Sunday we arrange to meet Dr. Natalia Bobarykina for a tour of Sokolovaya Gora, Victory Park, and Saratov's Ethnic village, all on high ground, northeast of the city center. I've been there before, in February, on a day with 20 mph winds and 0 degree temps. There are blog pics of this in Feb. with some of the Chinese, Slovakian, and Russian International Business class students. I thought many of them were possibly going to freeze that day---some were a bit underdressed.
I am glad I'll be able to experience this place in slightly warmer temps. It is a 45 degree day, sunny and breezy.
We meet Natalia at the intersection of Moscovskaya and Radishcheva and walk to a bus stop. Bus schedules and routes in my own country confuse me; Russia as you can guess is completely perplexing. Natalia even has to ask the driver if he stops where we need to get off---it does---and we trundle on. On buses here, it costs 12 roubles, some have an attendant that goes around collecting fares, some you pay the driver as you exit. This one is the latter. I am busily explaining this to Janet and Laura, eager to show my "native" chops---I parcel out 12 R to both. Natalia pays for all of us as we leave. Janet pays again. No big deal, it is only 35 cents, but still it is the principle of the matter. To get to the monument, you walk about 1K on a pedestrian only road and you see the big memorial in the distance, falcons around a huge tall spire. It is somber. Military hardware is everywhere, there is an eternal flame. On the way in we stop at a mini train hospital museum. 30 R to enter. It is a WWII hospital train car, used to evacuate and treat wounded soldiers from the great battle of Stalingrad(now Volgograd). There is a lady curator/guide/ticket taker. She has a huge German shepherd keeping her company who is a sweetheart. For about a half hour, she regales us with stories, translated by Natalia of course. There is an operating room, Spartan quarters for the docs, instruments and other cool things like anesthetic dispensers, bandages and such from the time. Apparently this car lost nobody during its run---almost unheard of success in treating soldiers. The electrical system at that time was still in place and working! What was incredible was the following story: German POWs also were treated on this train and apparently treated very well. These POWs built much of Saratov's infrastructure while they were here....and men who survived RETURNED to Saratov in the 1980s to thank the medical staff on this train. There are pictures of the nurses and these POWs at an event honoring the sacrifices of both. As an American, I am surprised by the lack of Russian ill will towards Germans. Many Russians, including Vladimir Putin, and both Julia and Valia in the office, speak German.
Afterward we walk to the huge monument overlooking the city. There is a very strange event going on up there. A bunch of Russians in beards, bearskins, ancient clothing, with swords are standing in a circle chanting and enacting a series of religious/patriotic rituals. Not sure what it is and Natalia doesn't either. At one point a guy does a series of sword swinging exercises getting a little close to other people there. Makes me just a little nervous. Pagans? Druids? Not sure.
We see a lot of WWII era planes, tanks, submarines, bunkers and things as we walk over to the ethnic village which is still not completely open for Spring. Natalia knows that the Ukrainian house will be open where we can have lunch. There are numerous young people all over the park cleaning up. They are volunteers and seem to be having a great time. There are houses representing many of the ethnic groups in or around Russia....German, Byelorus, Armenian, Tatar, Dagestani, Korean....most of them preparing to open for spring. We get to the Ukrainian house, go on inside where it is nice and warm and have tea and pelmeni filled with cream cheese and cherries. Delicious. when we leave the lady there thanks me for leaving a tip. Natalia says it is a rare occurrence.
It is afternoon now and I know Natalia must be exhausted after her second straight day of walking around the whole time. When she offers to show us more of town, I say that Laura and Janet are tired and politely decline. We get on a bus called a Marshrutka, a minibus that costs 14 R, and head back toward Moscovskaya where we can walk home. Natalia lives in a suburb and I know she'd probably like to get home. I seat myself in the only available seat left after the women sit.....and thus am not able to hear their conversation. They conspire to go to the big Art Noveau grocery market at the end of Kirova Prospekt.....there is some laughing about how I've been tricked as we exit the Marshrutka far from my apartment. No problem at all. Natalia heads off soon afterward. We buy some pickled things, stop in a few shops on the somewhat long walk home. It has been a good day.
