Returning

Oct. 13, 2018-Returning

Things went swimmingly until we got to Frankfort. The plane we were supposed to board had mechanical problems, and they had to get a new plane. Luckily, Lufthansa had an extra plane in Frankfort. We were delayed and missed our connecting flight to Cleveland in the States. That added 5 hours to our traveling day. It was interesting that when the Frankfort pilot got on the speaker to welcome us and apologize, he said that planes are very smart. The one that broke down knew it was in need of repair and sent a message to that effect to maintenance. No one read it until an hour before flight time. Then, the replacement plane that had been sitting across the field for hours hadn’t yet been cleaned. He said the delay was due to failings of their organization. He was not a happy camper. We were supposed to arrive around 7 PM. Instead, we got to Cleveland around midnight. Even though we’re TSA pre-checked, some gates didn’t provide for that. The only plus was that we’ve aged out of taking our shoes off at security. 

It was an exhausting way to end one of the best trips we’ve taken. You know how compatible the group was and how competent our guide. But I feel compelled to talk about something else. I am afraid for the people of the Baltic States and Russia. There is a disease creeping across their countries. It is a plague of romanticism and wistfulness. Many people are frustrated. They remember when life was easier. Decisions were made for them. They were provided for. They forget those who were persecuted, those who disappeared, those who spoke out and were killed. 

The Baltics forget that they are babies in the art of governance. They have been dominated for so many centuries, they had to invent their own democracy. Twenty-seven years is not enough time. They need to adapt what they have and look towards the future. Russia went from a despotic monarchy to communism to a democratic revolution. They too had no idea how to govern themselves. They’ve done remarkably well, but there are always those who are neglected. Hopefully, Russia will adapt and look ahead. The Baltic States and Russia have bloody pasts. They now have vehicles in place for peaceful change. I hope they take advantage of them. 

Perhaps they’ll look backwards to learn, then set the path for a future based on that knowledge. It’s about improving on what we have. It’s about repair, not retreat.

Toby

Farewelling Moscow

Oct. 12, 2018- Farewelling Moscow

Too much of a good thing. Yesterday I ate delicious beef kofta for lunch and lamb sausage and sauerkraut for dinner. Or maybe it’s the huge bowl of kiwi I had for breakfast.  It’s more than my antacid can handle. The good thing is that the solution to the discomfort of indigestion is to keep eating :) I just had chicken soup for lunch. Here’s to Jewish penicillin. 

We had a late start this morning, but woke up tired. I think we’re still recovering from the night at the circus. Some of you might consider it to be divine justice. And still, we had a hectic morning on foot. We were in front of the Kremlin walls for changing of the guard. After the new guards were situated at their posts, a man with seniority inspected them. He adjusted their stance, fiddled with a belt, and re-positioned a hat. A large crowd had gathered to watch the high stepping soldiers go through their maneuvers. A group of Chinese tourists took front and center with phones at the ready. Luckily, I was able to snap away over their heads. 

We followed our excellent city guide from yesterday through the gate of the Kremlin and into the area behind the square. There were lots of official cars moving about, but Putin was not on site. We were in a sector where several churches were clustered. Each czar/czarina had to have his/her own church. These were small and delicate structures with brightly hued paintings of saints looking down from walls and ceilings. The exteriors had the required gold leaf and crosses on spires, but not red stars. Those are on government buildings and are made of glass and ruby dust. They’re quite durable. We struggled against the tide of people trying to enter and leave the small churches and emerged intact as a group. “We weeen (we win) became a common refrain. 

Next stop was also within the Kremlin walls, the Armory Chamber. That is a misnomer. There are some articles of battle, but those are mostly gifts from other nations to Russia and weren’t used in battle. The Armory houses the royal collection of icons, jewels, Faberge, thrones, clothing, silver, and gifts from foreign diplomats. The most interesting to us were the carriages. Our guide made sure we heard stories and history about the collection and their owners. 

Bob, our group leader, is most enthusiastic. He made what sounded like a good suggestion, but pooped us all out. He got a bus (the 40 passenger one for all 7 who went), and we went to Arbat Street, the oldest pedestrian mall in Moscow. Traffic was horrendous and we were hungry. The street is lined with book stalls and souvenir shops with a couple of notable statues. We did walk past Pushkin’s house where he lived for a while after his marriage. Sooner rather than later, Bob selected a place to eat. It had a cow statue in front and its name in Russian is MY MY. We were confused until he explained that the Cyrillic letters are pronounced Moo Moo. It was cafeteria style, and we ate lightly. 

Because traffic was so heavy, Bob had sent the bus away and we decided to take the Metro back to the hotel. It was a good decision, although it was not lacking endless flights of steps.

It’s hard to believe our farewell banquet was tonight. Our small band of nine went to the Savoy Hotel restaurant. We recapped our experiences and wished us all well. The time has flown and we’ve met smart, vibrant fellow travelers. Our guide will be well rewarded by all for his organization, patience, humor, and knowledge.  

