Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness

Lengthening shadows beside Ryanzansky Prospekt. Archetypal Moscow kiosk. Detail of worker and peasant. Notorious Lubyanka - former headquarters of the KGB. The English House. The first British Embassy in Moscow? Established under Elizabeth I for the use of English merchants who had a dispensation to trade in Moscow. The gates of Gorky Park. Soviet statue from Sculpture Park. Wedding cake architecture. One of Stalin's '7 sisters'.

St Basil's from Red Square, in the evening. Tower blocks on Ryanzanksy Prospekt. Red square and the Kremlin walls. Dostoevsky in front of Lenin Library. Sheltering from the rain in Park Kultury's Sculpture Park. And the fountains in Gorky Park 45 minutes later! Soviet art in the metro. The Proletarian poet Mayakovsky. Patriarch's Pond, where Bulgakov's devil appears in Master and Margherita.

I am a little out of touch with what’s been happening in Northern Ireland over the past fortnight. However my first stop to catch up with events over the twelfth was Redemption’s Son, where Ignited and others have continued to record the marching season through the prism of their participation. In describing the twelfth parade in Ballyclare, Ignited mentions comments by Orange Order chaplain Rev Stephen Dickinson who launched a broadside against the day developing toward ‘cultural tourism’. It is, he maintains, about Protestantism and about Britishness. I commented on the blog itself that I saw no reason why the Order should not continue to demonstrate both its faith and its culture, whilst simultaneously welcoming those who share neither to its parades and fostering a fun atmosphere alongside the more serious religious aspects of the day. Alex Kane is more forthright in his News Letter column, reminding Dickinson that the Battle of the Boyne safeguarded the Act of Settlement whi...

Iris Robinson discussing abortion on Radio Ulster’s Nolan programme moments ago: ‘It’s the government’s responsibility to uphold God’s law’. DUP Shariah?

In Russia a controversy is raging which rather encapsulates some of the contradictions and opposing trends which are currently at work in that enormous, diverse country. The American company Coca Cola has produced its own variety of the fermented rye bread drink, kvas. This brew, mildly alcoholic but consumed as a soft drink, is an archetypal and much loved Russian beverage, which has acquired a role in the resurgence of pride in Russian identity that has accompanied the country’s economic and international resurgence under Vladimir Putin. Kvas has become regarded as the patriotic alternative to imported Cola brands; tastier, authentically Russian and indeed healthier. There is therefore a certain frisson in inevitable attempts by Coca Cola and Pepsi to muscle in on the market place by introducing their own versions of the drink, albeit purportedly with traditional Russian ingredients. The comparison may be trite, but I did discern in the kvas debate, something redolent of wider i...

I doubt very much whether there will be any more posts on the blog until 16 July. I’m going on a two week jaunt to Russia which I will no doubt be describing when I get back.

Last night Russia succumbed to a second Euro 2008 thrashing against Spain. From the start the Spanish showed more vigour and energy, with Russia returning to the type of one paced, leaden football that they had produced previously in this tournament only in the group game against the same opposition. The Russians will point to an anonymous performance by Andrei Arshavin, although in truth none of their stars turned up for this game. In contrast Spain played some exciting stuff on a sodden pitch in Vienna. Cesc Fabregas in particular orchestrated much of his team’s play after replacing injured David Villa. On a difficult night like this, failing to produce their incisive passing game, Russia did not have players to dig in and dominate a battle in midfield. Xavi finished after a one two with Senna, to give Spain the lead early in the second half. After that Russia looked thoroughly beaten. Fabregas provided ammunition for Guiza and then Silva to secure an easy victory. Good luck...