Happy Halloween!

Though I may not be able to participate in passing out candy to all the adorable trick-or-treaters, and Ryan and I are not attending any Halloween parties dressed in costume, I would like to pass along a Happy Halloween to everyone reading our blog.

It seems, each year in Russia brings about more Western "comforts."  Do not get me wrong, there are many comforts I desperately miss while abroad (my list would fill pages), but rather than dwell on the list, and things I cannot change, I will celebrate the small things that made this Halloween.....happy.

I mentioned this last year, and again earlier this year, I desperately wanted to find carve-able pumpkins.  I missed the opportunity last year, but I was determined to succeed.  Success was on the menu, I found a small, white pumpkin at the local market (success #1) and then stumbled upon Halloween pumpkins in our nearby grocery store (success #2).  Bear with me a moment as I ramble about a theory I have:

I do not know how grocery store "ordering" takes place.  I like to think there is a person in charge of ordering all items that stock the shelves.  It also brings me joy to think that this designated person flips through a grocery store "catalog" choosing various items.  With that said, I believe the "orderer" at our nearby grocery store, flips through the catalog and thinks to himself "I wonder what crazy things an American, expat wife would buy?"  He then proceeds to order those items, stock the shelves, and sit back to be delightfully entertained when I walk in, spot the new item, then proceed to let out small cheers, occasionally breaking into a "happy dance" and buy up a large portion of the stock.  

Case in point, Halloween pumpkins.......

Rambling complete; I believe this theory is correct because from my discussions with local Russians, Halloween is not a popular "holiday" (though it is growing) and last year, while questioning my Russian teacher about where I may locate a carve-able pumpkin, she shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't believe there were any.  So, the pumpkins were not purchased for the general population, but rather for the entertaining reactions of expats walking into the store.  Regardless, it brought me great joy (and I am pretty positive, the nearby employee who witnessed my reaction was greatly entertained). 

Our Western, commercialized pumpkin and our Russian pumpkin. 

Saturday, Ryan and I carved our pumpkins,  They are small but mighty.  I was afraid upon first cut we would find mold, or some other nastiness inside, but they were great.  Their small size made cleaning and carving quite difficult.  We prevailed and were handsomely rewarded.  I was so excited to have pumpkins sitting in our window!

Ryan was going to challenge the commercialized pumpkin. 

I wanted to carve the Russian pumpkin.
Russian lesson.... pumpkin - тыква

Tiniest pumpkins.
Both of us had to throw away our "lids."
After cleaning the pumpkins, the lids fell through the openings. 

Finished products!

Ryan chose a bat.
Bat - летучая мышь
(literally means, flying mouse)

I chose ghosts because of the white pumpkin.
I also decided to carve ghosts around the entire pumpkin.
Ghost - привидение

And, since every American holiday includes food of some sort, Halloween being no exception with the plethora of candy purchases.  With the lack of trick-or-treaters, we do not have large amounts of candy sitting around, but we did incorporate Halloween treats.

During his trip to Houston, in September Ryan surprised me (though I shouldn't have been) with bringing these back!  Ryan LOVES his Oreos.  

Since I didn't join Ryan in Houston.....insert sad face and a sigh..... I resorted to a homemade Halloween treat.  
Sweet pumpkin seeds.  

Since I can't help myself, I made a treat for the office....hypnotizing Russian tastebuds one treat at a time.  I heard from Ryan, and an email from my friend at the office, the puppy chow was a big hit.  

To everyone celebrating Halloween with costumes, parties, and trick-or-treaters feel free to share pictures and stories, I will live vicariously through you!

What were popular costumes?

What was the best costume?

What was the cutest trick-or-treater dressed as?

And please have a piece of Halloween candy for me!

Lagoons and Islands

Our last full day in Italy was spent venturing around the surrounding lagoons and islands (link to photo album) of Venice.  We boarded a small, wooden boat and set off.  The tour made a stop at a small, quiet island where St. Francis of Assisi built a church.  Friars still live on the island and provide tours.  Not only was this a wonderful experience, but I was also an interesting coincidence, Ryan always wears a necklace with the image of St. Francis of Assisi.  The Friar that showed us around was very surprised and pleased when Ryan showed him the necklace.

We continued on, and made our way to Burano Island, famous for the lace makers and Murano Island, famous for the glassblowing.  Both islands were filled with colorful buildings.

The extremely low bridges make the game of "Duck" so much more extreme and necessary. 

Later in the day, Ryan and I returned to Murano Island to tour the Murano Glass Workshop.  It was incredible to watch a man work the the fire-hot glass, and create a vase in minutes, and then a fish.  I particularly enjoyed the tour, not only for the skill in the artwork, but the warmth coming from the ovens (a nice contrast to the cooler, damp weather outside).

