Lack of internet+busyness+a cruise down the Volga+the overwhelming sense that nothing I write about Russia is good enough+an ultimate frisbee injury+lots of lame excuses=almost two weeks without blogging. So...sorry about that. Now I will commence making up for my silence with an overwhelming string of blog posts and pictures (maybe I need to apologize for that too?)
This week the monotony of class was broken up by a four day cruise down the Volga River from Kazan to Nizhny Novgorod, and to be honest it couldn't have come at a better, more needed time. Russia was wearing on us, and we needed some R&R. As someone who has never been on a cruise before, my expectations were pretty low. I mean, this is Russia after all, and we're cruising the Volga not the Caribbean. That being said, the experience was quite lovely. After I got past the mayonnaise salads at every meal, which I up to this point in Russia had very successfully and skillfully avoided, and the evening entertainment, which resembled an 80's variety show+cheesy, gaudy Russians, it was all pretty classy. We made several stops along the way: Kazan>Cheboksary>Kozmodemyansk>Nizhny Novgorod>Makaryev>Kazan, which allowed us to get a snapshot view of life on the Volga River and a snapshot of life in different republics with different ethnic minorities and cultures (Tatarstan, Chuvashiya, and Mari El).
Even though our main stop was in Nizhny, the fifth largest city in Russia, I really enjoyed the smaller stops along the way a lot more. Maybe it's my Mississippi roots, but I'm always attracted to the small town, rural, slow way of life, so I loved the chance to explore some of these villages where people are just living their lives without the pretension of putting on a show for tourists. There is a striking reality about these places that is both very beautiful and very sad. I've got lots to say about this, so I'll tell a few stories about my adventures in these villages in another post.
This week the monotony of class was broken up by a four day cruise down the Volga River from Kazan to Nizhny Novgorod, and to be honest it couldn't have come at a better, more needed time. Russia was wearing on us, and we needed some R&R. As someone who has never been on a cruise before, my expectations were pretty low. I mean, this is Russia after all, and we're cruising the Volga not the Caribbean. That being said, the experience was quite lovely. After I got past the mayonnaise salads at every meal, which I up to this point in Russia had very successfully and skillfully avoided, and the evening entertainment, which resembled an 80's variety show+cheesy, gaudy Russians, it was all pretty classy. We made several stops along the way: Kazan>Cheboksary>Kozmodemyansk>Nizhny Novgorod>Makaryev>Kazan, which allowed us to get a snapshot view of life on the Volga River and a snapshot of life in different republics with different ethnic minorities and cultures (Tatarstan, Chuvashiya, and Mari El).
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| Our faithful boat, the Semyon Budyonny (Семён Будённый). |
I love watching/being with Russian tourists, especially in Russia. They are really hilarious. I'm not sure if this is a Soviet Union leftover or not, but the majority of Russians love being herded around in big groups on excursions with a very specific schedule. As we disembarked the boat at every stop, various guides stood with numbered signs waiting to lead their group around for the duration of the stop. They wait for someone else to tell them where to go and what they should see. Wandering aimlessly is not in the plans for them. Every morning we received a schedule on the boat that included all of the entertainment and activities for the day, which could occupy your every moment if you so chose. Another funny cultural observance is the dress code for tourists. Russians, in general, have a very strict dress code that basically means dressing nicely at all times. But on a tour, that dress code breaks down entirely. Comfortable clothes that are not usually appropriate to wear in public are suddenly okay on a cruise. After walking alongside women in short skirts and stilettos every day, this trend really cracks me up. I love Russians, and I especially love observing the nuances of the culture and the people.
I'll leave it here for now. More pics and stories to come:)
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| Rollin' on the river. |
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