The Bolshoi

For many years I passed by it, stood in front of it, seen it on TV, heard about it and was always interested in it but never had the chance to go in……until now! You can’t get much bigger and more legendary than The Bolshoi! Ballerinas, and opera singers spend their whole lives dreaming and working for that one opportunity to be a part of this incredible theater and production company.

Now mind you I had not worked my entire life to get in there, but it had been a dream of mine to go inside. Not one who is into ballet and opera (I’m much more of a sport’s guy than anything else), I really did not want to shell out the big bucks for a ticket. Yet, how else would I be able to see The Bolshoi?? Luckily before I came to Russia a friend from Australia (thank you Mel Smith) posted a link on Facebook to tours of The Bolshoi. I knew instantly this was literally my ticket in!

So…when I arrived in Russia I researched how, when and where to get tickets. The process was pretty easy! Tours were conducted several days a week twice a day with tours in Russian and English. When I got to The Bolshoi there was a line outside, not that long a line, but definitely a line. I knew I better get in it. A man would emerge every few minutes from the gigantic wooden doors of The Bolshoi and call in people about ten at a time. Meanwhile the rest of us were left to freeze our asses out in the 30° F or -2 C weather with a mean wind chill. I had dressed warmly but I guess not warm enough, as I was pretty cold.

As we stood there an old guy, an employee, went down the line and asked people in Russian whether they’d be taking the tour in Russian. Everyone said Russian and since I do speak Russian I said Russian. He paused and said only citizens of The Russian Federation could take tours in Russian! WTF I thought…….not only do I have to pay more than a Russian citizen for a tour but I can’t even take it in Russian? Who the hell were they to say which language I could take the tour in?! Finally after freezing for a good half hour it was my turn to go through those doors.

When I got in and paid I asked what tour I could take and they said English! I was pretty mad inside. Eventually though the English tour guide said I was more than free to join the Russian tour. So after slipping on the little plastic slippers over my shoes that protect the floor from whatever your shoes may bring in I wandered over to the Russian group. Being inside The Bolshoi was so elegant and unbelievable! I could hardly believe that I’d finally gotten in! Everything about it just oozed with culture and glamour and I hadn’t even seen a fraction of the theater.

Our first stop was a small performance room, which was built right above the metro station “Teatralnaya”. The room is soundproof and so well built that there is no hint of arriving trains below! Our next stop would be the viewing hall, which was what I was looking forward to most.

After walking through the elegantly decorated hallways and on the beautiful perfectly shined marble floors we had at last arrived in the main viewing hall!! I’d seen it so many times on TV, in pictures, in books, etc. that it was hard to believe I was standing right there in the middle of this elegant hall. From what our guide told us the theater had been closed from 2006 to 2011 for a multi-million dollar renovation, which I guess from what I read went way over budget. Over budget, under budget, whatever, the place looked stunning as if the spared no detail in the restoration of this beauty.

While we were there they were doing all types of audiovisual tests for upcoming performances. Although I had been standing there looking around for a good five minutes I still was just in awe that I was finally in The Bolshoi. One of the features I loved the most was the VIP government box. There it sat in the center in the back of the theater with the two-headed eagle proudly atop of the box in gold with velvet red curtains with gold trim on both ends.

Our tour continued upstairs to the top of The Bolshoi. There according to our guide was what you would call the student section. For a discounted price eligible students could receive a discount. I’m not sure exactly when tickets went on sale, but from what I could understand it was usually a few days in advance of a performance. It was pretty amazing just how high the seats were. Although they were pretty high up (at the very top) I still felt you could see a lot.

Bolshoi viewing hall from the top deck

 Our tour continued, this time to a different room, a room that had a very unique feature. It was built so that the person standing in the middle of the room’s voice would echo off the ceiling so everyone could hear. It was said that this was done especially for Tsar Nicholas II who was known to have a very quiet voice. So our guide demonstrated to us and sure enough when she clapped you could hear it echo throughout the room. It was amazing!

The tour continued to a number of different rooms. It was truly like visiting a museum. Although I had enjoyed the tour my feet were starting to drag and my interest level wane a bit due to fatigue. Museum /indoor tours seem to do something to my feet, making them feel as if I am wearing shoes made of rocks. Eventually the tour concluded with a few more rooms, which were all stunning. After thanking our tour guide and dispatching of my little plastic booties that went over my shoes I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Yet another item to check off my Russia To See List!

