Illusive Russia

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<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sochi, Russia

I am beginning to think that I may never get to Russia. For the second time circumstances have blocked me from entering. The crossing from Trabzon was rough. The wind picked up just as we headed north across the Black Sea and at times it rained heavily. I love the sea when it is rough because I really get to experience the power of nature. It also makes for good sleeping. Not all my shipmates share my enthusiasm. It definitely makes for quieter and less crowded dining in the dining room.

In the morning it became clear that there were problems ahead. First the Russians had informed the ship that the port was being reconstructed in anticipation of the Olympic Winter games set to start later this winter. Therefore we would have to anchor outside the harbor and use tenders to get ashore. Then because swells were reaching 2 meters at the anchor site it was wisely determined by the captain that trying to get 600 passengers into small tenders in a heaving sea would probably end with many of them tossed into the water. So to much groaning and gnashing of teeth the announcement was made that we would bypass Russia altogether and head directly to Yalta in Ukraine.

An earlier aborted visit to Russia occurred about ten years ago. I was on one of my many visits to Denmark when I decided to see if I could hop over to St. Petersburg to visit the Hermitage Museum and other sites. I went to the local Aeroflot office near Råhus Plas and was told that a flight could be arranged but that first a visa would have to be obtained. The airline assured me that this could be done in the next few days and that they would obtain the visa for me. So I paid the fee and went off to visit family in Jutland. A few days later Aeroflot called to tell me that, for the time being, the Russian embassy in Copenhagen was refusing to issue any new visas to me or anyone else. I was never given a reason, but was assured that I was not the only one upset by this development. I could hear what sounded like lots of shouting in Chinese or Japanese in the background apparently from people also denied their visit to St. Petersburg.

I managed to get my money refunded when I returned to Copenhagen. I then decided to decamp to Prague instead and left on the train the next day. It turned out to be a good turn of luck in the end because I had a splendid week in that beautiful Czech city. So I guess Russia will have to remain on my bucket list albeit lower in priority than before.

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