Moscow!

Moscow feels like a different country. First, it is in Europe and therefore has been influenced much more by the West. Second, it is an enormous, lively city. After over three months in Siberia, it was very overwhelming to find myself in such a cosmopolitan metropolis.

 Our first evening here we spent rediscovering Western food and I do not think I shall ever appreciate tomato soup as much as I did on Wednesday evening. The best coffee I have had in the last few months was found in McDonald’s the following day. I remember how the opening of the first McDonald’s in Russia in 1990 was a very defining moment after the collapse of the Soviet Union and it is interesting to see how widely it is spread now, and hence how much the city must have changed in the last twenty years.

Red Square and the Kremlin, the most obvious tourist spots, were just as expected. Impressive buildings, beautiful cathedrals and Russian soldiers were the subject of every tourist’s camera, though I must admit there were very few tourists. This surprised me a little as I had heard that Moscow was a very touristy place, but in fact we have seen very few foreigners here. Whilst taking photos in a metro station, one guy asked us in Russian if we were Muscovites and if it was really our first time on the metro.

After freezing ourselves to the core, we decided to spend an afternoon underground admiring the renowned stations. The Moscow metro is famous for being one of Stalin’s great successes, and also appears to be a cool place to ‘hang out’ as there are benches lining in walls and it is relatively warm. There were also policemen everywhere and it struck me how tight the security is here. I can imagine if someone was to do something deemed inappropriate, policemen would appear from every corner in a flash.

The city is much more beautiful than I expected, and there is an interesting contrast between the old, pre-Soviet buildings, and the skyscrapers and more industrial structures. Although a lot of the cathedrals and churches have had to be re-built after the end of the Soviet Union, they supposedly look like they did originally. Conversely, the high-rise flat blocks and the seven Stalin skyscrapers ( «Сталинские высотки») that tower over the city make it look like a much more modern city, and the scattering of factories with large chimneys give it an industrial feel.

Moscow definitely feels like a capital city, but it is not as intimidating and hectic as I had preconceived. In comparison to Tomsk, it feels like a different world, but I do not think I would appreciate how cosmopolitan the city of Russia is, without seeing the other extreme. Both cities have charm, and the more I discover Russia, the more fascinating it becomes!

(Next stop is St Petersburg, but not until January.)

The Trans-Siberian Adventure from Tomsk to Moscow

The start of the journey

After some sad farewells and numerous thank yous, we boarded the train to Moscow. The dean of Tomsk State University arrived in her fur coat on the platform with some home-cooked chicken and a huge lump of pork to last us the journey and we were off!  Our journey was to take 56 hours, cross 3 time zones, and cover half of Russia. Everyone had told us it would be ‘horrible’, particularly as we had bought tickets for 3^rd class, «плацкарт», and we had almost heard enough train horror stories to put us off the idea completely.

Svetlana Konstantinova's delivery of The Pork

Nonetheless, we were pleasantly surprised. It seems that Russia has mastered long-haul train journeys. Each of us had our own 'shelf' («полка») and enough space to safely store our ridiculously large suitcases. We had enough food to last us through boredom and unexpected delays or potential snowdrifts and a pack of cards and a few books to keep us entertained. In the 56 hours that followed, not a lot happened. I struggled to keep track of time as the Tomsk time became irrelevant but Moscow time was too late. ‘Lights out’ was enforced by the train staff at 10pm. We stopped at various dreary looking stations, where it got as cold as -32˚C, and I had to run around to stop myself going crazy! Sleeping on the train was not as bad as I had imagined, except when a smelly, old man arrived on the neighbouring shelf and proceeded to snore very loudly all night. Our diet was quite limited; one member of our party ate pot noodle variations for all 7 meals.

When we eventually arrived in Moscow late afternoon on Wednesday, a man named Vasilii bundled us into a taxi and we were driven through a bustling Moscow to our hostel (which is in an old sweet factory). Coming from a small city in Siberia to an enormous capital is overwhelming, and very exciting! And my next post shall be all about Moscow...

