Saturday, July 21, 2007
I caught up with Aleksei...
Kremlin 3
Two interesting articles on changing Russia...
Hello, again! A quick post to pass along two interesting articles I found reflecting the changing Russia in this week's English-language The Moscow News newspaper:
Bitten by Consumerism Bug
Hilton Comes to Moscow
Off to Red Square now, more later!
Bitten by Consumerism Bug
Hilton Comes to Moscow
Off to Red Square now, more later!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Saturday a.m. in Moscow
Yesterday was a blur. After arriving in Moscow on the night train, we were brought straight to the Vega Hotel, where we were able to get rooms pretty quickly at about 9am. Mine is on the 26th floor, so getting an elevator that doesn't stop on just about every floor is tricky (and everytime the doors open and people who are waiting see that an elevator is full, someone presses the button again and the doors don't close-- it's a marvel of Russian engineering). The weather here is mild, thankfully, so with an open window the rooms are not too bad. And the water in the shower is hot and pressurized like a fire hose...
One of my mantras here (that the others in the group have learned, it seems) is: There's one way and there's...(the Russian way). It's very easy to become impatient and even perplexed by the way Russians operate. I think the others in the group have come to appreciate that language isn't necessairly what separates us as a people; there is a cultural barrier that grays out occasionally (when things go smoothly in an almost Western sense), but is always there lurking under the surface. For instance...
Yesterday after the folk show in St. Pete, we had to get to the train station on time, so our guide arranged for us to have Subway (there is one on Nevsky Prospekt in the center of town) sandwiches, which she called and ordered ahead. Nothing is as it appears here, especially if it something familiar like an American restaurant. (A McDonald's here is a McDonald's, yes, but the customer service is WAY different-- Russian-- and the menu items are basically the same, but...well, you have to experience it to understand, I guess.) So, we rushed out of the theater to go to Subway. When we got out of the bus in front of Subway, so did our sandwiches. She had ordered them, gone to pick them up, then we went to there to eat (a good move, actually, because Subway sells beer and I was ready for a sedative by this point)-- there's one way, and there's... I wish I had captured the looks on the others' faces when they discover what kind of sandwiches our guide ordered. Apparently Russians think that Americans like ketchup on everything. How about something looking sort of like a an American sub sandwich slathered with ketchup?
Russia-- and Russians-- are full of contradictions, some amusing at first, some tiresome, such as ATMs that give out only large denomination bills that few places will accept because they can't (or so they say) make change. Last night at lunch, our guide gave me a 5,000-ruble note to pay for our lunches and dinners. The waitress begrudgingly gave me 3 1,000-ruble notes back in change that, again, had to be changed to give change to the others (????). This seemed like a laborious process for such a big, touristy hotel. I finally ended up at the money-changing lady's window-- she was on the phone and barked that I could only change one. So I gave the other two bills to two others who went back to her window to change them... Why? (Well, there's one way and there's...)
So, life goes on here in The Motherland. Everyone's well, and more than a few are ready to come home... We're off to Red Square today, so hopefully, I should be able to get up a picture or two. And I may even get a chance to see my friend Aleksei tonight.
That's it for now. Stay tuned...
One of my mantras here (that the others in the group have learned, it seems) is: There's one way and there's...(the Russian way). It's very easy to become impatient and even perplexed by the way Russians operate. I think the others in the group have come to appreciate that language isn't necessairly what separates us as a people; there is a cultural barrier that grays out occasionally (when things go smoothly in an almost Western sense), but is always there lurking under the surface. For instance...
