Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 19, 1995 TAG: 9511170094
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: G-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY G. PRICE AND BRIAN WELLS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Twenty-three of us left Roanoke on June l9 with 32 boxes of medicine and medical supplies for Pskov, Roanoke's sister city.
Our itinerary also included St. Petersburg and Moscow.
During the unseasonably warm weather in the 80s and 90s (usually 68-72 degrees F) many Russians jumped into public fountains or leaped into ponds clad only in skivvies. Outside our hotel in Pskov, where lovely rose and flower gardens bordered shallow reflection pools, people - especially the elderly - took off shoes and sat on the sides dangling their feet in what must have felt like bath-tub temperatures. But, at least, it was wet.
The trip was educational, entertaining, pleasurable and exhausting, and though one could ``beg off'' and opt to rest, there were so many things to see and places to visit that there was a definite tendency to charge on until one dropped.
St. Petersburg is less than 300 years old and was built by Peter the Great to become a stronghold and vital port. At last, it gave Russia control of the Baltic Sea. Though it began as a military base (once known as Leningrad), it is now a cosmopolitan capital and rich industrial center of approximately 5 million, attracting foreign firms such as
Singer Sewing Machine Co., Faberge, Thornton and Siemens-Schuckert. Because it is on the sea, it has picturesque skies that artists dream of -they are spectacular. St. Petersburg is built on more than 40 islands, has 300 bridges, and is sometimes referred to as Russia's Venice.
The city contains much of the Constructivist architectural style (big and blocky) called Stalinesque, as most of it was built under Stalin's authority. There are no houses in the cities - only apartments, which, for the most part, are cramped for the average family, especially when compared to an average American apartment.
One of the highlights of this city is the hydrofoil excursion to the summer palace of Peter the Great, open only a short time during the year, where the display of the Grand Cascade of fountains is worth the rather hefty and uneven hike. Built in the 18th century, the gardens include a system of hidden fountains - some in the bushes - some resembling trees.
On the ceilings of many palaces and museums, we were intrigued by a French style of painting called ``trompe l'oeil,'' or ``trick the eye.'' You think you are seeing three-dimensional cornices and figures when, instead, the illusion is achieved strictly by spectacular shading.
The Hermitage Museum is so large that if you spent just 60 seconds in front of each piece, you would be there 20 years. However, the highlight for us was having the opportunity to view the Hidden Canvases taken from Germany during WWII and kept secret until recently. Particularly poignant was the realization that most of this collection came from a private cache and was used in exchange for Jewish lives.
During the five-hour bus ride to Pskov, we were struck with the scruffiness and apparent poverty. Dachas (country homes) are drab, unpainted, and shrouded in weeds. Peasants stand along the highway trying to sell buckets of potatoes. Because of the severity of the Russian winter, only about four vegetables can be grown in soil - the rest must be grown in hot houses. It is commonplace to see older women scything the wheat and other grains in large fields, using primitive hand tools instead of machinery. Equipment, for the most part, is old and in constant need of repair. We saw many vehicles along the roads being worked on.
Pskov was founded in 903 and is older than St. Petersburg by some 800 years, although architectural evidence suggests that several centuries earlier may be a more accurate estimate. Unless you are a Russian history buff, this doesn't matter, for you are immediately struck with the ``oldness'' of the city itself, its art and the general Spartan appearance when compared with the rich trappings of St. Petersburg. Pskov was captured and razed during WWII; it is amazing that they have been able to restore so much and preserve what was left. It has a population of less than 250,000.
The Pskov Kremlin (fortress) is impressive. It originally was protected by five walls; only three remain. In an attempt to control passage through the area, the early Pskovites constructed this fort between two rivers. A ``Pit of Death'' was a gargantuan ``bowl'' where they could trap an entering army. There were places in the walls there they could insert ceilings so as to make horseback travel impossible. We saw the ruins of 20 churches inside, but we were able to enjoy the beauty of many rare icons.
The hosts of Pskov whisked us off on two old Soviet PT boats, piloted by a few sailors of the ``Frontier Guard'' (similar to a local coast guard) to an island about 90 minutes away where we were the first American visitors The island is beautiful, serene and isolated in waters the color of beer. The camaraderie was enhanced by the students from Roanoke and Ferrum colleges who were working on replacing the flooring in the nunnery. Their tales varied from, ``I adore Russia and one of its lovely young women,'' to ``It is a culture shock for which I was unprepared,'' to, ``In Christian homes, it is not uncommon never to hear a prayer, the name of God, or attend church, nor is it common to wash dishes with detergents, or `fix' things when they break.'' Even the casual observer can detect that maintenance is not high on Russia's list of priorities. The students seemed somewhat dismayed by the hot, hard work they were putting into lugging bricks that were being placed on unpacked sand, without ample foundation, to be covered by cement. They thought their work would last a very brief time.
We were constantly aware of the lack of normal American maintenance practices and know-how. The stagnant ponds, for example, at the Alexander Pushkin homeplace, were breeding areas for so many mosquitoes that one had to be covered with a repellent and push aside veils and walls of buzzing, menacing, hungry, pesky mosquitoes.
An overnight train ride brought to Moscow 23 bedraggled Roanokers who quickly revived and were determined to see the famous Kremlin, Red Square and Lenin's Tomb.
Certainly the glitter and wealth of any nation is captured in its art treasures. It tantalizes those who see them, whether they are gold and jeweled cathedral interiors, tomb adornments, outside building dome coverings, or decorative detail on royal gowns, crowns and coaches.
At the Kremlin Armory and Museum, we could not deny the dazzle of 1,500 diamonds set in platinum forming a rose, or suppress a gasp when seeing the largest nugget in the world: 36 carats and 95 percent gold. A favorite of our group was the dress of Catherine the Great which sported an 18-inch waist. It is too bad hers was not the same; no wonder she fainted three times during the wedding ceremony.
We were privileged to attend the final performance of the season at the Bolshoi Theatre. The movements of the ballet dancers were fluid, lithe and exquisite. They seemed to float in an aura-like dimension. The circus acts were precise and attractively executed, and we enjoyed a rousing evening of the Kuban Kossacks. Their wild and energetic aerobic dancing was perfect and professional.
There seems to be real effort and industry going on among the people in all the cities to raise money to refurbish and reinstate many of the damaged and misused churches and other places of worship. For so long, they served as ice rinks and storage warehouses, and the citizens now want them restored.
The gold and opulence is apparent in many of the cathedrals and museums we visited, but much of Russia is valiantly trying to get on its feet. The grocery stores, for the most part, have the same items we have in America and some are even named ``Supermarkets.'' They also have about the same prices, but a majority of Russians can afford little on an average salary of $50.00 per month. Many older citizens wish for the former structure to return - at least they had some security
then, while now they have little or none and feel uncertainty about tomorrow.
Though poverty seems abundantly apparent, there also is great wealth in Russia - much yet untapped. In the Ural Mountains, there is the second-largest deposit of diamonds in the world as well as the largest of uranium and platinum. It is rich also in semiprecious stones. In raw materials, Russia is the most nearly self-sufficient industrial country in the world. Its natural resources supply all its industrial needs except natural rubber, tin and some of lesser importance. It will be interesting to see if this country is enterprising and fair enough as a new government to mine its resources and share them with its people. It is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming to observe the metamorphosis of a nation in its struggle to emerge from the constraints of communism.
A trip to Russia is a meaningful learning experience. Certainly one of the byproducts will be a deeper appreciation of all that we enjoy in America, and a resolve to do all humanly possible to prevent losing any of it.
Betty G. Price and Brian Wells were part of the Roanoke Sister City tour to Russia in June.
by CNB