ULAN UDE

Ulan Ude is the captal city of the Buryat Republic. It is located about one hundred kilometers southeast of Lake Baikal. It is the third largest city in eastern Siberia. The first people to live in the area before the Russians came were the Evensk, Buryat and the Mongols. After the Transiberian Railway was installed the city grew rapidly and became an important trade center connecting China and Mongolia with Russia. There is much culture and history in this city.

CAFE

Our next stop was lunch in a little cafe in the city. Entering the dimly lit cafe we were greeted by waiters and waitresses dressed in the festive traditional costumes of their ancestors. Not long after we were seated the first course arrived. I was soup served in rustic fire-baked clay bowls. The soup was a beef broth with ham stips and sections of lime, green and black olives, pickles, sour cream and other things. It was very unusual but good. The main course was chicken.

Ethnographical Park Museum

After that we went to the Ethographical Park Museum that has many of the early buildings the people of this part of Siberia lived in. At first we were shown the graves of some prehistoric people called the Gravestone people. They used stones to cover their dead mostlikely so wild animals wouldn't dig them up.

The Evensk people made their homes from the skins of animals and tree bark similar to the way American Indians made their teepees.

There were also examples of the way the Buryats made their homes. In Mongolia they called their home gers. In Russia the same homes made of felt are called yurts. The Buryats also made a five sided yurt out of logs to keep them warm in the severe winters of that area.

Home of early dwellers in Siberian Region



Along with these exhibits there were many examples of houses made by the early Russians that came to the area. These houses are much the same as the ones many of the poor Russians live in today. They are simple logs houses. Some large and some small.

Storage Shed on stilts



There is a group of people who came to Ulan Ude a few centuries ago. They were exiled to Siberia by Catherine the Great because they would not conform to her new rules regarding worship in the Russian Orthodox Church. Because the wouldn't conform they were no longer welcome at the services and eventually they came to Siberia and settled in the Ulan Ude area.

In the middle of the park is one of their beautiful old churches made of logs and has onion shaped domes. It now stands empty.

Old Believers

After spending some time in the park we were invited by some Old Believers to have lunch at their village. First we would meet them on a sacred mountain as was their custom. The name of the mountain was 'the sleeping lion'. The bus stopped at the foot of the mountain and we had to climb to the top where they were waiting. When we got there they sang a few songs and welcomed us to Russia. We stayed at the top of the mountain for a little while and admired the fantasic view of the surrounding area.

Old Believers in Traditional Dress



After that we descended the mountain and were off to their village which was about an hours drive away.

When we got there we at first went to a community center where we were entertained by them again with songs and then they gave us a history of there plight; first of being transplanted to this area and then their struggle in keeping their faith under communism. This involved hiding their icons in their furniture and burying some of the treasures of their church. Finally when communism fell in the early 1990's they were again given the freedom to worship openly as they pleased.

Lunch with the Old Believers



After listening to their stories we went to the appointed house. When we arrived we were shown their garden where they grew things like: galic, onions, tomatoes, kolarabe, water melon, berries and other things.

After this we went into the house where there was a table in the dining room with all kinds of food on it. There was a large pizza sitting on the middle of the table. Other things included; cucumbers,tomatoes, fish that was caught in Lake Baikal earlier in the morning, potatoes and many other delicasies. They invited us to sit down and partake of their food while they sat around and watched us eat. They served us a mildly alcoholic beverage made of brown bread called kvass. They also served wine and home made vodka, which is their national drink. Vodka is also the alcohoici beverge of choice of the Russian people. Alcholism is a big problem there and is the cause of many deaths.

Back At The Hotel

It was still light when we got back to the hotel so I thought I would take a little walk. Walking up the street I noticed that I didn't dress like the people there and was met with a few stares. One person asked me for the time. I showed him my watch. Then he asked me for a cigerette. I told him in English that I didn't smoke. Later someone approached me and asked for a light. I again spoke a little English to let him know that I didn't speak his language. I walked on. It was starting to get dark so I made my way back to the hotel. I loved the houses in the area. They were log cabins but were built in a very grand style. I would have liked to have stayed in one of them for the evening instead of the Geser Hotel.

Once back in my room I tried to watch the television but there were only about five channels all in Russian. I took a shower and went to bed. After I turned the light out there was talking, shouting and footsteps outside my window. Then all was quiet and I had a restful sleep.

LAKE BAIKAL

I got up the next morning and went down to the cafeteria by seven and had two eggs sunny-side up, three cucumber slices and coffee. After that we all got our bags and suitcases together and brought them down to the bus parked infront of the hotel. We spent the next four hours driving through the countryside to a little train station in the town of Sludvyanka which is near the famous lake Baikal. Here we would catch the Circumbaikal train that goes alongside the lake. Tell you the truth I had never heard of Lake Baikal before, only the little bit of literature I had read before I came on this trip.

On the way we stopped to get some smoked fish from one of the many people selling them on the side of the road. The elderly lady we bought them from had a card table set up and had her fish all laid out on it. The fish were smoked with the pine cones found in the area.

Fish Monger



We also wanted to get some strawberries and saw many people selling them by the side of the road. We stopped at one stand but found that the strawberries were picked too early and not ripe so we didn't buy any there. We passed all the little towns and villages along the way inbetween vast tracks of of virgin forests. Most of the houses in Russia look the same. Maria mentioned that the people of Russia rent the land from the government but they own their houses. They build them the way they want and they get what they need from the forests and do all the work themselves. They have to pay for electricity and water if it is available in their area. If not they get water from Lake Baikal and either use lamps that burn from the fat of animals or use kerosene.

There are a perfuse amount of wildflowers in Siberia. Every field has them growing in at this time of the year. Here are the names of a few varieties that grow in this part of the world; daisies, Queen Anne lace, fireweed, chamomile, crown veitch, wild sweet pea, Thistle, lupin, wild raspberry, little blue aster, elderberry, yellow poppy, white poppy, cotton wool, cotton tree, blue bells and many, many more.

Village



After the long drive we made it to Sludvyanka. After a short search we found the train we would be traveling on. We got all our luggage aboard. The car had no seats. Only a couple couches and a low table at one end. It had a bar on the other end. Some of our fellow travelors brought some wine and we found some glasses in the bar so while we were waiting for the train to leave we had lunch of smoked fish, bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, ham, instant noodles chocolate for desert and wine.

Trains at Sludvyanka



Once the train got moving I spent most of the time standing up and hanging out the window watching the scenery go by.

