Adieu to Russia with Love

And 2 more things…

A weekend cruise on the Volga with destination at Uglish is just a wonderful thing to do. We boarded the boat in time for dinner on Friday evening. We returned Sunday evening. The Volga is said to be the longest river in Europe. I would say it might be the widest, too. The boat was moving quite fast but it never felt like it. We had to pass through about 5 locks which was perfectly fascinating. Our view on the banks did not give the impression that they were very populated, but they were clean and green. The boat’s female activity director, une dame d'un certain âge, seemed very concerned that we were properly taken care of because we were the only foreigners. The staff was indeed very nice to us in the dining room, the cafe-bar, the state room, etc. She wanted us to stay with the guided historical tour in Uglish, but I’m afraid we lost them when we got interested in the music. The tour was in Russian, after all, and the music was a language we understood much better. JJ was critical of the food, but it was quite edible and he’s a snobby French gourmet. The food shouldn’t stop anyone from going on this tour. The passengers were mostly families with school-aged children and senior Muscovites: very kind, well-mannered people, & again the kids were well-behaved. 

Once when we were in the state room with a beautiful, expansive view all across the prow, two sisters, about 12 and 10. Dressed like a pair of night-sprights in a black ruffled dress and green satin shift respectively with braided hairdos, the oldest asked me directly….something..., but she was holding a camera. Son #1 translated that she wanted to take a photo of us. “Why?,” I asked. He said, “Because she says you are the only foreigners on the cruise!” Now how’s that for special treatment? 

Cruises on the Moscow River

Old Moscow; a "pectopah" is "restaurant" in cyrillic.

…….that flows through the city leave regularly from the designated quay. There’s never a shortage of passengers whether foreign or native. We took the 8 p.m. in which the sun was slowly setting  by 10. There were less tourists than Muscovites who seem to enjoy a restful cruise at the end of a work day. Drinks and snacks are served until the bar must close just before docking. It’s truly a couple of happy hours. I took a lot of photos of the various buildings, marvelously interesting architecture of different historical periods and and landmark statues. For whoever goes to Moscow this cruise is a must-must do. It presents Moscow at its best, & it’s magnificent.

Still old Moscow

New Moscow

Impressive, huh?

I was pretty nervy. I spied a beautiful young woman with a most intricate braided up-do. I asked her if she coiffed herself. She told me, “No, I am a TV announcer, and my hair is done for me everyday by the studio hairdresser.” What a wonderful perk! Of course, she was quite used to having her picture taken, and readily posed for a few photos. Since this is something I haven’t mention, I will tell you that the braided hairdo has not disappeared. Amazingly, one observes it frequently on women of all ages. 

Uglish is not Ugly

Actually, Uglish means corner. This town was built where the Volga makes an almost perfect right angle. I have already mentioned this town for it’s music. I believe the Russians are very proud of Uglish as can be noted in its restored monastary and churches. It was here that the sordid tragedy of Tzar Ivan the Terrible’s second son, Dimitry, unfolded in 1585. Immortalized in the opera Boris Godinov by Modeste Mussorgsky, the truth about Dimitry’s accidental death or murder cannot be ascertained.

Uglish has been a regular port-of-call for Volga cruises for quite some time. It is much smaller than St. Petersburg, however the residents obviously make a lot of effort to attract tourists’ rubles. Before one enters the historic grounds one walks through an open crafts market selling all manner of knick-knacks, jewelry, and apparel. I did not buy anything the first time we went through, but I couldn’t resist on the way back. The prices are about one fourth the price of similar articles in Moscow.

Russians are rightly proud of their small lacquered containers of varied shapes and sizes. I purchased one in sky blue and black, favorite decor colors for my youngest daughter-in-law, who has just moved into her first home. There is also dominant green and dominant red, yet the artwork always remains within certain long established criteria. 

Linen apparel of all kinds is beautifully designed & tailored. Whether a shawl, dress shirt, or hat, these are in natural tones of cream and light grey, never dyed. I missed getting what I would have liked. (Darn!) Costume jewelry of semi-precious stones can be bought for a song. Of course, you’ll never beat the Russians for amber, which comes in a variety of hues. I got some pearls and completed a set of amber jewelry.

I was really sorry to miss purchasing a couple of gaily painted stick puppets, traditional humorous characters. When we came back through, the doll stand had closed. I never wanted the Matryoshka dolls which are everywhere and, to my thinking, nothing special. 

