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