Our Supplies

-32 at Barabinsk!

The Train Corridor

Life 'on the Shelf'

The Samovar (where you could get hot water)

Passing views

One of the many visited stations on route

The Tomsk 'Hot' List

Ridiculous look - skiing in jeans and
all the clothes I could manage to fit on!

I am reaching the end of my stay in Tomsk and can now say we have pretty much done everything we had set out to do here, and this weekend we even went skiing. We had been told there was a ‘skiing mountain’ just on the outskirts of the city, so one snowy Sunday morning we went to investigate. What a success! We hired some skis for the equivalent of £5 for 2 hours from a small hut and discovered the so-called ‘mountain’. It was brilliant. It was a short run with a button lift for which there was always a typically long queue, which provided some great opportunities to meet some fellow skiers. Our hair froze, our jeans were not warm enough and I can’t say that I will miss the Russian queuing system but it was great fun to be able to speed down the slope and really appreciate the snow.

The weather may be slightly on the harsh side, and I cannot say that I particularly enjoy the subzero temperatures but there are some little things in Tomsk that are still a novelty even after being here since summertime, and so I present the Tomsk ‘hot’ list:

   1-      The Marshrutkii : The bus service is cheap and efficient. It costs 24p to go anywhere you like.

  2-      The travel system in general deserves a mention – We have our tickets for the Trans-Siberian train to Moscow, which cost £90 for a 52 hour journey covering about 2300 miles. Seems like good value to me!

3-      Chewing gum is provided with your bill at cafes, free of charge.

4-      If you are a fan of blinis (pancakes), they can be bought everywhere, in kiosks, in cafes and in the university ‘stolovaya’ for just a few rubles. I have been told that the ‘Siberskii Blini’ are the best.

5-      Saunas (and the Russian banya) are ‘the norm’ and can be found in the gym changing room and on almost all street corners.  

Siberian Blini

   

  6-      You will never have the problem of ice-cream melting. The streets are the same temperature as your freezer at home. (Ice cream is a very popular food here and can also, like blini, be bought in kiosks all over the city.)

  

  7-      Slush and wet snow no longer pose a problem as the temperature has not been above zero for weeks, and the city is now beautifully white all over.

  

8-      The most impressive snow clean up system. Every morning people are manually sleeping the new snow of the streets to make it easier for people to walk!

9-      Your bottle of water in your bag will always be chilled, and if you are lucky, there may even be some ice cubes to ensure it is truly refreshing.

10-   The biggest and most beautiful icicles that I have ever seen.

11-   The incredible Russian superstitions by which people live their lives. Here are a few examples:

·         If a fork or spoon falls on the ground, you should expect a female guest. If a knife falls, you should expect a male guest.

·         If someone whistles inside a house, they will become economically irresponsible and lose money. (Slightly inconvenient as I have a tendency to whistle!)

·         Before leaving for a long journey you must sit for a moment in silence before leaving the house. (It helps you remember all those things you have forgotten to pack)

12-   And finally the idioms, which are frequently told:

·         «В Тулу со своим самоваром не ездят» - Don't take your own samovar to Tula (a place which is renowned for quality samovars, a traditional Russian urn)

·         «На вкус, на цвет товарища нет» - Comrades do not have the same tastes.

Академгородок - The Ski Slope

Новосвободная

Out into the Siberian Wilderness

With the arrival of a new Brit in Tomsk, we decided to venture out into the real Siberian countryside. Having not explored much out of Tomsk, we organised a weekend at a «база отдыха» (relaxation base) in the scenic Siberian countryside thirty kilometres south of the city. In honesty, we actually had no idea where we were really going and just hoped that the bus that we had been recommended would take us to the right place. We were dumped out in the bleak, snowy landscape by a huge hammer and sickle monument and it suddenly became apparent that the well-marketed «база отдыха» was actually the site of the former collective farm known as the «Cовхоз Вершининский » (Vershinskii Sovhoz). Great start. The vodka bottles were opened and an essential pose on the hammer and sickle was photographed.