Inside the historical area was a pavillion that sold satin brocaded, authentic period costumes. I suggest that the big opera houses producing Boris Godinov simply send their costume designer to Uglish to purchase whatever is needed. They’d probably come out cheaper and more historically accurate.

A pretty good comparison between then and now

There were several young people modeling the costumes on the stairs of this historic building.

The welcome in Uglish was warm and fun. And yes, Russians can smile & laugh. We appreciated their effort to communicate in English without being pushy. While we were having coffee on a hotel terrace we noticed cars artfully dodging huge potholes. There is nothing so tell-tale in a country as poor infrastructure and streets in disrepair. We wish that Mother Russia would take pity on this lovely “child,” who is trying very hard to lift herself up with the best she has to offer: Russian Heritage.

Vignettes: Eating Out in Russia

La Cuisine Russe

Our #1 son has always had a knack for finding very good eating places for the best price. We make fun of his “greasy spoons,” but we always trust his culinary judgment. Hence, we ate at some places that might not have passed muster for presentation, but the food was remarkably good, and reasonably priced. I’m sure that it would take some time - of which my #5 daughter-in-law had when she lived in Russia for 4 years - to discover the best of Russian cuisine. Honestly, JJ & I didn’t have that luxury. Our cursory impressions leave much to desire, & I worry that we cannot be entirely fair. 

Best Dishes 

Fish was well-prepared with a light cream sauce. JJ & I think that because Russians live in an essentially cold climate their soups can be excellent & quite different from western soups. I was out to have a really good Borsch, discover the secret & I wasn’t disappointed. Another soup, Solyanska is hearty and tangy. It can be made from a fish or beef base. I didn’t discover its secret. (I’ll have to ask my DL.) The blinis or crêpes are wonderful, whether sweet or savory. Russians & tourists eat a lot of them. Desserts, especially cream desserts and pastries are fine. We discovered the “Mac Cafe” attached to the McDonalds that exactly replicates the stateside version. The Mac Cafe has wonderful coffee and equally wonderful pastries of great variety. We had the impression that these pastries were Russian specialties. We certainly wouldn’t find them in the US. MacDo, as the French call it, seems to adapt to the tastes of the countries where it locates. 

Service

Generally speaking, the service was professional and good. We never quite understood whether to offer a tip or not. The prices were so high, it would seem that the tip was included. In most countries of western Europe the tip is included in the bill. 

Upscale restaurants provide a variety of ambiance, chef specialties, and stylish service. Despite the high prices, they are never empty. They stay open quite late. Restaurants wouldn’t stay in business without a bar and a variety of mixed drinks.  Again maybe it’s the cold weather, Russians are heavy consumers of hard alcohol, more so than western Europeans or even Americans. 

Extra difficulties

Russians who run hotels and restaurants deal with added costs of doing business unrelated to their areas of hospitality. The taxes, licenses, and various extortions force their prices upward. In the case of restaurants the produce is limited to imports & they are very expensive. Hotels have extra and unnecessary costs. We couldn’t understand how a medium priced hotel room with breakfast could cost four times the price in the US or France. We were told it’s all about these costs, so unfair, that must be factored in. 

  

Vignette: Waiting in Russia

#1 wanted us to have the full Russian experience. He knew that we enjoyed taking trains, so he suggested that we take the train to & from St. Petersburg from Moscow. He made reservations for us to take the night train up, but for variety of experience, we would take the fast train back in the middle of the day. He was of the opinion that train transportation is one of Russia’s bright points, particularly the night train. 

He was right. The night cars are luxurious complete with nice bathroom facilities. The breakfast is decent with fresh-brewed hot tea or coffee. Night trains have young female train attendants who perform a similar role as flight attendants; in addition to checking tickets and passports, they see to the comfort of passengers. We ate breakfast as we approached St. Petersburg. We got off the train and found our hotel, the Ibis without a hitch.

The day train had other advantages. We could look out and take in the countryside, plus it was really fast. When we flew into Moscow, we were surprised that the sprawling  metropolis was surrounded by virgin land. That is, there were forests and green spaces, but no evidence of farming, livestock, and typical rural infrastructures.  Our vision out of the large train windows only confirmed that the hinterlands are pretty fallow. They are woodsy and green, with a sprinkling of old houses. The stops were few, but around lesser cities are the usual dreary & unsightly high-rise government-built housing. We were not surprised to find frequent ruins of now deserted factories. These present day eyesores were typically placed near a railroad line.* 

(You might be thinking that this vignette is about trains, but, as you’ll note, in fact you are “waiting.”)

