They changed the signs. Now it's not a "No Parking" sign but a "Paid Parking". 

Here by the way are the winter heroes of the roads. Without them, your car is useless :) 

Cold & Vodka

I wondered how it was drank without a chaser. 

I answered my own question. If I was out that night with this temperature, I probaby would have drank the same straight from the bottle. But I'm  not sure I could finish one bottle. (I don't  even drink).

This isn't the first bottle I've seen on snow. It's quite a common to find one. Well, they're not like scattered all around but they can be easily be spotted. Beer in summer, vodka in winter. 

Beer on the Street

Very often if you ask any Russian person what they think foreigners think wrong about their country is that foreingners very often think bears in Russia can be seen walking on the streets.

I didn't think about that honestly. I knew there are bears but not on the streets.

What I can be sure of at least is that you'd often see empty bottles of beer, champagne or vodka on the streets.