Yesterday after the folk show in St. Pete, we had to get to the train station on time, so our guide arranged for us to have Subway (there is one on Nevsky Prospekt in the center of town) sandwiches, which she called and ordered ahead. Nothing is as it appears here, especially if it something familiar like an American restaurant. (A McDonald's here is a McDonald's, yes, but the customer service is WAY different-- Russian-- and the menu items are basically the same, but...well, you have to experience it to understand, I guess.) So, we rushed out of the theater to go to Subway. When we got out of the bus in front of Subway, so did our sandwiches. She had ordered them, gone to pick them up, then we went to there to eat (a good move, actually, because Subway sells beer and I was ready for a sedative by this point)-- there's one way, and there's... I wish I had captured the looks on the others' faces when they discover what kind of sandwiches our guide ordered. Apparently Russians think that Americans like ketchup on everything. How about something looking sort of like a an American sub sandwich slathered with ketchup?
Russia-- and Russians-- are full of contradictions, some amusing at first, some tiresome, such as ATMs that give out only large denomination bills that few places will accept because they can't (or so they say) make change. Last night at lunch, our guide gave me a 5,000-ruble note to pay for our lunches and dinners. The waitress begrudgingly gave me 3 1,000-ruble notes back in change that, again, had to be changed to give change to the others (????). This seemed like a laborious process for such a big, touristy hotel. I finally ended up at the money-changing lady's window-- she was on the phone and barked that I could only change one. So I gave the other two bills to two others who went back to her window to change them... Why? (Well, there's one way and there's...)
So, life goes on here in The Motherland. Everyone's well, and more than a few are ready to come home... We're off to Red Square today, so hopefully, I should be able to get up a picture or two. And I may even get a chance to see my friend Aleksei tonight.
That's it for now. Stay tuned...
Vega (hotel, not star-- or 70s era Chevy)
Well, we made it to Moscow intact. We're staying at the Vega Hotel adjacent to to the uber-touristy shopping bazaar Izmailovsky Park. I stayed in the same hotel complex here last June with my students... I can't believe it's been over a year.
Anyway, only a few more days left...
I'll check back in when I have more time.
Anyway, only a few more days left...
I'll check back in when I have more time.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Arrival in Moscow
Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad
Katherine Palace
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Indian Tonic Water
Today was a routine day (no petty crime to report!). We started out this morning with a trip to Peterhof (Peter the Great's summer home on the Gulf of Findland) and then we had a quick tour of the State art gallery here in Petersburg. I had never been to the former, and really like the latter. It was a lot of walking, but the excursions were good.
There are so many interesting paintings in the State art gallery, that I could have stayed in there longer than our hour tour (and this was my third visit). But we hasd a nuts-and-bolts tour guide, who is a professor Dr. Pope knows-- he was quick and informative.
Tomorrow we check out of the hotel here, have an excursion or two, then get the night train to Moscow... You know how I feel about those sleeper trains. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to Moscow (and visiting with my friend, Aleksei). Truth be known, I'm starting to become a weary traveller... I'll be ready to get on that plane next Monday. (I've already gotten a slew of school-related emails, so the next year is bearing down on me already.)
Talk to you again from Moscow (probably)...
Oh yeah. "Indian Tonic Water." I just drank a can of it... It's the Schweppes Russia exact equivalent of "Bitter Lemmon." I have NO idea why it's called that or what it has to do with Indians (my theory is that it's something the British concocted in Inda, adding the quinine to prevent some disease like malaria, but I'm not sure)...
There are so many interesting paintings in the State art gallery, that I could have stayed in there longer than our hour tour (and this was my third visit). But we hasd a nuts-and-bolts tour guide, who is a professor Dr. Pope knows-- he was quick and informative.
Tomorrow we check out of the hotel here, have an excursion or two, then get the night train to Moscow... You know how I feel about those sleeper trains. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to Moscow (and visiting with my friend, Aleksei). Truth be known, I'm starting to become a weary traveller... I'll be ready to get on that plane next Monday. (I've already gotten a slew of school-related emails, so the next year is bearing down on me already.)
Talk to you again from Moscow (probably)...
Oh yeah. "Indian Tonic Water." I just drank a can of it... It's the Schweppes Russia exact equivalent of "Bitter Lemmon." I have NO idea why it's called that or what it has to do with Indians (my theory is that it's something the British concocted in Inda, adding the quinine to prevent some disease like malaria, but I'm not sure)...