There is a bit of history about the Circumbaikal train line that is worth mentioning. Way back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when fur trading was profitable, the Transiberian Railway was built and the people started to migrate to Siberia. Many came involuteerily if they were exhiled there. Little communities started to spring up. It was found that they needed a railroad line to go around the lake. At this time the Transiberian Railway went as far as Lake Baikal and then the train engine and cars had to be taken by ferry to the other side a few cars at a time where they would be hooked up on the tracks. It was a long arduis and tedious task, so the idea of creating another line was concieved. But there were many problems with this idea too. The mountains around Baikal are made of the hardest rocks on earth and are the most difficult to cut through. How was this huge construction project going to proceed?

Circumbaikal Train



When the word got out about this gargantuan plan, professional tradesmen who were experts in excavation and bridge building started arriving in the Baikal area from Poland, Italy, England and other countries to help the Russians with this collosal project. Using primitive tools and suffering floods, extreme cold, the bubonic plague, cholera, land slides, bandits and tigers; the work gangs carved out thirty three tunnels and countless arches along the rocky shores of Lake Baikal and then build two hundred bridges along the fifty six mile line. They did this all in four years. So a lot of sweat went into this giant undertaking. I'm sure many lives were also lost.

Coming around the bend there were campers below the tracks on the top of the cliffs over looking Lake Baikal. They had their tents pitched and fires going. Many of them waved as the train went by.

The Resort

Finally we reached a little resort along side the railroad tracks on a bluff just above the lake. All the buildings looked new built in the modern Russian style of architecture. There was no inside plumbing in any of the buildings. The generator was turned on about twenty minutes after we arrived. I guess they held out as long as they could before indulging in the luxury of electricity.

Soon afterward it was time to eat dinner. The main building is where the kitchen and dining room were. This is between the two guest houses. We walked into the dining hall and sat at a table shaped in a "U". The cook also did the serving. That night the menu consisted of; fatty pork, mashed potatoes with red gravy and a small amount of grated carrots. I found this dinner to be very good. After this the vodka came out and was poured and we toasted many things as is the Russian way and had a joyful time.

During the evening I heard that there was a sauna on the property. In Russia they are called banyas, which is the Italian word for it. I was the only person that wanted to try it out so one of the resort workers took me down the path where the banya was and showed me around. He was speaking in Russian and pointing to things. I got the idea.

Later in the evening I got my towel and walked down to the banya. It was a fairly recently built small wooden cabin with three rooms. I went into the first room; there were a few benches for sitting and some hooks on the walls where you were supposed to hang your clothes. The next room was the wash room. there were two garbage cans full of water; one with hot water and the other with cold. You take a dipper and you put the desired amount of hot and cold water in a basin that is provided and then you rinse your self with this after you have lathered up if you want to have a shower. There was also a pile of freshly picked birch branches on a table. They smelled like cut grass. You are suppost to beat yourself with these branches when you are in the banya. It is supposed to be good for circulation. If there are other people with you in the banya you lightly beat each other with the branches. I took my clothes off and put them on a hook. I left my underware on. I didn't want to be stark naked incase someone else came in.

I walked into the banya that was next to the wash room and closed the door and let the heat build up a little. I sat for awhile. I threw some water on the rocks to make it steam; then I took a birch branch and lightly hit my legs, back, chest and arms with them. Then I sat some more til beads of sweat started to form on my forehead. When I got hot enough I came out. At this point you are supposed to bolt out the door and run down to Lake Baikal, which is only a short distance away, and jump in. I chose to take a shower so I lathered up and scrubbed myself clean and then took the water in the wash room and rinsed myself and then threw the extra water at the back wall like the man said. The water then escaped through holes drilled in the floor.

That night I had the most peaceful sleep I have had in my entire life. The greatest thoughts ran though my mind all night long. I felt as cozy as a bug in a rug.

I woke up the next morning refreshed at six when the alarm went off. For breakfast it was rice and hot dogs. Then I got my suitcase and shoulder bag and brought them down to the railroad tracks. There was a man waiting on the track with an old fashioned pump trolley. It looked like something that was left over from World War I. We piled all our luggage on it and then walked along the side of the tracks while the man hand pumped his flat car down to about a fourth mile. We got our luggage off the rig and brought them down to a dock where we were to wait for a boat to take us to the little town of Listvyanka.

After awhile the boat could be seen in the distance. When it got to the dock one of the boat crew jumped off with a rope and tied it to a piling. The luggage was loaded and then we came aboard. After the initial greetings the rope was pulled off the piling and we were off. It would take an hour to get to Listvyanka.

Most of us sat in the back of the boat enjoying the exhileration of being on the water. It was a time of reflection on our journey thus far; The watery breeze felt good and awakened all the senses. The little ship chugged through the choppy water. We all noticed that there was a mill at the far end of the lake. We later learned that it was a pulp and paper mill. My thought was, 'wouldn't a mill like that pollute this lake that was supposed to be pristine'?

Later we all went downstairs to the galley to have tea. There we enjoyed some fish that was fresly caught from the lake a few hours before.

By then we arrived at our destination. Listvyanka is a little town located on the southwest shore of Lake Bakail. There is a museum there along with St Nicholas church that we would be visiting.

Boat ride to Listvyanka



We got our luggae out of the boat and into a waiting bus. This was the end of the line for Maria. She would now go back to her mother's apartment in Ulan Ude where she lived. Now we had a new guide named Olga. She would be taking over where Maria left off.

The first place we went was St Nicholas Church which was not far away. It was a modest church. It didn't have the onion domes on top like most Russian orthodox churches have. Inside there was a baptism service in progress. There were icons and painting of saints on the walls. There were scenes of early church history, the life of Jesus and also of the life of St Nicholas. There were quite a few people in the church that day. They were all standing. The priest in his vestments was swinging an incense cantor.

St Nicholas Church



The new guide, Olga decided that we had better leave because the women in our group didn't have scarves over their heads. She may have been afaid that the priest might have said something.

Interior of Church



St Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors. One day a local businessman was out in his boat on Lake Baikal. A sudden storm came through the area and he had a hard time navagating his boat. His life was in danger and he thought he was going to drown so he made a vow to God that if he got out of there alive he would build a church and dedicated it to St. Nicholas. He got out of his situation alive and from then on he was dedicated in fulfilling his vow and started building the church.

Our next stop would be the Lake Baikal Museum.

Fields with Hay Stacks

IRKUTSK

Our new guide explained all the facts about Lake Baikal. It is a fresh water lake. It has twenty-two islands. It holds 20% of the worlds fresh water and holds more water then the Great Lakes put together. Water is pumped from the bottom of the lake and bottled for drinking. The lake may have been a salt water lake before the ice age, millions of years ago. There are three hundred and sixty-six rivers flowing into the lake and only one flowing out of it. The name of that river is the Angara River. It is near Listvyanka. Lake Baikal is 445 meters above sea level and the deepest place on the bottom is over a thousand meters below sea level. It is the deepest lake in the world, a mile deep in some places.

