Our Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, as we would recognize it, we spent on the tramvai/metro/bus to a store to look at new ovens to replace ours which doesn't work.  On the way, we stopped by the Roman Catholic cathedral to see their Christmas decorations.  Here is the front of the cathedral:

Designed in 1911 (without some of the parapets), it suffered more than most churches the USSR's purge of churches, and stood as an empty brick carcass for almost a hundred years.  It was only restored a few years ago, when the parapets were added.

Here's the front entrance, with some of us trying to figure out how the baby's "chariot" should navigate the stairs.  (Turns out there is a ramp at the side).

Here is the Nativity in the interior (missing baby Jesus by design):

And here are the life-sized statues in the outside Nativity display (again, intentionally missing Jesus):

… Complete with live donkey!

And two goats and at least one sheep.  The donkey refused to budge from his lean-to, but the goats (as usual) were curious…