This last March, my sister Lin and I spent an amazing 2 weeks in Russia.  In memory of one of our favorite films - Dr. Zhivago - we chose to go when Russia would still be in winter. We imagined a romantic snow falling on Red Square as we wandered about in our fur hats and boots. The irony was that, despite carrying all that gear, it was a very warm winter/beginning of spring and we saw only the tiniest flakes...just once.  So much for our Russian fantasy...

We were traveling with two wonderful friends from Brazil who are both architects and so our days were filled with going from one architectural marvel to the next.  Most of our trip was spent either in Moscow or in St. Petersburg where there are just a mind- boggling number of ornate and exquisite buildings and churches. We hired excellent guides who were extremely gracious and well-informed. As none of us spoke the language, having a guide is absolutely worthwhile and recommended.

There were many impressions made during our time there which I thought I would  share with you as they came to me.  In no particular order:

Hotel Baltschug Kempinski ,on right, overlooking the Moscow River

 *St Petersburg is beautiful, extremely clean and very European in feeling....much more so than Moscow which is very Russian in influence.   We stayed at the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski, where even the least extravagant room is enormous and elegant.   So much of the architecture is still in place and you can't help but be awed by the extravagance of the tsars.  BTW:  It has been estimated that 200,000 people died in the twenty years it took to build the city.

*The Hermitage is an overwhelming experience. It boasts an incredible three million works of art - only 5% of which it has room to display!  In order to see all the exhibits in the six buildings it comprises, you would have to walk about 24 miles. The two most popular exhibits are the French impressionists and the Dutch masters, and they are not to be missed.  Of course, they are now a bone of contention between Germany and Moscow as many are believed to be war booty from the private collections of German citizens. We only toured there for one day...not nearly enough time. 

*To take a picture in any of the museums, you actually have to purchase a photography pass. Probably an excellent way for museums to meet some of their expenses.

*The Winter Palace is part of the Hermitage. Every fact about it is overwhelming: 1.500 rooms, over 1,700 doors and almost 2,000 windows. There just is nothing like it in the world. Another interesting fact? The month-long looting of the palace's wine cellars during the 1917 revolution has been dubbed "the greatest hangover in history."

The Golden Drawing Room of the Winter Palace (now housing the Hermitage Museum), St. Petersburg

* Speaking of cocktails, you can purchase a bottle of Russian brand vodka for about $4.00.  But if, say, you choose to purchase an imported label - for example, Johnnie Walker?  That will cost you around $60.00.

*Though we all know that there is a tremendous discrepancy in wealth in Russia, we never encountered any beggars or homeless people anywhere in the two cities and in between.  And the streets were extremely clean and well-tended.  However, what you couldn't avoid feeling was the clear dichotomy of seeing so much wealth and over-the-top opulence in comparison to the lives of the ordinary Russian.  It was something that was difficult for me to reconcile.

*As we got to know our guides, they became more comfortable in expressing their feelings. They were not happy with Putin...but wonderful with us.  

*Unlike here, where our presidents never travel without a significant motorcade, Putin's entourage is surprisingly only one to two cars. The word is that he needs no more than that as the mob presence is everywhere. You would have to be suicidal if you thought you could get near Putin and cause him harm. No one would dare to touch him.

*Speaking of cars, the roads and traffic are incredible. I have no fear of driving anywhere, but I would definitely not drive there. There can be as many as 10 lanes going one way, and everyone is driving very aggressively and fast - no one stops to ever let another car in. And forget about walking across the street. To do that you go underground, where there is an impressive network of pedestrian tunnels. The only time there is any halt to the traffic is when Putin comes out of the Kremlin and gets into his black Mercedes. Then, incredibly, everything comes to a virtual standstill.

The Moscow Subway system is the worlds 2nd most heavily used rapid transit system.  They contain beautiful works of art with marble, chandeliers and art deco.

*Because of the difficulty of getting around by car, the subway system is unbelievable. Clean and affordable, many of them go as far as 4 stories underground. T

hey are definitely an efficient way of getting around, especially in Moscow, and are magnificent to see; they are actually pieces of art themselves.  See Moscow Subway map, click here.