Do or Die!!

Having mustered up the energy to go to Red Square and attend my friend Zhenya’s performance I really truly believed that jet lag was on its last leg, no pun intended! No way was I going to succumb to another day of jet lag…………that was…..until I did!! And this time it was even worse. Instead of losing just a few hours here and there I spent the entire day in my hotel room sleeping! The day ended like the rest of them with a dish of beef stroganoff from room service. After the third day of beef stroganoff and sleep I was not only sick of stroganoff but also was sick of wasting my time sleeping!! I had to conquer jet lag!

The next day was “do or die” in my opinion. Either do something other than sleeping or I’d start to feel like the trip was all for naught! Luckily I did get myself together and got out the door first thing in the morning. The weather was a touch warmer, by no means balmy but it felt just a tad bit more doable. My first stop would be back to Red Square. As I entered Red Square I noticed a long line as you enter the square. It looked as if they were in line to see the only full time inhabitant of Red Square…..the man himself……..the father of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin!!! After looking around Red Square a bit more I decided it’d been too long since I’d seen dear father Lenin, so I jumped in the queue and slowly inched toward security. Unlike in the old days when you had to buy tickets at the History Museum

History Museum

(the big burgundy red building that sits opposite of St. Basil’s) and check your bags and cameras, there was no such process anymore. However, that did not exactly mean you were free to take pics of old Vlad himself.

After passing through security I got the chance to look around the Kremlin wall where the remains of Soviet heroes and others are placed. One of the remains in this garden includes the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. A short walk later I’d come to the tomb. As we entered they made sure everyone understood there was no photography with signs everywhere saying this was not allowed. Once in I descended several sets of marble stairs into a very dark, cold and barely lit large room where Lenin laid. Several guards stood by making sure nobody said a word or do something like sneak a shot of Lenin himself.

Lenin's Tomb

I slowly moved toward Lenin and walked up a few stairs to get a look at him from the side and the front. Unlike in previous visits where they didn’t let you stand around for longer than 3 seconds, this time they seemed to allow people to take their time looking. From what I could see Lenin looked pretty good for being nearly 100! He looked just like I had remembered him………a wax figure. There are rumors that the real Lenin was buried long ago and that this is just a wax. Seemed pretty legit to me. Whatever the truth may be I don’t know if we’ll ever really know. Interestingly enough Lenin requested not to be kept like this but to be buried next to his mother. I guess Soviet bureaucrats had other ideas. 

Having looked over Lenin, it was time to walk around the Kremlin burial grounds a bit more and see the statues and plaques devoted to the remains of other Soviet heroes and Soviet leaders. Amongst the most well known leaders buried in the garden is Uncle Joe aka Josef Stalin. Stalin much to the dismay of many others, and myself seems to be making a comeback in Russian society. Who the hell cares he killed millions and imprisoned countless others, after all industrialization comes with a price and furthermore he won the war, so goes the philosophy of those who see him as a hero. Stalin used to lie next to Lenin until Khrushchev started his campaign of de-Stalinization and ordered him buried. My grandfather actually got to see Stalin back in the 50s when he visited Russia. Oh how I wished I could’ve also seen Stalin!

Speaking of heroes and controversial figures, there’s a new fight brewing these days over another man by the name of Vladimir, no we’re not talking about Vladimir Lenin, nor are we talking about Vladimir Putin (although he does sort of come into the equation), but St. Vladimir. St. Vladimir was the ruler of Kievan Rus (the mother to the modern Russian state) and is credited as being the one who introduced orthodoxy to Russia. 

To Ukraine St. Vladimir they feel belongs to them and not Russia, hence Kiev in the name Kievan Rus. They even have their own St. Vladimir statue in Kiev built in the 19^th century. So when Russia unveiled its own statue, Ukraine saw it as a provocative gesture. For those not keeping track ever since the Maidan Revolution in Ukraine several years ago that saw a Kremlin friendly president overthrown in favor of a western friendly figure, Russia has been in a conflict with Ukraine which includes the annexation of Crimea and two provinces of Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk, who declared themselves independent of Ukraine and aligned themselves with Russia. This move is sure to cause even more friction between the two nemeses. It’s also been said that the statue in a way is a monument to the modern day Vlad, Vladimir Putin.

