A Walk in the Park

It was a glorious fall day today! We slept until 7:34 (yes, every minute counts!), went down for a nap at 10:50, which allowed Mom to take a shower, and were fed, changed and ready to go exploring by 1pm.

We went to the Ramstore to stock up on essentials (aka diapers) and then headed for Kok Tobe, which is the hill bordering the city that has a gondola that goes to the top. Marvelous views I'm told, but will have to wait until tomorrow to find out. Turns out Tuesday is the one day each week they are closed. So we headed to Paniflov Park instead. BEAUTIFUL park full of squirrels and pidgeons.

Spoiled pidgeons! There is a birdseed vendor on the bench and the birds swarm you!


Yep, there are 3 or 4 pidgeons on this little girl's arm!
Brady enjoyed watching Marina feed the pidgeons. (Note the child in the snowsuit on the bench in the background. This is how many of the kids are dressed now. There is a steadfast belief in weather, especially cold, being the contributing factor to most illnesses.)


We were visited by a pair of stray dogs. It is a sad fact that many stray dogs and cats are all over the city. They are not afraid of people and most actually look pretty well fed. This pair were minding their own business until we started talking to them, then the tails started wagging and they came over to visit. We didn't have any food for them, but a pat on the head seemed to suffice. I wish I had been a little faster with the camera. The bearded Tramp lookalike (think Lady and the Tramp) came right up to the stroller, sat down, and plopped a paw right next to Brady's hand. It was so cute! Brady was a little taken aback, but not the least bit scared. The dogs were very friendly and young and were enjoying a fun tussle in the sun as we walked away.


The park commemorates General Ivan Paniflov whose infantry division held off 50 Nazi tanks in the battle of Volokoamsk highways on the outskirts of Moscow in 1941. There is a memorial within the park, with an eternal flame, honoring the men who served.

This is the main memorial and Marina tells me that the the three structures in the back represent the Kremlin in Moscow.




























The ornate building houses the Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments. The other building is officers' living quarters located at the edge of the park and overlooking the memorial.















In the center of the park is the site of one of the oldest buildings in Almaty, the Svyato-Voznesensky Cathedral, which was built in 1904 entirely of wood and without a single nail. It is one of only a handful of pre-soviet buildings that survived the earthquake of 1911. The exterior gives the impression of a fairytale!


The inside is magnificent as well (no pictures allowed), with beautiful murals, chandeliers, and gold embellishments everywhere. The stained glass in red, gold and Kazakh blue was also something to see. The cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1995 and now holds services on a regular basis. It is interesting that no pews are inside. Marina told me that worshipers stand throughout the service, which is four hours long. There are a couple of benches along the walls in back, but they are reserved for the elderly, all others must stand. Interesting.


The beautiful coordinator, Marina, and Brady Bear. She told me that a couple of women walking by were chuckling and asked her whether he was a boy or a toy! I know, the ears are silly (although cute) and I'm not sure I realized they were even on the jacket when I bought it!

We walked the few blocks back to the area of my apartment and had a late lunch of chicken and lamb shashlik (kebobs), a "salad" of fresh Italian parsley, dill, and basil sprigs with cucumber and tomatoes, and some local beer. Yum!