Finally, on our last day, we found the mask store I had heard so much about.  We did not take the class on the history of Venetian masks, or make our own masks, but we did enjoy trying on various kinds.  We learned that the masks became popular as a way for the upper class to conceal their identity when participating in public gambling matches, or other less proper activities.   I was surprised how heavy some masks were, or the necessity small nose holes could make for breathing while the wearing the mask.

Definitely needed nose holes (not simply painted), was nearly impossible to breath with the mask on. 

Tough man, suggested he start wearing this to his meetings. 

And, all good things must come to an end.  Our day ended with another lovely dinner, and yet another brave culinary experience of local cuisine.  As Ryan said, I was a "big-girl" and order the mussel soup, which was probably one of my most favorite choices of the trip, AND Venice's trademark cuttlefish.  The shocking black color actually has very little flavor.  I was an extremely dainty eater and avoided black-stained teeth.

Perfect ending to our last night in Italy.....gelato. 

The following morning we boarded a taxi boat and were off to the airport.  It was saddening to say good-bye, but I know (fingers severely crossed) we will venture back to Italy in the future.

A very early flight allowed us to watch the sun rise during our ride to the airport.  

A Venetian water highway.

An unusual first, arriving at an airport arrivals, on a boat.
One nice thing, no crazy traffic officers whistling, and hustling people along. 

Ciao...

Piazzas and Neighborhoods...

After a weekend spent with Ryan, carving pumpkins, getting our flu shots, and having friends over for a Pizza Party, it is back to the Venice posts.  I really can't believe how many posts I have done (too many) but I want to make sure I share everything, so this time next year (or anytime in the future), when I reread these posts, I will remember all the lovely adventures and experiences Ryan and I had in Italy.

Our first full day in Venice was spent with a tour guide for a few hours in the morning.  She met us at our hotel and began our tour from there, showing us interesting areas near our hotel, and eventually making our way to Piazza San Marco.

The morning weather was initially drizzly, but as the afternoon arrived, so did the sunshine.  We were "fortunate" enough to experience Piazza San Marco during high tide.  Elevated walkways were used for visitors to enter and exit above the water covered tiles.  I took one picture inside the Basilica before I was informed that photos were not allowed.  Basilica San Marco is an incredibly beautiful church, with gold leafing covering the entire ceiling.  Another lucky break was that the lights were on when we entered, so we got a full, visual experience of the beautiful ceiling.

After leaving the Basilica, we made our way to the Doge's Palace.  The Doge of Venice was the leader of the Republic of Venice.  It was in the Palace that we learned much about the governmental workings of Venice, how it successfully remained an Independent Republic before it was conquered and eventually joined the Kingdom of Italy.

We parted ways with our tour guide, but decided to explore the Palace a bit more (the weather was still a bit rainy).  As we finished, the clouds parted and sunshine poured down.  I had heard the Dorsoduro area of Venice was very nice, much quieter, less crowded, and a great location to grab lunch.  We set off, leaving Piazza San Marco, making our way to Accademia Bridge, and crossing into Dorsoduro.  It was there we grabbed lunch, and explored the beautiful waterfront areas.  Definitely fewer people, and definitely a nice experience.

During our morning tour, our guide informed us of two opportunities to get an aerial view of Venice.  We could either choose the bell tower in St. Mark's square, or board a water bus to the island of San Giorgio, and in her opinion, receive a less-crowded, better overall viewing experience.  Since we wanted to take a water bus, we chose the second option.  We have taken public buses (with wheels), used various metro systems (mind the gap), flown thousands and thousands of miles, boarded trains, but this would be our first water bus experience.  I was very excited to add another form of public transportation to my list.  The island was very quiet, and the views were wonderful.

Our first full day in Venice was lovely.  With a cool, drizzly start, I was a bit worried, but Venice did not disappoint.  I greatly enjoyed experiencing the popular, tourist areas, but then stepping aside, and exploring areas that fewer tourists venture to.  Our travels have taken us many places, and I have said this before, I do not simply want to experience the tourist spots of a city, but I want to truly experience the culture of the city itself.  What makes Venice.....Venice (click on Venice to view the photo album)

Our activities for our second day in Venice provided us with a very unique experience,
exploring the waterways and areas outside of central Venice.......

Venetian Nights...

"The Floating City"..... "City of Bridges"..... "City of Canals"..... 

Call it what you may, Venice is a truly different and unique experience.  To arrive in Venice, fresh off the train, one walks through small "streets" footpaths.   Rather than coming to an intersection, one arrives at a bridge.  Where one fears being hit by a car in Rome, one does not hear a single vehicle in Venice.  That is, vehicle with wheels, the only motors are the boats that pass under bridges, turn corners around buildings, and swerve to miss gondolas.