The statue sits right next to the Kremlin and is towering! Many say it is ugly, but I found it to be ok and nothing that horrible. But I can understand peoples’ concerns when schools are crap, roads are crumbling, wages are stagnant and many other problems that plague Russia! Plus, it just reinforces the Russian government’s close, close alliance with the ultra conservative wing of the Russian Orthodox Church.

My next stop on my walk around Moscow would be The Kremlin. Although there are a few museums on The Kremlin grounds, including the world famous Armory I much prefer to simply be outdoors and walk around than stuck in a museum. I feel embarrassed writing this, but I haven’t been in The Armory since I was a freshman in high school and here I’m a Russian language and lit major, plus a lover of Russian culture. Oh well one of these days….at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

The Kremlin churches

The Kremlin grounds were fabulous, it never gets old being inside looking at The Kremlin itself, the different churches and beautiful grounds. And as an added bonus, Putin just opened up a brand new pathway through The Kremlin that allows visitors to exit via The Savior Tower (Spasskaya Bashnya). Only a few months ago this was impossible and used to be the main exit for government officials in Soviet days. Back then you used to see black Ladas speeding out of The Kremlin onto Red Square. Now all you see is wide eyed tourists looking around amazed by the beauty of The Kremlin.

Later that night I would take my dearest friend Vanda out to dinner. I was quite excited for our date as I was presenting her with a special gift, a bracelet from Tiffany’s. A few months earlier she had asked me to buy the bracelet for her offering to pay me back for the purchase. But as luck would have it she had an unexpected cost come up (don’t we all) and she had told me not to bother. I felt bad for her as she said it was her dream to have the bracelet. So being the nice guy I am and to show a little bit of love toward her I bought her the bracelet.

I was heartbroken back in October when I had to cancel my trip and was unable to give her the bracelet. But it was well worth the wait when I presented it to her and saw her light up like a child who had just gotten their most desired present on Christmas day! She was so shocked and told me she couldn’t take it. But I insisted and eventually I convinced her that she deserved it and that I wanted her to have it. Hell….I was not going to leave the restaurant and for that matter Russia without her taking the bracelet!

We eventually finished up our dinner, a kind of pizza like meal from the nation of Georgia without the sauce and with cheese stuffed inside called Hachapuri. Soooo delicious! After several days of spinning my wheels like a 2 wheel drive car stuck in a blizzard, I finally felt like I was back on track and making some traction!

Lagged

After a day in Helsinki plus having slept some on the train I had thought I had a pretty good grip on jet lag……….so I thought! Nothing could be further from the truth….. I arrived at my home away from home in Russia, The Pushkin Hotel feeling pretty good, especially since waiting for me there was my beloved friend, Vanda who decided to stay a full half hour after her shift in order to see me!! It was great to see her smiling beautiful face after what seemed like a couple years, but in reality was only six months! She checked me in in record time and personally escorted me to my room. I felt like such VIP!

Once Vanda left me I went straight to my bed and crashed! I figured I’d just take a small 30-60 so minute nap, but the next thing I knew it that little 30-60 minute nap had stretched into more or less a six-hour nap! I woke up, the sun had already gone down, the hotel kitchen was closed and the only option for dinner was to either brave the cold to find something on the streets or call for room service.  Since I was in no mood to test my thermal ware, I opted instead to order some beef stroganoff. When I called down to the reception I heard no ring on the other end. I tried several other times and nothing. Eventually a girl came upstairs to ask me if I needed anything. Luckily she was able to take my order and after about 30 minutes the front desk beauty showed up with a dish of beef stroganoff in her hands wishing me a “good appetite”. Had she only stuck around to have dinner with me, that would have been a dream come true, but oh well, luckily the beef stroganoff was good!

Having wasted an entire day on jet lag I was determined to make the next day better. So after breakfast I got dressed up in all my thermal wear and layers and headed out the door to Red Square. The wind was brutal and the temps were at least several degrees below freezing making for a tough walk down to see St. Basil’s. I thought getting down to Red Square and seeing St. Basil’s would jump start me, but unfortunately the wow factor, the buzz just wasn’t there, killed by the extreme fatigue from jet lag and the cold!