Tomorrow we leave the hotel at 5:30 AM and arrive in Cleveland at 7:09 PM, all things being equal and flights on time. You do the math for how long we’ll be awake. Hint, the time difference is 7 hours.

Toby

Cannon in front of Kremlin Armory- never fired 

Peter Columbus statue

Savoy hotel-farewell dinner

Endless Day in Moscow

Oct. 11, 2018- Endless Day in Moscow

I thought we’d be exhausted after our late night, but we were energized by our city guide and our experiences today. It was our longest day of touring yet.

On our drive around Moscow, I learned that my favorite statue was one they’d rather not have to look at. Years ago, Moscow made a gift of a statue of Christopher Columbus to the Dominican Republic. Don’t know why. They didn’t like it and sent it back. What to do? Being innovative, some Moscow official replaced the head of Columbus with the head of Peter the Great. It is now called the Peter Columbus statue. See, despite their taciturn exteriors, Russians do have a sense of humor.

A delight of this city is that there’s a surprise around every corner. It is most likely a brightly colored onion domed church. They relieve the dismal gray of the older buildings. I didn’t like the red fortress wall around Red Square any better in bright sunlight, although I do appreciate how sturdy it is to have survived since the 15th century. Within that fortress is where the settlement of Moscow began.

There are many parks and four actual forests in the city. There’s a forest in each quadrant to provide an antidote to pollution. I don’t know if the founders realized that, or if they wanted hunting close at hand, but those forests serve a purpose today.

An unexpected experience was Victory Park. Built to commemorate the War of 1812 (theirs, not ours), WWI, but especially WWII, the park is home to a church, a mosque, and a synagogue. There are five synagogues in Moscow and 14% of the city’s population is Muslim. Just when I begin to really start liking these folks, I have to remind myself that they are not our friends. Not historically and not now.

The guide explained that in 1993, when Yelstin was ousted, a change was made to the constitution to give the president more power.  More recently, the term of office was lengthened from four to six years. He said that after Putin’s time is up, he can’t predict who will take over. I asked if he could predict who our president would be in 2020. He said he didn’t know, but the hackers probably did.

Our hotel houses a mini art walk in that it has Art Deco stained glass installations aplenty. The collection I enjoyed this morning was on my way down the stairs to breakfast. Any window was an excuse for leaded glass enhancement. So, I was psyched to see the collection at the Tretyakov Gallery this afternoon. I learned that up to the 17th century, Russian art was church art iconography. The 18th century was a learning experience, and Russian artists travelled to Western Europe to study. By the 19th century, they began developing their own style. We time travelled through the ages as we spent hours exploring the collections with our guide. 

Not having exhausted us yet, he took us underground to learn about the famous Moscow Metro. The stations are themselves works of art. Ceilings are decorated with medallions of mosaic, bronze statuary honoring peasant workers, and delicate bas relief enhancing archways and ceiling coffers. Each station is unique and each represents the story of its time.

Tomorrow is an easier day. We will conquer the Kremlin itself, or it will conquer us. 

Toby

Us in front of St. Basil's

Princess Sophia (Peter's sister) exiled to a posh nunnery

Metro mosaic art

Moscow

Oct. 10, 2018-Moscow

Yes, I noticed I dated yesterday’s email as “2918.” No, I’m not prescient. 

The nine of the group going to Moscow travelled 4 hours on a high-speed train going up to 125 mph. It was clean and modern. There was even a bistro car. Carts were wheeled up and down the aisles offering drink and shopping opportunities.  A wrapped apple was on each seat to welcome passengers.  The train was packed as was the one for Moscow that left 15 minutes earlier. There were five quick stops to onload and offload passengers in towns along the way. When I say quick, I mean one minute. We timed it. We slept on and off, read, and watched clusters of unpainted weathered wood houses go by.

Moscow is shabby compared to St. Petersburg. It was built without a plan and is quite the hodge-podge. We’re staying at the old Metropole Hotel where David stayed in 1985, while visiting refuseniks. It was familiar to him, but there are many changes. The wall behind the front desk is now black granite. In 1985, it held banks of tape recorders each displaying the room number being recorded. The second floor has guest rooms. It used to be off limits and dedicated to the KGB. There are no more “key ladies” on each floor tracking who is in their room and who is not. This hotel was built in 1905, during the time of the czars and we’re staying here. Amazing.

After dinner we walked past the original GUMS Dept. Store and took a quick walk around Red Square. I really didn’t like the Russian red stucco fortification wall along one perimeter. The area of the square is huge. We entered at the far end from St. Basil’s Cathedral, the iconic colorful domed representative of Moscow. Unfortunately, the church seemed dwarfed by distance. But then the evening lights went on and all glory broke loose. 

