At the outset, before touring the incredible Hermitage, our guide said she had two names, Sophia and Sonia, one of which had been assigned by her tour company. She said Sophia meant wise, while Sonia meant sleepy. I guess because I found her more wise than sleepy, I remembered that as her name, but Amy corrected me, reminding me that Sonia’s joke had been that she was more sleepy than wise, so that is what we called her.
Sonia selected Sadko for lunch. The lovely restaurant was relatively empty when we arrived, possibly because we took our lunch hour so late in the day. Regardless, several waiters stood at the ready, and we enjoyed excellent service and delicious food.
As an entrepreneur I couldn’t help but consider how the restrictions on tourists limit a place like this, as opposed to Cafe Optimisten, for example, in Copenhagen, a city where tourists just wander wherever they choose and pick based on their individual tastes. Obviously, if you could persuade enough tour guides to bring their groups around, then you could open in a poor location and not worry about losing too much to someone paying high rent for better exposure. However, so much of tourism relies on people wandering around and discovering a wonderful place, and that avenue to new business is almost completely forfeited in Russia. In any case, the guides definitely have it in their best interests to choose a restaurant with great food and service, which Sadko definitely is.
The local beer was a refreshing lager, which in the Russian alphabet looked to be named something like bOYKAPEB. The tasty brew went very well with my Beef Stroganov. I can’t remember what everyone had, but I know Gina ordered something including the word Paprika, which was a stuffed red bell pepper, and Jay had some kind of kabob that looked rather unique. Brooks ordered borscht as a starter, and he said it was much better than borscht he had ever tried elsewhere. He and Darlene said the wine was good, too. All of us enjoyed our meals thoroughly.
Sonia shared some personal feelings with us about life in Russia. I had the inescapable feeling there would be a crackdown on her if she went too far, although I certainly didn’t see anyone spying on our tables, unless the waiters waiting to serve were KGB. Nonetheless, there isn’t that American atmosphere where you can say anything you want, whether about politics or the state of your life, like we historically experience in the United States. Complaining or telling jokes about President Bush or President Clinton, for example, would never have seemed likely to lead to imprisonment, even if expressed on television. That’s the American way, and I pray we never lose it.
I’m not exactly sure how degrees translate, but I believe Sonia had just received her master’s degree in art to go along with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She undoubtedly enjoys being a guide for American tourists and is very good at it, but in America, she would have many more opportunities to exploit her education. I think she is representative of many Russians who love their country but are frustrated by the limitations of a controlled economy. One of our previous guides, for example, had stated that Peterhof was patterned after Versailles and then added wistfully that those of us who had been to both could say which was better. She had the knowledge and wisdom but not the freedom and finances to find out for herself.
I asked her how the citizens liked the freedoms versus the old way, which I phrased about that awkwardly. I was wondering if the emerging capitalism was working, because at my age, I see a clear break around 1990 when new freedoms were introduced. However, as a young woman whose life experience was focused on more recent events, Sonia interpreted my question differently. She said somewhat haltingly that things seemed to be moving in the direction of less freedom, as the government has taken back some of the control they gave up after the Soviet Union breakup. Of course, the problem with central government control is that moving toward it is an easy slouch, but breaking out of the calcified shackles takes great effort. I hope Russian citizens can stand up tall for freedom.
With the 40th anniversary of Woodstock being recently celebrated in the media, I heard the old Crosby, Stills and Nash song, “Wooden Ships,” on the radio yesterday in Manhattan Beach. The anti-war lyrics basically talk about two former enemies meeting in a post-apocalyptic world, realizing they are the same and must work together to survive, regardless of knowing which side won the war.
I also find that countries have mostly good people everywhere in the world, regardless of their governments, but what CSN and those with heads in the same smoke cloud may fail to notice is that there is a major difference between a country that allows personal freedoms and one that does not. I hope Russia can find its way toward greater freedom and America doesn’t lose our way.
We went to St. Isaac’s Cathedral after lunch, and behind its neoclassical exterior is a remarkable interior filled with gorgeous art.
Again, we’re fortunate that the communists didn’t tear it down completely. Instead, they made it into a Museum of Atheism, and now it is a reborn church.
We also enjoyed a pleasant walk in a beautiful park, arriving at a statue of Peter the Great, the Russian I seemed to keep finding wherever I went in St. Petersburg. In fact,
St. Isaac’s Cathedral was named after Peter’s patron saint, Isaac of Dalmatia, on whose celebration day Peter was born. There’s still much more I learned about St. Petersburg I haven’t covered.
For example, in 1914, on the cusp of World War I, they changed the name to Petrograd from the German sounding name we know, because they were on the opposite side from Germany in that war. The communists changed the name to Leningrad, to celebrate their mass-murdering leader’s accomplishments. In 1991, the new wave of freedom brought back the original name, St. Petersburg, symbolically paving the way for tourists to discover the amazing history of the area before the gray Soviet era.
We had maybe fifteen minutes to spare, and we considered driving to see a few other buildings, but the traffic, like American big cities approaching rush hour, had become a snarling mess, so we headed back to our home away from home.
After a great dinner including snapper in Thai sauce, we saw “Boogie Nights” in the showroom. While it was a well-conceived show, the sound mix was poor, something I rarely hear on a cruise, where they seem to always have great sound and lighting teams to complement the talented performers. Regardless, it had been a terrific day, perhaps the best of the trip.