Some call it a miracle of nature because the water of the lake is pure. The lake has an automatic cleaning system that purifies the water. One of the crustacean that helps clean the lake is named espischura. It lives in cold, clean water with a constant chemical composition and a high saturation of oxygen. It plays an important part in the life cycle of Baikal because it comsumes plankton algea and then filters the water as it goes, thus contributing to the purification of the water. This species filters 500 - 1,000 cubic kilometers of water throughout the year. There are also many other kinds of crustaceans, worms and sponges that live off the impurities of the lake and help it return to it's origional pure state.

Some scientists think that Lake Baikal will be an ocean in time becase the tetonic plates are causing the earth's crust to slowly pull apart. It will take millions of years for this to happen since the earth pulls apart only a few centimeters every year.

There are many varieties of fish in the lake and the rivers that enter and exit it. There is one fish the thrives in Baikal that is interesting to take note of. It does not swim in schools like most fish do. It is called the Oil Fish and it is only found in Lake Baikal and a few of the rivers that flow into it. It gives birth to 3,000 of it's young at a time and they do not lay eggs. The baby fish are born already live fish. The mature fish contains 35% medinical oil, rich in vitamin A. The fat from the fish is melted down and used for rheumatism and other maladies and is also good for healing wounds. Other fish in Lake Baikal are perch, omul, dace, ides, crucian, roushes, ell-pouts and many others. The major fish used for food from Baikal is the omul. There are five varieties of this fish.

There are all kinds of climates and weather conditions around Lake Baikal. It depends on the time of year and where you are though. There are mild winters around the lake. It freezes over in January. The summers are cool.

There are sable in the tiaga, and fir animals and birds all around and in the nearby mountains and valleys. The Lake is surrounded by mountains. There are a thousand species of aquatic flora surrounding the region and twenty species of flowering plants; not to mention alpine plants and two thousand forms of vascular plants. There are a number of trees growing, such as; Larch, cedar and pine. It is also a treasure-trove of mineral resourses.

There is a species of seal that lives in Lake Baikal which is a wonder in it's self. The population around Baikal is no less then 100,000. All other seals in the world live in salt water. The nerpa is the only one that lives in fresh water and they have for millions of years. The nearest relatives of the nerpa live in the northern artic region and the southern part of the Caspion Sea, but there are many differences in these two species of seals. There are many theories of how the nerpa came to this region. One popular belief is that they came to Baikal from the Artic Ocean through the Lena River in prehistoric times.


Omul



The lake remains a mystery and that is why is is still fascinating. We toured the museum at Listvyanka and watched a video that explained everything about the lake and looked at some of the artifacts of the area and learned about its unique flora and fauna. There was also a collection of rocks and minerals found in the area.

After that we loaded into the bus and went a short distance to the souvenir market that is located on a pier on the lake. They sell all the usual types of things we have seen in Russia so far. There were tables of cut glass, painted wooden boxes and other things. There were also people cooking fish on grills over little wood stoves and selling them. Most of the fish was omul, but there were other kinds too such as; sig and harius. Omul is a salmon like fish only shorter. Many people who live in the settlements along the shores of Lake Baikal smoke, salt or dry the fish they catch and sell the extras to tourists who come into the area.

Soon we were on our way through the tiaga forest down the Baikal Highway heading toward Irkutsk which is 70km or 44 miles from Listvyanka. First we would be stopping at a resturant for lunch.

Scythe



There were young men cutting grass with scythes along the edge of a forest as we passed by. A man going in the forest with a pack on his back and a pail in his hand possible foraging for mushrooms or berries that can be found in abundance this time of year.

About half way to Irkutsk we turned off the main road and down a little dirt road passed some very elegant looking dashas. We came to two log cabins each with a flat roof. This was the resturant. It was called The Pines Guest House.

Girls bearing bread and vodka



Tow girls came out carrying trays. One with bread and salt and the other with paper cups of vodka. As we got out of the bus they offered this old Russian traditional gift to us. I was the last person in line so the girl gave me two cups of vodka.

We stood infront of the resturant for a few minutes talking and salting the bread and eating it and drinking the vodka. There were a couple young men about 24 or 25 there. They had with them a bear cub. This was found in the forest a few days earlier. They said the mother had died so they brought the little bear back. The men let us pet him. That was a very interesting experience as the cub purred like a cat when you petted him. He was also very strong for being such a little guy.

Inside the resturant we sat down at a long table. It was fairly dark inside since it didn't seem like there was any electricity. By then the vodka was hitting me and my head was swimming. It didn't take long before the first course came. It was soup very similar to the one we had the other day. In it was olives and lemon wedges with shredded meat and a very tasty broth. This soup came in tall ceramic bowls. The main course we were told was Chinese food. It was sauted chicken and mushrooms. I'm sure the chicken came from a local chicken coop and the mushrooms came from the nearby forests. For desert it was berry pie. The berries also picked locally from the tiaga. I don't know how much they charged us for this meal. Proboably a small fortune since we were American tourist. During the meal the vodka and wine kept coming. A little while later tea was served. After that we left.

Soon we were heading down the highway in the direction of Irkutsk passing little villages here and there. As I mentioned before; each little house had a garden in back with potatoes growning in it. I found out what these potatoes were for. Before winter came they were going to make vodka with. That makes sense. We were in Russia. Russians drink vodka. Vodka is made from potatoes. Every Russian grows them. It took me awhile but I got it.

Entering Irkutsk we passed some very expensive looking new houses that were in the process of being built. They were being built by the newly rich country men who had made it good under the new wave of capitalism. The tour guide commented dryly, "if these new millionaires are so rich they should spend alittle more money on a better architect then maybe their houses would look better".

Irkutsk was built on the Angara River, the only river that flows out of the Lake Baikal. It got it's name from the Irkut River which is nearby. Six hundred thousand people live in and around the city. There are many ethnic and tribal groups that live there but the main ones are the ethnic caucasion Russians and the native Buryat, who came from Mongolia many hundres of years earlier.

As we rolled into town we were given a quick tour of the city. The city had some nice looking buildings. Some of the older ones were in bad need of renovation. There were a few new ones that were build in a rustic fashion. Very impressive. The people seemd to be in a time warp. I remember people dressing like that in the States back in the sixties and seventies. It was cool though.

After this we went to the hotel we would be staying in. The exterior had an old/modern look to it. The lobby was decorated in dark wood paneling. Businessmen in suits were seen everywhere. Some speaking in Russian. Occasionally you would hear the English language spoken. We all got checked in and we got our rooms.