We had a special activity for four of us who chose to go. We had our own 40 passenger bus take us to an overlook of the city at night. It twinkled and almost made me forget the suffering that has taken place here. We then proceeded to the Moscow Circus performance at its modern single ring home arena. I know there are some of you who don’t approve of the circus, but let me tell you that these are stunningly healthy animals. They were all well rounded and had shining fur. They live off site out of the city. There were no elephants. There were lions and tigers, dogs, and magnificent horses. The usual aerial acts were performed and lighting and costuming was top rate. Two bands alternated providing live music, and the clowns were so riveting we didn’t even notice paraphernalia being erected for the next act. The theme was the World Cup. They can’t get away from the pride they feel in having hosted it. There were a lot of countries represented, even the US. I cracked up when they had performers in Hawaiian costumes and the music was Latin American. Then there were the Indians (from India) with hip hop moves. Flash photography was forbidden to the extent the ushers had laser pointers and would nail anyone who used flash. It was very conspicuous, and we all turned to look at the culprit. 

Security is tight in Moscow. We’ve gone through metal detectors to enter our hotel and the circus. So far, no tests for poison.

Tomorrow we do the usual drive around photo op tour.

Toby

View from train

GUMS

St.Basil's in Red Square

Lion Tamer at Moscow Circus

St. Petersburg- Museums

Oct. 9, 2918-St. Petersburg- Museums

How many people does it take to return an earring? Last night I bent down to pick up what I thought was a dime at the elevator in our hotel. It was an earring. One woman recognized to whom it belonged. Another said she’d give it to the owner who was at a folk music show. Our little group was on the way to dinner with Bob. Thinking better of it, the earring holder gave it to Bob since he was going to see the earring owner first when he picked up the people at the show. Bob later gave the earring to its delighted owner who had looked for it in the theater. This morning I gave the earring owner a few plastic earring stops/guards to prevent further loss. She attempted to slide the stops onto her earrings, but was rushed since the group was boarding the bus. Two of us took an ear each and slid the stops on her earring backs. In short, it takes a village.

We were dropped off at Artist’s Square and chose to walk to the Faberge Museum. It is housed in a former palace and there are few words to describe the intricacy, originality, and beauty on display. The couple we were with spent time in the gift shop so we browsed too. They had a collection of colorful Shabbat candles & dreidels for sale. Of course, they weren’t Faberge. We also found a $2350 hippo. Didn’t buy it.

After lunch we walked down Nevsky Prospect, a shopping boulevard, to the bus. We rode to the Winter Palace which houses part of the Hermitage collection. The main palace was built for Peter’s daughter, Elizabeth, who loved open spaces. She must have adored the ginormous 1054 rooms. Steps were built with low risers since she had bad knees. We all appreciated that. But, alas, Elizabeth never lived there. She died before she could take up residence. But Peter’s wife, Catherine, made the most of it. The name, Hermitage, means “lonely place.” She treasured her solitude and didn't’ want to share her accumulated art. It was for her and her alone.

Only 8% of the collection is on display. It is said that if you view each item on display for only a minute, it will take you 8 years to see them all. Then there’s the rest of it in storage. I took a few pictures but agreed with the guide. If you go onto hermitage.com, you can download photos without tourists in them.

Before Hitler’s army arrived, the curator of the museum had foresight and a plan. He removed all the paintings from their frames and numbered both paintings and frames. Empty frames were left on the walls and the pictures were crated and shipped to Siberia. After the war they were returned to their original places as if nothing had happened. 

The Hermitage would been a lovely experience even if the palace was empty. You really need three trips. One is to look at the art, one to absorb the design of the rooms, & the third is to appreciate the inlaid floors. 

Yesterday, our city guide asked us to think about why there was a revolution after WWI. The answer to us is exemplified by the number of palaces illustrating the disparity of wealth at the time. One family had 50 palaces in and around the city. There was plenty of fodder to incite the majority of Russians who had nothing. Today, I found myself remarking, “Not another pink palace.”

Our farewell dinner was at a small restaurant that reminded me of a stage set for a Russian tea room. Vodka shots were already at our places when we were seated, and wine was included. Toasts were made to Bob, his future with fiancé Julian, etc. After more drinks, the toasts got silly. Roma musicians and dancers appeared. When the violinist began to screech, we all looked at Bob for a reaction. He had his head in his hands. His fiancée is a concert violinist. Soon we were taking turns dancing to the Russian melodies. Then, big mouth, David asked if they played hava nagilah. They called his bluff and struck up the tune. Before you knew it, David was on the dance floor and so was I. That’s why I don’t have a photo of him dancing.....yet. Others were snapping away. 

We have an early start tomorrow. Some of our group is staying and some going home. We’re boarding a high-speed train for Moscow. It will take four hours instead of the twelve that a regular train takes.

Toby

Faberge duck

St. Petersburg- Faberge Museum gift shop

Hermitage empty frames after WWII

Roma violinst

St. Petersburg Hop On, Hop Off

Oct. 8, 2018-St. Petersburg Hop On, Hop Off

Good thing is we have sun. Bad thing is it’s only going up to 40 degrees.

What happened to Oleg our bus driver? What happened to our big bus? We have a tiny bus today. Seats & suspension are awful. Maybe it’s better for traffic conditions.

We had our usual lecturer this morning. She had spent three months studying in Chicago and was more candid with her presentation than expected. Her bottom line is that people need to meet personally and not believe propaganda they see on TV. 