I returned home and subsequently crashed until middle of the afternoon I got a phone call. On the other end was a very calm voice saying in Russian, “hello, Steve, how are you”? I started going through my mind thinking who this could be. I said ok and eventually they identified themselves. It was Zhenya Altudin, my good friend who plays the accordion and performs at a local theater located not far from the center. He invited me to his performance that night. Luckily I really did not have anything pressing that night, plus I badly needed to get out!

After a little more rest, I pulled myself out of bed to get ready for Zhenya’s performance that night. No way was jet lag gonna deprive me of attending!! Back in Seattle getting ready to go out during winter is pretty easy thing, put on a layer, maybe at most two and you’re ready. In Russia’s winter it’s a bit more complicated and time consuming, making me pressed for time once I’d stuffed myself full of layers. I eventually opted to take a taxi rather than getting out in the cold and then pushing and shoving through the crowds to squeeze into a metro wagon.

Luckily traffic was not too horrible, just average Moscow bad, so I arrived in good time to the theater. Once there I was to go up to the ticket window and say the magic word “Altudin”, my friend's last name, and pay the $5 or so dollars and I’d be in. Sure enough it worked and I was in! The theater was tiny, the size of what you’d expect from a local high school. Although I was a friend of one of the cast members that did not necessarily mean I would get good seats. Each ticket had a number on it and row, but mine was missing that. Eventually I had to settle for a big wooden block seat in the top row in the walkway area. Oh well……not like the other seats were exactly lazy boy leather recliners, so it was no worries. As I sat there on my hard wooden block seat I wished I could just skip the performance all together and go home. But no way in hell was I going to miss the show and let my friend Zhenya down!!!

I really did not know how I would react to the show since I am not one who just loves the arts. I figured I’d tolerate it and then see Zhenya afterwards and go home. But….a funny thing happened on my way to tolerating and going home…….I actually REALLY liked the show! The show’s name was “Times of the Year” and was a show with no words, just four absolutely drop dead gorgeous I’d do anything to just have one of those as a girlfriend/partner singing the words “la la la la” in all types of different tones in all different types of costumes and times of the year. It was a very, very different show, but was very, very well produced and had a very artsy feeling to it. The music was incredible and my friend Zhenya who plays the accordion is not only an exceptionally gifted accordionist, but also a great actor!

The cast taking of "Times of the Year" taking a bow

Eventually after the show was over I got to see Zhenya in the lobby for a short time and congratulate him and the cast on their great performance. Unfortunately Zhenya couldn’t stick around and talk because the cast was having a post-show discussion. I eventually arrived home dead tired, but so happy that I attended the show!

The Lev Tolstoy

On my way to Russia!

As I boarded the Lev Tolstoy train I couldn’t believe this would be my 11^th trip to Russia. It was hard to even grasp all the stuff Russia and I had been through during our eleven times together. Most of it was all love, but there’d been some rocky times together, like the time it betrayed me and endorsed Trump, or the time I was told I couldn’t leave the nation because my visa had expired. But this was all behind me; it was time to move ahead into Russia.

Although I was still in Finland when I boarded the train it felt like I had entered Russia! So, what constitutes feeling like Russia you may ask? It’s hard to really explain, but probably the number one thing that stands out is the definite smell of cigarette smoke. Although Russian trains are supposed to all be no smoking it seems somehow the train attendants must find a way to smoke in their rooms because there’s always that hint of smoke on board.

Usually for all my Russia to Finland needs I take the high speed Allegro train from St. Petersburg to Helsinki. The Allegro makes the trip back and forth in a mere 3.5 hours. But this time I’d be going a lot further, to Moscow, plus The Lev Tolstoy was a lot slower than the joint VR (Finland Rail)/RZD (Russian Railways) Allegro, so instead of the usual 3.5 hours just to Petersburg it’d be a whopping 17 hours!!  Luckily I had booked a really nice cabin so I’d get a good night’s sleep before I arrived in Russia.

As we slowly made our way toward the Finnish-Russian border, it dawned on me that unlike during summer and spring where there is no time difference between Russia and Helsinki, there was definitely one this time. Oddly enough because Russia has gone permanently to daylight saving time they are one hour behind Helsinki even though they are further east! Strange how time zones work isn’t it?!

