Total Eclipse : A pictorial review of the Tradewinds Transatlantic crossing 2015

[perfect match]

We also have some great news , after 19 days in the hospital Pat came home last night !! . :) :)

 

Now THAT is awesome news! I'm so glad to hear that Pat is home. Joe, I know you're taking great care of her. Don't worry about us, we will be here when you can get back.

[MicCanberra]

Now THAT is awesome news! I'm so glad to hear that Pat is home. Joe, I know you're taking great care of her. Don't worry about us, we will be here when you can get back.

 

Yes, look after Pat and yourself first and indulge us later.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Once again I got behind but it wasn't as bad this time. Loving the pictures. Everything is just beautiful! The architecture is just amazing!

 

It seems like you are not the only one getting behind ! ;) Yeah , the buildings are very impressive Jen . I tried not to gawk at them and look like a tourist with a camera dangling from my neck , instead , keeping it hidden in my man purse (concealed carry ) until needed . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

You can almost feel the sadness from that prison.

 

Yeah , prisons are very scary places to us . :eek: We saw another one in St. Petersburg - at a distance .

[MicCanberra]

I would still look like a tourist as my Camera is too large so it is either out or in the camera bag.

[scubacruiserx2]

I would still look like a tourist as my Camera is too large so it is either out or in the camera bag.

 

This small bag does a great job of hiding a full frame camera . I just open the two zippers on the top of the bag so nothing falls out of the side , and reach in to pull the camera up and out .

 

 

 

There is a red , padded leash that slips around the wrist that tightens and keeps me from dropping the camera or anyone from borrowing it unexpectedly . :eek:

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Nice set up, my camera bag is more like the standard ones, and is around 25W x15D x20H cm (10x6x8 inches).:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Nice set up, my camera bag is more like the standard ones, and is around 25W x15D x20H cm (10x6x8 inches).:D

 

Thanks Mic , I am very happy with my gear ! The telephoto is my favorite lens but quite heavy , so it didn't go on our cruise . :cool:

[scubacruiserx2]

The next photo stop on our tour was the famous Bolshoi Theatre .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshoi_Theatre

 

 

 

 

On the right , in the red sign is GUM .

 

 

 

 

I like the stop motion of the water in the fountain

 

 

 

 

The Theatre is featured on the 100 Ruble note .

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was Yeliseev's Gastronom .

 

 

http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/business/grigory-yeliseev/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you remember them from St. Petersburg ?

[Bimmer09]

Yeliseev's....suddenly I feel like a kid in a candy store.

 

Did you buy anything, Tom?

 

Norris

[MicCanberra]

Beautiful.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Beautiful.:D

 

 

We did love the ostentatiousness of the place ! So unlike our grocery store .

 

 

 

Yeliseev's....suddenly I feel like a kid in a candy store.

 

Did you buy anything, Tom?

 

Norris

 

 

 

Yes ! Like Tom Hanks , a big kid , in a big candy store ! And here's the candy section , front and to the right .

 

 

 

 

And yes , several purchases , some gifts and some instant gratification - Alinka , my favorite chocolate for several reasons including one very near and dear to my heart ! ;)

 

Edited November 6, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[Bimmer09]

Tom, I love the packaging on the Alinka chocolate-such a throwback style.

Reminds me of the 1950s.

 

How does it taste? Are those hazelnut bits inside?

 

Norris, British therefore a chocolate lover

[scubacruiserx2]

Tom, I love the packaging on the Alinka chocolate-such a throwback style.

Reminds me of the 1950s.

 

How does it taste? Are those hazelnut bits inside?

 

Norris, British therefore a chocolate lover

 

Me too , and a photo which I saw from 1958 ! The taste ? , Delicious ! Yes , the hazelnut version is my favorite . Lastly , the British , chocolate lovers ? , who knew ? Explanation and a love story next , in the true hunt for Red October . :) :D

Edited November 6, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

I first laid eyes on the Alyonka chocolate bar in 2009 , in a Russian supermarket while visiting St. Petersburg with my wife . In a true deja vu moment of facial recognition , I knew that I must have this candy bar !