Church of Our Savior



The first place we stopped was The Church of Our Savior. There is a famous mural on the outside of the church which depicts the baptism of Jesus. It is the oldest stone building in Irkutsk. A fort once surrounded it. During the Bolshevik Revolution the church was used as a shoe repair shop and after that a storehouse. It is now in the process of returning to it's origional function as a church. It has a little way to go. Near the church is a World War II memorial that we also went to see. Many newly wed couples go to places like this. There were a couple of them there that day.

After this we drove down the street a little way and stopped at another church called, Church of the Holy Sign. Hidden deep in some locked vault in this church is supposed to be the cloth that has the inprint of Christ's face on it that Veronica used to wipe the sweat from the Savior's face while he was on his way to the cross. When she returned home she realized that his image was on the cloth. But of course they don't let people see this relic, and it was no different that day. I asked about it when I got inside but was told that I could not see it. I did buy some icons and other religious articles while I was there. A couple of Jesus and the Madonna etc. I also got a cross to hold in my hand when I'm laying in a coffin when I die. Don't know if I will do that.

St Veronica



The Irkutsk Museum of Regional Studies was the next stop. It is on the other side of town near a popular river. There is a park next to the river and there were brides in their bridal gowns out at that place too. It is very fashionable for newly married brides and grooms to go to places like this on their wedding day, I was told.

Inside the museum it was very interesting. The main consentration of this museum was information about the people who lived in Siberia before the Russians came. It showed their mode of living, their dress, the shape of their skull. The museum has over 350,000 exhibits. It has examples of their weopans, utinsels of Poleolithic and neolithic ages. There are collections of minerals, stuffed animals and birds. Old manuscripts and log books of early expeditions, handicrafts, exhibits from China and much more.

Since we were going to take a three and a half day train ride to Moscow our next stop was the public market. It is where local producers sell their products. It is in a large rectangle building. The ground floor is divided into three big halls. There is a meat section, a place to buy fruit and vegatables and then a bakery section. Upstairs there are also some little shops selling all kinds of things. It was nothing like the Russia I had heard about all my life. The day I was there it was very busy and very crowded. There were lots of goods. There was anything you wanted to buy, I bought some instant coffee, instant noodles, oranges, tomatoes and a bottle of wine from upstairs. It was a very pleasant experience.

Next we went to what was supposed to be a fancy resturant. There was only one other party there when we went in. The food wasn't that great. There seemed to be a shortage. The place was very sparse. The entree was some kind of fish with head, tail and fins still attached. They hadn't even bothered to take these things off. It was cooked with cheese inside and out. I had never heard of such a preparation as cheese cooked with fish. I think someone was putting us on. Along with this they had carrot salad, potato salad with peas and squid. Ice cream was for for desert. It started raining when we go outside. By the time we got back to the hotel it was pouring.

Building

TRAIN TO MOSCOW

Breakfast the next morning at the Angara Hotel was ok. The resturant is on the third floor. I gave the attendant my blue ticket and went in. There was a large table in the middle of the room with all kinds of food on it. There were plates of fresh baked Russian bread, bowls and plates of carrots, beets, boiled eggs, mayonnaise, salami, baloney, cheese, yogart, tomatoes, coffee and tea etc.

After breakfast I met with some of the other travelors in our party in the lobby. We had a little time before we had to get ready to go to the train station where we would continue our journey to Moscow. As we walked outside there was a man sweeping the street with a broom made out of twigs. A couple of us started down the street to see what we could see. We stopped at a kiosk where I bought an icon of St. Nicholas. After that we went down to the Angera River, which is the only river that flows out of Lake Baikal.

On the way back we ran into Sabine, who was Polish wanted to go in the Polish Catholic church which was down the street. It was Sunday morning and there was a service taking place inside. We went in and walked up a long hall. As we got closer to the sanctuary we could hear the worshipers singing hymns and talking. We turned around an left because we didn't want to interupt their service. We walked back down the long hall and went out the front door.

Facade



Then Fran and I continued walking down some side streets looking at the interesting buildings. When we got back to the hotel the small bus had arrived so we went to our rooms and collected our stuff and started heading toward the elevators. When we did this the floor ladies darted to our room. Sabine said they were checking the room to see if we stole any towels or anything else.

We checked out of the hotel and put our stuff in the bus. We still had about an hour to kill so I decided to take a little walk to see the city from ground level. I didn't want to get lost so I was very careful to observe landmarks as I went so I could find my way back. For one thing I walked in a straight line staying on the same street the hotel was on. I walked for about a mile then came to a busy street. I turned left at a store that had a sign on the outside that said, 'English Collection'. I walked down that street for about ten blocks where there was a little display of military hardware, such as; tanks, cannons, and things like that. Then I turned around and walked back. I came to a place where the sidewalk was blocked off. It seems that part of the building fell onto the sidewalk. Many of the buildings in Irkutsk were literally crumbling apart. They were quite old but those were dire times so there wasn't money to repair them.

When I came in sight of the hotel I crossed the street and walked around some more and ended up in a park. There was a lady selling Coke so I went over and bought one. There was a language problem there since I didn't speak Russian and the middle aged lady had no clue of English. When it was time to pay I just pulled out some Rubles and she took what she needed and that was that. I totally trusted that she took the right amount.

Window



When I got back to the van everyone was there. A few minutes later we were off to the train station. When we got there Paul went in to secure some tickets. He came back about fifteen minutes later stating that he had been trying to get second class tickets. That way he would only have to get three cabins to accomodate our group at four people per cabin. There weren't any second class cabins available so we had to go first class which meant each cabin had two beds. Sabine and I would be bunking in the same cabin.

Once that was established a man driving a tractor with two wire trailers came and some porters put our bags in them. Then we made our way up some stairs that led the way to the trains. There was no lighting in some places so it was hard to see. At the top of the stairs there was sunlight again. At this point we were met with a crowd of people pushing their way off the cement platform. A train must have just emptied.

Before this Paul had warned us about pick-pockets. I had already learned not to keep anything in my pants pockets. I kept all my valuables, like passport, money, and picture ID in a leather pouch around my neck and under my shirt. Things like plane tickets, more ID and the majority of my money would be in my money belt which is worn around the waist and under your clothes. In my case it was in my underware resting safely above my family jewels. I did carry money in my shirt pocket, but a theif would have to be facing me to get that money. Most theives are too cowardly to do that. They would rather do their dirty work where you can't see them.

