Blogs from Russia, Europe - page 320

A 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma...'. The 'Iron Curtain', the 'Russian Bear', the 'Great Game'... vivid images but what does all this mean today? And what can you learn of the famous Russian soul armed only with a few words of the language and a Trans-Siberian railway ticket? My expectations were low as I picked my way across the mini-potholes littering the platform at Belorusskaya Station. I did, however, have my own Russian Bear to help me through the culture shock and language barrier: negotiating potholes both literal and metaphorical. Vyachaslav, an aeronautical engineer, had come crashing into my sleeping car at Hanover. A high-flying scientist in the Cold War, he had been brought low by the botched reforms of Perestroika and the rise of the oligarchs. Now he survived on $200 a ... read more

A new day, new people to meet. Viktor gave us a history lesson, which started with us telling him about our first impressions of Yaroslavl ("amazing architecture, feels very different to England, hard to find your way around") and finished with a one hour lecture on how the city was founded, and the history of some of the churches and towers. In 1010 Prince Yaroslav the Wise built a fortress on the spot where he killed a bear, and in the 16th century it was Russia's second city after Moscow. It was interesting to hear about what the place we live in was like 995 years ago, but after two hours of speaking and trying to understand Russian we were all exhausted. Another 'crazy crazy landlady' chat in the break over cups of tea, then two ... read more

After a breakfast of blini s medom, or pancakes with honey, I followed the map to Yartek for my first day of lessons. Before they started the class compared notes on our landladies. We can't quite understand why they behave towards us as English grans do with toddlers, but we're here to learn about Russian culture - and for all of us all the attention is very welcome! Chris J got his verbs mixed up last night, and instead of saying he wanted to go to the bathroom for a shave he said he wanted to go to the bathroom "to smash things"! I told them that I had got out of the shower this morning and put my towel on the line to dry, got dressed, and when I turned round Tamara Aleksandrovna had taken ... read more

I set my alarm for 7 o'clock, to have a lie-in and relax before the day started. At 7.05 Tamara Aleksandrovna woke me up for breakfast. Still rubbing my eyes and not sure of where I was, I went into our kitchen, which is only just big enough for 2 people, with a table in the corner overlooking the rooftops. She had already put my pancakes with honey on the table, along with coffee made by heating milk in a saucepan. I struggled with my Russian, had a shower under yellow water and got ready to leave for a meeting at 10. Upon leaving the flat my landlady (who I had met precisely nine hours ago) noticed that I had some toothpaste on my lip, took out a handkerchief, licked it and rubbed it off. It ... read more

Moscow, the nerve center of the Russian Federation whose landmass constitutes the majority of Asia and formerly extended all the way to the edges of W. Europe; this is the epicenter of the former communist experience where you can find the buildings of the former, but still infamous, KGB, the Kremlin, and the tomb of their still preserved icon Lenin planted firmly in the middle of the Red Square. I noticed immediately upon arrival that Moscow moves fast; it is a city that’s going somewhere and boasts a more reliable subway than any I have ever seen. I could swear that there is a train every 30-45 seconds. It’s a city that’s also struggling with its identity as it attempts to dismantle the pillars of socialism and move towards a market economy; however, from what I ... read more