*By the way...better forget any thoughts of getting married in Russia, unless you plan way ahead.  You don't pick the date...your local government official does and then tells you when you will be married!

*And forget the image you once had of short, plump women sweeping the streets wearing babushkas.  The Russian women (at least the majority that we saw) were absolutely gorgeous. Tall, thin and elegant.

*Last impression: when we were at the airport leaving Russia we met a female Russian interpreter.  After telling her where we had been and what we had seen and done, her comment was very interesting.  She said: "You have not seen the real Russia. You were not allowed to see the real Russia."  That is probably true...however, what we were allowed to see was truly remarkable.

Note: If you want to experience how bad it is driving in Russia, take a look at this incredible video featuring real footage of Russian drivers.   The reason why there is so much footage available is because of insurance.  There are so many accidents in Russia, that drivers have put video cameras on their dashboards so they can prove to the insurance companies who was at fault.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itMdLTd1l4E 

Greetings Stargazers and welcome to the winter season which is actually the best viewing time of the year due to the clear skies.  The winter solstice rang in on December 21^st at 12:11 p.m, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

In mid-December, the Earth passes through the Geminid meteoroid stream.  I hope that some of you were able to see it, as it can often be the richest reliable shower of the year, and it seems to be strengthening over time.

As mentioned in previous articles, if there is one constellation that everyone should know about at this time of year, it's wintry Orion climbing up in the east-southeast. As always, when Orion is on the rise, the three-star Belt of Orion is nearly vertical in its middle. Show someone Orion this week and they'll know it for a lifetime.  Also the Pleiades cluster, known as The Seven Sisters, is one not to be missed and can clearly be viewed with the aid of binoculars.

January's highlights: The short-lived Quadrantid Meteor shower which peaked on January 3^rd.   .

The Earth comes closest to the sun, known as perihelion, on January 4^th.  A very active week to ring in the New Year!

In February, the moon floats below Jupiter on the 10^th and then helps to create a wonderful conjunction on the 19^th, when it stands to the upper right of the blue star Spica and the orange planet Mars.  And for you romantics, the full moon happens to be on Valentines Day!

More About Moons...

To continue with the history and folklore of the seasonal full Moons...

According to Wikipedia, a full moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is completely illuminated as seen from the Earth. All full moons rise around the time of sunset.  Because the moon orbits the earth in the same direction the earth is rotating, the moon rises later each day - on average about 50.47 minutes later. The Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon are unique because the time difference between moonrises on successive evenings is much shorter than average.  Thus, there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for several days. As beautiful as the full moons are, they are generally a poor time to conduct astronomical observations, since the bright-reflected sunlight from the moon overwhelms the dimmer light from stars.

The early Native Americans did not record time by using the months of the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Many tribes kept track of time by observing the seasons and lunar months. For some tribes, the year contained 4 seasons and started at a certain season, such as spring or fall. Others counted 5 seasons to a year. Some tribes defined a year as 12 Moons, while others assigned it 13. Certain tribes that used the lunar calendar added an extra Moon every few years, to keep it in sync with the seasons. Each tribe that did name the full Moons (and/or lunar months) had its own naming preferences. Some would use 12 names for the year while others might use 5, 6, or 7; also, certain names might change the next year. The name itself was often a description relating to a particular activity or event that usually happened during that time. To learn more about the tribes and their names, click here.

The Full Moon Names we use in the Almanac come from the Algonquin tribes which lived in regions from New England to Lake Superior. They are the names the Colonial Americans used the most. Note that each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred.

According to the Farmer's Almanac, the winter moons are referred to as follows:

January:  The Full Wolf Moon

This full Moon appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside the villages. It is also known as the Old Moon. To some Native American tribes, this was the Snow Moon, but most applied that name to the next full Moon, in February.

February: The Full Snow Moon

Usually the heaviest snows fall in February. Hunting becomes very difficult, and hence, to some Native American tribes. this was also known as the Hunger Moon.

March:  The Full Worm Moon

At the time of this spring Moon, the ground begins to soften and earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of robins. This is also known as the Sap Moon, as it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow.

Wishing you all a good and healthy winter. Bundle up and try to get out there and view our heavens when you can because - before you know it - spring will be here and it will be time for a whole new show!

Happy New Year to all!

Karin Whittemore