Stilted view...
I did it. I ate at McDonald's...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Metro Pickpockets!
Yesterday we spent a good part of the day on the other side of town. First, we had a great boat ride on the Neva River and through the canals! It was a gorgeous day, weatherwise... Everybody got a trucker tan (and even a mild sunburn). Next we went to The Hermitage (which was crowded as usual) for a quick tour. After The Hermitage, I offered to shepherd any folks who wanted to stay in town back to our hotel via the metro after a couple hours of free-time wandering...
The big news of the evening was the push-and-grab pickpocket incident in the metro station near the center of the city. After we regrouped about 8pm, I led a small group of 6 of us to the metro station to get the train back to our hotel. I never really considered our level of vulnerability, really. Last year, my students took any precautionary measures (such as keep quiet and keep your money/passport in your front pocket on public transportation, don't make eye contact, stay together, etc.) very seriously. I should have been more aware! As we were waiting for the train on the platform, our English and laughing and clothing styles gave us away... As the doors opened, someone(s) pushed us in from behind and I felt a hand in my wallet pocket, which I pushed away (besides, as hot as I was, there was no way my wallet was going to be easily extracted). It happened too fast for me to even see the perpetrators. Mike (from Maine) in our group was not so lucky-- as the doors were closing, I saw him run off the train and down the platform. The train left and we were worried that he (he's a BIG guy) had tackled someone and was going to have to deal with the police. When we returned, I immediately told Dr. Pope, who, in turn, called our native-speaking guide, Nadya, to figure out what to do when Mike showed up at the hotel. At least he still had his passport with him. After he called his wife from the front desk, we got him some cash to tie him over (poor guy was down to one last cigarette), and called it a night. BIG LESSON here for anyone in the audience traveling abroad. It's hard not to be an American, but as soon as some folks hear American English, they see not you, but dollar signs.
Russia, even big cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow, is a safe place with nice people. You just have to be careful. Last night's incident was the first I'd ever been involved in in three visits to this country...
Anyway. That's all the news for now. More later!
The big news of the evening was the push-and-grab pickpocket incident in the metro station near the center of the city. After we regrouped about 8pm, I led a small group of 6 of us to the metro station to get the train back to our hotel. I never really considered our level of vulnerability, really. Last year, my students took any precautionary measures (such as keep quiet and keep your money/passport in your front pocket on public transportation, don't make eye contact, stay together, etc.) very seriously. I should have been more aware! As we were waiting for the train on the platform, our English and laughing and clothing styles gave us away... As the doors opened, someone(s) pushed us in from behind and I felt a hand in my wallet pocket, which I pushed away (besides, as hot as I was, there was no way my wallet was going to be easily extracted). It happened too fast for me to even see the perpetrators. Mike (from Maine) in our group was not so lucky-- as the doors were closing, I saw him run off the train and down the platform. The train left and we were worried that he (he's a BIG guy) had tackled someone and was going to have to deal with the police. When we returned, I immediately told Dr. Pope, who, in turn, called our native-speaking guide, Nadya, to figure out what to do when Mike showed up at the hotel. At least he still had his passport with him. After he called his wife from the front desk, we got him some cash to tie him over (poor guy was down to one last cigarette), and called it a night. BIG LESSON here for anyone in the audience traveling abroad. It's hard not to be an American, but as soon as some folks hear American English, they see not you, but dollar signs.
Russia, even big cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow, is a safe place with nice people. You just have to be careful. Last night's incident was the first I'd ever been involved in in three visits to this country...
Anyway. That's all the news for now. More later!
Processional to Church on the Blood
Nevsky Prospekt
Siege of Leningrad
Monday, July 16, 2007
The White Nights are fading away...
