Russia's Vladimir Putin and wife Lyudmila divorce

[OlgaH]

Meanie!      

 

I didn't use Walmart or K-mart names in derogatory way, I think both are fine mega stores for buying some stuff at good prices.   

some stuff yes, some stuff that I like Walmart doesn't have at all. Types that you can meet there can be very entertaining  but personally I prefer Publix to Walmart.

[OlgaH]

True, but there is a bit more money that trickles down in the oil towns. I would have to check to see where Tatneft is registered though.

In some way yes, Misha, but again it depends on if are talking about the administrative centers or the towns under the centers.

The main shareholder of Tatneft is the Republic of Tatarstan through its holding company Svyazinvestneftekhim registred in Kazan.

[Ooooops]

The thing is that there is only one Auchan store in Kazan which has population over a million.   But, of course, one is better than none...


Turns out that Auchan was introduced in US as well, but failed:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auchan#United_States


Hey, turns out that there are few of them in Beijing!   But all of them are too far from me and my curiosity about them ain't that great to make me to embark on long journey just to check 'em out.   


http://www.auchan.com.cn/auchanweb/store/locator.asp

[Boethius]

In the 2002 biography, "Vladimir Putin: The Road to Power," the president's wife conveyed a litany of grievances about him, an accumulation dating back to the earliest days of their courtship.
Biographer Oleg Blotsky recounted the emotional wounds Putina suffered from her husband's absences, inattention and habitual tardiness. When they were dating in the early 1980s in Leningrad, now called St. Petersburg, Putin would routinely leave her waiting for more than an hour at appointed meeting places in grubby subway stations, Putina told Blotsky.
"The first 15 minutes would pass normally, and even a half-hour would be OK. But after an hour, I would nearly cry out of humiliation," she recalled of a three-year courtship. "His excuse was always that he had been held up at work, for which, by the way, he was always very punctual. But in his personal life he was sloppy."

I told my husband this story.  He is younger than Putin, but close enough.  He said "So what?  This was normal for men of his generation."




Just giving another perspective.

[Ooooops]

Just giving another perspective.

Nah, not buying it.   Otherwise you wouldn't have married your husband, me think.       

[Boethius]

Oh, he was completely serious.  He has no reason to lie.   He is never late for anything, but I never had to wait for him because I moved in with him very early in our relationship.

[OlgaH]

The thing is that there is only one Auchan store in Kazan which has population over a million.   But, of course, one is better than none...


Turns out that Auchan was introduced in US as well, but failed:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auchan#United_States


Hey, turns out that there are few of them in Beijing!   But all of them are too far from me and my curiosity about them ain't that great to make me to embark on long journey just to check 'em out.   


http://www.auchan.com.cn/auchanweb/store/locator.asp

Ooooops, I will play a meanie  I think even People of Walmart will not tolerate blue-green looking chicken or duck 



BTW, I have not seen anything similar in our local Walmats (in the second photo you posted). I guess it is something very Chinese.

[OlgaH]

- У вас есть дор блю? — А что это? — Это сыр с синей плесенью. — Сыра нет. Есть сосиски дор блю и селедка дор блю…

[Ooooops]

BTW, I have not seen anything similar in our local Walmats (in the second photo you posted). I guess it is something very Chinese.

Duh!      I live in Beijing (not for long now).       Walmart here is a cross between a supermarket and farmer's market.   I rarely go there, only to buy smoked turkey legs for split pea soup.   Mmmmm...  yummmmm...   Cooking one as we speak.   

[jone]

Farmers market and soup reminds me that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him pea soup.

[Vasilisa]

Kazan ranks 174th (highest in Russia) in Mercer’s Worldwide Quality of Living Survey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan

So here is the story.  All that Vasilisa has told us about recent advances and modern life in Kazan is true.

However,  this only applies to Kazan.
The rest of Russia is total crap.









Sorry Vasilisa, just an attempt at humor that I couldn't resist.   

Excuse me, you called my country crap?! Would you like to give us the description of yourself?

Of course Kazan doesn't count, Moscow doesn't count because it's the capital, St Petersburg doesn't count either because it's the second capital, Sochi doesn't count because it's the place where the Olympics is going to be, Krasnodar doesn't count because  we haven't decided why yet, probably  because it's another big city, Tumen doesn't count because it's somewhere in the North and in Siberia, so let's just ignore millions of Russians living in those big cities and pick a village with 2000 inhabitants and decide that's what the majority of Russians live today.


Let's decide what we are going to compare here, NYC Manhattan with a Russian village Black dirt?!

[Vasilisa]

Vasilisa,  Good weather!  I am jealous after tropical storms here.

At least you have oranges:)You are welcome, btw.

[Vasilisa]

Yes, and let us not forget those cities that have are important centers for the oil and/or gas industry who do get a bit more of the Russian economic pie as opposed to those who do not.