The Soviet legacy lives on through nostalgia. Putin said that whoever doesn’t miss it has no past; whoever wants to go back to the past has no brain. The only equality was in misery. Today some 70,000 communal apartments are still in use. Those are large, formerly private apartments where several families live sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Inequality is the rule today. With the fall of the USSR, property was up for grabs. Ten percent of the population ended up with 80% of the wealth with the help of the Russian Mafia.  Life expectancy is low (60 for men; 77 for women), birth rate is low, pensions are low, and there is a brain drain. When there was pension reform, retirement age was raised (60 for women; 65 for men). Basically, they pay taxes, retire and die. 

So, what is the Putin phenomenon? The leader before him, Yeltsin, was weak regarding the West and an embarrassment. He frequently appeared drunk at public events. Putin was young (in his 40’s), and didn’t drink. He was perceived as strong, and when he raised oil prices from $8/barrel to $100/barrel, it was a windfall. The middle class began to emerge. The rest of the unexpected bounty disappeared through corruption. Russians like firm leaders. Another plus for Putin. In a recent survey asking who they think was the best leader of the 20th century, they chose Stalin. Now, that’s selective memory. When the US imposed sanctions on Russia, it affected the wealthy. But in retribution Putin imposed anti-sanctions. That impacted the general population in a negative way. There is no more fish from Finland and no apples from Poland. The speaker said they have the same chance to fish in the Gulf of Finland and plenty of land to grow apples, but that oil money was not used to develop Russian entrepreneurship.

The 2018 World Cup was transformational for Russians. Propaganda told them the world hated them and wanted them to fail. Their expectations were low regarding their ability to host the event. But they were pleasantly surprised to meet the world and find it was made up of people who were interested in cultural exchanges.

Russians are very competitive with Americans and felt betrayed by the West. They thought that after the collapse of the USSR they would be “saved” by being invited into the EU and NATO. They did like Trump, and Parliament celebrated his victory with champagne. Russians deny hacking our elections, and are proud they did it. They see it as revenge for all the American interference in their politics in the 90’s. Now Russians feel sorry for Trump. They see him as a victim of democracy. They believe he wanted to remove the sanctions, but the evil Congress opposed him. 

WWII devastated this city. Over a million people died of cold and starvation. Things slowly improved and today manufacturing keeps St. Petersburg employed. There is only a 1% unemployment rate. Really?

One of our group, Mike, asked about Putin’s family. He said he’d tried to find information on wives or children and couldn’t. The speaker said that Putin has two daughters, a wife he divorced, and a new young wife. It seems that anyone who delves deeper into the Putin history disappears. So far, Mike from Minnesota is still with us. 

Our bus tour covered the graceful architecture and history of St. Petersburg. If you held a gun to my head, I couldn’t recount the information. There are repurposed palaces, parks, and waterfront locales to explore. We had a “comfort” break at a gift shop with expensive items. I didn’t buy LeBron James nesting dolls for $35. St. Isaac Cathedral was on our “hop off” itinerary. It is named for the patron saint of Peter the Great, St. Isaac, not the Old Testament Isaac.

After a lunch of hot Russian borscht and beef stroganoff, we went to the town of Pushkin where, in 1905, Czar Nicholas moved his family to try to keep their son and heir Alexis’s hemophilia secret. There they became involved with Rasputin who could relieve the pain of the bruising. With the rise of Communism, Rasputin predicted the end of the monarchy. He was killed December, 1916. Poisoning didn’t work. They shot him twice and dumped him in the canal. On autopsy they found his lungs full of water so, in the end, he drowned. July, 1918, the Romanov family was executed.

Catherine’s Palace is 18 miles from downtown. It took us 45 minutes to get there by bus. It used to take Catherine a week. Of course, she stopped along the way to visit friends. Entering the grounds, we passed a Holocaust memorial. No Jews in Pushkin survived. Zero. None. Germans were in St. Petersburg 28 months. They were efficient. 

The only change we noticed since we were at the Palace about 13 years ago, was there was more scaffolding, more restoration workers, and more Chinese. Hoards of Chinese tourists vied for space. The toilet became a chess game. Groups tried to out-maneuver each other. We won. Our local guide blocked off the men’s room and the women on our tour took it over. Footies were required for all touring in the Palace. Unfortunately, they didn’t plan for Western men with size 15 shoes. We convinced David it was ok to just cover his toes. 

I won’t try to go through the history of Russian royalty, but it’s a lot easier than learning the Kings of France. Briefly, Peter’s daughter was Elizabeth, and his wife was Catherine. After that Alexanders and Nickolases alternated. The grand palace rooms were splendid with styles varying from predominately baroque to a sprinkling of rococo and Italianate. The most famous and infamous is the Amber Room. It is literally floor to ceiling amber panels. Russians tried to protect it in WWII, before Germans arrived. When they began dismantling the panels, they fell apart. In a stroke of genius, Russians decided to hide the amber behind false walls. But Germans weren’t uninformed. They had blueprints of the Palace and noticed the dimensions of one room was smaller than indicated. They removed the false walls and moved the amber to Kaliningrad. To this day, that amber hasn’t been found. All but the ceiling has been replaced with new amber echoing the old room. An astounding fact is that the palace was trashed by the Germans, and an attempt was made to blow it up. The explosion wasn’t successful, but a fire raged. It took from the end of WWII to present for the current restoration to be done. It will be years more before it is complete. 