Baba Yaga (a witch from Slavic folklore)  

Wheely suitcases in tow, we followed the sign to the so-called relaxation base (http://zapovednoe.tomsk.ru/) We were met with some large gates and some sparsely dispersed, grey building blocks. As we were all becoming increasingly nervous about our much anticipated weekend away, I spotted some horses! Hurrah! We then found our room in the dilapidating Soviet building and went out to explore the snowy grounds of the farm. We organised some riding and I got to gallop in the snow on a Siberian pony named Apolon. On the farm there were also some husky dogs and a stack of cages where some beautiful rabbits were being kept. I fear they may soon be made into equally beautiful fur hats. There was also a banya (Russian sauna) and little swimming pool, so we spent our evenings roasting ourselves in the sauna, running around in subzero temperatures in little clothing, and then jumping in the cold pool. We had also chosen to have all our meals provided for by the hotel, after all there were no shops nearby and we were left with little choice but to eat what was put in front of us. The flavours of traditional Soviet cuisine did not exactly tempt our taste buds, but it was interesting to know how little influence Western food has had on the produce of the kitchens in the depths of Siberia, despite the availability of nearly all the same products in the supermarkets. Kasha, the popular breakfast gruel, was served soaked in an astonishing amount of butter, and seaweed was served with eggs and mayonnaise (I think I am the furthest away from any ocean that one can possibly be). Nevertheless, we ate enough to sustain us for a walk in the woods and with the recent snow fall, it looked like a true winter wonderland. I am also convinced that I saw bear footprints.

After our short holiday, we arrived back in Tomsk and the temperature had fallen to -20˚c. What a perfect temperature to walk out to an out-of-town cafe! We walked over the bridge out of the city and admired the frozen river (people have even been walking on the ice) and sought out some delicious shashliki (kebabs). Afterwards, we successfully hitch-hiked our way back into the city and avoided freezing our noses.

Finally, this last week I have decided that I particularly love the Asian element of Tomsk. My new love for Uzbek cuisine was at its peak on Saturday night when we went to an Uzbek restaurant (http://ingir.tomsk.ru/) which is the tastiest meal I have so far had in Tomsk. The Russian elements are of course fascinating, but the Uzbek restaurants and Asian music and dancing makes you realise how far away Tomsk is from Europe. 

Dig for Vitamins!

The Pogreb

Living with a babushka has its moments. The highlights so far have all been related to vegetables. Last week 10 cabbages had been dumped in the tiny corridor, covered in mud and still with their roots intact. The day after, I came home a bit earlier than usual, and as I unlocked the door, I heard a nervous voice from the kitchen. «Кто там?» (“Who's there?”). She told me she was cutting up the cabbages and it was very hot. She then peered around the corner dressed in huge Granny knickers and a tiny t shirt. A very awkward moment for both parties involved, but mostly hilarious.

Tatiana and her pickles

My hostess spends her weekends going to her allotment and then preparing vegetables. They are then all stored in the communal cellar, which is called a pogreb («погреб»). I decided to ask if I could see this mysterious place where she seems to disappear for hours, and she was delighted. We took some cabbages, potatoes and carrots down with us and she told me how nearly every flat in the area has a pogreb. There were about 90 little sheds, within which are shelves to store all sorts of homemade products. To be honest, it looked a bit like an underground prison for vegetables and pickles, and I think a lot of the jars had not been touched for a few decades. Nevertheless this storage method means that home grown fruit and vegetables can be eaten throughout the long Siberian winter, without needing to go to the supermarket.

This Month's Meals

The older generation’s attitude to food and the winter period is very different to the younger generation. Tatiana told me that the vegetables from the supermarket lack vitamins, and that it is much better to grow your own if you can, so therefore she spends hours upon hours creating all sorts of cabbage-based meals, of which she is very proud. She encourages me to eat jam because of ‘the high vitamin content’ and tells me that you must eat dark chocolate because it has vitamins which are good for your brain. The younger generation favour the supermarkets, where cheap produce can we bought all year round and getting one’s daily vitamin dosage is not so time consuming. 

