HIGHTLIGHT OF THE DAY : Eating fancy Pirog ( Russian pastry and filling )
BUMMER OF THE DAY: Thinking my reloading of my Travelex cards weren’t working till I realized I was transferring into another card – but all good as at least I know where the money has gone!
BUYS OF THE DAY: A little supermarket shopping. Cheese, bread, soap, chocolate milk - $4
WORD OF THE DAY: - always written phonetically – chipsee – chips – Dobree Noche – Good night
Arrival into Ekaterinburg at 5pm, was the first afternoon arrival we have had to date. We are staying at a wonderful hotel called the Park Inn ( a Radisson chain hotel ) where the Wi-Fi is quickish, the showers are awesome ( not sure if it had anything to do with us not having had one for 2 days ), the bathroom floors were heated and as the rooms were toasty, I was able to get some washing done ( shirts and smalls ) and it was bone dry within a few hours. I also got all my pants washed through the hotel and the prices were a little steep ( compared to what we have been paying ) but I am happy to get big items washed properly when needed. The wash for 5 items was $43, but some things I am just going to have to suck up. It does feel good to be wearing properly laundered clothes. It is funny the small things that can make a BIG difference when travelling.
Dinner that night was a treat. We went to a themed USSR re-created restaurant, where we ordered dinner from ‘Top Secret’ menu’s, had vodka shots and watched the locals boogie on the dance floor to a live 2 man band. You wouldn’t believe though the wine we chose off the menu was an Australian wine from South Australia – Wallaby Creek and it was $40 for the bottle, not too bad for an imported wine, and it was quite tasty.
Ekaterinburg was going to be interesting for me due to the Romanov story of the Royal Family being killed here in 1918. The city has so much more to offer and it is a shame we only got 2 nights and one full day here, but we made the most of our time, I know I have said this about other Russian cities in previous blogs; I really like this city as well. It is more of a university city, so there is a really good vibe here and I think a place I would eventually come back to at one stage down the track. There are a lot of museums to see ( which I am not a huge fan of ) but I think the ones they have here would be worth coming back for.
The city itself only opened to foreigners in 1991. Previous to that, there were a lot of military plants / factories open ( and still are today ) and they didn’t want tourists and possible spies, in their city trying to find out all their secrets, as our guide put it. Not sure what has changed as the plants are still in operation today, and our guide works in one as an interpreter, but I am glad we got a chance to see the city. The factories still make bombs, rockets and weapons for the Russian Army today. We also got to see a mock T43 tank, which apparently won them WWII, but that is according to a Russian. My WW history is limited to say the least, so I can’t make a comment either way.
We covered a lot of ground on our city tour. We got to see a really moving monument called the Black Tulip. Named so as that is what the planes were called that bought back the dead soldiers from the Afghanistan war that ravaged on for 10 years. Ekaterinburg lost 250 men, just from that city alone, multiply that by hundreds of other Russian cities and towns that sent their own young men and that number jumps to thousands. The actual monument, besides the listing of the names and the years that the soldiers passed away, was a 4 meter high statue of a down cast soldier thinking about lost comrades. It was one of those moving monuments that just make you realize how lucky our country is. There was also a small dedication to soldiers also lost in the Chechnya war over a period of years as well.
The Romanovs. I am sure everyone has heard of the story of the execution of this famous family, and the possibility that one of the daughters, Anastasia, had survived the massacre. Movies have been made on the subject, and books written – but I am going to set you straight on what actually happened. The Bolsheviks over threw the Royal Family and Nicholas II, his wife, 4 daughters and a son were sent to Ekaterinburg and put under house arrest for 78 days. They were permitted to walk outside twice a day for 15 minutes only. On the 79th day they were taken to the basement of the house that they were contained to and shot. Why were they killed? The main theory was that the Bolsheviks were worried that there was a conspiracy to get the Royal Family back into power. Now this is where the story gets a little more gruesome. After getting shot, they were then moved not far from the house to a ditch, and because they were still alive, they had acid poured on them and then they were buried where they lay. When the remains of the family were found in 1991, they were sent to London for DNA and genetic testing to make sure they were the Royal Family and in 1998 it was confirmed that indeed it was the Romanov Family. There bones are now buried in the Royal cemetery in St Petersburg.
There were marks on the bones that indicated that they were also slashed with knives or axes, and god knows what else was done to them, so it was not a pleasant end to their lives. Apparently Nicholas II was a religious man, and instead of trying for exile or trying to escape, decided to run with what God had planned for him. ’What will be will be’ – that is my destiny. I wonder if he knew what was going to happen, would he have changed his mind. Well at this point the son and a daughter were missing from these remains, which fueled the story that maybe 2 of the members had escaped, but in 2007 the remains of Aleksey, the young son, and Anastasia were found nearby to where the other family members had been found and also tested and confirmed that indeed it was them. A sad story. There is small memorial out of Ekaterinburg you can go to where the family was discovered, but it was a little too far to go out by taxi.
The whole family was declared Saint Martyrs in the 1980’s and a church was built in their honor in 2000. I have seen a lot of Russian Orthodox churches but this one that was built for them was truly beautiful. Maybe because it was so new, but maybe a little sad as well knowing the history of the family.
It was cold in Ekaterinburg. Their main river was still frozen, but it must be on the edge of thawing as there were no people walking on it like we have seen in previous cities. It is getting the point where all the snow is starting to melt and it turns into the muddy sludge on the roads and footpaths. Which in turns becomes quite slippery if you’re not careful? Needless to say all the cars are filthy, I think a carwash would go great guns in this city – entrepreneurial opportunity maybe? No matter on the cost of your car – it was covered from bumper to roof in mud.
Highlight of the tour, was when it concluded at this wonderful old building that housed a brilliant café that was famous for Pirogies. A Piroge is a Russian pie, with pastry and a filling of pretty much anything you want. Savory or sweet – the selection was massive. I got a chicken one, and I have to say, I think it was the best thing I have eaten in a really long time. Washed down with a wonderful cup of green tea, it was a great way to complete a 3 hour walk around a beautiful city.
We also got the opportunity to go to the Opera in one of the 23 theatres they have. I have never been to the Opera before, and with tickets only costing $6, you would be crazy to not go along and spend some time in one of the older buildings that was built in 1918 and then recently restored to it’s former glory. The Opera was Tosca. Julia briefly explained what the story was about before it commenced, so I had an idea on what was happening, but I have to say after the first 30 minutes, I was starting to drift off to sleep. I think it was a combination of the warmth of the theatre, the orchestra playing its wonderful tunes, a big day and with the Opera in Italian and the screens translating into Russian, it was just too much for me. So after the first act, I headed back to the hotel and met up with the rest of the gang after the performance. BUT I gave it a go right? It was an amazing experience and it was a first class performance – the theatre was packed. I am glad I went, even it was for a short time, but I truly don’t think I could have done the whole 2.5 hours. For the record – they all die.
I do need to mention that the Russians on a whole have been very friendly and courteous. We really haven’t hit a meanie in our travels to date ( not including the train attendants of course). Touchwood this continues. I like Russia.
6 days left of the tour, and I will be sad to say good-bye to new friends made. I guess this is the downside of doing the tours, you really get to know these people, spending nearly 12 hours a day with them, you do become friends, and I will miss them. But the upside is I get to start all over again and make new ones and the process begins all over again. This is where Facebook is awesome, to stay in touch, and it’s not good-bye for some it is just farewell till next time.
Off to Moscow tomorrow and another 24 hours in the train. Choo Choo – clickty clack.
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