Saturday, In The Park (Part One)

Signs that you've been in Astrakhan too long:
- you welcome the need to do hand laundry, as it gives you something to do
- you find yourself plotting the longest possible route to get from here to there, as it will take up more time
- you realize you've figured out the schedule for the ferry that chugs past your window
- you walk outside in the morning, see that the begger women are missing, and actually miss them

We had a very long outing this morning. I popped Suzannah into the Demon Stroller (insert outraged howls here) and headed off toward the park. Along the way, we passed this pretty area:



This is a statue of Lenin, in front of the Astrakhan Kremlin. Suzannah is totally unimpressed. Or maybe the Demon Stroller was trying to eat her.

Then we went into the Kremlin.



The gleaming white structure behind her is the entrance. The one to her left (your right)is a gorgeous old church. The flowers are still so beautiful November 1, and there's still petunias and mums and other bloomers! The landscaped areas are still very lush and colorful - a strong contrast to the dusty, falling-down homes just 5 minutes walk away.

Here's another building inside the Kremlin. I think it was a monastary, though I can't remember for sure:



We then proceeded to the park. It wasn't even 10 yet, so there weren't a lot of people, but Suzannah had great fun pushing the Demon Stroller up and down the paths. She also loved watching a couple of kids who were trying out their rollerblades. But mostly, she liked sitting on a bench to eat goldfish.



Can you see the pigeon perched on the top of the bench? There was quite a crowd of them by the times she was done. All I could think of was Auntie Carol and the bird who jumped on her lap to share her bread. Luckily these birds were a little more cautious - though not by much.

It was too early for brides, but there were super-bundled kids who Suzannah clearly wanted to play with, but didn't know how to approach. I tried to start a game with one little girl and she immediately burst into tears. Forget Scum Mom, I am now Scum Female.

Right behind the park is a pedestrian mall. After almost an hour in the park we went into the mall, where the big attraction was 2 horse! They were being used to give pony rides to kids. No, I didn't get her a ride - figuring out how to ask about it would be too hard for a wimp such as I. But Suzannah was happy simply watching them and making a "clop, clop" sound with her mouth. We stood in one place and stared at them for at least 10 minutes. I finally had to pick her up and haul her away, squirming and screaming in protest.

We spent almost 2 hours in the park, not really doing much, just watching anf running and pushing. Eventually we had to walk back to the hotel. I took a different route on the way back and we walked past the Ministry of Education.



I tried to explain to Suzannah that the MoE was the place where she was matched with us, but for some reason she didn't seem to care.

We got back just in time for Mommy to make a lovely lunch which the Tsarina refused to eat. (Larry, you would never know that this is the same child who spent every minute of our baby home visits trying to rifle through our backpacks for food.) I made 2 kinds of sandwiches, some instant oatmeal (the good kind), and cut up some fruit. What did she eat? Maybe 6 bites of apple & banana. And she drank a bunch of juice. She won't drink from her sippy cup, but she LOVES to drink from a real cup or a bottle. When it's time to brush her teeth she'll stick the toothbrush in her mouth over & over, just so she can get more water.

She doesn;t talk much in the mornings, or around other people, but as the day goes by she talks more & more. She kept up a whole running monologue as I was making lunch. Of course, the minute I grab the camera she stops, but it's good to know she's capable of saying a lot more than "beep-beep," "woof," and "meow."

When I told her it was time for nap, she plopped down on the floor & started the rolling thing. But when I ignored it, she eventually started humming to herself as she rolled. It took me a couple of minutes but I finally realized she was humming "Skip to my Lou" from the Barney video!

This afternoon, we'll either go back to the park in search of brides, or to the playground. And maybe we'll try eating in the restaurant tonight. Oooh, the drama!