At the train station



After a little bit we found our car. Soon after that the man and his tractor came with our suitcases. The porter that helped me with my suitcase reminded me of a typical Russian. He was about twenty-three years old. He had a quick smile which revealed a mouth full of gold teeth. He was a little shorter then me. Not too stocky but strong, white skinned, ruddy, short blonde hair. He brought my suitcase to the cabin and left with a bright smile. I thought to myself, "that guy loves his job".

After he was gone Sabine and I started to unpack and tidied the place up a little because this little space was going to be our home for the next few days. I had a few damp clothes wrapped up in a towel that I had washed the night before. I strung my rope around the cabin and hung them on it. Then I took my icons out and hung them on the wall. One was of Jesus and the other was St Nicholas. Sabine gave me a funny look. I asurred her that I don't pray to pictures or use them as lucky charms. "I just like them". I told her.

The train lady came around and gave us our sheets..for a price. I think it was a few rubles.

We were told that the first class section was air-conditioned. That meant that the windows couldn't be opened. That created a problem for me. I would much rather have fresh air blowing in my face then air-conditioning.

When we got settled and we were rolling along I got paper and pen out and started jotting down the things I saw out the window. Someday I would like to write this stuff into the story, but for now this is a list of things I saw.

Fields of flowers and plants

Rolling hills and forests in foreground and background.

Families hoeing their gardens in the mid-day sun.

Men, women and children cutting grass with sickle or scythe next to railroad tracks using wooden rakes with wooden teeth.

Russian Orthodox Church with onion dome glistening in the sun.

Three boys sitting in woods infront of small bon-fire.

Two boys riding on a motor scooter through a country town.

A Russian Orthodox cemetery overgrown with weeds and two boys sitting in the shade of a tree on a blanket with food spread on it.

A group of men putting a roof on a building.

Ravens flying in small groups or sitting on a pole.

People standing around at a train station. Some crying at the departure of a loved one.

A boy chasing a cow with a stick in a field.

Boys riding a bike down a dirt road.

Washing clothes at the river



A young man in shabby clothes with a stick in one hand and a large cloth bag under his arm strapped over his shoulder walking across a railroad bridge.

A woman with a bucket half filled with berries.

Two boys squatting infront of a large mud puddle.

Old lady with a flock of geese walking on a well-worn path in a field.

Rickety horse drawn cart with two peasant women wearing mis-matched patterns on their hats and dresses.

Haystacks everywhere you look.

THE DINING CAR

The dining was about six cars away from where we were so everytime we went for a meal we had to go through the cars, open the door at the end of the car and go inbetween the cars which was outside. The wind would blow through that place and you had to be careful where you stepped because it was the place where the two cars were hitched together and the metal plates would be moving around. You would have to be extra careful if you had been drinking vodka, but there were plenty of places to hand onto.

The dining car is a regular car except that it has a kitchen at one end and tables and chairs, diner style in the rest of the car. There were heavy drapes on the windows with some kind of shear cloth on the bottom so you could look out the window.

The first meal we had on the train was some kind of soup with black olives, green olives, meat stock, carrots, cabbage, potatoes and lemon wedge. This was served in a tall rustic, ceramic bowl about five inches high and 4 inches around. The bowl had a lid and handles. Very unique looking. Along with the soup came unsalted bread. For some reason we had been getting unsalted bread and unsalted butter everywhere we had gone in Russia thus far. The main dish was chicken leg and thigh, potatoes with flat leaf parsley and chives. It tasted very good. Desert was vanilla ice cream with chocolate bits.

RUSSIA BY TRAIN

They don't allow you to open the windows on this train. When I asked why I was told that it's bad for you. They didn't give me any specific reason so I was wondering that maybe the boubonic plague could be in the air and maybe that is the reason why they wouldn't let us open the windows. Also we were going through many wooded areas. They have a certain type of tic in the forests that is very dangerous and could kill you if one happen to get on you.

They had an air-condition system on the train. They would turn it on for about two minutes and then turn it off. I thought that was very stingy of them, but it is a very poor

Rural Scene



country and they had to conserve this luxury. That night before we went to bed we had to change the time on our watches since we would be in a different time zone by morning. I found it to be very claustrophobic at night with the windows shut. It was kind of hot and I had the feeling of being smothered. On the first night I woke up with a very claustrophobic feeling so I opened the door. That didn't do any good. There was no circulating air anywhere. I realized there was no changing the system so I fell back to sleep.

The next morning I got up and went to breakfast. The menu was three eggs sunny-side up in a metal dish that they were cooked in. There was dill and cilantro on top of the eggs. Bread and butter was also served along with coffee and tea.

The first stop of the day was a city called Krasnoyarsk which is the third largest city in Siberia and is situated on the Yenisea River.

Krasnoyarsk



There were quite a few old ladies at the station selling home-made food, garlic, onions and other things. They are called babushkas, which means 'grandmother' in Russian.

A Grandmother Selling at the Train Station



For lunch we had borscht and some kind of hamburger with patatoes and ketchup. Also a few peas were served with this meal.

We stopped at a city called Novosibirsk. It was raiing lightly outside. Paul and I went into the train station. There were a lot of people milling around. Upstairs there was a large area where moe people were waiting for their train. There must have been at least five hundred people there sitting in chairs. I don't know what I looked like to them. I don't think I looked American. I was sporting a fu manchu mustache back then with a short goatee. I was wearing dark clothes with no writing on it and no buttons.

Novosibirsk Station



That day we passed miles and miles of villages, people and forests. It rained on and off and the sun was out alot. It was all beautiful. This was Russia.

For dinner that night we had halibut with macaroni topped with dill and flat leafed parsley.

The next morning we had gone through two more time zones. The night before we set our watches back two hours.

As we got closer to Moscow I noticed a few changes in the scenery. For one thing there were more fields under cultivation. Instead of small family gardens next to their houses, now there were large fields with some kind of crop growing in them. It could be some kind of grain. I couldn't tell. In some of the fields there were round bales of hay made by farm machinery. Farther back in Siberia the people cut their grass by hand using a sickle or a scythe and they made hay stacks.

There were more stone and brick buildings. We passed many sunflowers in full bloom in people's private gardens. I also noticed in some areas the houses were bigger. Some even had a car parked beside them.

Breakfast was crepes with butter, jam, cheese, ham and coffee. That was very good.

Before I came on this trip I had heard all the horror stories about the bathrooms on these trains. That there was no toilet paper and that they stink, and that they are not very pleasant. On the train that I was on there was always toilet paper in the bathroom. The people of Russia do need to learn something about toilet deodorizers. Or maybe they feel that a bathroom is supposed to smell like human waste. Other then that the ladies taking care of our car had been great. They were pleasant and hard working. One of them was named Oxanna and she lived in Irkutsk. She had been doing this a few years. During each shift they would vacuum the rug outside the cabins, and then get down on their hands and knees and scrub the floor on both ends of the car where there was no rug. If your door was opened they will come in and vacuum your rug and straighten it out.