On the subject of winter, Tomsk has become a grey and snowy city. The pavements are like sheets of ice and as one book said, “it is the most slippery city in the world”. I have fallen flat on my back twice so far. The second time I was on my own, outside a supermarket, and everyone walked on by as if it was quite normal that someone should be lying on the floor. To add to this hilarious picture, the shopping centres play music out onto the street and so whilst I lay sprawled on the floor, the Beatles were being blasted out on the microphones. As I said when I arrived, Tomsk is certainly a very weird, yet wonderful place!

Rapping in a Wedding Dress and the Banya

The pavement 

View out of bedroom window on the first snowy morning (of many to come)

The weather is at last becoming more Siberian! As the snow falls and melts, the lack of drainage system means roads and pavements become rivers and the verge resembles a marsh. Inappropriate footwear results in the pavements becoming an obstacle course, and unavoidably wet feet. Nevertheless now it is -10 and the snow has settled. The Russians remain certain that “it is not cold”, and when I am dressed in my warm clothes, I must admit I have to agree, except for my nose.

We decided to venture to the banya (Russian sauna complex) to find some warmth and experience an important element of Russian culture. Traditionally, the banya was a place to wash, socialise, drink and get warm. Nowadays, most people have access to washing facilities (but not all), and nonetheless the banya still plays a role in society, though it is probably more favoured by the older generations. You can buy alcohol to take in with you and ordinary banyas have a no clothes policy and there are separate ones for men and women. Since we went with one of our teachers, we were reluctant to go baring all, so we organised a ‘private room’. In our ‘private room’, there was a banya (sauna), a tiny cold pool and a dodgy freezing cold shower.  So for two hours we jumped between the three activities and tried to embrace this important Russian custom. I struggle to see the difference really between a banya and a sauna, but I think next time, when I am feeling brave, I shall go the communal one and I may have a completely different experience if I am surrounded by drinking, unclothed babushkas!

Rapping in a wedding dress

Russians love to perform, and 'it is the taking part that matters'. Last week we went to ‘First Step’, a concert for all the first years of the university. Students played music, sung, rapped, and danced in every style you could imagination. In Britain, a fair amount of the acts would have been mocked because the quality was so varied. The highlight was a girl dressed in a wedding dress and veil, who rapped with a boy dressed in a suit, and together they acted out a whole argument. At the end, there was no clear winner, since the ten judges each chose their own favourite and so the majority of the acts got to take an enormous trophy home. The enthusiasm and pride in both the audience and the participants was very impressive! This week it is the International Tomsk University Language conference and professors have flown in from places as far as Scotland to talk about their specialist subjects. Half of the first day was spent glorifying the Dean and giving her bunches of flowers (one poor boy had been given the job of collecting the series of bunches of flowers every time that they were presented-  he was busy!). The whole thing started an hour late and the Dean announced that the professors need to reduce their speeches dramatically since they had bought theatre tickets. The programme for the conference was totally wrong and most speakers were asked to speak at completely the wrong time. I cannot deny the whole thing appeared to be a bit of a waste of energy too since seats became emptier and emptier as time passed and even a professor on stage fell asleep (as did I!).

Finally, Zoe and I dared to go to an exercise class, «стрип пластика». The fierce instructor used brute force to make us do the splits and despite evidently being in pain, she would not let go! It still hurts. But I now realise why Russians make such good gymnasts. 

Swan Lake and Freezing Temperatures

Autumnal Lagernii Sad (A World War Two Memorial Garden)

As the temperature dropped from +14 degrees to -4 in three days last week, it dawned on me why Siberia winter is so famous. This is early autumn and I would consider our current weather to be a cold English winter. Nevertheless my heavy-duty coat, hat, scarf and gloves have all been put into action and are so far proving to be most effective. I feel reasonably prepared for what is to come despite the winter horror stories that we have been told, such as your tears turning to ice and your earrings freezing to your ears. The thing that I am most worried about is what we are going to do every day when going outside and walking places is not an option, but I shall keep you updated on that as time passes.