Traveling is a common hobby for Russians. Going to the US is expensive and getting a visa isn’t guaranteed. It costs $300, non-refundable, and they have to go to Moscow to apply. So, they travel to countries that don’t require visas: Israel, Egypt, India, etc. Those are also warm countries. Even Bob was shocked by a sign that said if you’re going on vacation have a good trip. Be sure your taxes are paid beforehand or you’re not going anywhere.

We walked to dinner following Bob who has always chosen well. Graf In was charmingly illuminated by lamps of hanging crystal wine goblets. The menu was in Russian and English and illustrated as if it was an upscale Denny’s. It didn’t take long before there were gales of laughter over the translations. Here are a few:

          Tupa service     Tuna cervice 

          Deer ravioli with cowberry sauce     There is such a thing as a cowberry here

          Dim Sam        Dim Sum

          Soup from soup   Soup made from mushrooms found under an aspen tree

          Tartar in Russian letters is TAP TAP

          Deer in moose sauce was my misunderstanding. It was in mousse sauce

          I thought I’d ordered salad with beef, but it was salad with beets

Bob ordered a Bear Mule not to be confused with a Moscow Mule. It is a drink served in a bear mug. It’s a mixture of vodka, honey, pine cone syrup, Pepsi, lemon, & smoke syrup (no idea). 

On the walk back, David and one of the group were intently talking. She came out to him. My gaydar was once again correct. The poor woman had waited until she was 60 to accept who she was. I don’t know how old she is now, but she’s not much more than that.

Last night, having mastered the TV, we got into bed and turned off the lights. The escape warning sign glowed in the dark. I may hang a towel over it tonight.

Tomorrow we have a later start and free time before we head to The Hermitage.

Toby

Dome of Catherine's Chapel

Bob and Bear Mule

Entering Russia

Oct. 7, 2018- Entering Russia

I must tell you about the ballet last night. The Opera House was a 10 minute walk away, and Bob led us there. After he was assured we knew the way back, he left. We checked our coats and proceeded to our seats which were second balcony center. They were optimal for us. The theater was smaller than expected. Leg room was fine and we were close enough to clearly see every nuance and expression. I would compare it to the size of a Broadway theater. We were seated behind a row of little girls who must have been there with their dance instructor. They were all blond and entranced, leaning forward in their seats throughout the performance. 

Goblin was first performed in 1943. That puts it during WWII when Russians were seen as saviors from the Germans. The theme, based on an Estonian folk tale (The Master), is the struggle between good and evil, the devil and man (a factory owner), capitalism and communism. Lighting effects added to the clarification of messaging and the theme was updated by flashing US dollars and the Euro as symbols of evil. Money falling from the sky at the behest of the devil didn’t add subtlety. In the end, the devil was sent back to hell and the commune emerged as a unifying force. 

I won’t attempt to critique the dancers or choreography since I’m no expert or aficionado. I did notice Russian folk-dance moves incorporated into the performance. All I can say is the experience of being in Estonia and watching an Estonian company perform a ballet by an Estonian was a treat. It didn’t hurt that the choreographer was Marina Kesler. Kessler is my maiden name :)

At intermission a few of us were drawn to a monitor showing performances that had taken place in the past. Several were based on American shows and we were inspired to sing along in English as the performers sang in Estonian. My Fair Lady was my favorite. When we began mimicking the dances, the locals noticed. Being Estonians, they took furtive glances and made no comments. David just told me that the woman selling programs turned the sound up as we joined in. So subtle. So helpful.

Oleg, our bus driver for this leg of the trip, is Russian and unlike our former driver. He immediately took over this morning and laid down the law. To quote, “One moment. Seatbelts to use. Police get money if not wear. Your money, not me. Second moment. No fear asking questions. Don’t afraid at me. I very friendly.” There were a lot of “second moments.” I had a question, but was “feared” to ask. Why are we heading North when flocks of birds are filling the sky and going in the opposite direction?

We settled in for a 90-minute video of The Singing Revolution (available on Amazon and You Tube) to summarize our Estonian history lesson. Their mantra is “patience is a weapon, and caution a virtue.” After a 5,000-year history, Estonian culture was almost snuffed out but for one tradition. Estonians love to sing. They form local choirs of hundreds that unite every five years at the amphitheater, the Song Festival Grounds, I mentioned in an earlier email. Choirs come together on stage to sing traditional songs as one. Thousands in the audience join in. And so, when recent invasions took place the singing went on. From gatherings of 25,000, numbers grew as the USSR demanded songs in Russian praising Communism. In 1947, Estonians included a song praising their forefathers. It was in Estonian. Somehow, it slipped through. In 1969, Estonians were more organized. They realized they’d been sold out by the illegal Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Stalin and Hitler, and were never legally part of Russia. At the end of the performance of propaganda songs, they added Estonian melodies. The band was ordered to play loudly to drown them out. The audience joined in. The Soviets relented and allowed the composer of a particularly favorite work to conduct the choir.