These train ladies didn't speak or understand too much English. They were young and attractive and were always smiling and seemed to be in a good mood.

We stopped in a town called Tyumen for about fifteen minutes. There weren't as many ladies selling food as the previous day. Tyumen is the oldest settlement in Siberia, founded in 1885. It is also the place where Czar Nicholas ordered some peasants to be shot by his soldiers to stop an uprising back in 1917.


Train Station at Tyumen



There were some soldiers on the train who were on their way to Afganastan. Once or twice a day they would walk through our car.

Two Korean journalists came in our cabin with a movie camera and started taking pictures and asking our impressions on the lake. There is another film crew from Poland that we met a few days earlier in the dining car. We drank some vodka with them for awhile. They had been filming a documentary of Lake Baikal for the last few weeks and were on their way home.

As we were traveling through Tyumen I saw a spectacular sight of classic simple cottages with tin roofs and fenced gardens with poatatoes growing in them. Then off in the distance there was the most magnificent Russian Orthodox Church. It was white with blue onion domes. It was awe inspiring.

Russian Church



MORE RUSSIAN COUNTRY-SIDE

This is how the farmers stack their hay. They first put a pallet made of logs down on the ground. Then they nail a pole to the middle of the pallet and then nail two boards to the pole for support on either side. Then they stack the hay around the pole. When they have finished the stacking they put birch twigs on top of it. I don't know why they do this but it is done everywhere in the country that I have seen. When they want to move the hay they hitch a horse to the pallet and pull it to where they want it.

For lunch it was a salad of tomatoes, onions and cucumbers with mayonnaise. Then fish soup with carrots, potatoes and rice. It wasn't too bad. There was no fish in mine; just fish skin which I didn't eat. Probably there for flavoring. Then came a turkey leg, mashed potatoes and tomato slices with cucumbers. Desert was wafer cookies and coffee.

The next stop was Yekaterinberg which was founded and named after Catherine the Great. In this town Czar Nicholas and his family were murdered by the communists. There is now a church built on the spot where they were killed. It is called The Church On Blood. Yekaterinberg is also the place where the American U2 airplane was shot down in the early 1960's and where Boris Yeltson was born.

Church in Yekaterinberg



At three-thirty in the afternoon July 18, 2000 we entered Europe. There is an obelisk at the 1777 marker on the left side of the tracks that marks the border between Asia and Europe. It is near the Ural Mountains.

Obelisk at Euro-Asia Boundry



It was a sunny day and many people were out with sickles and scythes cutting grass, raking it and making haystacks. There were other people sitting and standing by the railroad tracks in the villages that we passed. Some were sitting around in the woods around a little bon-fire where they were cooking something. We passed some hundred year old log cabins. Some sinking into the ground. One building had some graffiti written on it in plain view of the train. It said, 'fock off'. Everywhere out the windows of the train are the scenes of Russia. A grandma Moses type painter is needed there to get down on canvas all these old fashioned scenes before they disappear forever.

Russian Church



Motorcycles with a side car is a very common sight in Russia. There were more Russian Orthodox Churches now dotting the landscape. It was becoming a game now. When ever anyone saw one they would alert everyone else, and they would all get up to look at it.

Buildings



Most of the houses had corrugated tin roofs. I saw a few old houses that had wooden boards on the roof the way they built them decades ago. The boards were placed vertically from the peak of the roof to the bottom. They would put tarpaper on the boards and then use tar to seal it. I didn't see any complete roofs done the old way, just remnants of tarpaper on some of the older buildings.

Clickity-clack, clickety-clack, clickity-clack. That is the sound that the train makes as it goes down the tracks twenty four hours a day. In a way it is a soothing sound. There were qite a few of green houses at farms along the way. This is where the tomatoes and cucumbers were grown. This method of growing is used because there is a short growing season in Russia. The green houses are made of a simple structure of wood nailed together in the shape of a box and clear plastic tacked on all sides.

For dinner that night it began with a salad of finely chopped cucumber, corn, imitation crab meat and mayonnaise. The main entree was pork goulash with sour pickles. It was very good. For desert it was vanilla ice cream with jam.

Of course, Paul brought some vodka which he has every evening. I had three shot glasses, and a glass of wine from Gene which was very good. After that we went back to our cabins and set our watches back two more hours. Then it was time to start getting ready for bed. We stopped at a town called Perm for about eighteen minutes. Someone was selling packets of postcards for 1$US. This was the first time on this whole trip that someone want U.S. money. Thus far everything I bought was with Rubles.

Perm



I woke up the next morning at 4:30. It was light out. I got up and looked out the window as usual. Not many people were up at that hour. There were only a few cutting grass.

Breakfast was brown bread with cheese, fishcakes also with cheese served with sour cream on the side. Jelly was on the table along with some kind of orange drink. After this the coffee came. This breakfast was very filling.

ENTERING MOSCOW

After all that we came back to our cabins. There were some clouds in the sky and the sun was shining. We were due to make a fifteen minute stop soon. After that we would have one more stop and then it would be a straight shot to Moscow. We were to arrive at about three.

The time was spent looking out the window watching the scenes of Russia go by. At lunch we went into the dining car. The appetizer was a boiled egg cut in half with mayonaise and a few peas. Then came cabbage soup with one piece of beef. The main course was pounded beef with potatoes and gravy. Desert was chocolate. After this I went back to the cabin and got my stuff ready. I put everything in the suitcase and carry-on bag. Then I alternated standing at the window outside the cabin and sitting in the cabin looking out the window. There were more of the purple flowers growing in the fields then at any other time during the trip. There were also more onion-domed Russian Orthodox Churches then there were any where else in this vast country.

Russian Orthodox Church



They were awesome. Some of them were starting to crumble and were in bad need of repair. As we got closer to Moscow the houses were getting better and better. Russia has

House



no middle class. (At least at the time I went there). There were the rich and the poor. No in-between. As we went by rivers and streams there were more people out swimming. There were boats in the larger rivers. People were tending their gardens, pumping water from public wells and coming out of the forests with buckets of berries or mushrooms.

As we got closer to Moscow there were more local train stations with people waiting outside for their trains.

MOSCOW STATION

We finally arrived at Moscow Station. There were some people from the travel company there to meet us. We got our stuff and walked out of the train. Porters put our luggage on a carrage. We walked through the crowds quite a distance to the main street where there was a van waiting. When we got there we all piled in. Moscow is a city of nine million. Many people were out on the street. The sun was still shining and it was very pleasant. The driver pulled into the traffic and we made our way to the hotel which wasn't too far away.

