The Beauty and Tradition of the Russian Village

Smithsonian Journeys: Waterways of Russia Resources for Further Study I. Principal Terms: 1. Русский Дух – Russkii dukh – Russian Spirit/Soul  2. The word “rod” and some significant words that result: род rod kind/type родить rodit’ to give birth (to) родина rodina native land народ narod the … Read more

Russian Literary Tradition

Smithsonian Journeys: Waterways of Russia Resources for Further Study The Russian literary tradition is rich in folk art and fairy tales. 1.  Лубок  Lubok Lubok or Lubki (plural) arose in folk art primarily in the early 18th century as savvy and often cutting-edge commentaries on politics … Read more

The Poet Pushkin: Russia’s Most Important Voice

Smithsonian Journeys: Russian Waterways Materials Resources for Further Study LIFE AND PRINCIPAL WORKS Born: May 26, 1799 in Moscow Education: Lyceum at Tsarskoe selo (The Tsars’ Village) Exile to the South (Kishinev, Odessa, Mikhailovskoe): 1820-26 Influence during Exile: The Nanny–Arina Rodionovna (1758-1828) Marriage: Natalia Goncharova … Read more

Prague in Cultural History

The classroom keeps getting bigger! My association with The Smithsonian in Washington D.C. has led to opportunities I couldn’t have envisioned a few years ago. These include taking groups of Smithsonian travelers to Eastern Europe and Russia as well as speaking on ships in places … Read more

The Rhine Delta

How far are you ever from water in Amsterdam – the Rhine delta? As rain pounded the metal roof of our hotel last night, I was reminded of the very thing that will occupy us for the next week: the force of water. Water is … Read more

Journeying Up the Rhine

Travel-blogging is not new. We just do it via high-tech nowadays. But other than that, most of the elements have stayed the same across the centuries. Have you noticed how water inspires travelers to write? Maybe that’s because it’s hard to hike up a steep mountain while … Read more