Most folks have heard of the St. Petersburg White Nights, those summertime days (pretty much through most of June) when the sun sets after midnight. Here now the sun sets around 11:30pm or so, then is up again around 3:30am. It's a little strange to look out the window and see people walking around like it's dinnertime, when it's really 10:30pm...
Our hotel is located on the far eastern side of town, off of Nevsky Prospekt, the main drag in St. Petersburg. Nevsky Prospekt runs east-west through the city; on western end between the banks of the Neva River (which snakes east-west, as well, in an inverted C shape-- we're at the end of the right side of the C). We're actually situated right next to the Aleksandr Nevsky Square metro station, so a trip west into the center of the city is a two-station ride (or a 3-mile walk). I was too tired to venture out yesterday, but I think that this evening some of us will metro westward for a bit...
Yesterday we visited the Siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg during Communism) Memorial Cemetery, where mass graves are located. There were so many deaths during 1942-1944 that the bodies couldn't be buried fast enough. The memorial is a beautifully landscaped garden/park. It was a very moving visit. I tried to upload a pic from my cellphone yesterday, but it wouldn't go... Maybe later.
We also went into the Church on the Blood, which was new for me. I've walked past that church numerous times on each visit to St. Petersburg, but had never been inside. The church was built on the spot were Tsar Aleksandr II was fatally wounded in 1881. It's the St. Basil's Cathedral (which is Moscow on Red Square) of St. Petersburg. The inside is fascinating-- all the icons are mosaics. You just have to see it to believe it. During the Communism era, it was a potato storehouse (so some jokingly refer to it as the Church on the Potatoes).
The food in this hotel is uber-European, but more Western than in Vladimir or Murom. The bad part about this hotel is that it's chock full o' tourists, so everyone speaks English and, where there's English, there're higher prices... But it's tolerable, enough. The accomodations are good and I just love surprising the English-speaking Russians as a Russian-speaking American. In fact, often I hear them conversing about people that they assume can't speak Russian-- like my group, which looks and sounds so American... It's kind of fun. :)
So we're off again to see more sights at 9:30am (in about 20 minutes). All's well here in St. Pete for now...
More later!
Our hotel is located on the far eastern side of town, off of Nevsky Prospekt, the main drag in St. Petersburg. Nevsky Prospekt runs east-west through the city; on western end between the banks of the Neva River (which snakes east-west, as well, in an inverted C shape-- we're at the end of the right side of the C). We're actually situated right next to the Aleksandr Nevsky Square metro station, so a trip west into the center of the city is a two-station ride (or a 3-mile walk). I was too tired to venture out yesterday, but I think that this evening some of us will metro westward for a bit...
Yesterday we visited the Siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg during Communism) Memorial Cemetery, where mass graves are located. There were so many deaths during 1942-1944 that the bodies couldn't be buried fast enough. The memorial is a beautifully landscaped garden/park. It was a very moving visit. I tried to upload a pic from my cellphone yesterday, but it wouldn't go... Maybe later.
We also went into the Church on the Blood, which was new for me. I've walked past that church numerous times on each visit to St. Petersburg, but had never been inside. The church was built on the spot were Tsar Aleksandr II was fatally wounded in 1881. It's the St. Basil's Cathedral (which is Moscow on Red Square) of St. Petersburg. The inside is fascinating-- all the icons are mosaics. You just have to see it to believe it. During the Communism era, it was a potato storehouse (so some jokingly refer to it as the Church on the Potatoes).
The food in this hotel is uber-European, but more Western than in Vladimir or Murom. The bad part about this hotel is that it's chock full o' tourists, so everyone speaks English and, where there's English, there're higher prices... But it's tolerable, enough. The accomodations are good and I just love surprising the English-speaking Russians as a Russian-speaking American. In fact, often I hear them conversing about people that they assume can't speak Russian-- like my group, which looks and sounds so American... It's kind of fun. :)
So we're off again to see more sights at 9:30am (in about 20 minutes). All's well here in St. Pete for now...
More later!
We made it to St. Petersburg...