I have decided that lunch is the most awkward of meals. Whilst at university, the most convenient option is the staff ‘столовая’ (dining room), which is cheap and close. This is a very hit and miss affair, as either you order something vaguely edible such as buckwheat and cabbage (a personal favourite, which gets very boring after the second mouthful)or you try to spice things up by ordering ‘щи’ (shchi), the traditional cabbage soup. The last time I tried this I discovered that, despite being a cabbage soup, the cabbage was not actually a necessary ingredient and it could be replaced with the equivalent quantity of oil. The coffee is alright, though the presence of milk cannot be relied on and as a result, we have found ourselves searching for a more reliable lunch experience. And as a result, we discovered the Uzbek restaurant/ ‘столовая’. The idea of these dining rooms comes from the Soviet era and they are very similar to a canteen. You have a tray, and choose from the vats of food in front of you and pay the small price at the end. The Uzbek food includes plov (a rice dish with vegetables and meat), noodles, soups such as lagman, dimlama (a meat and vegetable stew) and mutton. It may not sound delicious but it has flavour, its filling and it is more cultural than a banana, yogurt and bag of crisps!

This weekend we had treated ourselves with tickets for the ballet, Swan Lake. The Russian National Ballet was in Tomsk for one night only so we seized the opportunity. Unfortunately there was not an orchestra but just some enormous speakers, but the music was brilliant nonetheless. I am no expert on ballet, but I really enjoyed the show. The weirdest element (it seems there are weird elements to everything out here) was the applause. Throughout the performance, everyone clapped in time. At the end, the applause started off with this rhythmic clap, and was then followed by a standing ovation and then, what we would consider, a normal sporadic applause.  The rhythmic clap was something I have never heard before and I can only assume that it is linked to the Soviet times and a desire for everything to be ordered. If anyone knows any more, please enlighten me!

Swan Lake

Swan Lake

Ridiculous clothing - combining the ballet and minus temperatures

Lady D and the Circus

Riding a Circus Pony

The Travelling Siberian Circus

The circus has arrived in Tomsk! And not only is it in Tomsk, but it is just by my road and therefore I am living about 50 metres away from two large Siberian bears, monkeys (who tend to be dressed up), some kind of huge snake, a hilarious clown and most importantly, some ponies! I persuaded someone to come with me to see the spectacular travelling circus, and we joined the audience of parents and small children, munching on popcorn and eager for the show. Wow, it was brilliant. Yes it was a very provincial circus, and far from the ‘Cirque de Soleil’, but this made it even more special, and the lack of ridiculous health and safety rules and political correctness was very refreshing. The clown stole someone’s popcorn, snogged someone’s wife and jumped on a man. The ‘strong man’ juggled three chainsaws (after demonstrating how efficiently they could saw logs) and rolled up a frying pan just using his hands. Three dogs rode a horse, and later male members (oh so sexist) of the audience were asked to try and vault onto the horse as it sped around the ring. One of these lucky men unfortunately had not realised how tight his trousers were which resulted in a large split on his bum to the audience's amusement. This was followed by a man flipping backwards from one horse to another as they were cantering (Biddy- this would have been your highlight). Then came the bears. Two magnificent looking bears caught balls thrown from the audience and danced with poodles in their arms. (And for anyone concerned for the health of the poor bears, I can assure you that they looked cheerful and very loved, and at least they were not in a cage like the ones I saw when I first got here.) Overall, the performers were brilliant I got so keen that I asked to ride the horse around the ring in the break. I could not resist.

