The metro, the Metropole, and the Arbat

I always thought I would like St. Petersburg better than Moscow.  I may still, but Moscow is certainly wonderful.  It is a huge city, 12,000,000 souls - not Beijing's 21,000,000, but pretty big.  With the emphasis on pretty.  an amazing blend of old and new, recently tarted up for the FIFA games, but with wonderful bones beneath it all.  They are trying to get rid of all the Kruschev style apartments (what we think of as Soviet architecture) by 2022.  Meanwhile, the new ones being built are spectacular - fabulous architecture, and massive.  The big, wide boulevards put me in mind of nothing so much as Madrid.

There are traffic jams, all right - massive ones - but no horns, and incredibly clean. And where are the homeless people?

And the Metro!!  I can't wait to show you the pictures.  It is beautiful, the stations decorated with frescoes and semi precious paneling and stained glass and art deco (depending on the station).  And also amazingly clean - apparently they are not allowed to eat on the metro - and way more user friendly than New York.

Not that I had to negotiate it myself.  We actually did a group (17) guided tour!  It was truly an amazing feat of organization - our guides deserved their pay for that one alone!

Along the way we saw three "literary: sites: the Metropole Hotel (think Gentleman in Moscow, people), the shopping street of Arbat (think Children of Arbat), where we ended up strolling for several hours before our farewell dinner, and Gorky Park (think Gorky Park - no spies in evidence, though...).

And this is farewell.  Sort of.  This is the end of the first part of my journey,  and the start of my second.  The rest of the group is dispersing for parts unknown today, and I am heading for St. Petersburg for three free days (think Hermitage and the Impressionists, guys), and then joining a second Road Scholar trip for the boat ride down the Volga back to Moscow.  I hope I am up to another two weeks of touring.....

Meanwhile, the farewell dinner was fabulous - at a Bylorussian restaurant feature potato pancakes and Chicket Kiev, lots of toasts and exchange of cards, and good cheer all around.  It was over-all a good group, with at least three folks that I hope to see again (including a Wagner groupie with whom a Russian opera trip may be in the offing). 

Traveling day today, so the anxiety level is fairly high.  I am leaving the hotel at 6:30 A.M. for the airport.  The transfer to the airport itself has been taken care of.  I only have to negotiate the airport itself - a nightmare even in your own language, as we all know - and then negotiate the airport to the hotel in St. Petersburg (which, by the by, is still called Leningrad by most Russians.  It was changed pre-Soviet times, as St. Petersburg sounded too Germanic, there being a war going on and all.)

Wish me luck!

Greetings from Moscow

Technical difficulties continue, so no new pictures.  And I am still (it seems perpetually on this trip) exhausted, so not much of a post, I'm afraid.  But, for those of you kind enough to worry about me, I thought I would check in with a few more general observations.

Have I told you about the concerts?  We have had at least six or seven, from the Chinese opera to several folk concerts (Mongolian and Russian) to three classical concerts.  This is one of the things that Road Scholar prides itself on, and they have been woven seamlessly into our touring opportunities.

So, from Irkutsk, known as the Paris of Siberia, a few days on the train brought us to Novosibersk (you can almost tell it means New Siberia, can't you), another wonderful city.  The cities have been very different from my expectations.  I'm not sure what I expected - maybe wooden huts and peasants in the fields (I have been reading way too many Russian novels), but these cities are a fascinating blend of old and new, and the new is as breathtaking as the old (wait until you see the pictures....), great architecture and bustling people - and, of course, traffic jams.  In Siberia!

A few general observations, and I am done...

The Russians I have spoken to seem to think the oligarchs have stolen their country.

Out guide voted for Putin, and was emphatic about the amount of freedom they have...

Some (but by no means all) of the lectures since my last post:  Russia, Soviet to Modern; Culture of Russia, or why Russians don't smile; Russian Language Lesson; Populating Siberia; the Gulag; the Ronanovs; and many more.

Ykaterinberg was amazingly touching - the Russiaphiles among you will know that as the place where the last tsar and his family were murdered.  They have now proved that the bodies found were those of the royal family, and a church has been placed on the site of the home where they were killed.

Speaking of churches, there are an amazing number of them, and the church - all religions, not just orthodox - is having a big revival.  Not one of the big successes of the Soviet Union, stamping out religion.

There is now  Memorial to the Victims of Stalin's Repression in Ykaterinbert (which, by the way, is considered the border between European (Western) Russia and Siberia (Eastern Russia).

No-one want to talk about the Ukraine....

Next up was Kazan, the only time we hit the "Stans".  A Muslin state, but, as our guide put it, "we are pretty relaxed about it) - i.e., pork is prominent, as is drinking.  Another beautiful city, of which its inhabitants are most proud.

