Album 14
(10 to 27 June 1998)
Russia was a place that I entered with much anticipation.
I had been there just
18 months before and was enchanted.
When we came back together, I thought that
there was much left to discover.
By and large, I was wrong.
There is the
economic and ecological devastation that the Soviets had inflicted.
In addition,
the people had a siege mentality -
the result of years of mistreatment
combined with a "fall"
from the First World to the Third. Not an easy
transition.
We came first to St Petersburg, where the pro-communists protested,
the artists tried to learn reality again
and the tourists lived like kings.
After that, we took some long train rides (36 hrs) to Murmansk
and back to
Moscow. We wanted to see the "Midnight Sun".
Guess what? It's the sun
at midnight (duh!).
We turned around right quick and headed to Moscow.
On the way, I sat on my cup-o-noodles
(photo by Sandra Basic)
and composed our fruit into a beautiful still life.
I won't bore you with photos of trees (lovely though they were).
In Moscow, we were lucky to run into a Scottish festival, with singers
(well - singing drummers)
and the "Braveheart" club demonstrating their great long swords to the
lasses.
It's interesting to note that this momma duck and two of her
ducklings, donated by Barbara Bush to the children of Russia
were recently stolen (and probably melted to sell the bronze...)
Life is tough for the kids.
We avoided the "authentic Russian" souvenirs
and headed down towards Azerbaijan.
We passed a bus station that had been
something
completely different before the Soviets fucked it up:
and had an interesting, if potentially dangerous, conversation with
two
Chechnian ladies going home. We declined their invitations to visit.
(photo by Sandra Basic)
(and I claimed to be a Croatian)
Next stop, Central Asia. Just 12 to go!
Next Album
Top of Page