Ukraine Hotel



When we got there it was a massive place. It was one of several buildings that Stalin built with a similar style around the city. I went in and got checked in and got a room on the eleventh floor. The huge window in the room opened to a fantastic city scene below. The Moscow River flows in front of the hotel and the Russian White House sits on the other side of it. We were unable to take a shower on the three day train trip so a shower felt good, and so did some clean clothes.

After we got our stuff a little squared away we went down to the third floor to a resturant to have dinner. This consisted of; a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers. Then chicken and rice, and finally chocolate and vanilla ice cream with some kind of jam on it. Then finally coffee.

After this we went back to our rooms for a few minutes then met in the lobby for our first excursion. We set out on foot to the underground metro station that would take us to Red Square. On the way we had to take and underground passageway to get to the other side of the street. In front of the passageway we were met by some gypsie women dressed in shabby clothes. When they saw us they knelt on their knees with thier hands folded as if in prayer and started to beg very loudly. This made one of the women in the group very nervous. I for one didn't know what to make of this. I had never seen begging done in this way before. Paul advised us not to give them anything because then we would never get rid of them. He also warned us to beware of pickpockets when we got in the subway.

MOSCOW METRO SYSTEM

After crossing a massive boulevard which was about eight lanes across we made it to the metro entrance. After paying the fare we went down a gigantic esculator that must have been as long a a city block. At the bottom of this was the train that would take us to Red Square. There were paintings and artwork all over the station, many depicting scenes of Russian life. There were also large chandeliers that hung from the ceiling in places. There are many stations in this network and each one is different from the next. There are bronze statues of Stalin and Lenin and also many murals that show the communist way of life. It was very crowded that day but the guide had done this many times and knew what train to take.

After a little wait the train came and we all got in with no trouble and found seats. The ride wasn't very long. Red Square was only three stations away. When we got there we exited the train and took the long esculator ride again to street level. Again the streets were filled with people. They were all speaking Russian. A short distance away was our destination, Red Square. I looked inside the square between two buildings at the entrance and could see St. Basil's Cathedral at the far end. The Kremlin walls were in front of us and GUM department store on the left. Since it was starting to get dark we didn't go in. They just wanted to show us this place.

After that we went back to the hotel. It had been a long, exhausting day. I was glad to see a real bed and a huge Russian down pillow. With the noise of the city below I quickly fell right to sleep.

LOOKING FOR FILM

I got up the next morning and went down to the resturant on the first floor and handed the man at the door my ticket and then had a breakfast of tomatoes, cucumbers, little hot dogs, rolls, butter and coffee.

In those days people used film in their cameras. I was out of film so I went looking for some. I first went across the street to a little store. They didn't have any so I went back to the hotel. I found out that the little kiosk sold some but they wouldn't be opened til nine. That was the time we were supposed to leave on our tour of the city. Finally I found a place in the hotel that was open so I was able to get some film.

TOUR OF THE CITY

At nine the tour guide came and we filed into the van to take a quick drive through the business district of the city. The driver put in a cassette of some kind of Russian music in his tape deck, but one of the grumpier tourists with us ask him to turn his music off. The tour guide had a microphone and a small PA system and was able to point out the different buildings as we went along. There was the former KGB headquarters, the Tass building, the federal tower and new office buildings. There were a few statues of famous people. Since the collapse of communism the city had gone through a radical transformation. At the time I was there the economy was in a slump, but since then when the economy got better they have been able to build skycrapers and many other modern buildings that have added to the upgrade of the landscape of the city. Many of the old soviet era buildings have been replaced with bright modern ones with colorful concrete and glass.

The driver was dodging other cars left and right. There were some wild and agressive drivers in Moscow. After awhile the driver pulled up to the front of Red Square and we got out. We walked over to the place where some soldiers were going to preform the changing of the guard ceremony near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

These soldiers were from the Kremlin regiment which provides security for the Kremlin, its offices and its treasure. This regiment also maintains a guard of honor at the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the entrance of Red Square.

We watched them goose step in slow motion down a walkway toward the tomb. They went through their little ritual and then the guards they releived slowly goose stepped back to their barracks. By now a medium sized crowd had assembled to watch.

Changing of the Guards



LENIN'S TOMB

After this I went over to Lenin's Mausoleun which was not far from the entrance of Red Square. After the medal detector I was able to go in. Inside it was dark except for a spotlight that shone down on a guard that was standing to the left by the front door. It was quiet now. I

Lenin Under Glass



went around the corner. At this moment I caught a glimpse of Lenin's head. Lights from the ceiling shone down on the wax-like form in the glass case. The line slowly moved around the case, first to his right side, then to his front. The bright light made it seem like his body was glowing. I looked at his right hand and noticed that his fingers were curled under. His left hand lay flat, palm down, fingers outstretched. I looked at his face and noticed his moustache and beard. Then I went around to his left side and then down a step and out of the building. This was the guy that was so lionized by his country. They had so much faith in his ideas and vision. In the end it didn't work. Now he can go down to the scrap heap of history.

Outside, behind the mausoleum near the Kremlin wall there are many famous Russians and important people who are either buried, or their creamated ashes are put into the wall behind a plaque. Brezhnev is buried near the wall of the Kremlin. The ashes of Gargarin,

Stalin's Grave



the first astronaut to go into outer space are there in the wall. Stalin's grave is there and many others who I have never heard of.

From there I walked over to the GUM state run department store. It is a massive building that takes up almost the entire eastern side of the square. Inside there are souvenir shops and other types of stores. I walked through the building and looked around a little and came out the other side. I got something to eat at a fast food stand there and then went over to St. Basil's Cathedral where I met up with the other members of our tour group.

ST BASIL'S CATHEDRAL

We were met at the cathedral by a guide named Irene. We didn't have to wait too long since she knew the ropes and was able to cut through the red tape.

St. Basil's Cathedral was built to commemorate the capture of the Tartan stronghold of Kazan in 1552. There are nine chapels in the cathedral, eight of which have domes. The ninth chapel was dedicated to St. Basil and is below another chapel. The interior of St. Basil's is a maze of galleries winding from chapel to chapel and from level to level through narrow stairways and low arches.

St Basil's Cathedral



The first place we went into in the cathedral was St. Basil's Chapel. It is a room filled with icons and the walls are decorated with very colorful designs. St. Basil lies in a silver casket inside the chapel. The floors are made of uneven cobblestones.