And yesterday, we left the train, and arrived in Moscow.

Wow.  What a spectacular city.  I am way too tired to even start, but we will still be here in Internet land tomorrow, to I will do my best to convey the beauties and wonders of Moscow then.

Meanwhile, no proofreading tonight, so please forgive my errors and tune in again tomorrow.

Greetings from Irkutsk, Siberia

Here's the bad news.  I am still having technical difficulties, and so still can't download pictures.  And out internet access is spotty - this is my first blogging opportunity since the last time, what, five days ago.  So I have decided to forego the day to day log until I can get home and download pictures at the same time.

The good news is that I am having a fabulous time, even better than I expected.

Some general observations.  Starting with the Chinese train and now the Russian one, the facilities are good (although the bathrooms are a bit primitive) and the food is downright fabulous.

Far from being bored, it has been non-stop information and activities, both on the train and off, from lectures (Ghengis Khan, the History of Siberia) to tea ceremony to Vodka Tasting.

I managed to score a compartment to myself, which is a plus.

So far, we have crossed from China (a bureaucrat's wet dream) to Mongolia (much more relaxed) to Russia (very, very serious) without issue.

There are still nomads and horses and camels in Mongolia - as well as incredible traffic jams in the cities.

I had no idea that Mongolia was Buddhist!

Mongolia exchanges is 2400 local units (as Hank would say) to the dollar - too much mathematics.

Lake Baikal was as incredible as advertised - it is 400 miles long and fifteen miles wide, clear and cold and (mostly) pure.

And now, finally, we are truly in Siberia.  I made the mistake of calling out local guide "Russian" today.  He immediately corrected me:"no, I am Siberian".  (Much like the whole Hong Kong/Mainland China thing, I think.)  By the way, just so you know, China is buying up much of Mongolia and Siberia, and there is just as much resentment about it!

After 21,000,000 people in Beijing, there are 4 people per square meter in Siberia, although Irkutsk itself has 600,000.  (it is a charming city).

The culture is changing from East to West before my very eyes.

We are doing our first time zone change tomorrow - there are seven in total, so a long way to go yet.

Sorry about the lack of detail, but I promise I will back fill later, with pictures.  For now, suffice it to say I am having a wonderful time.  The group is pretty well matched in terms of physical abilities and interests, and they are very solicitous of our needs, from (clean and western) bathroom breaks to water and food. 

We will, I think,have another Internet opportunity in two or three days, and I will check in then,  Meanwhile,, I am exhausted.  Good night.

Guess we'd better start at the beginning......

I actually left Vancouver on August 22.  Friend Suzanne from San Jose had been visiting for the four days prior to my departure - lovely chance for one on one time which we haven't had for, literally, decades, but she has a 6,000 mile road trip to get on with, and I, well, I had the Trans Siberian Railway.

We closed the door behind us about 11 A.M.  She and (15 year old) puppy Penelope to her car and the Trans Canada Highway, and I with friend John to the River Rock Casino, where the bus leaves for the Seattle Airport.  (Apparently, the Vancouver Airport has made it so difficult for the bus service to stop there that it doesn't).  Longer trip on the bus, perhaps but it beats driving.  After checking in at the Holiday Inn Express at the airport, friend Arlene picked me up for a retro dining experience at a nearby restaurant called 13 Coins.  I very much enjoyed it - I haven't had a retro dining experience (with such menu items as liver and onions, mac and cheese, and beef stroganoff) since I left Palm Springs!!!Most important was the company - it was nice to have someone see me off.

I flew out of Seattle at the crack of dawn the next day.  I was a bit concerned about the short turn around between flights - LAX is not notoriously that easy to get around - but both turnaround and flights were fine (but for the usual awful food).  And, voila, there was indeed someone at the Beijing Airport to meet me!  As some of you know, I had been anxious about that, but there he was with the Roads Scholar sign, and all was well with the world.

(By the way, you might have noticed the absence of pictures.  I am having technical difficulties, and wanted to at least begin my journey with you.  We have a down time day on the train tomorrow, and while I won't be able to post, I do hope to get my pictures sorted.)

Back to the airport....

We collected a few more folks from different planes, then off to the hotel.  What a change since I was last here in 2001.  Back then, there were still more bicycles than cars.  Not now.  The commute from the airport was more than 2 hours!

We had a few moments to refresh (by the way, I had a roommate for the Beijing Hotel and for the one night on the Chinese train, but have my own compartment in the Trans-Siberian Railway, and my own room last night in the  Ramada as well.  As it always does for me, it seems, it worked out perfectly for me - company when I needed it and privacy - not to mention space - later.) and then had a meet and greet, meeting both our fellow travelers as well as our (many) minders.