...the only thing that didn't make it, apparently, is the USB cable I need to upload pictures. I must have left it at the American Home.
Anyway, I had the usual little-to-no-sleep night train experience. BUT... We got off the train around 10:30am and were whisked away to our hotel, the Hotel Moskva right near the center of the city. I just had a shower that I could better describe to you if this wasn't a family-friendly blog. Man, talk about movin' to Beverly (Hills, that is, swimmin' pools, movie stars...)! St. Petersburg is the very antithesis of Murom. You could just see it in the others' eyes as we were on the bus through town to the hotel... Coffee shops! Stores! Cafes! (I think I may have seen a tear or two...) We all agreed that we had once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Vladimir and Murom, but many were without hot water, and I was on the Nescafe 12 Step Program (which ends RIGHT now, brothers and sisters).
I haven't really slept more than 4 or 5 hours solidly in the last two days, so I'm a little punchdrunk right now as I write. But I'm clean. Doesn't get much better than a hot shower after a 12-hour train ride (by the way, there were rumors that we were delayed because of a train wreck between Moscow and St. Petersburg; I don't know, but if you get wind of it in the States, we weren't a part of it).
If I can connect to the right cell service, I can send up a few pics that way... Maybe I can buy another USB cable. We'll see. Anyway, the adventure continues. Lunch somewhere at 1pm and then... I'm not really sure what's next. I'm just happy to be back in St. Pete. I really love this city!
More later as the plot unfolds!
Anyway, I had the usual little-to-no-sleep night train experience. BUT... We got off the train around 10:30am and were whisked away to our hotel, the Hotel Moskva right near the center of the city. I just had a shower that I could better describe to you if this wasn't a family-friendly blog. Man, talk about movin' to Beverly (Hills, that is, swimmin' pools, movie stars...)! St. Petersburg is the very antithesis of Murom. You could just see it in the others' eyes as we were on the bus through town to the hotel... Coffee shops! Stores! Cafes! (I think I may have seen a tear or two...) We all agreed that we had once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Vladimir and Murom, but many were without hot water, and I was on the Nescafe 12 Step Program (which ends RIGHT now, brothers and sisters).
I haven't really slept more than 4 or 5 hours solidly in the last two days, so I'm a little punchdrunk right now as I write. But I'm clean. Doesn't get much better than a hot shower after a 12-hour train ride (by the way, there were rumors that we were delayed because of a train wreck between Moscow and St. Petersburg; I don't know, but if you get wind of it in the States, we weren't a part of it).
If I can connect to the right cell service, I can send up a few pics that way... Maybe I can buy another USB cable. We'll see. Anyway, the adventure continues. Lunch somewhere at 1pm and then... I'm not really sure what's next. I'm just happy to be back in St. Pete. I really love this city!
More later as the plot unfolds!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Colonel
Vladimir (Volodya to his friends) and his wife, Tatyana, are the TWO MOST HOSPITABLE Russians I have ever encountered! They treated me like their son. The dacha experience (life in "the country") I had thanks to them was unforgettable, berry-picking and all! Volodya is a retired Russian Army colonel and a psychologist (and is actually a professor at Murom U.) He and his wife-- she is a school teacher who speaks some English-- really love their country place. He renovated an old 1940s era dacha (dacha comes from the Russian verb "to give" and refers to the actual plot of land given to Soviet citizens) house and built his own Russian-style banya (steambath) behind it. He also installed a hot water shower next to the banya... In a country where the hot water is turned off every summer for days at a time, he's living in the lap of luxury.The banya is a part of Russian culture-- it's more than a sauna. There's a ritual to going in and coming out to shower off three times. The temperature inside was abour 150 degrees and when inside, you wear a silly-looking, almost elf-like wool hat ("to keep your head from burning"). Flagellation with a handful of wet birch branches while you're in there is supposed to be therapeutic... I don't know what medicinal properties birch trees have, but I know that when all was said and done, I was cured like a ham. I really DID feel refreshed (like someone had ripped off my old skin and put me in a new one)... There's nothing like a naked 65-year old man covered in sweat and wearing an elf hat beating you with tree branches. Oh well, as we say, there's one way and there's the Russian way...