Then Gorbachev made an error. He introduced glasnost, free speech. Estonians took baby steps in expressing political views to test the waters. When they weren’t arrested, they pushed the envelope. There were 100,000 at the next song festival. This time they sang as usual then raised illegal Estonian flags they’d secreted away. In 1988, 300,000 raised their voices in song. Shortly thereafter, the human chain was formed uniting all the Baltic countries. Gorbachev was arrested and removed from power for being weak. The Soviet army was sent in to capture the TV tower and halt communications. They were met by a human barricade of Estonians. The army retreated. The Soviet Union was collapsing.

The lyrics of a camp song comes to mind: “Not by might and not by power, but by spirit alone shall all men live in peace.” Estonians absorbed that spirit and sang their way to a non-violent revolution. 

After lunch in Narva, Estonia, we were ready to cross the border. Bob made a game of it, and we each guessed the number of minutes it would take. There were four passport/visa checks (Estonia, Russia, NATO, and Schengen). The group was lucky that it only took 46 minutes. We had guessed longer. Oleg’s record had been 45 minutes. The winner got a huge chocolate bar that she shared. So, all of us won... except for bathroom quality. Cleanliness and toilet paper standards dropped significantly. Oh, and you want a toilet seat too?

St. Petersburg is rare in that it was built according to a plan. Most cities spring up in all directions, but Peter the Great had a vision. Because of its canals, it is called The Venice of the East. Because it has only 45-60 clear days per year, it is called the Rain Capital. We are down the block from Pushkin’s home, across from a canal and American medical center, and staying in the Domina Hotel. The hallways are dark with walls covered in red flocked paper and woodwork painted red. It reminds us of a brothel, but no one in the group admits to having been in one. Each room has clues about an author. We are to guess and report our solution at dinner. Ours had a book in English by Steig Larsen and one in Russian by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It took us a while to translate that one.

We all had a challenge turning off our TVs. The remote seems to turn it off, but then a message appears that you’ve lost the signal. Can’t have that glowing all night. One person pushed the “off” button on the side of the screen and that worked. High tech. 

They’re very concerned with safety here. There are diagrams with escape routes in the halls and our rooms as well as escape bags hanging near the windows. They contain harnesses that you attach to the window frame, put on, and rappel to the ground. When you remove the harness it automatically rises up to be used by those remaining in the room. 

Our evening orientation walk in the rain took us past glorious Baroque buildings suited to Peter’s taste. Their pastel colors glowed with dramatic lighting. We crossed streets as a group and, even in crosswalks, were hurried through by turning drivers inching their way along, almost pushing us out of the way. Much different than in the Baltic States. 

In recognition that we only have one week of travel left, I changed my jeans today. I could have gone another week, but I didn’t want to bring anything home I hadn’t worn. You might wonder why I haven’t complained about doing hand laundry. That is because Bob collected laundry in Tallinn and had it done for a reasonable price. 

Tomorrow we tour the city. Bob has already told us that every church we’ll see is Russian Orthodox unless he says differently.

Toby

 

Entry paper with my name in Russian

Hotel (brothel) hallway

Evacuation bag

Still Tallinn, Estonia

Oct. 6, 2018-Still Tallinn, Estonia

Still raining. My attitude has adjusted about the weather. I’ve amped up my layers. In addition to underwear, I wore a tank top, long sleeved turtleneck, sweater, decorative scarf, and jacket. Augmenting that I had a practical scarf and earmuffs. The hood on my jacket freed my hands from an umbrella. 

Our speaker this morning was more optimistic than any we’ve heard. She said that Estonians are socially awkward and private. Their nightmare is having to ride an elevator with someone else aboard. 

The Baltics are celebrating 100 years of independence which sounds better than 27 years. They’re skipping over occupations by Germans and Russians and count from the last time they were free until now. Unlike the other Baltic countries, Estonia was eager to establish a democracy including their Russian nationals. Efforts were made to accommodate the differences and rights, so today 80% of Russians are citizens. One area Estonians forgot about was the amount of propaganda on TV in Russian that caters to those who only speak that language. The government is now programming more balanced shows in Russian hoping to counteract other influences. 

The youth were leaders in the new nation and have held the power. The Estonian parliament’s average age is 35 as opposed to 60+ in Lithuania and Latvia. Parliament is unicameral and elected by the people. Representatives are chosen from each region, based on population, to choose the president. As an incentive to bolster the economy, corporate taxes were eliminated and IT promoted. Children learn to program from grade one.

In 2009, the economic bubble burst here. The government chose belt tightening as a solution. While salaries plunged there were no demonstrations or riots. Some attribute it to weak unions.  Others say it was patriotic to help out. By 2011, they’d recovered. In 2004, they were accepted into the EU and joined NATO. Inflation hit, but they’re tickled to be under the protective psychological umbrella of NATO.

