tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80447995892285484602011-04-22T08:10:21.680+06:00Ed and Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02302493432300685560noreply@blogger.comBlogger51100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8044799589228548460.post-6609581037996324262007-09-15T17:00:00.000+06:002007-09-15T23:10:40.971+06:00

Central Universal Store (TsUM)I'll never forget my first shopping experience in Perm! We had frozen pel'mini (very distantly related to ravioli) that we could boil, but nothing to serve them with. Most Russians eat them with sour cream smothered on top. Ed and I don't care for sour cream, however, so we decided we would shop for some ketchup. Our friend, Andy, took us to the closest store,

Ed and Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02302493432300685560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8044799589228548460.post-20926155529991276602007-09-11T11:05:00.000+06:002007-09-15T18:31:59.250+06:00

Perm's central market on a warm summer dayEd and I grew up in the Silicon Valley metropolitan area in Northern California. Shopping for clothes at a mall there is a far different experience from shopping for clothing in Perm - especially if you choose to shop at the central market! I found this out almost immediately upon moving to Perm.It was May 2002, and unseasonably warm considering how far

Ed and Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02302493432300685560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8044799589228548460.post-31887449122577547972007-08-28T23:03:00.000+06:002007-09-15T18:27:31.401+06:00

Annual celebration - 12 JuneWe arrived mid-May, just missing "Victory Day" celebrations, but in time for Perm's City Day, 12 June, 1999. We didn't speak a word of Russian beyond da (yes) and nyet (no). Things were complicated for us, since we didn't really have a grasp of the culture and jumped blindly into it. Upon reflection, we should have better prepared ourselves for this journey, but we

Ed and Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02302493432300685560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8044799589228548460.post-31410944154820459032007-08-23T12:48:00.000+06:002007-09-15T18:32:41.450+06:00

This church was used as a bread factory during the Soviet EraWe arrived in Moscow, not knowing what to expect. We did a whirlwind tour of the Kremlin and Red Square, but then had to make our way to the train station to catch our 22-hour train.We got on the train with only a little food and a little water, thinking we could buy something at stops along the way or eat in the restaurant car. One

Ed and Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02302493432300685560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8044799589228548460.post-55861442902072192282007-08-19T20:38:00.000+06:002007-09-15T18:30:54.233+06:00

St. Stephen's Monastery - High Point of the CityWe first heard of Perm when we were in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1998. Our friend, Andy Frecka, was about to embark on a HUGE undertaking...pioneering a base in Perm! He invited us to join him, but the most we would commit was to "visit" during the summer (no snow, right?) of 1999.Perm is located northeast of Moscow and west of Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk

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