Notice the black arrival and departure screens which orient the "Waiting Room."

We arrived in Moscow sooner than we thought & called #1 who had lent us a cell phone for the duration of our stay. He, too, was thinking we would be coming in later. He said he would be at the train station in a short hour, and for us to wait for him in the large waiting room. He said that we couldn’t miss it, “You know, the one you crossed when you took your night train.” Well, actually, I’m afraid that part of our station-crossing went by without a notice. JJ & I were following the leader, & were merely concerned with getting on our night train and doing things right. What we never noticed was now of concern to us. If it was so obvious why in the world didn’t we remember it? “You know, he said, “It’s has a gigantic marble bust of Lenin right in the middle.” Now, how come that didn’t compute when we passed through? Oh well…

We trudged from the quay toward the station central with our belongings. Sure enough, we entered a long, neon-lighted, rectangular room. Oh law! How could I have missed such a sight. I apologize, I do, but I couldn’t contain my laughter.** This room gave the compound noun “waiting room” a whole new meaning. The space was about 125 feet in width, about 200 feet in length, & maybe 20 feet high. This cavernous room was filled front to back with even rows of travelers sitting in perfunctory, linked, metal-frame chairs five together. With their motley bags (because Russians tend to travel with all manner of old-style sacks and suitcases), every chair was taken by waiting travelers. They were peaceably facing the large black screens announcing train arrivals and departures. 


Since all we had to do was wait for #1 to meet us, we had time to observe the waiting ritual. We counted there were 24 rows of chairs, all occupied by170 waiters. A space and a rock garden around Lenin’s enormous, raised white marble bust was situated about two thirds back, and beyond were the remainder of rows filled with more patient travelers. But, on close observance we noticed that there were waiters along the sides of the rows who were invited to take a seat when a traveler vacated. Hence, there was imperceptible movement, a quiet game of musical chairs. As previously mentioned, elders had priority and exercised it, with mothers and children next in line. JJ & I were not old enough to get special treatment. I have never seen such an organized waiting room, nor such disciplined waiters. There was very little conversation & no smiling. Waiting in Russia is serious business.  

* #4 says I must explain why we were shocked by the wilderness surrounding cities in Russia. It is because all of the countries we fly over, or drive in are covered with planted fields and pastures of livestock. The forests in western Europe are rare & must be government protected from being gobbled up by human development. Russia imports most of its food & exports oil. While Germany imports a fair amount of food, its varied exports far exceed imports. Even then, the last time we were in Germany, we were amazed at how quickly the east Germans had cultivated fields and re-established cornerstones of industry. Russia needs desperately to re-establish its agriculture which was wiped out by Stalin's collectivization.

** A beautiful young Russian woman was standing under Lenin and waiting. She saw me laughing uncontrollably & asked me why in very good English. When I told her that I had never seen such a waiting room, she said, "Well, maybe they wanted the waiting room to resemble a train, with passengers all in a row, facing the same way." Even though, as we conversed I could tell that she had been out of Russia quite a bit, I still think she secretly thought my sense of humor was slightly bizarre. 

#4 advised to make this photo smaller. Be sure to note the statue of Lenin far back. The photo doesn't give a very good idea of how big it was, nor all the rows of seats behind it.

Vignettes: Music in Russia

Techno-Trash

There can be no doubt that music still resides in the soul of Russian people.  I’m convinced of this because almost everywhere we went, with the exception of museums, there was music. The strangest and most grating phenomenon was the omnipresence of amplified music blasted on the sidewalks. I still cringe when I think about it because it was so offensive to my ears, that I do not even consider it to be music. I’ve asked several people what genre it is, & they tell me it’s called “Techno.” The blasting amps are placed at the corners of shops, restaurants, or clubs for the purpose of luring customers. We would never knowingly patronize any of these places. While this offensive practice was widespread in St. Petersburg, it was less so in Moscow. It has taken me a while to get beyond its offensiveness, and to understand the motivation. The beat is driving & deafening; the singing is protest yelling; the instrumentation is, as suggested by the name, electronically generated. So, why the appeal? Does it drown out unpleasant thoughts? Is its loud beat the call of the wild? Is it sexy?