Russia-Finland border

Once we got to the Russian/Finnish border the train lurched to a stop. First up on board would be the Finnish passport control people. They came by my cabin and looked over my passport a few times looking for my EU entry stamp. My passport has so many pages (the Icelandic passport control agent referred to as a bible) that it can be rather tough to find what you’re looking for, especially when it’s not exactly very bright on board. Eventually they found it and stamped me out of the EU. About a half hour later the train lurched a few more kilometers into Russian territory!! At last I was back in Russia!! The Russians boarded the train and looked at my passport. Luckily besides a few minor errors I’d made filling out my entry and exit card things went down pretty smoothly.

My cabin

Eventually the Russian passport agents finished their work and we were off to Moscow. The train stewardess stopped by my cabin to give me a bit of a tutorial on how to pull my bed down and to make sure my small little dining table next to it did not fall into me while I was sleeping. I listened carefully in Russian and pretty much understood everything………at least I thought….. Eventually when it was time for me to go bed I went to push the table next to me over to the side, only for it to swing back toward me every time the train made the slightest jerky movement. Eventually after trying several times unsuccessfully I figured I needed some intervention, so I called for an attendant to help me. The guy showed up and wasn’t exactly friendly about helping, but got it anchored in place so that it wouldn’t hit me while sleeping in the middle of the night.

The night went by fairly quickly, but due to jet lag I woke up at about 4:30 am and basically cat napped here and there until we arrived in Moscow. As the sun rose I was treated to a winter wonderland of nothing but snow and ice for as far as the eye could see. Although the calendar said it was still technically autumn, it appeared as if fall had left Russia loooooong ago!

After 17 hours on board “The Lev Tolstoy” train we arrived in Moscow. Luckily my beloved friend, Vanda, who is the front desk girl at the hotel I stay at in Moscow had arranged for a taxi to pick me up. I exited the train and expected to see my name somewhere on a name board (after all the driver had been given my wagon number and train number), but there was nothing except for some guy standing around with a name written “Sive”. I once again looked around but did not see anyone else holding a name board. So I figured that “Sive”, must mean “Steve” and approached the man. And sure enough he was here for Steve and had just misheard the name and written it down incorrectly when told it by the dispatcher.

When I started walking reality really hit me, it was cold….not just cold, REALLY cold!!! It was not as if Helsinki had been balmy either, but this was a whole another level of cold. I quickly did a mental assortment of all the winter clothes I brought with me and started to worry that I had underestimated the Russian winter! Never underestimate the Russian winter! After all Napoleon and Hitler did this and it did not turn out too well for them!

Helsinki!

Although I had just arrived in Helsinki less than 24 hours earlier, I was able to shake the initial effects of jet lag and get my day got off to a quick start. I began the day with a delicious buffet breakfast served in the hotel’s beautiful classic old school dining room. The food was good and portion sizes were generous, but one thing I have yet to understand about Finland is their love for non-lactose and skim dairy products! For the second visit in a row I could not find any cream for my coffee, only skim milk and lactose free milk. When I asked the woman who was tending the coffee area where they kept the regular milk she barely understood me and said “milk” and pointed to the skim crap. I said thanks and filled my coffee with skim milk. According to the hotel food management at the last hotel I stayed at, The Scandic Marsk, the skim milk, lactose free way of life is pretty popular in Finland. Why…I will never understand.

My train did not leave until 5:47pm that evening so I had a lot of time on my hands, which gave me a great opportunity to explore Helsinki. Although I’d been there only a few months ago on my way back to Seattle, I really was happy to have another chance to explore this great city! The last time I was in Helsinki I had managed to take in most of the sights except for one, The Rock Church. So, this would be my first destination.

I set out for the Rock Church all bundled up, layers upon layers in an effort to stave off the late Autumn Finnish cold. Luckily though it was not as cold as I had thought it would be making for a semi pleasant walk. On my way I stopped in at the The Kamppi Chapel a Lutheran church,

otherwise known as the “Chapel of Silence”. The church is a giant wooden rounded building, sound proof and a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the city that surrounds it.

After spending a few moments looking around and taking time for a somber reflection on my journey ahead I continued to The Rock Church. The church was quite cool and worth the walk! It was such a beautiful, calm place shaped like a big dome with granite walls and a beautiful 360° skylight above it. I spent some time peacefully meditating on the long church benches trying to envision a trip filled with little drama and great success.  