 

 

 

 

In a flashback moment to May , 1976 , while on vacation in Michigan , over a thousand miles from my Florida home , I first saw the same face ! Only slightly older now at age 19 , she looked the same ! The same style scarf wrapped around the same , short dark hair . And the eyes !! as big and deep and blue as Lake Baikal !! And the lips ? , I dare not go there on our first meeting . And less than two years later , but with longer hair now , it was time formalize what we had already embraced in our hearts .

 

 

 

 

About 2 years after this , my father in law sent me a gag gift , a T shirt with a photo on it from 1958. On the shirt a young child , dressed the same , and sitting on a potty chair - with the same face , eyes , lips and similar scarf , tied around the head ! The photo faded , and the T shirt fell apart , but I have the real deal at home now !

 

 

And so , after purchasing the candy bar in Moscow , our guide asked us what we knew about it and if we would like to see where it was made . Our journey took us to the Moscow River , and the site of the now defunct , Red October candy factory .

 

 

This BBC article explains the story much better than I can :

 

Last Updated: Friday, 29 June 2007, 12:51 GMT 13:51 UK

 

E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Red October move leaves bitter taste

By Martin Vennard

Moscow

 

Alyonka image on Red October factory

Many Russians are fondly familiar with the image of Alyonka

It survived the revolution and the collapse of the Soviet Union, but the historic Red October chocolate factory in central Moscow is powerless to resist the seemingly relentless redevelopment of the Russian capital.

 

Situated by the Moscow River, opposite the city's main cathedral and with views of the Kremlin, the Red October factory - Krasny Oktyabr in Russian - sits on some of the most expensive real estate in Russia.

 

By the end of the year, the factory's production lines, which first started up at the end of the 19th Century, will have been moved out to the suburbs to make way for luxury loft apartments.

 

The company says the move is in line with the Moscow authorities' policy of moving industrial units out of the centre, and that its new factory will be more modern and efficient.

 

But some Muscovites see the move as part of the changes that have vastly altered the cityscape under Mayor Yury Luzhkov, in the 15 years since the end of communism.

 

Property boom

 

Anton Kalantarov, 39, grew up in an apartment building just a few hundred metres from the factory and went to the same nursery school as the workers' children.

 

Red October sign on factory

The landmark factory survived revolution and war

"It's a real shame that it's moving. Lots of people think the same, but it's all about money. Land is very expensive in Moscow.

 

"When I was small we used to walk past the ventilation pipes from the factory and it smelt like heaven," Mr Kalantarov said.

 

But despite his feelings he says he will remain loyal to the brand. "I only ever buy Red October sweets and chocolates and I will continue to," he said.

 

Magazine editor Galina Istomina, who also lived near the factory, agrees. "It's yet another change. We all grew up knowing Red October and they make the best chocolate in Russia."

 

She once met the grandson of one of the pre-revolutionary company's German founders, Julius Heuss, who is buried in the same cemetery as her own grandmother.

 

The Moscow Architectural Preservation Society (Maps) says that around 1,000 historical and 200 protected city buildings have been knocked down for redevelopment over the last five years.

 

Cautious optimism

 

Edmund Harris, who is a trustee of the society, said: "I can understand people's sentimental links to the factory and the resistance to change."

 

Misha chocolate bear

A Misha bear: The chocolates symbolise Russian national pride

But he says he is cautiously optimistic about the plans. "They say the main factory buildings will be preserved, and that some of the unlisted buildings on the site will be demolished."

 

The business was started by Theodore von Einem, who began selling sweets and chocolates in 1851. As it expanded he went into partnership with Mr Heuss, a successful businessman, before the current factory was built.

 

Its reputation grew and in 1913 it began supplying the Tsar. But after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution it was nationalised and renamed State Confectionery Factory Number One, before being given the catchier Red October name in 1922.

 

Despite the revolution the company maintained strong Russian traditions. A chocolate sweet called Misha Kosolapy was named after a brown bear and inspired by a painting of bears by the 19th-Century artist Ivan Shishkin. It is still made today.

 

During World War II it made supplies for the Red Army. Post-war some of its products won international awards.

 

End of an era

 

In 1966 they created the Alyonka chocolate bar, which is still one of the company's most popular products. It was named after the small girl whose picture features on the wrapper. Her face currently adorns a cover on the front of the factory building, while refurbishment takes place.

