Russia May 14-28, 2014

Part 1 Russia

Russia worked out perfectly!  Temperatures all day and all evening were like Mexico.  People were more friendly than expected.  The iPad and map program were invaluable for getting around.  We did all that we had hoped.  We got tickets for loads of theatres and enjoyed the days with masses of walking and some special restaurants when time permitted.... dining was a primary goal some days and something to be squeezed in other days, a few museums but not too many and quite a few churches but again not an overdose.  So an excellent balance doing it the way that we like best.  All of the planning made helped make things go smoothly and landing on the spot was easier because I knew the in and outs of ordering tickets and had an idea of what to see and what productions and theatres were playing.  Got to several of the big name old theatres and saw amazing productions.
St Petersburg was a good starting point for a tour of Russia as it is smaller and we learned and managed our way around on buses with a few tips from our guide that we had on the first day and also the hotel could tell us the bus number.  Also using the roman alphabet made it easier to move about on our own.  Moscow is worth more time (I think that Clive would tell you differently) and mastering the metro is a must...Clive managed the Cyrillic alphabet quite well as that is necessary to manage the metro.  We had to study it very carefully at most changes and stops... so that we could translate our Roman map and make sure that it was the station name in Cyrllic.  Buses were impossible in Moscow and people would not help us there though we did manage one bus ride following Lonely Planet as a guide though it was in a suburb and a tram. We walked long distances and used the metro.  I seemed to plan our time and Clive got us there...he did not have an agenda different or more than mine.  After the few big things which we both wanted to see neither of us wanted to much more education.  So we make an excellent team and travel partners.  Clive was as keen to walk as I and we seemed to want to see the highlights, enjoy the music, dance, historical and modern theatres etc and then fit in restaurants and meals.  The hotel breakfasts were amazing so that was always a pleasant relaxing satisfying start to the day.

St. Petersburg May 15, 16, 17, 18
Stayed at Ligotel in St. Petersburg across from the train station and sort of like a 17th Ave. around the corner.  We walked or took a bus to where we wanted to go and often walked part way both directions.The walking tour recommended in the Lonely Planet was amazing...ended up only Clive and I.  She could tell and show us how she saw things and took us to only places that we wouldn't go on our own.  A great local coffee shop, through to back streets and then to the art school and institute of design with student work displayed in big open courtyards and down hallways...massive pieces and everybody getting displays ready. Showed us where a group of concert goers got locked in, in the 60s for attending a jazz concert. The tour guide used to teach at a college (English) but made better money working for Intrepid Tours and was doing very well as a tour guide.  So low unemployment and low pay are the norm.  Housing can be a problem as well with long commutes.

Church of The Spilled Blood 

Enjoyed a full day at the Hermitage with audio sets...the number 1 attraction in St. Pete.  Went to the Peter and Paul fortress across the river but we were not too interested in the history and learning...so we enjoyed seeing the sunbathers, the dancers from an Eastern country and then to an amazing restaurant as per Lonely Planet.  We enjoyed an evening of Don Giovanni at the Marinsky (great but a little long because no subtitles) and then an evening of a collection of dances of various Oriental origins and ballet based at the Mikhailovsky.  After the shows we found a great pub one night and a Georgian meal beforehand.

Hermitage Museum

Marinsky Theatre

The other evening we found a great pub with jazz music that initially had no seats so we stood.  Great music then ended up with the best seats and spent the evening with a Finnish couple who come to St. Pete regularly to go to the Russian art gallery.  Another evening...the first we used the guidebook to find some obscure pub down in a basement playing wonderful folky-jazz.  The patons were so interested to have foreigners who found this place...such a special evening for us. We are all squeezed in this small basement venue shoulder to shoulder ...and everybody having so much fun.  So welcoming and trying to chat with us - mostly student types - and wondering how we found such a place. The second evening that we went there was not the same.  Fewer groups to play so slower and fewer patrons...though they only had some red beer...they said that we could go down the street, buy beer and bring it back. ...how do you run a pub and make money when you have no beer to sell!
Made it to Kazan Cathedral for the Sunday morning church service....all standing...great to listen to the chanting and music in such a beautiful building so full of locals with the women covering their heads.  Then sat on a bench and met another friendly local.  Such a wonderful feeling we had in this city.

Kazan Cathedral Service

People do drink beer in the streets.  Saw cars racing (numerous times as we walked a long way) down a main street at 11 or 12 at night....  Interesting that the cops just watched and chatted amongst themselves!  Saw lots of cars and lots of big cars (SUVs) and the parking problem.