Following my tour of local churches, I headed back to the hotel to put the finishing touches on packing for my trip to Moscow that evening. Having packed everything up I checked out and took my bag down to the lobby where I’d have it stored till later that afternoon when I returned for it.

The smorgasbord/buffet had worn off and I was hungry, so my next stop was to find something to eat. I didn’t need a huge three-course meal, just something to hold me over till dinner. I stopped by Starbucks and it was packed, not a single seat available! I was disappointed and frustrated. Surely I could find a better place, but I really wanted a good cup of coffee and a pastry. After wandering down the Espelandi (a narrow park/green space where people gather in summer and spring to enjoy picnics and the nice weather) I spotted a nice quaint restaurant with big sun room type glass windows.  I looked at the menu and prices were outrageous for food that I’d never pay half the price for. But over to the left of the fancy restaurant in the same building was a cafeteria type café with pastries, cakes, sandwiches, etc. I figured I might as well try it.

I ordered my pastries and coffee and found a nice cozy corner of the restaurant in a space that stuck out from the rest of the restaurant. If you are in Helsinki, I highly recommend stopping at Kappeli. Try their pastries (which are absolutely heavenly) and the coffee (the coffee on the left side is the best). You will not be sorry!!

Having finished my divine pastries I was off to look around the rest of the city. One of my favorite parts of the city is Senate Square where you can find one of the most well known landmarks in Helsinki, Helsinki Cathedral. Helsinki Cathedral is perched atop a mountain of stairs and affords great views of the entire city! This is a must stop when in Helsinki!

Not far from Senate Square you will find the Russian Orthodox cathedral, Uspenski Cathedral, a personal favorite of mine. You can’t miss it as it looms over the city on top of a hill with its beautiful gold domes and brown trim. This is definitely worth a visit with its stunning interior that contains a beautiful iconostatus, a wall of icons. And unlike in Russia where with few exceptions it’s forbidden to take photos it is totally possible to take photos inside this cathedral. Uspenski Cathedral is definitely worth at least a half an hour to an hour out of your day.

I continued my sightseeing by looking around the waterfront and taking in all the sights. There’s something about Helsinki!! It’s such a calm and peaceful city that draws you back again and again. Eventually it was time to head back to the hotel and grab my bag for my onward trip to Moscow aboard the legendary “Lev Tolstoy” train!

In the beginning.....

After picking myself up off the floor from a devastating loss by my presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton to Agent Orange aka Donald Drumpf, I packed my bags and headed over to Finland via Iceland in order to reach Russia. I was supposed to take this trip back in September but due to a serious health issue with my mother I had to delay my trip till now, mid-November. I’ve had many situations where I postponed trips and they actually worked out better than expected, so I’m hoping this fits that scenario.

I was a bit worried about reaching Helsinki as I had only a 45-minute connection at Keflavik Airport in Iceland. Normally a 45-minute connection in any other place is totally not legal, but in Reykjavik I guess this is totally normal at least that’s what they said. Still I was rather worried. When we landed I quickly pushed my way to the middle of the airplane in order to get a running start on that 45-minute transit. My neighbor assured me that I had plenty of time and that he’s had times when they’re boarding the airplane of his connecting flight just as he’s deplaning.

Luckily I got to the connecting gate before they’d even started boarding. I was relieved and felt a sense of accomplishment that I’d made the connection with zero drama! Keflavik is by far and away one of the more superior airports I’ve been through, things usually run smooth and it’s never too far to a gate. It’s kind of the way things operate in Iceland, smooth and without too much drama………except for the domestic transportation system…….that’s worthy of an entire blog.

Once on board I made myself at home. Luckily there was nobody sitting in front of me or next to me, which made for a pleasant flight! The last flight I about went crazy with the guy in front of me as he had his seat down the entire flight. Just when we were about to pushback, the stewardesses came around with a treat for passengers. They offered us “morning shots”. I’ve been around the world and had never heard of “morning shots” until now. In Seattle “shots” in the morning mean shots of espresso. Europe never ceases to amaze me with their liberal attitudes toward alcohol.

The flight into Helsinki went by quickly, I mostly slept off the initial effects of jet lag. Once we landed I grabbed my bag right off the luggage belt and headed to the city-airport train. The train into the city is brand new (just opened in late 2015) and probably the most improved aspects of the city!! The only down part is it takes 28 minutes to get into the city, a far cry from Shanghai where there’s a super high speed magnetic rail train that whisks you from the airport to the city in less than ten minutes. But compared to having to squeeze onto a small city bus like before there is NO COMPARISON!!