Education has always been important. They now have one of the highest literacy rates. As early as 1800, girls had to go to school in order to be eligible to marry. But there is a downside with high education and low salaries. Their youth go to Finland where prices are the same and salaries are double.

With the challenges, she said that Estonians are the happiest of all the Baltics. They treasure their freedom and are so small they have an inferiority complex so work harder. They are proud that the Estonian language is used on Game of Thrones even if it is spoken by the “bad guys.”

We were met by the same city guide we had yesterday and took a tram ride Estonian style.  Waiting for a tram is similar to a grab bag. There are trams from the Soviet era, modern trams, and those given to Estonia from Spain for unknown reasons. We rode a Soviet one.

We got off at a 300- year old public park built by Peter the Great. I guess his summer palace in St. Petersburg wasn’t enough, so he built a mini-duplicate here. At the far end of the park is the KUMU. It is the abbreviation for the Museum of Art. The building, opened in 2006, is unexpected and strikingly modern in a good way. Designed by a Finn, the news that he won the architectural contest came to him on April 1, 1994. He thought it was a joke and didn’t respond. Today, it houses Estonian art from the 18th century to present including that of the Soviet era. There are temporary exhibits. At present, Konrad Magi is on view. His and most of the art seems derivative. Magi, in particular, echoed Van Gogh. Others clearly reflected Matisse, Monet, etc. 

After lunch we walked around a modern multi-level mall and found nothing new in the material universe. We did have a bathroom challenge. We needed 20 cents for entry. The change machine was broken so we inserted 50 cents thinking we’d get change. We lost the money. I considered I’d already paid, so when a group of women entered for one payment, I joined them. That left David without change. I had a Euro and asked some women for change explaining the situation. One gave me the 20 cents and refused repayment saying it was her good deed for the day. 

We picked up bread, cheese, and meat for sandwiches in the room tonight. We have to leave for the ballet at 6:30 PM. The Estonian Ballet Company is performing The Goblin, the first Estonian ballet (1943). I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. We have time on the bus for me to write. We tour a bit more in Estonia then will spend almost 2 hours crossing the border into Russia.

Museum of Modern Estonian Art

Toby

Candidate for "Me Too" movement

Tallinn, Estonia Walking Tour

Oct. 5, 2018-Tallinn, Estonia Walking Tour

Added to wind and cold, we have rain. It was bound to happen. I thought we’d drive around the city and the guide would point out historic sites, but NO. We pulled up to a park where she launched into a lecture about the wonderful amphitheater where Estonians famously sang themselves into a revolution against the USSR and began a human chain of liberation that ultimately stretched to Vilnius, Lithuania. I was totally impressed until she decided we had to exit the bus to get a closer look. There are hills here, so we hobbled down the cobblestones over what becomes their ski hill in winter to take pictures of a plastic shrouded stage. I was first back on the bus.

The real entertainment was the city guide’s sense of humor. She told us that Estonia is about the size of New Hampshire and Vermont combined. The Estonian language came from tribes that crossed the Ural Mts. some 11,000 years ago. Some went to Hungary and some went to Finland, thus those languages are related. Those who stayed here speak a language with no gender distinctions and no future tense. She said that is why Estonians have no future and no sex. No one else in the world speaks it so it was used as code in WWI. Again, no one else in the world speaks Estonian so the youth tend to stay here. She said learning Estonian makes a good hobby after retirement. There are 14 declensions for each word. Have at it.

The next amazing site of a scintillating morning was the TV tower built for the Moscow Olympics. If you recall, the Games were boycotted by the US and others. The restrooms were most inviting and we were grateful to have a warm place to “rest.”

We continued our drive past a forest graveyard. Estonia is the most unreligious country in the EU, and some prefer their pagan roots. They believe that spirits of the dead return to trees. Indeed, they have walled cemeteries in the woods. It’s against the law to cut down the trees. Who knows, it may house the soul of your relative.

Estonians don’t have to deal with the same guilt about their Jewish populations as do the other Baltic States. In 1940, Russia deported the Jews to Siberia. When the Nazis arrived, there were none to be found. Estonia was declared to be Judenrein. Today, there are 3,000 Jews living there. We drove by a glass walled modern synagogue illustrating how secure the community feels. The annex was a large, three storied building for classrooms and community activities. 

We rode up a large hill to experience the old city. It is built on two levels. The top has suffered fires and has been rebuilt, so it was the lower part that is older, more authentic, and more interesting. We skittered on the stones trying to hear the guide over the other tourists and through earmuffs. At some point I zoned out.  All in all, it’s quaint, colorful, and charming. Souvenir shops and restaurants are in every nook and cranny. My ears perked up when the guide pointed out a restaurant favored by students (Kompressor). When the time came, a couple from Minneapolis remembered where it was. It turned out to be a pancake shop. Their pancakes are crepes. I finally got my mushroom soup and savory lox and smoked cheese crepes. We lingered, chatted, and exchanged stories until we were sated and warm. We took off in different directions nosing in and out of shops. Hot chocolate is big here and the locals go to McDonald’s. It was absolutely not as delicious as the hot chocolate we had on Mt. Etna. This could have been Swiss Miss instant. We rested our feet, used their toilet, and walked the 20 minutes back to the hotel which we actually found. We just had to keep heading downhill.

