February Russia

I selected a few pictures from my trip to Russia. The first three are of the Vostochny dry dock. 

Here I am in reflective clothing standing in front of the gravity based structure (GBS). Genuine smile.

I was taken on a tour of the full facilities. We climbed up to the top of the GBS and walked around the perimeter to get a good look at the steel reinforcement. That's a lot of steel! In fact, I was told it is the entire supply for the region, plus some.

 

According to my guide's recollection, the final dimensions of the base of the GBS will be 120x155x35 meters (so it will be about the same size and height as shown in the picture below.) Four legs will then rise up from the center to a final height of 55 meters (a height about level or above the cranes.) You can see the earthen rock dam holding back Vostochny bay in the background of the picture below. Notice the very large boat in ice. They will begin flooding the dry dock and removing the dam late this year. Then the GBS will then be floated/towed out to sea and over to Sakhalin. Wow!

Each morning I was in Yuzhno I walked to work. I found it a good start to my day. Thanks to my new coat I never felt cold.

The pictures below were taken in the park next to my hotel. It is hard to see, but there is a bridge in the background with big red letters on it saying "No Swimming." A reasonable request.

This other bridge (pictured below) had several romantic locks on it. Hearts, engraved love notes, etc. When I got to the other side I saw a man jogging in a hat, boots and a speedo. His body was bright pink. Not sure where he was going. I tried to get a picture of him, but was unsuccessful. Seeing him put a smile on my face for days. I remember this morning was particularly chilly, around -14 C. I hope he wasn't planning on swimming under that other bridge.

In the center of the park was a bright, colorful amusement park boldly protruding from the snow. A welcomed sight.

Russians love ice cream. They eat it year round. It is never too hot or too cold for ice cream. This cute little sign was in front of an ice cream stand. It reads, Ice cream the whole world loves!