When I got to the hotel I basically just crashed on my bed and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening sleeping! Although I slept till late in the evening, I was able to eventually get a partial night sleep on the new time zone. This was definitely a small victory in the fight against jet lag. And when it comes to that fight, I’ll take all the victories I can get!

All dressed up and nowhere to go.......

Due to a family emergency I unfortunately have had to postpone my trip. It kills me as Russia and Russian is my lifeblood. But I am holding out hope that when this giant wildfire in my life calms down and the smoke clears I can start thinking about going back to Russia. In the meantime I'll be picking up the pieces. Watch this space!

Icelandic Explosion

Iceland! The first thing you may think of is a bitter cold place devoid of any life where only a handful of brave souls may live. But contrary to popular belief, Iceland is not devoid of life and enjoys a high standard of living. It also is not that cold thanks to the Gulf Stream, which makes the nation surprisingly warm during winter considering its far northern latitude.

So, wait a minute you’re thinking, why is Steve writing about Iceland when he’s going to Russia? Good question. My route to Helsinki takes me through Iceland and since I’m of Icelandic descent and been there several times I thought I’d weigh in on this suddenly fashionably cool nation with a blog post.

I’ve visited Iceland now four times excluding a stop over I made from Helsinki on my way back from Russia. Since I first visited in 1995 I’ve noticed Iceland evolve from an off the beaten track exotic tourist destination to a beaten down popular tourist destination. Back in the 1990s in order to reach Iceland you had to fly via New York JFK Airport and then onto Reykjavik. Now it is possible from Seattle where Icelandair operates up to two flights per day during high season.

Back even as late as 2009 you could visit the nation’s number one tourist attraction, The Blue Lagoon, and have a relatively pleasant experience. How the times have changed!! Now unless you have pre-booked a reservation you may as well forget about visiting this tourist trap. Just two years ago you could show up whenever you like and get in. In fact just this year it was closed for several weeks as they expanded and made it even bigger and better. When I visited in 1995 it was a small place devoid of all the fancy extras like a 5 star hotel, super VIP entrance, spa package, swim up bar. Instead you had a modest building, which served as the changing place and admission wouldn’t cost you your daily trip budget. And the amounts of tourists were only a tiny, tiny fraction of what it is today! If you have to visit then go on ahead, but instead avoid the crowds and go to “The Secret Lagoon” outside of Reykjavik.

Showing my Seahawk pride

Iceland has become so popular tourist wise that the locals are having a hard time keeping up with the demand. According to locals I spoke with, they cannot train guides fast enough. They’ve even had to look to other nations to hire guides to handle the explosion of tourists. One tour operator explained to me that she booked a several day off the beaten path relaxing tour for a man to the Icelandic highlands (a very remote and difficult place to get to) and upon his arrival he was absolutely freaked to find the place swarming with tourists. This now has become the norm in Iceland, a once peaceful places now swarming with tourists. Twenty-one years ago when I visited the world’s oldest parliament Thingviller, an outdoor amphitheater and Geyser, crowds were light and there was only one small tourist facility. Now it has turned into a giant mass production that would make the most popular US National Park Service even blush.

Iceland has survived famine, war, bitter cold winters, and an economic meltdown that spread throughout the world, volcano eruptions, mass emigration and a tyrannical government ruling them. To their credit they’ve survived it all and lived to tell the story coming out even stronger each time. But I sometimes wonder if they really can survive this mass tourist explosion. Will they become a victim of their own success? I guess only time will tell. Being Icelandic and knowing the history I would say it’s safe to bet on Iceland weathering this storm and becoming better for it. But I still have to wonder if Iceland may just become a victim of its own success!!

It Is Happening Again!!

After a four month hiatus I am back and ready to hit the road again!! This time my journey is not quite as ambitious or as time consuming as my last one! You could call it Russia Lite! Last time I started my travels in Shanghai and then flew via Seoul to Vladivostok where I spent time teaching, sightseeing and meeting with friends eventually boarding the Trans-Siberian railway on a loooong journey that took me all through Russia! After countless cities and a detour to the lovely college town of Tomsk topped off with many deep fried piroshkies and borsch along the way I made it to Moscow in fine shape.