 

Visiting the red brick buildings, with their high windows, steaming chimneys and suspended passage ways, is perhaps as close as you can actually get to being allowed into Willy Wonka's fantasy chocolate factory.

 

The guide hands you boiled sweets and chocolates direct from the production lines. Some of the machines are ageing, while others are ultra-modern.

 

Production and about 3,000 workers are gradually being moved to the new site, where the company plans to make 120,000 tonnes of confectionery a year, mostly for Russia and other former Soviet countries.

 

It says it will keep a museum on the old five-hectare site, but to many Muscovites it will never be the same without the smell of chocolate wafting across the river.

 

 

I also found some other photos online .

 

 

 

 

And so , I sit munching my chocolate bar

 

 

Fore

 

 

 

and aft ,

 

 

 

 

remembering the good , old days !! Chocolate anybody ?

[MicCanberra]

Wow, what a wonderful story and the hazelnut chocolate looks great.:D

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for all the details on the red October factory chocolates.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Thanks for all the details on the red October factory chocolates.:D

 

When we asked our friends about Alyonka their shared fond memories of the affordable treat which was always available , even during the days food shortages and long lines . We think that it may have been a Soviet secret weapon . ;) I found another story about it :

 

Alyonka, unwrapped

 

In the mid-1960s, the government ordered the production of affordable milk chocolate for children. The candy bar that grew out of this order was called Alyonka. The sweet little girl depicted on the wrapper became a best friend to several generations of Russian kids.

 

Rumors abounded as to the identity of the girl. One theory held that she was the daughter of either the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, or of the first man in space, Yury Gagarin.

 

The real story goes as follows. Originally the chocolate was supposed to be called Alyonushka (a version of the name Alyona), after a popular Russian folk character, and the picture on the packaging was to be of this fairytale peasant girl. However, it turned out that a similar brand was already being produced by a rival factory.

 

The sweetest Russian dessert from Kolomna

 

Read more! The sweetest Russian dessert from Kolomna

At that point, the decision was made to change the name of the new chocolate to Alyonka (also a version of Alyona) and to have the competitor’s brand banned for ideological reasons. After all, how could life-affirming Soviet chocolate bars have a picture of a barefoot peasant girl on the package?

 

In 1965, the newspaper Vechernaya Moskva ran a contest, asking people to submit pictures of their children to be considered for the packaging. The factory received hundreds of photos. In the end, the factory bosses chose the daughter of the factory artist, Alexander Gerinas, Yelena.

 

Unlike the barefoot peasant Alyonushka, the new Alyonka – with her plump rosy cheeks – was the epitome of Soviet prosperity.

 

Nearly half a century and hundreds of new chocolate brands later, the cute chubby girl in a headscarf is still staring at consumers from the counter of every market and candy shop across the country.

[scubacruiserx2]

After leaving Yeliseev's , our next stop was the statue of Yuri Dolgorukiy , the founder of Moscow .

 

 

 

 

http://www.moscow-russia-insiders-guide.com/yuri-dolgoruky-founder-of-moscow.html

 

 

And across the street , the beautiful Moscow Town hall

 

 

 

Next up was a statue of Pushkin .

 

 

http://www.moscow-russia-insiders-guide.com/pushkin-statue-in-moscow.html

 

 

 

We didn't notice until later the Soviet newspaper Izvestia was on the left of the photo .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izvestia

 

 

Instead , our attention was on this park and the theatre .

 

 

 

 

And the pony rides !

 

 

 

 

The theatre was showing the Disney version musical of Beauty and the Beast . Had we known that it was playing , we would have went there on the previous rainy evening , after dinner with our friends .

 

 

Edited November 7, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[MicCanberra]

Interesting how the government just gets rid of the opposition choc factory for idealogical reasons.

[perfect match]

Sweet story about the chocolate. :D Of course, now I have to go and have some chocolate myself. :eek:

 

I would love to see the Bolshoi Ballet.

[scubacruiserx2]

Interesting how the government just gets rid of the opposition choc factory for idealogical reasons.

 

Ah yes , the good old days ! In a strange twist to the story , here is a post -Soviet Union story of modern Russian chocolate wars . The story and photo are from the Moscow Times article of September 4th , 2012 .