Misha, let's not forget what Kazan looked like in early 80-ies, 90-ies and early 2000.  I visited it every summer and I remember the days when adults didn't let us go outside after 7 pm and tried not to go out themselves. The city was a total wreck with old building that were falling apart, destroyed phone booths and alcoholics everywhere. The only places where you could go was the Kremlin, a couple of museums,the GorkyPark, ЦУМ, the department store that didn't work on Sundays and there were several  bad cafes in Bauman street. (downtown, I put its picture, too). And yes, there was the central market, too that looked like an open-air market where farmers could sell something.
In the 80-ies it was one of the dirties cities of Russia with a lot of famous mafia groups whose members were the kids of poor workers. For example Khadi Taktash (Хади Такташ) even I remember their slogan: Хади Такташ-весь город наш.
In the 90-ies it didn't have anything at all besides multiple open-air markets with crowds of people walking there in any season.
Everything you can see in the pictures, including the  apartment buildings, the bridges, and the department stores besides the white Kremlin, (the old red building) of the train station and the department store ЦУМ was built in 90-ies and 2000-s, the older historical buildings were remodelled.
I've heard there are a lot of stadiums but I haven't seen all of them yet.


So it was obviosuly an oil republic back then, how come with Putin stealing so badly it became what it is now?!
Maybe Putin is stealing from particular regions only avoiding some big  cities.

[Vasilisa]

No....Better

It looks better:)  The prices are lower than  in Real, Karusel or Bahetle for example but Bahetle has  amazing deli with national Tatar cuisine.
There is  also "Metro" which is more like Costco. Obi, where I went to buy garden stuff is more like Home depot or Lowes. Speaking about chain supermarkets there is also a set of medium and small sized supermarkets called "Edelweiss", "Magnit" and "5"("Pyaterochka").

[Vasilisa]

The thing is that there is only one Auchan store in Kazan which has population over a million.   But, of course, one is better than none...

It was build a couple of years ago, last time I was in Kazan we didn't have it yet, now it's pretty close to the house and the prices are good, so that's where we shop and the reason why I mention it all the time, but again, we have other supermarkets, too It's not our only big store

[Ooooops]

It's not our only big store

It's good to hear that more stores with bigger selection and affordable prices show up in Russia.   So, do you go there by bicycle?   

[Vasilisa]

It's good to hear that more stores with bigger selection and affordable prices show up in Russia.   So, do you go there by bicycle?   

When are we going to see your and Olga's pictures by the way? The location where you live and shop?
No, I go by bike for pleasure only, like in the US, along the highway and in the parks, but there are a lot of bikers in the city, mainly young ones. This is another observation I made btw, 10 years ago I didn't see any bikers at all, now I see a lot of them.

[Ooooops]

When are we going to see your and Olga's pictures by the way? The location where you live and shop?

Go to the previous page and you shall see!    


But I prefer this kind of shopping more - my favorite "wet" market where I buy meat, fish, seafood, pickles, etc.    They even have sunflower seeds! 

[Anotherkiwi]

We also have a young and short but a very cosy subway, too, the first stations were opened in 2005 and the last 3 when I was here, in May, 2013, I tested the last 3  on their  first working day-it was the Victory Day. I haven't taken pictures of it yet but you can see them here.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan_Metro

The sign I took the picture of was the sign in Prospect Pobedy station.
They are going to open more stations soon, they mentioned the plans in the article.
I have no idea how some people can call this Soviet propaganda, we obviously live better since Putin became the President.

Kazan is definitely my second most favourite city in Russia (sorry, but St Petersburg is in a class of its own).  When I was there, Vasilisa, there was a huge group of apartment blocks being built near the new Hippodrome.  That was a few years ago, so I imagine that they look a bit better than in the picture.  Just along the road from them was what I thought was the best-looking apartment block that I saw on the whole of my first trip.
 
Bauman Street is definitely the best pedestrian mall anywhere that I've been, and the Kremlin is fantastic.  As for the Metro - the stations may be smaller than in Moscow, but some of the architecture and decorations is just as good.

[Doll]

I told my husband this story.  He is younger than Putin, but close enough.  He said "So what?  This was normal for men of his generation."




 

No, it is not!

[Belvis]

BTW, I have not seen anything similar in our local Walmats (in the second photo you posted). I guess it is something very Chinese.

Wow, you've visited Walmarts!! 
I thought you buy stuff only in special boutiques as food in any other places poses mortal danger for your health. 

[Boethius]

No, it is not!

Hmm, he lived in then Leningrad at that time, in fact, the year Putin married.  He said showing up late was not unusual for men. 

[OlgaH]

Wow, you've visited Walmarts!! 
I thought you buy stuff only in special boutiques as food in any other places poses mortal danger for your health. 

Why not  as I wrote before

some stuff yes, some stuff that I like Walmart doesn't have at all. Types that you can meet there can be very entertaining  but personally I prefer Publix to Walmart.

For fresh sea food I like our New England Seafood Market, some food I like at The Fresh Market, and yes you are correct I don't avoid gourmet "boutiques" 

[ML]

If you are going to buy 'Name Brand' items, they are the same whether in WalMart, Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ralphs, Safeway, A&P, Food Giant, Food Lion, Grand Union, HEB, HyVee, Meijer, Piggly Wiggly, etc. . . . just less expensive in Walmart.

[OlgaH]

If you are going to buy 'Name Brand' items, they are the same whether in WalMart, Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ralphs, Safeway, A&P, Food Giant, Food Lion, Grand Union, HEB, HyVee, Meijer, Piggly Wiggly, etc. . . . just less expensive in Walmart.

Yes, ML, and I don't mind to grab a few things and get out as soon as possible. I'm getting tiered from the atmosphere there pretty fast, some situation I witness make me nauseous. Even in Russia I prefer smaller supermarkets though prices there are higher.