Simply stunning portraits of Mali! Hello David, thank you for sharing. Mali was always a dream to see, but I never made it. I paint as a pastime being retired and wonder if your photos are copy righted.
Would love to paint some faces for my own pleasure and challenge.
I seem to recall that the strawberries were heavily infused with alcohol Hi Dave and Denise, I do enjoy your blogs, I seem to recall that the strawberries were heavily infused with alcohol.
After reading this blog, remembering previous ones, I can picture you on a winter's night, storm howling outside the large windows, large fire with flames dancing, you, your family all snuggled up together on a large comfy sofa and you telling a story....not reading but relating a vivid story as it comes to mind. Thank you for bringing back the memories with both pictures and words
I seem to recall that the strawberries were heavily infused with alcohol I don't recall if the strawberries were heavily infused with alcohol, Simon. But I will never forget the mischief on our faces as we planned how to vote for Chef each time and Chef's, Sasha's & Tim's reactions. When you and Denise devised how the three of us would raise our arms in unison then with perfect timing gurgle "Chef" as our arms reached the vertical with our one finger salutes...brilliant. I will never forget the excitement in your face and the joy of spending time together on many occasions on that trip. Pity Liz missed Liars Club but now your exploits are preserved in the ether for her and many others to enjoy.
Now that's living! I knew a girl who worked for a Russian company. She said every morning they would all get together and do a shot of vodka to start their day. Good on ya for representing yourself so well and throwing caution into the wind as you gopacked to your heart's delight. And you outsculling the bronzed young lad is clearly the stuff of legends and fables. Good stuff.
Now that's living! I knew a girl...often leads to a good story don't you reckon, Tommy. I once played chess with a genius and to his shock I won. Was I silly enough to let him have a rematch? No way...and he keeps asking!!! Gotta grab your luck while ya got it. Some exploits are hard to repeat. Now that's the stuff of the wise...and the stuff of legends!
One Good Story Leads to Another... Great stories! One of the best things about traveling is the people you meet along the way! Dancing with strangers can also be fun...!
One Good Story Leads to Another... Thanks Syl. Hard to tell a good story if it is not a memorable one. Mixing with the locals and those you meet along the way is the best way to enjoy any exotic stay.
On drinking in former USSR I once visited Georgia, former USSR, and was invited for breakfast with a family. I was given a large shot of vodka with the breakfast. While I was slowly drinking that the host drank 5 of them and then went to work. I have also visited Azerbaijan. That's a Muslim country where the attitude towards alcohol is "The Quran forbids us to drink wine. So we drink vodka instead" /Ake
On drinking in former USSR Great comment Ake. Can't drink wine so OK to drink vodka! Maybe that's why the band at Ennde was so enthused to drink Malian gin with us! I think it was you that told me of the ferry from Finland that was a morning vodka dance fest. The sail-away party I describe has to be the only time I've imbibed in the morning...and many drank a lot more than me. 'If ya can't beat 'em join 'em' certainly made for a memorable day!
So you got your name Dancing Dave in Murramurang with your kids cheering you on!? On our cruise to Alaska, one evening the entertainment was the show "Hairspray" with music from the '50's. Unfortunately, I was sitting near the front and a caste member pulled me up on stage to dance the Twist. I am no dancer, but somehow I acquired the name. When walking around on deck or in port, other passengers would point at me and say "There's the dancer!" How embarrassing...I could have used some vodka! I'm enjoying tales of your enculturation...
So you got your name Dancing Dave in Murramurang with your kids cheering you on!? So you are also known as 'the dancer', Bob. I can picture it now!!! Those unexpected moments of notoriety or fame are priceless. Reminds me of the time I was picked out of 200 to dance with the belly dancer in the desert in Dubai...and I was not even in the front row!!! They gave me a blowup photo to remember it by. Great memories that make one smile. Thanks for commenting.