(I don't know what possessed me to eat Chinese food three days in a row with Suzanne - what was I thinking?

And so passed day #1 of my great adventure.

Day #2.  I'll start with a word about my minders.  We have one fearless leader for the whole trip, Tamara is a no-nonsense woman, in her 30's I would guess.  She is from Moscow, but her English is perfect, and her command of a number of other languages as well.  There are dedicated guides from each location, as well as several to "work the train" (and I do mean that in the same way as Hank used to say "work the room").

(Speaking about Hank, I am missing him.  He loved train travel, and talked about doing this trip with me....)

Mr. Liu, our "go to" guy in China has been working with Roads Scholar since he left school in 2000.  He is a born entertainer, and we learned amazing amounts about life and love and politics in China; more about that in my general impressions, later.  He was amazingly forthcoming, and didn't appear to be censoring himself at all - very different from the experience David and I had in 2001!  Finally, our baby minder was Jian, a young trainee, willing, but still struggling.  More about the others as they join us.

Our first adventure was the Great Wall.  ("You are not a man until you have climbed the Great Wall".  Chairman Mao.  Getting there alone was an adventure;  did I mention the traffic?  However, Mr. Liu kept us amused with tidbits about life in China.  For example, among themselves, informally, they don't say "hello" or "how are you", but, rather, "have you eaten yet?", as befitting people who have such a history of starvation.  According to Mr. Liu, however, one thing is the same between East and West - no-one really cares about the answer!

I have been to the Great Wall before, of course, but it is impressive - begun in the 3rd century, 13,000 miles - not to mention the millions of people on it (it was Saturday)!  My climbing abilities are not what they used to be, and it is deadly hot and humid here - have I mentioned yet that it was deadly hot and humid? - but I gave it a good try for an hour!

We had lunch at a hotel as the wall.  The food was actually yummy - much better than the last time I was here, as I remember.  (According to Mr. Liu, after a period of eating more meat - because they could - they have gone back to more vegetable fare, due to health concerns.  Well, maybe here.  Certainly not in Vancouver).

A bit about our group.  I can tell immediately that it will be a good group.  There are 18 of us not including the minders, four single men, four single women, and five couples, all educated, cultured and well traveled.  And, most important, there are no stragglers.  When someone says be at the bus at twenty past, every one is there at quarter past.

On the way home, we passed the Olympic Village, and had a chance to see the infamous Birds Nest and the Water Cube - they are really quite impressive.  After another family style dinner (by the way, did you know that fortune cookies were not Chinese at all, but, rather, a Japanese invention?), we were treated to a performance of the Chinese Opera.  Admittedly, for some of you, this would not be a treat.  It was for me, though.  And really, it is not so different from Western opera.  Stylized singing,  highly charged and dramatic, allowing folks to live vicariously through the trials and tribulations of those onstage.  And they did a good job, dramatizing three little stories, but good staging and costumes (I really couldn't say about the voices).  One difference from the last time I was at the opera here - in 1986, the first time I came.  They now have supertitles!

What else is different?  It is way cleaner.  No-one spits anymore!  There is much less smoking.  I've already said about the increased numbers of cars.  And they are much more used to round-eyes.  No more running up to take pictures with the white-haired or blue eyed!

So much for day 2.  A great start.  I don't know when I will have a chance to write again, but will do it when I can, hopefully with pictures!

The rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.....

This is my first chance to write.  I had forgotten that China blocks Google and its affiliates, and, of course, there is no internet on the train.  However, here we are in civilized Mongolia (the Ramada Inn, no less...).  We're off for a concert in 20 minutes, so just a note to say that the flights and connections went better than expected, and there was indeed someone to meet me at the airport in Beijing.  They've been holding my hand ever since, and everything is still better than expected.  I will try to post later, after concert and dinner, but I have been so sleepy that I have barely read three pages...

But for those of you who were worried, just wanted to let you know...

I'm detecting a theme.....

I roared through Julian Barnes' book Talking it Over, then switched back to Peter Robinson's Sleeping in the Ground.  Both continue the themes of remembrance and regret, and how the remembrances of our past can distort our present, and our future.  (Both good books, by the way.  I will be reading more Julian Barnes for sure when I get back.) 

I don't have many memories.  My family was the poster child for dysfunctional families.  No, that's not fair to say.  There was not much violence (and certainly none directed against me), and certainly no hunger or any other serious physical deprivation (unless you count no furniture but a Steinway baby grand in the living room as physical deprivation).  But my step-mother hated my father, and I think the feeling was mutual.  There was constant yelling, and constant mutual degradation.  My early decision not to have children was one of the fall-outs.  Another is, I am beginning to realize, the repression of all of the memories of my childhood.  I do remember my father bemoaning his bad memory, so maybe some of it is genetic, but I can't help but think.......

