h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Art Exam starts tomorow, will carry on wed and thurs too! everone is panicing, one guy broke his arm and doesn't have to do it, lucky him!

Hi Hannah back from Russia now - phewphh! WHAT a country! and did we get an encounter in a very calm quiete sinister ultra-efficient, ultrastylish (very)KGB office disguised as something else? (they like to call themselves the FSB these days)

We probably did.

We reigned back the assertiveness, over train tickets originally - too much desperation about travel on the part of foreigners, who of course are still watched at hotels as in Communist times (intelligence services watch people, and because they watch people they can control them)was most unwise. Basically the staff reported us and thats how it happened.

Glad to be back really - the apprehension levels which couldn't but be maintained at various high levels all week have more or less subsided completely now - feel so much more relaxed now. and the interior ministry troops ready to be let loose on the crowds at any time - should there be trouble -and some happened just before we went to Russia - they where everywhere with there horrible great industrial unit style troop carrier lorries, with very high massively long bonnets and pipes alongside the vehicles and attached as part of them and antennae, crowded with troops at the ready and in groups etc on the street in their dark blue/light blue/grey special khaki, black berets with black tassle hanging down at the back and trousers stopping short about eight inches above their feet as they where tucked
into the tops of their big black skinhead thug style black 'bovver boots' and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers absolutely everywhere - everywhere all over the hotel, in even the smallest streets, on trains, marching straight into shops and just doing as they please without compunction as to how they disrupt the business ,upset customers no warrant needed they just do/go wherever they want whenever they want no hesitation, no limits. hence the relief at being back here - i can afford to relax now. Russia isn't a democracy really. My Mum knows a retired Russian diplomat who lives round here now in waterlooville, he still has contacts in Russia, he goes over there every so often, and though the Soviet Union collapsed over a decade ago, he say he can't really see whats changed really.
But for all that I really enjoyed it - it was an experience and a challenge.
I know i have of course been babbling away about me here. understanding things that are happening often helps you rise above them a bit even if it doesn't always change the material facts of the situation. don't get to disheartened by these really angering and hurtfull problems - they and the depressing gloom of them have a fatal error in them - they collapse and pass. They have set in as the order of the day at the moment, but have you ever had the experience of distressingly disturbing problems that seem so just 'undealablewith' and 'rightnowish' and which have been that way for ages, then several weeks later you mind to its suprise awakens to the fact that you can't remember what happened to those problems - problems have this nasty habit from there point of view of being no more immune to reality than you are. Anyway nothing that a bar of Russian Soviet style chocolate from the Kremlin can't cure! See you friday!

Hi Hannah best of luck with the art exams today, tomorrow, and Thursday!

Thanks Rich, thats comforting, and you're right about some things, but some problems just don't go away, and don't look as if they're going to in the forseeable future, glad you enjoyed Russia sounds scary.
Staying at Laney's house for the moment (as you know) should be back home in a couple of days, when hopefully things will have calmed down, I'm hoping to test the water for future reference, as I'll probably be back at Laney's this time next week when M & D go to Holland. Brother says he's going to Nan's house with the dog, but I don't know if he'll end up staying at home or something, you know what he's like. at the moment i'm keeping out of the way so that m & D can get B to stay at home. might see you friday, i don't know what's going on, or when they're leaving. Friday will be my last day at college. we're haveing a leavers mass and dinner after school on wednesday (speaking of which i had better ask the parents for a lift!) all the art coursework has to be in and mounted by wed too! hope to see you fri,

Hi Hannah thanks for that. realize it is a bit of a tough time at the moment with Sam. he went from very nice to turbulent again on friday. of course i expect you would like the privacy and comfort of your own room but then perhaps it is a break being at Laneys. i realize i am using understatement by saying tough time. Hopefully all will be well with getting the artwork in by wednesday! at least after its in it might give you time to do other things. last day of college on friday then mass and dinner at college the following wednesday! then its the gap year - well not a whole year if you start in september - phenomenon! my russia pictures are loaded onto the computer - all 240 of them - ask mum to show you! hope you like! i got you a bar of kremlin chocolate. unfortunately i was unable to get sam anything, Mum thought this might be a bit of a problem, so i left it at her discretion. i will do a kremlin visit write up tomorrow and where ten words will do i will only use one! i will have to do it in the evening so will be ready to read on wednesday. hope to see you friday, if not will speak here - enjoy the break at laneys

