Приключение продолжается!

(the adventure continues!!)

on sunday i did what might be the most russian thing ive ever done. after a good two hours of jumping on the trampolines and doing walls flips at IGELS club, i went to a russian sauna! it is called 'Banya'. its a extremely hot room where a bunch of fat naked russian men spank each other with branches of white birch, oak or eucalyptus (called veniks, веник). these leaves are so fragrant, the aroma quickly brings one into the earth. this room is so hot, had i not been drenched in sweat, i'm sure my nose hair would of been totally singed. every few minutes someone opens the oven, and with a scoop on a loong stick, splashes so water into the heat. the room fills with invisible fire and you have to duck to stay alive. the most pleasurable part of this is coming out of the room and jumping into the ice-cold water pool. also there is a half-barrel near the ceiling with a rope attached, that fills with cold water. you stand under it and pull the rope. WEEEEEWAAAHOOOOO. after 4 or 5 times back and fourth, hot to cold, your whole experience fills with an electrical buzz, and a magnificent relax. 

 веник

this is evgeny, he takes the cash and hangs the coat. good man.

this picture isnt too far from the truth. except nobody is smiling, because its so intense. and also, its hard to find this traditional kvass (drink) anymore. there are some people drinking beer, or vodka after the banya. my friend brings his home made alkaline water for us to rehydrate as the lymphs system flushes and all the cell exchange water. and i also always bring dateorade for after (dates blended with water)

a cathedral across the street. holy water available inside

i met this man, and had a good game of chess. its been so long since i played. he beat me in about 15 minutes. hes quite deaf so i had to speak really loud. i wanted to take a picture of his eyes, they were so beautiful. beautiful blu old man eyes. 

this is a gift i got at an orthodox easter party. a cake/bread- of course its not vegan, so ididdnt eat it. but it smells good, and i accepted it with gratitude, to be part of a russian tradition.

fresh grape juice (grape and celery)

conservatory and mariinsky theater

Explanation: What do the following things have in common: a cone, the fur of a fox, and a Christmas tree? Answer: they all occur in the constellation of the unicorn (Monoceros). Pictured above as a star forming region cataloged as NGC 2264, the complex jumble of cosmic gas and dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and mixes reddish emission nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars with dark interstellar dust clouds. Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie close to the hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue reflection nebulae. The above image spans about 3/4 degree or nearly 1.5 full moons, covering 40 light-years at the distance of NGC 2264. Its cast of cosmic characters includes the Fox Fur Nebula, whose convoluted pelt lies at the upper left, bright variable star S Mon immersed in the blue-tinted haze just below the Fox Fur, and the Cone Nebula near the tree's top. Of course, the stars of NGC 2264 are also known as the Christmas Tree star cluster. The triangular tree shape traced by the stars appears sideways here, with its apex at the Cone Nebula and its broader base centered near S Mon.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html