Of Panoramas and Departures

I have successfully managed what I had previously considered impossible: I have been seated and  ordered at a Russian café with minimal difficulty.  Thus, due to my incredibly good mood, I shall offer you a blog while I bask in my success.


Thursday marked our visit to the Бородинский Панорама (and seriously, if you’ve been holding to my spelling of Russian prior to now, in this case don’t).  The Panorama is... rather amazing, frankly.  I couldn’t get any pictures because they forbid picture taking unless you bought a rather expensive camera ticket, but it. was. EPIC.  Imagine, if you please, a circular room that is something like eight meters high, and fifteen meters around.  Then put on the wall a fairly detailed painting of a battle sequence.  Add to that what seems to be a continuation of the painting... in 3-D.  We’re talking the remains of burnt houses, a fake horse corpse, grass, the works.  It’s terribly impressive.  The rest of the museum pales in comparison.  It has ver nice exhibits, to be sure, but it’s nothing special.  
Now, as to why exactly we would have this panorama, it’s all very simple.  On September 7, 1812, there was a rather epic battle that took place outside Borodino, Russia (a small town not too far from Moscow).  Like most great battles in those days, your cause of battle was a power hungry Napoleon.  This battle was the turning point in the war between Russia and France, eventually leading to the Russians being able to kick the French out of the country.  It’s commemorated every year with a parade, to my understanding.  This year, due to the fact that it’s the bicentennial celebration of the battle, it’s going to be an incredibly huge deal.  Shame we won’t get to see it.  Oh well.  At least we got to see the Panorama.  The panorama itself was the centennial commemoration of the event.  French painter (something I find rather ironic) Franz Roubaud was commissioned to paint it in 1912.  It took him 11 months, a really rather impressive feat that deserves a commemoration in and of itself.


Thursday also marked Valentina Borisovna’s last day in Russia.  From Friday on out, the four of us were on our own.