I don’t know how long this “ear-trash” has been popular, but I did get one answer to my questions when we were on a weekend cruise on the Volga. At night, on the deck of the stern, in front of the bar, a techno dance was in full swing. As revolving green strobe-lights twinkled, the dance floor filled to capacity with passengers of all ages and both sexes moving rhythmically. Their gyrations continued into the wee hours. Mercifully, I was able to observe these dancers from a distance seeming released from cares, and so happy. So, whether or not this is my taste, obviously some Russians find it good for them. The only objection I still have is that techno should not be forced on anyone. These decibels really do cause deafness, and people who have objections to it should have at least have an escape route.

Folksongs on the Volga

At the prow on the third floor was a big room where a mixed crowd of equal importance to the dancers gathered after dinner to sing folk songs with the ship’s accordionist. These sing-alongs also lasted into the wee hours. I admired how the singers seemed to know all the verses. I learned that Russian folksongs are in minor mode. This doesn’t mean that the songs are sad. On the contrary, they are remarkably happy and uplifting. The lively rhythms are meant to accompany dancing or working. Such joyous dancing, and singing! Who am I to criticize? JJ & I were heartened by the spontaneity. 

Folksongs at Uglish

At our port-of-call, Uglish,* we were surprised by more singing, but this time much more rehearsed and perhaps more “serious.” We were greeted by two women dressed alike in floor-length red & pink folkloric attire with matching large, high headdresses. They never seemed to stop as they harmonized folksongs in constant harmony as a  welcome for tourists to the historic grounds. Their classically-trained voices were loud enough to be heard in the open air & from a distance. Each woman accompanied her singing with a rhythm instrument: one like a castanet, and the other resembling a guerro.** As their sweet voices wafted on the cool air, our son said, “Isn’t that wonderful?” It was indeed!  

Uglish con’d...6 Men in Concert

The musical surprise was hardly over. Uglish is where we found the Russia of yore:  beautifully restored castles and churches, brightly, tastefully, repainted and re-gilded tourettes, & elegant domes. Inside one long, rectangular place of worship a singing ensemble of 6 men drew in & mesmerized tourists. Such rich sustained singing,  controlled and together, is a Russian specialty as each voice fills out the harmonies. Once heard, the bass voice is never forgotten! (Is it human? Does it ever take a breath?) When these groups perform, which is often, they do so without benefit of sheet music. While most of their repertoire is sacred, they also sing secular folk and classical arrangements. It’s possible that they benefit from some kind of government stipend for the arts.  There was no entrance fee, but tourists were encouraged to leave a contribution, which most did.

Uglish con’d… 5 Women sing the mass like angels

In a church close by, a mass had begun accompanied by five women’s voices. Unlike our church choirs and cantors who only sing at appointed times, this chorale never stopped for more than 30 seconds. The priest sometimes tuned in for a phrase or two of liturgy, though he took nothing away from their angelic approach to heaven. Bearded, in long black cossack and tall square toque, the priest gently punctuated parts of the mass, as he moved gracefully in his role as celebrant. In contrast to the men’s sextette these feminine voices were most likely volunteer choristers who practice regularly together. In this quintette, the middle voice, who stood precisely in the middle of a semi-circle, conducted almost imperceptibly. Unlike the men, they did use sheet music, which is normal for church choirs. Their small voices were  perfectly rehearsed for blend, ensemble, and dynamics. Their etherial sound ascended in the cavernous square-shaped sanctuary, its walls covered with jewel colored icons.  Russian Orthodox worshippers stand throughout the mass. Does the music help to forget the discomfort? It surely did ours.

Instruments on the streets…..

one sees men and women carrying orchestral instruments at any given time. The guitar is a favorite of young people. Maybe it has taken the place of balalaika because of its superior sonority and variety of types. We were delighted that the ballet we attended was accompanied by a full live orchestra instead of canned music through amps. We can only suppose that musicians are important to Russians & that the Putin government hesitates to cut back on stipends. Every 4 years in the Van Cliburn Piano Competition in Ft. Worth the world gets to find out just how superior Russian musicians can be. Alexander Kobrin was hands down the 1st place winner in 2005. To be fair the ‘Stans also contribute to the excellence of musicianship. Great string players, anyone?  Great composers, anyone? In this way we are assured that Mother Russia has not forgotten her musical heritage….despite the apparent taste for ear-trash.

* I’ll be writing more on Uglish.