Saturday

Yikes. The weather was beautiful today. The sun was so bright, I had to wear my sunglasses. But when the weather is so clear, that’s when it’s the coldest in Kazan because a cloud cover usually holds a little heat in. And it was mighty cold today. I went to the post office early to mail a package and was planning to go to the movies with Anna today at 3:45, so Sonia and I headed for the mall that the cinema was in at 12 to do some shopping before I met Anna. Sonia bought herself a sled, so she could have some fun in the snow. Being from Spain, she doesn’t usually have this opportunity. I saw the hat in the previous Post at the mall and just couldn’t resist it. And it really is warm. Then I got some school supplies and we did a little grocery shopping. Just as we were cashing out, we ran into Anna, who had gotten there a little early. Sonia decided not to go to the movies with us, so Anna and I went up stairs and bought our tickets. It was a Russian movie about how the Soviet men’s basketball team beat the Americans in the 1972 Olympic Games for the gold medal. The acting was mediocre at best, but it is a very emotional subject for Russians. The emotional equivalent would be the American movie about how our hockey team beat the Soviets in hockey at the Olympics in 1980. People in the theater were actually crying. And almost everybody clapped at the end. Anna’s found an artsy craftsy cinema here in Kazan similar to the Little in Rochester or the Prowinzkino in Simmern. It turns out they’re showing a whole lot of Germany films. Tomorrow we’re going to see two of them. I’m looking forward to that. But In the morning Sonia and I are going to take a tour of the chak-chak museum. Chak-chak is a special kind of sweet pastry in Tatarstan. Some of it I like, some of it is way too sweet. But the museum should be fun. I also find out a little more about the swimming in the Kazanka River. The Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar to mark its holidays. And yesterday was the Epiphany. So this was a sort of cleansing of the soul and the spirit and is why the priests blessed everyone. Tomorrow will be another busy day, so I’m calling it quits now.