Walked in the beautiful large park across from our hotel.  Centered inside the park is a Russian Orthodox Church, which survived the 1911 earthquake.  All made of wood – no nails.  A choir sings as one young priest conducts services while another hears confessions.  He encircles young children under his tasseled robes for their confessions.  Blue spruce trees have been planted by leaders of various countries. None from the US.   A huge bronze monument to WWII shows the Russians conquering.

Walked to the Musical Instrument Museum and listened to a beautiful performance by a 69-year-old man who has done many literary and musical translations.  He tells us that he has no funding to publish.  Some of us purchase an audiotape of his performances.  He talks to us for a long time and we learn how bitter he is about communist times.

We saw two wedding parties.  One seemed very Russian to me with a fair amount of drinking.  I’m amazed at all the stretch limos we see with wedding parties.  Another wedding party  was walking along the sidewalk  just outside the mosque and appeared much more sedate.

Lunch and then up the mountain in our bus to an Olympic skating training center built in the 1970’s and  now being restored.  A few of us climbed 835 steps to the top of a dam built to protect the city from earthquake damage – floods, mudslides, rock slides.  Many many wedding parties celebrating in the area.  We drive a bit to a foothill giving a panoramic city view.  This is also the cable car terminus.  Many strips of fabric are tied on trees and bushes here as well as all along the stairway beside the Olympic skating center and up to the dam.  I have seen these prayer/wish fabric strips tied to poles, bushes, trees and fences all along the Silk Road from western Turkey to eastern China and even north to Mongolia.
The large Almaty Mosque was completed in 1999.  The building shape reminds me of the cathedral in Carthage, Tunisia.  Beautiful tiles arranged in intricate geometric designs cover the inside.  No photos allowed but we were able to walk around freely without any dress code.

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