Russias long military history and exquisite arts charm San Diegan

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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

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When my husband suggested Russia as a vacation destination, I didnt have any particular expectations.

retweet 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.

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Having only that knowledge as background, I began reading about The spires of St. Basil's Cathedral brighten Moscow and St. Petersburg; I started with guidebooks, moved on to Moscow. (Photos by Bryna Kranzler) 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, they departed 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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http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-19/travel-tours/san-diegan-savors-history-and-arts-in-russia[10/16/2009 6:57:23 PM]

Russias long military history and exquisite arts charm San Diegan

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
The fountain at Peterhof

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In Moscow Metro stations, find murals like this one.

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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

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-19/travel-tours/san-diegan-savors-history-and-arts-in-russia[10/16/2009 6:57:23 PM]

Russias long military history and exquisite arts charm San Diegan

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 as the 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 WHEN TO GO: Summer is an ideal time to visit St. Petersburg especially during the weeks 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. The Tikhvin Cemetery in St. Petersburg 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 are a time of celebration when numerous cultural events are scheduled: concerts, operas, ballets, as well 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 watch a sequence of drawbridges open. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: It is helpful to memorize, or bring a cheat sheet for, the Cyrillic alphabet and the English sound-equivalent of each letter. While Cyrillic looks very foreign, when you translate the letters into English sound-equivalents you will discover that about half the strange-looking words are actually in English or approximate it closely (i.e, a sign reading Pectopah translates into Restoranrestaurant). But its easy to be misled; the Cyrillic alphabet contains 12 English letters, only 5 of which 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 surcharge. Merchants either refuse such bills or increase their prices to accommodate the transaction cost. Taxis: While legitimate taxi companies do exist, most people arent willing to wait 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, which will likely be driven by an ordinary citizen who wants to make extra money. (Our first driver wasnt familiar with the destination to which hed agreed to deliver us while the second was as efficient and speed-limit-defying as the best of professionals.) Tags: Moscow, Russia, SDNN, St. Petersburg
This entry was posted on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at 11:53 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

READER COMMENTS Comment by: Patricia Schwab

Posted: September 20, 2009, 11:24 am

comment rules | moderation | privacy

I 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

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-19/travel-tours/san-diegan-savors-history-and-arts-in-russia[10/16/2009 6:57:23 PM]

Russias long military history and exquisite arts charm San Diegan

travel 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 everywhere 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 threat 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 collection 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 1.43 years. If instead, you viewed these items for five days a week, you would spend about two years on this task. In either case, nine years is much more time than you would need.

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