It does add to my feeling of rootlessness though, no ties to the past or to the future....

Anxiously Waiting....

.....for my trip to Russia.  I really, really, really don't like the fact that I am so anxious.  Which is why, if I have talked about this before, please indulge me and listen again.  The thing is, I am not really an anxious traveler.  Really, why should I be anxious?  My Visa works, and there are not too many problems that can't be fixed with money.  Miss a plane?  Get another ticket.  They want to search you, or your luggage?  Who cares?  And there is going to be someone with my name on a sign when I get to the airport in Beijing - I've checked.  So what is it?  It just makes me feel old, like my life is starting to get circumscribed, and I don't feel ready for that yet.

Well, it's not too long now - 14 more sleeps - so we will all know soon.  At least I hope I will be able to post along the way - I know I will be able to post in the hotels, I am not so sure about the train.  And this new Notebook is fine for typing and Internet, but the jury is still out on picture editing.  Again, we will see.

Meanwhile, the here and now.  Since last we spoke, friend Jack and I went to a concert at the Chan Center.  This is one of the newer music venues in town - although it is not so new any more, probably more than a decade old.  When it was first built, I didn't like it very well; the acoustics have always been fabulous - and, of course, still are - but in the beginning, I wasn't fond of the concrete and glass decor, and the very awkward public space.  It has grown on me, though (not that I have gone all that often), In any event, it was a lovely evening.  We were in the very last row in the balcony center - not so great for the opera, but great for piano concert, specifically, Angela Hewitt (a Canada girl) playing Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.  I think it may be the first time I have heard it live - and all the way through.  It is a surprisingly - to me, anyway - engaging piece, and she is quite the pianist.  My mother (some of you know, she was a concert pianist, before the Nazis decided she wasn't) would have approved - she didn't like flashy, Glen Gould-like playing, and this was just good, solid playing. 

One interesting sociological note - our population in Vancouver is about 40% white, and the remainder about evenly divided between Asian and East Indian.  There were any number of Asians in the audience (a lot with scores on their laps) but not one East Indian!!

The birthday celebrations continue.  Former colleague Mickey wanted to take me out for lunch for my birthday.  Luckily, I am cheap date - we went to our go-to Pho place...

.....here's our host..

(when we first started going, it was his father.....)

.....Mickey's always happy, and we do love catching up.........

Anyway, it was a great chin-wag.  We never run out of things to talk about, and the only time we disagree is on an intellectual level.  I don't know we only do it a few times a year.

That was Friday.  Saturday, yet another birthday outing - friends Joyce and Jennifer wanted to take me out for my birthday, and, what with everyone's schedule, this is the closest we could come up with.  This was a little fancier, though - dim sum at the Shanghai River.  You have heard me talk about this restaurant before, but I have never done dim sum there.  It is a little different - Shanghai style as opposed to the more common Cantonese (I remember a time when I didn't know what dim sum was, much less that there were different styles....)

...those are the infamous Shanghai dumplings, which you can see them making in an open kitchen.  Yum!  In short, for as often as I have had dim sum, we managed to order six dishes I have never had before.  Another success!

I have been doing a lot of reading.  Mothers:  An Essay on Love and Cruelty by Jacquiline Rose was one that I was anxious to read, given my fractious relationship with my step-mother.  Turns out, it was a feminist screed - you can just imagine how much I liked that!  I went from there to another Peter Robinson mystery - Children of the Revolution.  He never disappoints. 

Back to serious books, with Barbara Ehrenreich's Natural Causes.  This was more up my alley; still a screed, but against the medical profession, and their over-diagnosing, over prescribing arrogance.  Apparently I not the only patient who is "non-compliant", and who has stopped testing for things that I am not going to do anything about!

Back to the novel.  I happened to catch Writers and Company with Barbara Wachtel the other day on CBC Radio.  She was interviewing Julian Barnes, and I was intrigued.  I had read Flaubert's Parrot, which he wrote a few decades ago, but nothing since.  Off to the library I trotted, and came up with The Sense of an Ending.  What a wonderful book.  It is about remembering (how fragile, and how everyone remembers differently) and regret, and I highly recommend it.  A few quotes:

....as the witnesses to your life diminish, there is less corroboration, and therefore less certainty, as to what you are or have been...

History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation...

History is the lies of the victors and the self-delusions of the defeated..

Well, you get the drift.  There will certainly be more Julian Barnes in my future.  I've already started reading "Talking it Over" a book he wrote more than a decade ago, and I could barely put it down to write....

It has been dreadfully hot here, and it makes me feel loggy.  And yes, I like the heat, but I like my heat served dry, with air conditioning and a swimming pool at hand.

I'll try to write once more before my trip....