As with our arrival in Rome, we made our way to the hotel, checked in, grabbed a map, and set out exploring the area.  We were warned it is easy to get lost in Venice.  Luckily, as is always the case, Ryan was a star navigator, and led me through the twisting, turning, increasingly narrower "streets" making our way to Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal.  During our first night in Venice, Ryan was amazingly patient with my frequent "Italian Job" references, pauses to stare at the water, or photo stops on (almost) every bridge.

I believe the nights in Venice were my favorite times.  The buildings, bridges, and canals took on another look, had an almost enchanting feel.  Near our hotel, in a quiet neighborhood, the water in the canal was completely still, not even a ripple.

Rialto Bridge

Canal in front of our hotel (red awning) 

Ryan and I have different opinions on our favorite food locations.  He believes some of the best meals were in Rome, I believe some of the best meals were in Venice.  Maybe it was my Venice nights euphoria, or maybe it was the fact I stepped out of my comfort zone, and truly experienced the very best of Venetian cuisine.

One particular dinner.....

Musicians would pass by and play in front of the restaurants. 

Italian Dinner must include wine. 

Love :)

Embracing the local, and extremely fresh cuisine.  Grilled (whole) fish.  

Excellent restaurant.  Highly recommended. 

Welcome to Venetian Nights, filled with delicious cuisines, and local experiences. 

*To view photo album, click on "Venetian Nights"

Take a stroll from the Caravaggio neighborhood, through the many narrow streets (footpaths), to the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal.    

Happily reunited...

After my wine tasting post, I couldn't help but take a detour from the "Italy series" and mention a happy reunion that has taken place in Novorossiysk......

Thanks, Mom, for the lovely apron.
It says "Queen of Everything" on the front. :)
Along, with my laptop playing my "Life is Good" Pandora station, makes for a happy cooking experience.

With Ryan's return, I now have a reason to cook.  It has been close to 6 weeks since I was last cooking up a culinary creation.  When Ryan is gone, I have no desire to cook meals for myself, it only adds to the loneliness when you have to sit down to a delicious dinner, solo.

All my talking about wine, cheese, salami and pasta yesterday (made me hungry) reminded me to share a few of my recent creations.  Cooler weather has moved into our area, so soups, and tummy warming meals were on the menu.

After Italy, I returned to Novorossiysk while Ryan remained in Moscow.  Once he finally returned to our apartment, and after several weeks without a home cooked meal,  I wanted to create the perfect "welcome home" meal.  I decided chili with warm cornbread would be perfect, make it before he arrived home, let it simmer all day, and enjoy it for dinner.

I didn't want to make a "regular" chili.  I was inspired by a few different recipes, and created this "Italian" chili.  Zucchini, mushrooms, cannellini beans, and chickpeas were the new additions.  The seasonings were also changed a bit, adding some italian seasoning to the spices. 

Literally going through withdrawals.  After over a week of wine everyday, sometimes twice a day, and then close to a week with none, it can drive a wife silly.  My only request of Ryan was that he choose a lovely wine to accompany our dinner.  

Chili without cornbread is like......well, it's just wrong.  I added an extra egg white to the mixture, making the batter a bit less dense, sprinkled parmesan on the top before baking, and these little guys were mighty yummy.  

An Italian souvenir.
While in Venice, we went to Murano Island, famous for the glassblowing.  

An excellent fall dessert....warm rice pudding.
Must admit this would have been better if I was able to find better rice.  I needed more instant than I could find in the stores here, but overall a good dessert.

The following day, Ryan woke to the smell of pancakes!  Love pancakes....

Keeping with the fall theme, pumpkin pancakes with an apple cider syrup.  

Sunday evening, Ryan invited a friend from work to dinner.  I was not only excited to spend time with her, and share stories about Italy (she was the lucky lady who lived in Rome for a time), but I was also excited to cook another fall dinner.

Not your typical pumpkin soup.  This is peanut-pumpkin soup.
Very nice alternative, loved all the different spices and flavors that mixed together.  

I did it again (this is only the second time).  I roasted a whole chicken.  The last time I did this was LAST Thanksgiving, when I prepared a "living in Russia" Thanksgiving dinner.
I roasted onions, apples and brussel sprouts with the chicken.  To add some extra flavor, I used some of the apple cider syrup from the morning to coat the chicken, really adding a nice apple flavor. 

Really need to work on my chicken "carving."  Luckily the taste made up for my butchering. :)

I made tacos the other night and wanted to use up the remaining toppings, and corn salad.  I also had some yellow peppers and zucchini in the refrigerator that I didn't want to go bad.
Welcome to, leftover taco/clean out the vegetable drawer soup.
A tummy warming, "southwest" style soup, with fresh zucchini and feta as a topping (nice contrast to the spicy flavors).  Also, leftover hard taco shells, added a nice crunch.  

Well, there you have it.  I am cooking, I am happy, we are well fed, life is good in our apartment. :)