"Gopak is the name for Russian Cossack traditional dancing"
Hopak (Ukrainian: гопа́к, IPA: [ɦoˈpɑk]) is a Ukrainian folk dance originating as a male dance among the Zaporozhian Cossacks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopak also read this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossacks
Gopak & Hopak This has made my day...great to hear from you Alexander. I thought of you while writing this blog and your advice on the social dilemma in Russia of vodka to excess. I will not forget. Thanks for the links on Gopak & Hopak. Oh if I could have shown my gopak skills from my youth on the sundeck. The first LP I ever bought was a Cossack folk music record. I was one of the leads in a Russian Imperial Dance Company and my show-off was on my haunches doing kicking with arms folded. But on our cruise I dared not do so for fear of injury...or not being able to get up! Keep in touch my friend.
Not a drinker? Hi Dave, love the kitty cat - now that is wall art. Also enjoyed the true/false story and "chef". As for you not being a drinker I'd say that was "false"...
Not a drinker? Great to hear from the Yeti, Andy. I was 'johnny on the spot' when the woman fell in front of Kitty-kat. In a medical sense an occasional drinker can be termed a "not a drinker" and as I enjoy a beer and having discovered G&Ts travelling up the Niger River in a leaky boat, non regularity I proffer can qualify. But as Chopper Reid the notorious criminal who claimed to have murdered five people for which he was never charged and was immortalised by his best selling book and the film "Chopper" starring Eric Bana used to say with a toothless grin, "Don't let facts get in the way of a good story"! Enjoyed your comment.
A delightful tale Hi Denise & David,
I loved reading The Frog Princess - a delightful tale.
I am enjoying the Pushkin fairy tale book ( for adults) we purchased as a souvenir in Russia also. It transports me to a “make believe “place - a type of meditation I suppose.
Hope you are ok & not suffering any water damage!
Cheers
Mary
Loved this David Lovely to hear from you Pauline. Sometimes the arrow falls in places we do not expect. I do not know the moral of this tale but I was glad I discovered it.
Drift Away I love the way you tied in the time you were writing the blog into the days of actual travel. Great mental image of you throwing on a dressing gown to take sunrise pictures as you float steadily down the Volga. Your photo of the bird crying out against the dark read sky is hauntingly effective.
Drift Away Glad you joined the ride Tommy. I tried to capture the quieter moments. Drift away is a nice way to express it. Reminds me of the Dobie Gray song of the same name "Oh give me the peace boys and free my soul, I want to get lost in your rock & roll and drift away". Thank you.
Clearly Russia has much to offer This great northern land has charmed its way into your heart. I have no doubt you will return for more exploration. What a fairy tale.... good luck living down the vacuum cleaner and the doll! Love to you both.
Clearly Russia has much to offer Russia was truly a revelation. Coming from the World's driest continent to the World's largest country...in many ways the most interesting. Thousands of photos. I find it an exhilarating challenge for what I will present next.
Some more cartoons Glad you liked it. I kinda thought you would.
I'm not sure what other fairy tales your book may have, but chances are some, if not most, have been made into cartoons.
Some random suggestions (too bad I can't embed direct links):
The sad wise wolf I remember seeing in one of your photos ("ну, ты заходи, если что") is from a delightful "Жил-был пёс".
If you liked the animation style of Царевна-лягушка, you might also like "Гуси-лебеди", "Сестрица Алёнушка и братец Иванушка", which are adaptations of Russian fairy tales, and "В яранге горит огонь", which is a take on Northern indigenous folklore. Same animation style (but a different literary source) would be found in "Аленький цветочек", but you'd probably need subtitles.
For some goofy modern claymation, check out "Глинька" and "Терем мухи" from an awesome modern series "Гора самоцветов"
"Снежная королева" is probably the best adaptation of Andersen's "Snow Queen".
"Кот в сапогах" Бардин" is an unmistakably 1990's claymation short by Garry Bardin, one of the key figures in Soviet and Russian stop-motion animation.
Some more cartoons Thank you again and again Peck to paw. I hope you reveal yourself further. I hope you have read my earlier Russian blogs that embrace Russian history as history is also pivotal to the Russian psyche. I will check out you cartoon suggestions with joyous expectation. fascinating
My wife Denise & I like to travel "on paths less travelled" that capture our imagination, inspire my photography & where we mix with locals & remain safe.
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Helga Weichselbaum
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Simply stunning portraits of Mali!
Hello David, thank you for sharing. Mali was always a dream to see, but I never made it. I paint as a pastime being retired and wonder if your photos are copy righted. Would love to paint some faces for my own pleasure and challenge.