Москва - Бенуа - Царское Село

The curse of the net: I got some info from Maxima Hotel Moscow about Anna Mons. Became interested in the painter Benois, and landed in Tsarskoye Selo. Nice!

...where are some really nice piano's (not only royals!)

Happy 867th Birthday, Moscow!

Yes, I had one on your health!

Челябинск (Дзюдо)

 Yes, I know: JUDO, not wrestling. And I really like judo, (also did some, once upon a time...) but in my drawings I only use cotton as pepper on the meat, to enhance, not to hide.

Самовар

Forget the touristic kitsch, my friends,

this is a samovar...

Буузы, солянка, сметана

Бурятские позы, kind of comfort-food for my "Fernweh"...

Фестиваль "Московское варенье"...

...тоже в Нимегене!
Because, after these troublesome weeks I needed something sweet and nice, something Russian.
This week in Moscow: the jam festival - and I present you here: blinis with jam. Top: blueberries, bottom: plum (both with smetana of course).

Unlikely friendship

After WWII two giants were able to start the friendship between two all-time enemies. And became also personal friends, of course, because they were real men.

(For the younger ones: left is Charles de Gaulle, from France, and right Konrad Adenauer, from Germany.)