Russia, Part 2: The Ship and Villages

In St. Petersburg, we boarded a 100-cabin ship to cruise on Lake Ladoga, Lake Onega, and the Volga River. We were pleasantly surprised by our cabin. The ship was fully renovated this year and everything was squeaky clean and new. Sunset was 11 pm and sunrise was 2:30 am.




We had huge buffet breakfasts every morning on the ship. This is one of our cute little waitresses:



Our first stop was at a little village called Svirstroy. Lots of little kids tried to sell us flowers and their own crayon artwork. They knew how to say “Please” and “One dollar.” I gave them gum and lollipops that I had in my purse. Later on, I saw several children sharing licks off the same lollipop. I bet they liked the candy better than a dollar.

Two sisters who shared a home with their mother hosted us for perogies (meat or cabbage or fruit pastries) and tea. They actually divide the home with 3 other families. Look at these women: they are 50 and 57 years old! The older one in the back had a very nice mustache. It was a great visit. Not only did we ask questions of the women, but they asked us about America.



After dinner, we heard a magnificent duet performance featuring the balalaika and the piano. The 3 musicians on the ship (one played accordion) also were the ship photographers! We had a drink called KGB. It was Kahlua, Galiano, and Baileys.


Our next little village was Kizhi. It was very small, but had this huge church called the Church of the Transfiguration.





Look who I found while walking along the path on the way to church.



Mr. Puffy went fishing with the captain and the crew. They served vodka, olives, and pickles. You’re supposed to eat something salty with vodka.

We went to a presentation about Russian Fairy Tales. Children like and understand animals. They learn about good and evil intentions. The fox is the female and the wolf is the male. The sly foxes deceive the stupid wolves. Then the program directors (our guides) acted out a fairy tale. It was really funny.


Then we headed to the presentation on Vodka! We had 3 different shots, with salty snacks of pickles, olives, herring, cabbage, and bread. We learned about various traditions, such as holding the glass with 2 fingers, holding the glass on your arm, clicking glasses to toast, and always making a toast. You shouldn’t leave any vodka in the glass-the remainder represents tears. You must drink in groups of 3; any less than that makes you an alcoholic.



We went through about 18 locks on the voyage through a few lakes, canals, and finally the Volga River. One of the locks only had room for an 18-meter wide ship. Our ship was 17 meters wide.



Next stop was Goritsky. We went to a small nunnery. The 9 nuns stationed there are renovating the old nunnery. A little boy and his dog led us all around the island. I gave him some lollipops. I bought a piece of lace that a woman was selling in front of her home. She displayed her home-made lace in a notebook. I guess she runs out whenever a ship docks.




We learned so much! We had a couple of Russian language lessons. We learned Russian songs and dances (guess who participated in the talent show) .



We also painted our own Matryoshka (nesting) dolls.



We then docked at a village called Yaroslavl. We went to the Church of the Transfiguration monastery. At Russian Orthodox churches, the congregants STAND during the entire service. No sitting. Someone said that most people go to church to be “hatched, matched, and dispatched!” There are now many types of churches in Russia. We went to an open-air marketplace and paid about 14 cents to use the bathroom. Ugh. Bathrooms are not a huge concern in Russia. Everyone on the trip shared tissues and anti-bacterial gel, foam, or cloths that we brought with us.

We saw a gazebo of love. Brides and grooms often walk to special “good luck” places, such as this one, on their wedding day, and dance and drink vodka.



People, like me, write their names on the columns for luck.

Our last stop was Uglich, a town of 40,000 people. It was my birthday so we bought some amber earrings. There is a lot of amber here; all different colors. This cute little girl is presenting bread and salt to the visitors. It's a Russian tradition. We were surprised to hear that because at home, we also bring bread and salt to someone who has moved into a new house. I guess it's been passed down from generation to generation and we didn't realize it!



Before we reached Moscow, we went to a talk about Modern Russia. They have a similar judge/jury/justice system as ours. They have no capital punishment. The judge can overrule the jury’s decision. A verdict can be appealed. Those who own the TV channel or newspaper control the mass media. It is more or less free. They now have access to all TV and radio stations. In the small village of Goritsky, we saw a woman getting water from the lake for her house, which had a satellite on the outside for TV.

Since 1991, there are now lots of new churches and denominations. There are no restrictions on religion. The economy is based on exporting natural resources. They don’t have to import anymore. There are increased job opportunities with local and foreign countries. Older people who retired under Soviet Rule tend to like the Soviet regime better. They were supported and they had housing and pensions prior to 1991.

There are more monetary differences now between groups. The older people are poor. If the middle aged people adjusted to changes and were flexible, they do well. The young people are educated and doing well.