After we went through three times, Stacie and Tatyana went in. Stacie had never experienced a banya (my only other experience was a public banya in Moscow three years ago-- not QUITE the up close and personal treatment I got at the dacha!) before, so she was a little apprehensive perhaps. But we could hear the two of them chatting and laughing from outside, where the Colonel was building a fire... In the end, Tatyana really enjoyed talking with Stacie (and even shared some anecdotes about her husband with her). We drank beer and chatted around the fire until later in the evening, then The Colonel brought out the accordian and sang a tune or two... We really had a good time (and, again, all slept in the same room-- a little too close for comfort for me, but it was only for a few hours)!
When we were eating breakfast, they gave both me AND Stacie parting gifts. It was very nice of them. I will truly remember my time with them as one of the most positive real-life cultural experiences in Russia! Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to tell all the stories I have about The Colonel (his driving, his sense of time, his talking to himself, his fondness of repeating "No need to hurry... I'm a pensioner... and you are on vacation." as we're running late, etc.)
The first picture below is of the three of us as we were getting ready to drive over to Murum U. to get the bus back to Vladimir today. The other two are of Volodya last night.
Tonight we're off to St. Peterburg at 10pm on a sleeper train. More from St. Petersburg...
So, stay tuned!
Nastya
This is Stacie from Detroit with whom I shared Act 2 of The Dacha Experience with Vladimir (The Colonel) and Tatyana last night. There is so much about this Russian couple, that a blog post or two just can't do it justice. So let me preface what's coming next with a little more context. Stacie (Nastya-- a short form of Anastasia to The Colonel since he couldn't get the hang of Stacie) had the misfortune of being assigned to a host family that was, for the most part, a mother and two little girls, 4 and 2. The house was a mess (really dirty-- details too disgusting to add here), so Stacie was moved into the same house where Aleksei (of Aleksei and Galina) was staying, which meant she was really without a host family. The Colonel was excited about getting his homemade banya (a Russian sauna) fired up yesterday; the banya is a cultural experience and I knew that Stacie had never been to one, so I relayed her host family story to him and asked if she could come along yesterday to their dacha. Both he and his wife welcomed her with open arms... What seemed a little odd to me at first as a host family assignment turned out to be one of the greatest cultural experiences I've had in this country. The picture is of Stacie sitting at the kostyor (campfire), between the dacha (small country house) and the banya, after we had the banya experience (which I'll relate to you in the next post)...
Apparently it's okay to do this in Wisconsin...
...but not here in Russia. Karen had to be hauled away by the police...(Okaaaaayyyyyy... Not really.)
But 2nd grade teachers really do need a shorter leash-- or so it would seem-- than the rest of us.
This was a really interesting time (Karen not excepted) at the Dom Tvorchestva on Friday, where we had more than a little cultural entertainment, like a concert from these guys in the second photo, a group of traditional Russian folk singers (sort of Oak Ridge Boys-like, in a folksy, old-time Russian sort of way), named Muroma. They were great! I also got yanked out into the spotlight to a) flip a pancake while the traditional Russian childhood scary witch-in-the-woods Baba Yaga was yelling at me, b) dress up like a bogatyr (old Russian knight), replete with helmut and armor and sword (sorry, no photo), and c) danced with a girl dressed in period clothing from the 18th century.
Back in Vladimir...
This is another breaktime picture from Murom. We rolled back into Vladimir around noontime today (Sunday) and are at the American Home now gearing up for our train ride to St. Petersburg at 10pm. In the meantime, everyone is doing last minute laundry, shopping, emailing, etc. There is a last farewell dinner tonight at 6pm with our Vladimir host families, then we're off... Like everyone else... I'm behind, so I'm going to blog what I can while I have a little time here...
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