white nights, big cities
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8/3/2019 White Nights, Big Cities
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as long military history and exquisite arts charm San Diegan
/www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-19/travel-tours/san-diegan-savors-history-and-arts-in-russia[10/16/2009 6:57:23 PM]
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The spires of St. Basil's Cathedral brighten
Moscow. (Photos by Bryna Kranzler)
Russias long military history and exquisite arts charm
San Diegan
Start planning now for a summer 2010 visit.
By Bryna Kranzler, SDNN
Saturday, September 19, 2009 2 comments | read comments | post a comment
When my husband suggested Russia as a vacation
destination, I didnt have any particular expectations.
Neither of us had been there before, though I had a
personal, if slightly unorthodox, connection to the country: It was
where my grandmother and namesake was born (though her town
is now part of Belarus), and where my grandfather, whose memoirs
Im currently editing, was twice sentenced to death by Czar Nicholas
II.
Having only that knowledge as background, I began reading about
Moscow and St. Petersburg; I started with guidebooks, moved on to
classic Russian novels, and ended with a biography of Stalin at the
urging of a friend who insisted it would enhance my Russian experience.
What it did, instead, was remind me that in the relatively recent past, citizens with inconvenient opinions
were arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned or executed with remarkable efficiency and without any pretense
of justice.
My nascent paranoia was reinforced immediately upon landing in Moscow.
As I and the other passengers prepared to disembark,
the pilot announced that Russian authorities would
not allow passengers to enter the country before
verifying that no one aboard was sick. Fear of a swine
flu epidemic was spreading at the time, but I didnt
expect to find myself in a scene out of a modern-day
Dr. Strangelove.
Shortly, each cabin was invaded by brick-shaped,
uniformed and mask-wearing health care workers
carrying what looked like laser guns, which they
pointed at each passengers ear. Accepting the instant
temperature readings as surrogates for health, theydeparted as silently as they had appeared.
This welcome to Russia made me wonder what to expect at Passport Control, but surprisingly, the official
merely stamped my passport and waived me though without a glance at my photo. Was this a ruse to make
me let down my guard?
Not grandpas Russia
After a day of looking over my shoulder I accepted that this was not my grandfathers Russia, and soon I felt
as comfortable in Moscow as I am in any other cosmopolitan city.
Russias capital is filled with drab government edifices and utilitarian Soviet-era apartment buildings. But
there are bright spots: One example is St. Basils Cathedral with its iconic, onion-shaped domes. Reportedly,
Ivan the Terrible was so taken by its beauty that he had the architect blinded so that he could never create
anything as magnificent, again.
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In Moscow Metro stations, find murals like this one.
The fountain at Peterhof
Despite its size, it is possible to see
the highlights of Moscow in just a
few days. One reason is the citys
Metro system, its subway, which is.
itself, a must-see.
Construction of the underground
network began in the 1930s, under
Stalin, who anticipated needing a
way to transport soldiers and
weapons during the coming World
War. Each station is unique. Some
are decorated according to the
theme of the trains destination
(theater or recreation, for
example). Find marble arches,
bronze statues, and chandeliers,
along with mosaics, murals or
statues depicting significant events
and figures in Russian history.
A plus: The Metro is efficient.
Reflections of history
Statues and monuments reminding the public of Russias military victories are as ubiquitous in parks,
public squares and intersections as Starbucks stores are in the United States.
Military leaders are also celebrated in the many palaces including St. Petersburgs Catherine Palace,
summer residence of several generations of Czars. One dining room features 332 portraits of generals who
participated in the 1812 war against Napoleon. Among the paintings are five framed, blank canvases in
memory of the generals who died before their likenesses could be preserved.
Contributions of ordinary soldiers are also recognized, with one museum even acknowledging the Border
Guards dogs.
One of Russias most important military victories was over one of the worlds greatest superpower at the
time - Sweden. It took place in the 13th century when Prince Alexander of Novogrod prevented the Swedes
from crossing the Neva River to invade Russia. This earned him the name Nevsky (meaning of the Neva
river) as well as sainthood several hundred years later. Today, there are Russian Orthodox churches
around the world named in his honor, including ones in Estonia, Yalta and New Jersey.
Czar Peter The Great earned his moniker by defeating Sweden
in the 17th century, for control of the Baltic Sea. To ensure that
history would not forget this accomplishment, Peters summer
residence, Peterhof on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, features a
gaudy but impressive cascade of golden fountains. The focal point
of the fountains is a stature of Samson (i.e., Peter) ripping apart
the jaws of a lion (symbol of Sweden).
Creative arts
Russias collection of art, some of which has never been seen
outside the country, is probably the best reason to visit.
The greatest assortment of treasures can be found in St. Petersburgs Hermitage. One of the oldest and
largest museums in the world, it is comparable in size and scope only to the Louvre in Paris.