Qolsharif Mosque inside Kazan Kremlin from 2011

This trip will take me by train through Western Russia starting in the Finnish capital of Helsinki, then to the cities of: Moscow, the city of Yoshkar Ola in the republic of Mary-El, Kazan’, Tatarstan (a city that is known as the Istanbul of Russia due to its mix of Islamic and Christian traditions), then up to the most populist city north of the Arctic Circle, Murmansk, which also serves as the home to Russia’s northern fleet. After all that is said and done I will wind up in one of my favorite cities on the planet, St. Petersburg. Overall, it should take me about three and a half weeks to complete the journey.

So…….I look forward to keeping everyone up to date about my latest travels and impressions throughout Russia! Watch this space!!

End Of The Line

The most common sight along the road, birch trees

Although I had been sweet talked into buying a $25 bottle of champagne by the two service girls, Tatyana and Natasha I eventually got over it and chalked it up as the price to pay for a cheap date with two good looking Russian girls. The rest of the day went by without incident, I generally passed the time watching the scenery go by, which generally consisted of endless birch trees intermixed with small villages.

Later that evening I ventured into the “lioness den” aka the restaurant car where the girls basically lived and worked. As I walked toward the dining car I passed by a small sign that said no smoking and who should be under that sign but Natasha sucking away at a cigarette. Eventually after finishing her cigarette she came back into the dining room appearing a bit drunk and embracing me as if I was some long lost friend.

The dining car is a great place to get acquainted with all types of different people. Case in point the year before I got to know two guys from 3^rd class who were involved in a no-holds-barred take down arm wrestling match. They saw me sitting across from them and asked me to cheer one of them on while they were arm wrestling. So, basically I was a cheerleader saying “я за Вадим” “I’m for Vadim”. Their arm wrestling matches continued for a good hour only to stop every few moments for a beer break.

Sasha and myself

This year I got acquainted with three other people, a Russian guy, Sasha, a Central Asian guy and a cute Ukrainian girl who was studying political science in Russia’s third largest city, Novosibirsk. They all were involved in playing the Russian card game “durak” which means fool in Russian. They introduced themselves to me and when the Ukrainian girl introduced herself the Russian guy quickly interjected and said “she’s from Maidan”, referring to Ukraine and the Maidan “revolution” or really a coup that swept a democratically elected pro-Kremlin president from power in favor of a puppet government of the US and EU. The Ukrainian girl turned to me and said “don’t ever get into politics with Russians”!

One of the many beautiful churches along The Golden Ring

The next day was Russian Orthodox Easter and my final day aboard the train, The Tomich. About mid-morning we pulled into our very last stop before Moscow, the Golden Ring city of Vladimir, which also served as the nation’s capital back in ancient times. For those not familiar with Russian culture, The Golden Ring is a group of eight ancient Russian cities consisting of countless beautiful churches, monasteries and spectacular architecture. Once I stepped off the train I noticed the city was alive with the sound of church bells ringing………I thought what a way to cap off a great journey across the nation!

Vladimir churches

Tatyana sleeping after a very long day

As our trained lurched toward Moscow Tanya, one of the servers who sweet talked me into buying a bottle of champagne (see The Honey Trap part I and II) came to my compartment one last time to chat with me. She said her dream was to visit Red Square telling me that she had a six-hour layover in Moscow till she had to be on the next train back to Tomsk. Since I’m a veteran of the Moscow Metro I told her it would be super easy to get there and that all she had to do was go to the nearest metro station Комсомольская/Komsomolskaya and ride several stops to Охотный Ряд/Okhotiny Ryad and basically just follow the people. Yet, even with my advice she still seemed hesitant and told me she'd see. It felt a bit odd that here I was from the United States telling a native Russian how to get around Moscow. But for me Moscow is like a second home, I know the Metro system quite well and feel 100% comfortable using it.

Welcome to Moscow!

At last we pulled into Moscow and with that my 10,000 km (6,000+ mile) journey was finally over, one that I’ll never forget! But that hardly meant the excitement, the fun and intensity of Russia was over……….far from it! Stay tuned for more exciting adventures during my last few weeks in Russia!

the monument to the end of the Trans-Siberian railway