A sneaky shot of a bear

Apart from my wild Saturday afternoon’s entertainment, we have been busy socialising with the Russian students and teachers that we have met, and I have landed myself some tutoring work. It seems that being a native English speaker has some great advantages! I am getting more and more settled in though some things I doubt I will ever get used to. The staring on the street continues, and Zoe’s host has declared that I look like Lady Diana, or as he says ‘Lady D’ for short. Another thing is pedestrian crossings. Frequently my life flashes before my eyes as I consistently fail to notice the difference between a zebra crossing and a pedestrian crossing. If a driver sees someone crossing the road, you would expect them to slow down. Here, they speed up and beep their horn. If you are really lucky, they will swear at you (even if you are on the supposed zebra crossing). I recently found out that ‘jay-walking’ is illegal, and can cause you to be deported from the country. So I may be coming home a lot earlier than intended!

Last week we went to visit the beer factory and the sweet factory. The beer factory was actually really quite impressive though sadly the guide honestly informed us that the beer is not actually good enough to sell further afield. The sweet factory was very interesting. It felt like we had gone into a time machine as we watched a team of women quite literally making sweets and stirring great caldrons of caramel. The investment into new machinery had evidently been kept to a minimum since the Soviet years and I must admit the quality of «Красная Звезда»'s confectionary reflected it.

To finish off this post, here is a Russian joke. 

(The humour is different here too, so do not expect to find it funny.)

The Sweet Factory

Идёт медведь в лесу, (A bear was walking in the forest)

Видит трактор горит, (He saw a tractor on fire)

Сел в трактор, (He sat in the tractor)

И сгорел. (And he burnt)

The Nuclear Power Station and the Potato Festival

When I tried to find out about Tomsk before I arrived, the images that appeared on google where grey, Soviet-looking and full of power stations. It is a relief that it is actually a pretty and friendly city. Nevertheless, one afternoon when we had nothing better to do, we decided to try and visit Seversk, the ‘secret town’ just outside of Tomsk, which is home to an enormous nuclear power station and in 1993, was the scene of one of the top ten nuclear disasters. We had been told that the town is very Soviet and that there is a huge statue of Lenin dominating the centre square just off ‘Communist Street’. So why not go and see it? As it turns out, a quick tourist visit to a nuclear power station is impossible. As the bus approached the town gates, everyone got out and headed to a small, grey side building which was the security gates. We waited for the queue to disappear and then Alex approached the guard (who I doubt has ever laughed or smiled). “We’re tourists. Can we come through?” And we all presented our passports. The guard looked completely confused and called in her ‘comrade’. (They were all addressing themselves as ‘comrades’, whilst holding guns.) I do not think that ‘tourists’ have ever tried to go to Seversk, and another terrifying guard was surprised we even knew about it, and that we definitely could not come in. But I must admit that it was worth the journey to the security gates just to see how parts of Russia are still scarily Soviet and oppressive.

Seversk Security Control Point (sneaky photo courtesy of Zoe, as cameras were banned)

The more cheerful event of my week was the best of my whole stay so far. The Tomsk Potato Festival. After meeting our teacher at the Chekhov statue we ventured forth into the festival. Wow. There were about a hundred stalls selling all sorts of homemade products and crafts, people dressed in traditional clothes, music playing and a mini concert to celebrate the potato harvest. There was a delicious smell of barbecuing shashliki (kebabs) and samovars boiling with tea. People had dressed up as bears, chickens, pel’meni ((the famous Russian ravioli) and tomato sauce bottles. We were invited into one stall to test the first tea from the samovar as well as a honey liqueur to warm us up (it was quite chilly). They told us that the Town Governor, who I assume is like the mayor, comes round each stall and tests everyone’s food. We also joined in dancing at the potato concert, and talked to all sorts of Russians who were obviously so proud of their homeland and its traditions and full of joy to be at the Potato Festival. (Definitely beats Brent Pelham Harvest Festival – sorry!)

Baby from the cabbage patch!

Dancing Bears

A Choir

The Dance of the Potatoes

Fresh and not so fresh home products