The museum was seeded by Peter the Greats personal collection, but grew so large under Catherine the
Great, that five buildings had to be added to the original Hermitage to house it all.
(While Peter and Catherine bought or commissioned their art works, some later additions to the museum
were acquired after the Russian Revolution when personally collected art was considered Property of
the State.)
Together, the six buildings reflect the entire range of human history in art, from prehistoric stone artifacts
found throughout Russia to one of the worlds best collections of 20th century Western art. Among the
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READER COMMENTS comment rules | moderation | privacy
Comment by: Patricia Schwab Posted: September 20, 2009, 11:24 am
was attracted to the article by the photo of St. Basils because I also was impressed by its beauty while on a
nursing study tour to the Soviet Union in 1981. At that time the Soviets needed to infuse the economy with
The Tikhvin Cemetery in St. Petersburg
highlights is Matisses The Red Room.
Only a small fraction of the 3 million items in the Hermitages collection are on display at any time. If one
wanted to glance for just a few seconds at each piece in the collection, it would take nine years to see it all,
according to estimates.
Tikhvin Cemetery
In an interesting juxtaposition of values, creative artists in Russian history are accorded respect similar to
military heroes.
In addition to a statue of Dostoevsky and a bust of
Pushkin positioned on prominent street corners in
Moscow, there is a dedicated burial area (known asthe Master of Arts Necropolis) in St. Petersburgs
Tikhvin Cemetery. Many famous Russian writers,
composers, actors and artists are buried there beside
their colleagues, some of whose remains were
moved from their original resting places.
Although draped in greenery that keeps it
perpetually shadowed, the cemetery has the feel of a
sculpture garden where one can appreciate the
impact that music, art, and literature have had on
the Russian people, and the world.
IF YOU GO
W H E N T O G O: Summer is an ideal time to visit
St. Petersburg especially during the w eeks before
and after the Summer Solstice known as White
Nights. During this time, the sun never sets
completely. Night, at its darkest, looks like dusk.
Stores are open late; streets are as crowded as they
are at midday.
Be forewarned: It can be disorienting to return to
your hotel in daylight and discover that its 11 p.m.
The extended sunlight confuses the circadian rhythms and makes sleep difficult, but theres probably no
better time, or place, in the world to be an insomniac.
The White Nights ar e a time of celebration when numerous cultural events ar e scheduled: concerts,
operas, ballets, as w ell as the annual St. Petersburg Film Festival. A popular and unanimously
recommended activity is taking the 2-to-5 a.m. cruise down the Neva River to wa tch a sequence of
draw bridges open.
K N O W B E F OR E Y O U G O : It is helpful to memorize, or bring a cheat sheet for, the Cyrillic alphabet a nd
the English sound-equivalent of each letter. While Cyrillic looks very foreign, when you tra nslate the
letters into English sound-equivalents you w ill discover that a bout half the strange-looking w ords are
actually in English or approximate it closely (i.e, a sign reading Pectopah translates into Restoran-
restaurant). But its easy to be misled; the Cyrillic a lphabet contains 12 English letters, only 5 of w hich
share the same sound.
Exchanging money: Banks and official exchange kiosks in Russia accept only crisp and clean bills for
conversion into rubles. Should you insist on exchanging the ordinary , crumpled bills (of any currency),
there is a 7 percent surcharg e. Merchants either refuse such bills or increase their prices to accommodate
the transaction cost.
T a x i s : While legitimate ta xi companies do exist, most people arent w illing to wa it the 45 minutes to an
hour that it may take for the car to arrive, if it shows up at all. The more typical approach is to waive
down a car, w hich will likely be driven by an ordinary citizen who wa nts to make extra money. (Our first
driver w asnt familiar with the destination to which hed agreed to deliver us while the second was a s
efficient and speed-limit-defying as the best of professionals.)
Tags: Moscow, Russia, SDNN, St. Petersburg
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ravel dollars so various professional groups were granted visas. Individual travel was not allowed. Our well
monotored tour took us to Moscow, Erivan Armenia, Tbillsi Georga, Baku Azerbaidzhan, & Kiev Ukrainian.
We saw great Art along with great poverty and empty store shelves. The black market was flourishing and
verywhere we went people told us the 60 year experiment with communism was finished and the government
was imploding. Upon returning to San Diego my family & friends were still under the allusion that the Soviet
hreat was still upon us. Only a few years later did they admit that my reports may have been valid.
Comment by: David Wincelberg Posted: October 14, 2009, 11:12 am
This article states that it would take nine years to view each of the 3 million items in the Hermitages
ollection for a few seconds each. Suppose you looked at each item for five seconds. That would require 15
million seconds or 4166.6 hours or 520.8 8-hour days. If you looked at these items every day, you would need.43 years. If instead, you viewed these items for five days a week, you would spend about two years on this
ask. In either case, nine years is much more time than you would need.
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