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The weather was perfect, crisp, cool and sunny. It was early fall, so the birches were golden and the other hardwoods a mix of amber to russet.
Russians love flowers and parks, and we had a hefty helping of exposure to both. We tried every mode of transportation available, and found the subways of Moscow and the train from Moscow to St. Petersburg exemplary. We tromped through Red Square on the only semi-gloomy day, to experience St. Basil's Cathedral, which is anything but gloomy. It is a meticulously decorated jewel at the end of a fascinating run of government buildings and to one side of the famous Kremlin, which looks like a giant, mustard stucco stockade. We at lunch at GUM, in a ridiculously expensive but beautiful, hip coffee shop. The kids sat on a white leather swinging bench while they nibbled at twelve dollar sandwiches and we sipped twelve dollar lattes. We could see Lenin's tomb from the large plate glass windows.
We toured the area north and east of Moscow, called the Golden Ring, in a luxurious Mercedes motor coach, led by an old Soviet era guide, who used every inch of her four and a half feet to keep us directed on our packed touring schedule. She didn't get our need to know why things were the way they were, or our yen to shop. We all bought hats: a fox for me, an ear flap number for Kamal, and soviet army hats full of uniform pins for the girls. We had an extravagant evening at the Dacha of our friend Michael's PhD mentor, where his sons put on a show for us, serving us lox and caviar hors d'oeuvres, spiced vodka and pastry from a rustic wooden cart in a field, accompanied by dancing gypsy girls and a talented accordion player, followed by target practice with an ancient bow and arrows for everyone, and then a sumptuous buffet dinner, sauna, dancing, and fireworks. The hotels we stayed in were sometimes comfortable beyond expectation, and sometimes bleak and Communisto. The food ranged from unbelievable to mediocre, but the Vodka, bread and chocolate were always good. We ate lots of caviar and blini and delectable wild mushrooms.
Finally, St. Petersburg was a fairy tale. It was so beautiful, with its wide avenues and ambitious architecture and sculpture. We got to travel to the summer palace, on the Gulf of Finland, where we roamed the unparalleled fountain gardens and appreciated the unspoiled coast. The only weird things were the legalized prostitution and the numerous, unabashed video cameras, watching our every move. We speculated that we were driven around by a KGB bus driver, and one day, we were shadowed by a suspicious man with a very large lens on his camera. It was magnificent!
Rebecca Chatta |
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