The only hiccup was trying to buy a train ticket to Veliky Novogorod....that took a long time.  It turned out that the information that we had received at the airport (all printed out for foreigners in English) had the train time at 5:18 pm....perfect for us.  We waited in 3 different lines to attempt to buy a ticket from a Russian speaking agent...unsuccessfully.  With no language between us, we understood that there was a train in the evening later...not the one that we wanted.  We saw how patient the locals are waiting in lines and showing identity papers in order to purchase tickets...don't know what that is about....and so long for each ticket to be bought.  Then we were sent to a special office and the security wouldn't let us in, but the girl insisted that we come in.  Finally we realized that the train left at 8:15pm and not 5:18pm as our information told us.  So we left the station after an interesting and frustrating morning.  So we decided to get our bags and jump a bus to the bus station.  There is was no problem to buy a ticket to Veliky and we were off from this very modern bus station a short time later.

Veliky Novgorod May 19
Saw good highways and rather uninteresting flat countryside with a few trees and small homes as we spent a few hours on the straight road getting to Veliky.  Veliky was great...caught the local bus going the wrong direction and figured out with some assistance that we were in the wrong direction so got off and went the opposite way - towards the centre.  Found our hotel...rather grand if somewhat old-fashioned...large common areas on each level of the hotel and ultra-high ceilings - a little sterile but a hangover from the days of glory and government officials staying here, I am sure.  Found a great pub restaurant and when we came out there had been a storm that blew trees down in the park.   A shock to see this when you just enjoy dinner in what seemed, like I imagine, a small Austian pub atmosphere.  Wandered around the trees on the paths everywhere in the ultra-big park.  The next night we found a wonderful dinner in a residential neighborhood in the bottom of a high rise complex. We found this while looking for the banya that I so wanted to visit in this town.  Hard to realize the most cozy atmospheric restaurant here.  No translation with this menu.  So we managed to request the waitress choose something for us and she did.  Did we want two?  No, just one and then something else.  So she found something for us and 2 beers.  The pork was delicious and the sauce and the chicken was ok.  The time and atmosphere was so authentic and fun and friendly with no language.  Spoke to another patron in English on the way out and they wanted us to join them but we enjoyed a short hello and then had our vodka given to us by the girl on the way out.  A memorable experience.

Veliky - Sunbather!

Managed to visit the banya the next day...the best one in town was closed for the day but I got an amazing authentic experience.  Don't think that the lady at the desk believed that I wanted to go in.  She showed me about and when I tried to pay she realized that I wanted more than a look.  So with a rented white pressed sheet in tow, I walked in.  The routine is take your clothes off, put them in a bag and then go off to the hot, hot, hot sauna naked with a towel and soap in hand (or in my case a sheet). First a shower and then into the sauna I went - most put a hat (that what those hats in the market are for) and sit on the towel.  I spread my sheet under me and a little around my head.  Some lady gave me her used willow branch to swat myself with?  They were impressed with how red and blotchy my skin went.  Guess this is the goal...well roasted I would say.  It was really one lady helping me out and a few others watching.  Nice cool or cold showers depending on which one you choose.  I like the coldest.  Then the routine is to go and sit in the change room and repeat the whole process a couple more times.  This lady insisted on sharing her tea with me and then putting some Ribena or grape sugar in it....pretty dehydrating experience, I guess.  I felt like I had just had another real Russian experience and again with such friendly people.  The people we met were always so friendly and kind.
I looked at the fancy tourist banya in Moscow, Sanduny down a side street, and it was expensive ($100 compared to $5) and much prettier and not really an experience that I was interested in.  Hard to get a look without buying.

Veliky - Russian Beach Sports

Night train May 20
Next we caught the night train to Moscow and that was so pleasant and comfortable.  Shared our 4 berth cabin with 2 others and we slept comfortably.  Had to figure out the metros was the first order of the day in Moscow...and figuring this cyrllic alphabet when your map is in roman letters....a little guess work but we got there.  Never seen so many trains and so many people.  Another train every minute or two and again all filled up.