The population is declining. The life expectancy is lower now (58 for men and 75 for women). Because of smoking, alcoholism, and stress, men die younger. Married people wear their wedding rings on their right hand. Young couples are afraid to have more than one child because of the expense so the government pays about $8000 if you have a 2nd child. The money can be used for the child’s education or to enlarge their apartment. Because of this new law for 2007, many doctors changed babies’ birth certificates to reflect that they were born on Jan 1, 2007.

What are they taught about WWII and Stalin? The truth, they say. A pension is given at age 55 for women and 60 for men (hmmm, men’s average age at death is 58, remember).They get 50-80% of their former salary, a free apartment, free public transportation, and ½ price utilities. Compulsory military service is only for men.. They say they have no ethnic minority problem. In Soviet times, they felt sorry for Americans because Americans had poor people and unemployment. Some people even sent money to those poor Americans. They want democracy and feel that we are all stronger than our politicians. Our politicians do not reflect the way the people feel about each other.

One more church before I go. Look how it sits so close to the banks of the Volga River:


Stay tuned for Part 3: Moscow

Russia, Part 1: St. Petersburg

It took 24 hours from waking up at home until we arrived at the hotel in St. Petersburg. At the stop-over in Chicago, we ate at the Billy Goat Tavern at O'Hare airport. It's the cafe made famous by John Belushi on SNL...the cheeseburger, cheeseburger, coke, no pepsi place.

The couple behind us on the plane argued the whole way. The man threw coffee on the flight attendant and the rumor was that he was going to be arrested upon arrival in Frankfurt.

From Frankfurt, we flew into Russia. St. Petersburg is a beautiful, bustling city of 5 million people. It's the cultural capital of Russia. It's their "White Nights" season now. The sun never sets. At 10:30 pm, people were walking through the park or sitting on park benches, as if it was noon.

We saw the first of several cathedrals in St. Petersburg: Church of the Spilled Blood. The spires, or cupolas, are onion-shaped for a practical reason: the snow and ice don't stick to the onion shape. St. Petersburg has 90 rivers; there are 350 bridges.


Those sneaky Russians seem to have somehow hoarded most of the world's famous artwork. The Hermitage is unbelievable. They bought and bought and bought European artwork and have the finest collection anywhere. We had to pay to take pictures or video at almost every museum. Look at these walls and ceiling. It's like the Sistine Chapel!



The Russians called WWII, "the Great Patriotic War." When the Germans tried to take over St. Petersburg in 1941, 2000 people died each day. The seige of St. Petersburg lasted 900 days. St. Petersburg lost 1 million civilians and 1 million soldiers who are buried in common graves, over 15,000 in each grave. Russia lost 25 million people in WWII.

We also went to Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg. It's another amazing, lavish palace. There is the amber room: all amber from floor to ceiling. Each room was more stunning than the previous room. If Russia ever needs any money, all they have to do is sell off some of the gold or items in these palaces.

Here's two tidbits for you: Catherine died on the toilet. Elizabeth was afraid of night and being killed so she never told where she'd be sleeping. Right before bedtime, she picked a room and said "bring a bed here." She slept in a different room each night.

We walked to the Ice Bar, which I had to do because I saw a similar bar in Finland on The Amazing Race. It was so fun! We put on huge warm floor-length coats, mittens, and boots so we could endure the -10 degree Celsius temperature of the bar. The floors, tables, and glasses were made of ice. It was about 75 degrees Fahrenheit outside.



We went to the Russian Ballet (Romeo and Juliet) at night. We also visited Yusopov palace, scene of the famous Rasputin story. We attended a musical performance at a children's music school and visited with the kids. During the question and answer session, I asked what musical groups the kids like. Their faces lit up and they answered, "50 cent."

We saw billboards for Elton John, The Rolling Stones, and Linkin Park.



We went to the Peter and Paul Fortress and St. Isaac's cathedral. The cathedral had 14 different types of marble and beautiful mosaics, guilded bronze sculptures, and 15 tons of malachite. We took a hydrofoil boat to Peterhof Castle, which had beautiful fountains all over the gardens.







Gasoline was about 18-22 rubles a liter, which translated to about $4 a gallon. Ice cream bars were about $1.10, a bottle of Russian beer in the market was about 80 cent to $1.25. The beer was sold in single bottles, not in 6-packs. Eggs came 10 in a box, about $1.80. A quart of milk was about 80 cents and a yogurt was about 40-50 cents. St. Petersburg is supposed to be the 12th most expensive city in the world, but we didn't find it too bad at all. We ate blinis (crepe-style pancakes, stuffed with meat, chicken, fruit, cheese, or caviar) for about $2 each. There are tiny markets, but they also have huge supermarkets in the Western style. Here's a McDonalds:

That's about it for St. Petersburg. Part 2 will be our week on the ship.