After this we went up a very steep staircase that led to the Chapel of Intercession. It seemed small and there were no chairs or benches to sit on there. The reason for this is that everyone in the Russian Orthodox Church stands during their religious services. The first sensation I recall was a musty smell of the place. The room was beautiful though. There was a blue and gold screen that had quite a few icons on it. There were also icons painted on the walls. The light was dim and some of them were hard to see but I recognized many of them from books I have looked at over the years.

The other chapels in the cathedral are not as elaborately decorated as the Chapel of Intercesion. They are a little more austere. One of the other chapels in St Basil's Cathedral is named after St. Nicholas, who is another saint who is beloved by the Russian people.

There was still some renovation going on in the cathedral. The walls were being repainted with colorful and artistic patterns. There are niches in the brick and stone walls where the rich people of Moscow used to store their valuables since there were so many fires in olden times.

The architect of St. Basil's Cathedral had his eyes gouged out by the Czar at the time, Ivan the Terrible. This was to insure that he would never build anything that was more beautiful then this cathedral.

SPARROW HILLS

From St. Basil's Cathedral we got in the van and started heading out of town. We passed a building where Leo Tolstoi used to conduct business. We passed the graveyard where Nikita Kruschev was buried. Finally we came to a place called Sparrow Hills. It is located on the banks of the Moscow River and near Moscow University where there are some good panoramic views of the city. It is a very popular site among Moscovites and it is a place where many famous poets and writers of the last few centuries have been immortalized in print and song. Newly married couples come there to have their pictures taken.

There are also numerous souvenir hawkers who ply their trade there. There are tables set up with the usual Russian souvenir fare; everything from watches to teapots and decopouged pictures and everything else under the sun.

View from Sparrow Hills



ARBAT STREET

From Sparrow Hills we went to Arbat Street which is one of the oldest origional streets in old Moscow. Craftmen used to set up shop there and sell their wares. Now it is filled with small cafes and souvenir stands. Some famous Russians used to live there such as Alexander Pushkin, who is one of Russia's most beloved poets. There is a museum in his honor on Arbat Street. Tolstoi also lived there at one time. He is also a very well regarded writer in Russia.

I set off down the avenue to look around. I had been seeing some cut crystal that had different things carved inside of them which caught my interest. I came close to a souvenir stand just to get a closer look. I was curious. I didn't want to buy anything. As I got closer the purveyor started to speak to me in Russian. I told him I didn't understand his language. He immediately recognized me as an American and started to speak in English to me. He wanted me to buy something from him very badly. I tried to explain to him that I was leaving the next day and I didn't think I had any room in my suitcase to hold anything more. He didn't even listen to what I was saying and just kept on trying to get me to buy something from him. I just said "spesiba" and walked away.

I passed various cafes and shops and then came upon a street singer. He must have been in his middle twenties. He was playing a guitar and singing a very passionate song in a deep, baritone voice. He looked as though he had been up all the previous night drinking vodka.
His hair was oily and his face drawn, but the passion with which he was singing was very solid. I imagined that he was singing about how Russia was changing and the old communist ways were fading out.

After a little bit I kept walking. I came to a stand where they were selling Coca Cola. I stopped and asked if they had any cold Coke. They said no. I decided to get one anyway. I paid for it. A gypsy girl who was standing nearby saw me buy the Coke. She came over and started to beg in a very desperate way. She was attracting alot of attention. I got out of there and continued back the way I had come.

At this point the reader might think I am a very unfeeling person knowing that these people are in great need of things and I come along and blow them all off. Believe me, it is not as it seems. I am the kind of person who would very much like to help someone out. There are many reasons why I did what I did over there in Russia. For one thing I am a foreigner in that country. I don't speak the language. I don't know what is going on. I have been advised by the travel agencies not to give money to beggars. It is not the same in other countries as it is in the United States. It could end up a very dangerous situation being how desperate these people seemed. I was alone there and who knew what would happen if I pulled money out and started giving it to people? Back to the story....

I finished up there at Arbat Street. I tried to get something to eat at a Mcdonald's store but they would't accept American money. I met up with the rest of the group and went to Tretyakov Museum which was a very interesting place. I learned alot about Russian art there that I am still interested in to this day.

Arbat Street



THAT EVENING

Later in the evening we were invited to some average Russian people's house to have dinner. The building was like many other apartment buildings in Moscow. It looked as though it was built in the forties or fifties. Irene rang the door bell. Pretty soon the Russian voice of a woman came over the innercom. We were buzzed into the dark foyer of the building. A few steps in was the elevator. The button was pushed and shortly the elevator door opened. Only three people could fit in so the first three people got in and the rest of us took the stairs to the third floor rather then wait for the elevator.

When we got there the hostess was already there to recieve us. We were invited into the kitchen where there was a large table spread with all kinds of Russian appetizers. There was brown and white bread, a large platter of tomatoes cut in half and whole, wedges of cucumber, cilantro, parsley. A bowl of liver and red beans, a bottle of vodka, white wine, salmon caviar on buttered bread, cabbage piroskis, mushroom piroskis, cole slaw and cured salmon.

We were offered wine and vodka. The vodka was poured into little shot glasses, whereas the wine was poured into long stem wine glasses. These were put in front of us. The hostess made a toast. We all raised our glasses and she said "ching ching". The feast began and we started to sample the dishes. The hostess spoke a little English, but not too much. The host made sure our glasses were full at all times.

After we had sampled some of these appetizers the hostess said that the pulmanie was almost ready to serve. On the stove there was a pot boiling that had something in it. I had never heard of pulmanie and didn't know what it was. She seemed very excited about this pulmanie. Come to find out, pulmanie is stuffed dumpling. They are filled with cheese or

Russian Apartment Building



meat. Finally the hostess took the lid off the pot and laddled the pulmanie with a slotted spoon into a ornately patterened bowl and put some butter on top of them so they wouldn't stick together. We each tried them and found them very good.

After this she served desert which was home-made gum drops which she called marmalade. She also served different kinds of cakes and cookies. One of the cakes was the traditional poppy-seed cake, which is a favorite of mine. After this she served coffee and tea.

For the rest of the time we were there we sat around and talked and shared some stories. Paul spoke fluent Russian so he was able to translate when needed. Otherwise we all communicated with simple English, hand signals and any other way a person can communicate.

THE NEXT MORNING

I woke up around four the next morning. By seven I was ready to go. I was suppossed to meet Paul in the lobby at 8:45. That is when the car would arrive to take us to the airport. At seven the resturant opened. I went in and had a breakfast of tomatoes, small hot dogs, eggs, pancakes, coffee and hot milk. When I was finished with this I went to my room and got my bags and came back to the lobby and checked out and waited for Paul in a chair by the front door. At 8:46 he walked in and spotted me and we walked out the hotel and found our car and took the hour drive to the airport. The rest is history.

THE END