Moscow May 21-28
We did not like the hotel that we had booked so we moved out the next day. We stayed at 4 hotels in Moscow...the first one we did not like despite the good reviews, the second, Arabat House, (Intrepid stays here we found out) was excellent but the rate went like this 5500, 3500, 3500, 6600 rubles per night and then it was going to be 8300 for the 5th night ....about 30 rubles to $1. So we debated whether to stay or try yet another hotel.  Pain or gain??  So we had already decided in the heat that we did not want (Clive more than me) to spend a day travelling to Suzdal and Clive was not keen on travelling out of the city with suitcases.  Moscow had so much entertainment to make us want to stay as well, esp the theatres. So we looked up our options and managed to find another hotel somewhere in the $120 range in the centre just blocks away from the Kremlin and Bolshoi.  So using our ipad map we loaded up and had a great walk to our new hotel...down different streets than before.  I was interested in another new experience...and we did not even have to spend the day travelling to find it.  We found the People Hotel right in the centre...a wonderful place with a massive room, massively high ceilings and such a boutique bathroom.  It was a great experience with a friendly lady running this place with just a few rooms.   Even had the use of a kitchen, etc but that was of no interest to us. Then we already had the last night at the Sovietsky paid for and booked before we left home ...so yet another change and interesting experience that was some distance from the centre. Thatcher and other big names had stayed...a wonderful place in its heyday...with massive doors, high ceilings and big areas at the centre of every floor but somewhat in need of upgrading and cleaning.  It provided another interesting experience and another neighborhood and people to interact with.  All wonderful...esp the staff.  From here we visited the equivalent of a leftover Expo Centre so mostly locals... parks, buildings, a few fountains and the odd restaurant.  Ordered something with the word rib in it....it turned out to be fish and I thought that it would be meat! Oh, the fun of language..the hostess had a bit of English but not the waitress.  A pleasant setting - bright and airy - and lots of Russian families out for lunch here.

Moscow - Stalin's Skyscrapers - competing with New York!

  We had to have another lunch at the Pushkin cafe as the first was such top notch quality and the service and setting impeccable. Even the plate shape and presentation on the white tablecloth were so memorable.  A feast for the eyes here. Even got a tour of the top floors in the old fashioned elevator and saw a library surrounding the private type dining or lounge area.  The basement has the most magnificent toilet and washroom and coat check.  The inside of the toilet bowl had painted ceramic blue flowers as well as the sink.  Old wood everywhere and nice dim lighting as well as a staff member to take your coat (it was 30 deg C outside).  Lots of tourists found this spot and it is so obvious why.

Moscow Underground - Stalin's Palaces

We enjoyed our days and evenings.  The entertainment was top notch ...everything opera, ballet, jazz, youth night of traditional and classical performances.  Every one was an amazing venue..,new or old.  So many musicians live orchestras, so many ballerinas and people on stage.
Food was fun ...we ate in lots of cute restaurants and had amazing stuff...and excellent experiences....the environment contributed a lot to our food experience and you get over fried,sour cream mayo based sauces and just enjoy it all.  Ate in several restaurants with no English clientele and trusted that it would be good and it was. 

Moscow St Basils

Red Square

            High fashion, modern stuff well displayed in nice cool malls, traffic jams, big vehicles..clean, gorgeous coloured churches, helpful people, patience in lines of the locals at at train station where each one requires ID, very little English, great coffees, great beer,felt safe, friendly, money is just a number $7-8 for a coffee and as little as $10-50 for theatre
Borscht is a broth based soup with some vegetables and usu a beetroot taste, maybe a hint of meat, different kinds available.
Breakfast always wonderful in hotels...tomato, cucumber, cheese, cold meat, egg, bacon, sausage, buns, toast, coffee, juice
Dinner lots of meat and cooked veg or lots of potato often mashed.  Usually a creamy sauce or mayo type cover..enjoy and get over the calories.
Fancy city stores
When you are hot you are hot and when not..- always important to be comfortable and healthy.. The immediate needs take precedence
Comfy shoes my hot hikers were uncomfortable and so the  great barefoot shoes worked well to my pleasant surprise

Moscow - Opera

Walking tour - many of these people had down the Trans-siberian express
St Basils a wonderful church outside as much or more than inside
 Fell at Lenins mausoleum and got rushed out..kind of funny though bruised head and bent glasses
Gum Dept. store great for coffee cheap.
Metro tour evening - stunning and so deep with our trusty guide book
Cafe Pushkin  - such service and friendly and awesome - even a tour of the place up the old elevator and saw the library and the toilet bowl in the basement with paintings inside the ceramic toilet all of blue flowers
 Bolshoi. The Tsars Bride an amazing Opera in Russian with English subtitles and tons of people, costumes and sets  the best
Lenin exhibition  many portraits busts and not too big or busy as this is a travelling exhibit.  Everyone on the planet must have made busts of him!
Nikulin circus - another wonderful venue with some animals as in regular circus and also dance and gymnastic activity and an orchestra that even played a Mozart piece!
Kremlin marching regiments great walk  Smell lilacs hear birds.  Missed concert with wrong info...saw buses of cops...wandered soft lighting on kremlin
Swan lake at the Kremlin Palace  another great opportunity in a new hall  Had difficulty finding ticket office

Sunday- forgot that legs would need to be covered so arrived at the right time but not admitted. So carried on to Gorky park and eventually a boat tour.  Lattes in the park with sofas in the outdoors and so modern and attentive staff and overhead awnings - talk about comfort in the sun!