 

 

 

 

Vedomosti

The Alyonka brand is a battleground in a conflict between companies.

The young girl on the cover of the Alyonka chocolate bar may look timid and sweet, but to Russian confectioners she is more dangerous than her namesake, Helen of Troy.

 

The fight for Alyonka between confectioners in the two Russian capitals started when the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service prohibited the St. Petersburg-based Krupskaya Factory from producing Krupskaya Alyonka chocolate. Moscow's United Confectioners, which had patented the Soviet Alyonka brand in 1999, had complained that the products' wrappers were too similar.

 

But now Krupskaya is striking back by producing the Mechta Alyonki (Alyonka's Dream) chocolate bar. The confectioner, which is owned by Orkla Brands Russia, has also filed a notice with the Federal Service for Intellectual Property to get rights to produce other sweets under the Mechta Alyonki brand, Marker.ru reported, citing Olga Agafonova, a spokeswoman for Orkla Brands.

 

Representatives of Orkla Brands Russia and Krupskaya Factory could not be reached to confirm these plans.

 

The Mechta Alyonki brand was registered by Azart, an Orkla subsidiary, in 2003. Sergei Lapin, a partner at Nadmitov, Ivanov & Partners law firm, said that Krupskaya's use of the brand would not be in violation of the antitrust ruling, but he added that officials could still decide whether this form of the name is acceptable.

 

The battle for Soviet brands is gaining more momentum now, with companies also squaring off to get rights to old alcohol brands, as well as the famous Vologda butter.

 

Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization has given local companies new mechanisms for getting and protecting intellectual property rights, which is helping to fuel the fight.

 

"Now the law allows you to fight for Soviet brands and gives you a sufficiently effective arsenal, which was not the case in the Soviet period," Lapin said. "So yes, it will become more important to register one or another trademark for yourself to ensure priority use and, if need be, use this trademark to battle the competition."

 

But some experts question the value of this struggle. Andrei Stas, founder of Stas Marketing, said that it is not beneficial for companies to have Soviet brands anymore because the younger generations are not loyal to them.

 

"Their time has passed," he said. "The generation that grew up on these brands is getting old, and the youth are not interested."

 

However, Stas expects that the battle for Soviet brands may still continue for years, in part because companies want to capitalize on the society-wide nostalgia for old times. Zhiguli beer and Yantar and Druzhba processed cheeses are some of the Soviet brands that are still thriving on this nostalgia.

 

"As long as those who ate these products in Soviet times are alive, the battles will continue," Stas said.

[scubacruiserx2]

Sweet story about the chocolate. :D Of course, now I have to go and have some chocolate myself. :eek:

 

I would love to see the Bolshoi Ballet.

 

Thanks Nancy . The chocolate is available here , but it is , of course , best enjoyed in Russia . The Bolshoi in Moscow is the most famous of the 2 ballet companies in Russia , but the Mariinsky ( named the Kirov during Soviet times ) in St. Petersburg , is older than the Bolshoi .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariinsky_Theatre

 

 

The Mariinsky also has the accessibility advantage over the Bolshoi being located where the cruise ships dock in St. Petersburg . :) :D

 

Here's a photo of it on a rainy Sunday morning in St. Petersburg .

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Wow, what a wonderful story and the hazelnut chocolate looks great.:D

 

Thanks Mic , sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction . I do love the hazelnut , but couldn't find it online . But I did find almond ! :) One smile only because Pat's not allowed to eat chocolate with her condition . :( :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About 2 years after this , my father in law sent me a gag gift , a T shirt with a photo on it from 1958. On the shirt a young child , dressed the same , and sitting on a potty chair - with the same face , eyes , lips and similar scarf , tied around the head ! The photo faded , and the T shirt fell apart , but I have the real deal at home now !

 

 

 

 

A slight correction :

 

 

I didn't allow Pat to see what I was writing on post # 1440 until I had submitted it . After reading it , she went and found the 35 year old T-shirt , which I thought as gone ! So here's a photo of the old T-shirt with a photo from 1958 on the front, of my little Alyonka , Pat - 6 years before the candy was first created in Moscow . ;)

 

 

 

 

 

Next up: The last stop in Moscow

Edited November 8, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[MicCanberra]

Love the T-shirt photo.:D