A VIST TO THE KREMLIN

We entered the Kremlin by walking up a long steep cobbled bridge over what was once a moat, but is now the Alexander gardens which wrap around one side of the very high walled red brick fortress of over a square mile which forms the central complex of the Russian Government. At the top of the bridge loomed the immenseley high red brick Trinity tower and gateway which is actually a roadway continuation of the bridge through a vast arch through the tower and into the Kremlin. To the right immediately upon entering the Kremlin was the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. It is an enormous concrete and glass building, five of whose floors are sunk into the ground to lower it so it fits in more harmoniously into the Kremlin skyline. It was built in 1962 to host congresses and other important meetings of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The tall slender windows rise up from the ground traversing the floors to the top floor in tall slenders 'coloumns' of beautifull reflective blue mirror-glass set between slender elegant concrete 'pylons' that subdivide the facade. Many people don't like this building but I like its austere cool and impressive elegance.
I peered into it and saw deep red and bright red mosaics of Lenin and the Revolution stretched over the tops of the meeting halls and reception areas of the front of the building. I lingered and peered in for some time; this was a view into the innermost recesses of a dramatic twentieth century history.
We then continued along the wide pavement further into the heart of the Kremlin. At this point we made a mistake. one of us stepped off the pavement to take a picture of the other - and were immediately greeted with a piercing sharp shrill whistle blast I looked up, a uniformed soldier beckoned us sharply to get back on the pavement. Every ten seconds or so we heaerd shrill whistle blasts as other tourists got 'blown' back onto the pavement or put feet over painted white lines.
At a painted white zebra crossing across the huge expanse of dark black cobbles we spied what appeared to be tourists wandering around in gardens the other side. However standing in the middle of the zebra crossing stood an armed policemen. Should we cross or not? we risked it. Nothing happened and with a sense of relief - if any such thing is possible whilst in the Kremlin - we arrived in the gardens. No policemen in there, it was a sort of oasis. The gardens were laid out in a very severe formal way with beds of colourfull flowers stretching away in long lines under the low trees which almost made the gardens
wooded.
After wandering a bit in the gardens, we crossed back over the zebra crossing to the agglomeration of ancient onion-domed cathedrals that form the heart of the Kremlin. This complex of cathedrals in there almost forest setting of innumerable tall dark Russian forest pines - a glade known as the Borovitsky or 'pine wood' created a magnificent spectacle. The multiple clusters of onion domes atop the cathedrals with their brilliant untarnished gold leaf shone brilliantly and dazzlingly in the brilliant blue sunlit sky. Their brilliant white walls and towers glistened warmly in the sun. Alongside them darkly loomed tall dark blackish-green Russian forest pines. All that was neede d was a sprinkling of Russian fairy-tale and an elegant white horse with a knight on top and the magic would be even more complete. On the slender tips of the onion-domes the brilliant golden crosses of the Russian Orthodox Church shone stately and brilliantly in the sky. Unfortunately no damsel-in-disress appeared at any of the little windows for me to rescue - ah well another time eh?
Having snapped out of this reverie into which I had been transfixed, we continued to the vast bulk of the Great Kremlin Palace. This Palace is immenseley tall as well as long, set at the highest point within the Kremlin, and its vast facade looms out over the Moscow river that flowed in the distance alongside the south wall of the Kremlin. We decided to approach the side wall of the palace at the end of a narrow passageway, and peer into what is the official residence of the Russian president. Up on tall steps within like those used by swimming pool lifeguards sat a uniformed soldier who snarled something from behind the glass - we made a hasty retreat.
As we wandered around a long black limousine with mirror-glass so nobody can take aim at whoever's inside passed by over the cobbles surrounded by large black Mrecedes saloons (special model) with flashing blue lights. Evidently somebody very important had entered the Kremlin. the sinister cavalcade passed and i reflected that tourists were people of no importance to these men - who of course make decisions about nuclear arms and the wars raging in Chechnya, Georgia etc..
Finally, on the way back out, near the ntrance again we spied a small exhibition so we entered. I was stunned - in the entrance in a road level window arch stood a beautifull elegant bonsai in an elegant oriental base. what was it doing there? It turned out to be an exhibition of ancient Chinese culture and art. Of all the places to come across such a thing!
Finally we left, going out the Trinity Tower gate and back down the sharply sloping long cobbled bridge back into the real world in Moscow's streets. It had been an interesting experience.

Heya! did try to read, but too tired to be able to concentrate, will look again later. last night was the leavers mass and meal, the meal was at the brookfield hotel, it was really good, but concequently most people are a little worse for wear in college today, i'm alright really, i only had one glass of wine, but some people went back to friends houses afterwords and then had to get up early so they're not feeling so good today.
all my art coursework went in yesterday! that is it! all art is done (and anything not done is just tough) only the english exams to go now.
will be around tommorow as i'm not going to laney's until saturday now, so i'll see you friday. maybe then you can tell me about russia and i'll actually be able to concentrate.
on the other hand, friday is our last day and everyone is going to the pub, so maybe i won't be able to concentrate.