Another day ordered latte at the equivalent of a Second Cup or Starbucks.  The young kid working there is trying to tell us that it would be a good deal if we bought a sandwich (wonderful choices and so fresh) with it....he was so patient with no language to share...and then we had to choose bread or croissant and filling...we did all of this and loved it all.  They were so patient and insistent that we get what we wanted and that we got the deal!  Russia is friendly and amazing... and it is amazing how little language is required.
 Swan Lake at Kremlin Palace - so many dancers and a new venue.  All Russian audience it seemed.  We had trouble finding the ticket office and theatre --using the ipad we knew that we were close but could not pin it down.  So we found a poster in the metro and asked someone for help (pointing, miming)  He got onto his phone and called the number on the poster and motioned us to come with him ...all the while he is talking on the phone.  Up the stairs we went and presto - the ticket office - so he hung up his phone and we got our tickets for the performance the next day.

Bought tickets for Cosi  con Tutti (Mozart) at new stage Bolshoi.  Seemed very Russian again here. Another gorgeous theatre.  At intermission it was interesting to see several Russian parties of 6 or 8 with their pre-ordered champagne and tapas all on the table!  It often looked like intermission and fancy sandwiches - open faced raw salmon nicely decorated and pretty little cakes...it looks like intermission is the time to impress others and feel like nobility before the production recommences.  This was somewhat true in every theatre...all very pleasant places to be in and soak up the atmosphere. 

Went to Moscow International House of Music and saw youth folk  dances during the first half and then talented young musicians having the opportunity to play with a professional orchestra  for the second half.  An amazing building - new and grand - on the south side of the river and very challenging to find - a long interesting walk in yet another neighborhood ...course we took the long way to get there (not intentionally).  Just about ready to give up because I was not sure exactly what this was about ( it was Monday and not many choices for theatre).  Anyhow we carried on and found the building - the next challenge was to find the theatre in it.  Up staircases like we have in  a parkade and then elevators - finally found a box office - and some patron in the area with a little English.  We were told no tickets but just then a woman came in wanting to sell hers...so lucky again (there were empty seats at the edges).  Since we were late we were not allowed our seats so sat where we were put (we didn't realize this exactly as we couldn't read the tickets anyways) until half time.  This theatre was incredible when we finally got there - massive with elevators in big wide open space that went up about 6 floors...so much lobby space here - even more than the other theatres.!  yes really and then this large but rather intimate feeling theatre with a relatively low ceiling to contrast with the lobby where incidentally all glass walls to view the city.  Rather spectacular and not on the tourist circuit!  We saw several a massive school group all in their uniforms lined up to leave at the end and so well behaved in the middle...definitely leashed in. Such a wonderful opportunity that we again had due to perusing the things to do online and investigating something that I really had no idea about.

St. Petersburg 15,16,17,18
Church
Mariinsky don Giovanni or Shakespeare noon Sunday
Folks how.ru.  Nikolayevsky palace
Mikhailovsky.ru  Oriental rhapsody or flames of Paris
Philharmonic.spb.ru
Mussorgsky theatre
The art.ru
Lassie.ru
Palacefest.spb.ru
Academic Capella. Oldest hall. Capella.ru
Eifman ballet theatre. Not this week
St-Katherine-or gel.ru.  Church concerts
So times.ru
Alexanderinsky.ru.  Nothing?

Pub Food England - times have changed!

Globe Theatre London

London 3 plays in 2 days including brilliant Silver Tassie - a serious Irish play about the great soccer player who lost his mobility and heart in war and life at home forgot the war hero - the futility of war; soso A Small Family Business and interesting to see Anthony and Cleopatra in the Globe.  Enjoyed pubs and pub food before time with family and then on to my adventure walking the C2C in 13 days.








Part 2 June 5-19 Coast to Coast England

......Emotions fleeting..,the burst of feelings as Clive leaves for home and me onto the train for my walk, settling into today, excited and comfortable on my own..actually missing mom and home ...though adventure spirits takes over and ready for a new adventure. Anxious to hear Lynda's news and meet up

The sky and weather change like your feelings...sun, cloud, cold and finally sunshine. Today ?a metaphor for my experience or feelings today......