We all walked to dinner together. It was good but unremarkable, except for the young woman at a nearby table. Those facing her were intrigued by her décolletage. From the comments, I heard, she was very beautiful. Since I couldn’t see her, I pretended to take a selfie and took a picture of her. David didn’t approve.

Tomorrow we will ride the free public transportation to a park where we’ll trek through wet leaves to a museum of contemporary art. 

Toby

Amphitheater

David and typical souvenir shop statue

Pastries at McDonald's Cafe

Riga and Environs

Oct. 3, 2018- Riga and Environs

At 7:30 AM we were on the road passing ghostlike birch forests with only coffee to sustain us. We were going to be guests of a family who was hosting our breakfast. Their 10-acre farm was in the town of Ligante, about an hour away. Their business is making fruit wine, but the fifth generation now living on the property came to that by way of an interesting history. 

The family were farmers. The recent generations lost almost everything to the Soviets. They were given good advice by a neighbor that allowed them to fool the officials into thinking they were poor peasants. The woman told them to put blankets on the windows instead of curtains and place a huge bowl in the kitchen to appear as if that was their only washing facility. That ruse allowed them to keep their house but not their land. Since their family was large enough to fill the quota, no strangers were moved into their home. They buried the family silver in the garden with trees as markers. After 50 years under Soviet rule, they can’t find the burial site. They reclaimed their land with the pullout of the USSR and began a lucrative furniture making business. The most popular birch wood products were cutting boards. Eventually, they contracted to make them for Walmart and Costco. The family prospered until 2006, when there was a fire in their factory. Overnight they lost everything. They would have lost their property and home if they weren’t such hard workers and entrepreneurs. The father went to work in Norway and earned enough in six months to pay off the bank. Then he went to Finland to study wine making. After much experimentation at home, they came up with their formula. The business has grown and their fruit wines have won awards in the Baltics. They do not yet export. To complete the circle, the son is a woodworker who sells birch cutting boards and spoons on a small scale. We “helped” him carve a spoon and I noticed tiny wooden Stars of David all over the floor. He said they were leftovers from snowflakes he carved. I started picking them up and the group joined in. He was clueless. 

A special treat was traveling down the road to meet the matriarch. She’s 75 years old, a widow, and lives with the boyfriend she met on the internet in the Soviet apartment where she raised her family. It has 2 bedrooms, a bath, kitchen and living area. People who have seen such apartments elsewhere say it was identical in layout to those in other countries down to “OO” marking the door to the toilet. The furnishings are basic. The apartment was given to her when the Soviets left.  For 199 years, the only industry in Ligante was a paper factory. She worked there 44 years during which time she earned her degree in economics and rose through the ranks. The factory survived the Germans and USSR, but went out of business in the last few years. Rumor has it that a Lithuanian living in the US wants to buy it and restore the industry. When asked, grandma said she preferred the Soviet times when she didn’t have to worry about getting a job or paying rent & utilities. Interesting how people forget about neighbors disappearing to Siberia.

Not far from the village was our lunch stop. A couple in their 40’s decided to move from Riga and live off the grid. He consults in IT and works from home. Their three children are in their 20’s and live in Riga. Ten years ago, they bought 4 acres and moved a log house from 100 miles away. They dug a basement and reassembled the house. They’ve remodeled the interior and are growing a limited amount of produce for their own use. They tired of raising rabbits and are considering chickens. Although they were told they’d only need electric radiators for heating, they couldn’t fill the chinks between the logs well enough to prevent the North wind from sneaking in. They resorted to siding the exterior and installing a wood fired boiler type furnace in the basement and piping hot water under the floor for radiant heat. I can attest to its efficiency.

We had the usual conversations about the Soviets. The wife said that she was in school at the time and the only changes she saw were in the language taught and the textbooks. The teachers stayed the same. The couple were not optimistic about the upcoming Saturday elections. They think that the Russian party will win the most seats. But the mood was lifted when a birthday cake appeared and we celebrated with one of our group members. We sang “happy birthday” in English, Canadian (French), Hebrew, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Russian. Then Rana, our Turkish observer, sang it in Turkish. What a hoot. This is an amazingly cohesive group.

Speaking of divided heritage, Bob told us of a town in southeast Latvia where the majority is the Russian ethnic minority. Latvians were so worried about an uprising from that town they considered building a wall around it. In effect, they would make it into a ghetto. The effort failed.

We came back to our hotel at 5:30 PM and were too tired and full to eat dinner. At least we have a later departure tomorrow. We’re off to Estonia.

Toby

Winery kitchen

David woodworking

Communist apartment kitchen

Log House for Lunch