We plan to go out to the Soho restaurant near the embankment that my one of my business friends had taken me previously. I call Stepan to invite him but his motorcycle is giving him the springtime troubles and he can't make it.
I am glad I'll be able to experience this place in slightly warmer temps. It is a 45 degree day, sunny and breezy.
We meet Natalia at the intersection of Moscovskaya and Radishcheva and walk to a bus stop. Bus schedules and routes in my own country confuse me; Russia as you can guess is completely perplexing. Natalia even has to ask the driver if he stops where we need to get off---it does---and we trundle on. On buses here, it costs 12 roubles, some have an attendant that goes around collecting fares, some you pay the driver as you exit. This one is the latter. I am busily explaining this to Janet and Laura, eager to show my "native" chops---I parcel out 12 R to both. Natalia pays for all of us as we leave. Janet pays again. No big deal, it is only 35 cents, but still it is the principle of the matter. To get to the monument, you walk about 1K on a pedestrian only road and you see the big memorial in the distance, falcons around a huge tall spire. It is somber. Military hardware is everywhere, there is an eternal flame. On the way in we stop at a mini train hospital museum. 30 R to enter. It is a WWII hospital train car, used to evacuate and treat wounded soldiers from the great battle of Stalingrad(now Volgograd). There is a lady curator/guide/ticket taker. She has a huge German shepherd keeping her company who is a sweetheart. For about a half hour, she regales us with stories, translated by Natalia of course. There is an operating room, Spartan quarters for the docs, instruments and other cool things like anesthetic dispensers, bandages and such from the time. Apparently this car lost nobody during its run---almost unheard of success in treating soldiers. The electrical system at that time was still in place and working! What was incredible was the following story: German POWs also were treated on this train and apparently treated very well. These POWs built much of Saratov's infrastructure while they were here....and men who survived RETURNED to Saratov in the 1980s to thank the medical staff on this train. There are pictures of the nurses and these POWs at an event honoring the sacrifices of both. As an American, I am surprised by the lack of Russian ill will towards Germans. Many Russians, including Vladimir Putin, and both Julia and Valia in the office, speak German.
Afterward we walk to the huge monument overlooking the city. There is a very strange event going on up there. A bunch of Russians in beards, bearskins, ancient clothing, with swords are standing in a circle chanting and enacting a series of religious/patriotic rituals. Not sure what it is and Natalia doesn't either. At one point a guy does a series of sword swinging exercises getting a little close to other people there. Makes me just a little nervous. Pagans? Druids? Not sure.
We see a lot of WWII era planes, tanks, submarines, bunkers and things as we walk over to the ethnic village which is still not completely open for Spring. Natalia knows that the Ukrainian house will be open where we can have lunch. There are numerous young people all over the park cleaning up. They are volunteers and seem to be having a great time. There are houses representing many of the ethnic groups in or around Russia....German, Byelorus, Armenian, Tatar, Dagestani, Korean....most of them preparing to open for spring. We get to the Ukrainian house, go on inside where it is nice and warm and have tea and pelmeni filled with cream cheese and cherries. Delicious. when we leave the lady there thanks me for leaving a tip. Natalia says it is a rare occurrence.
It is afternoon now and I know Natalia must be exhausted after her second straight day of walking around the whole time. When she offers to show us more of town, I say that Laura and Janet are tired and politely decline. We get on a bus called a Marshrutka, a minibus that costs 14 R, and head back toward Moscovskaya where we can walk home. Natalia lives in a suburb and I know she'd probably like to get home. I seat myself in the only available seat left after the women sit.....and thus am not able to hear their conversation. They conspire to go to the big Art Noveau grocery market at the end of Kirova Prospekt.....there is some laughing about how I've been tricked as we exit the Marshrutka far from my apartment. No problem at all. Natalia heads off soon afterward. We buy some pickled things, stop in a few shops on the somewhat long walk home. It has been a good day.
We plan to go out to the Soho restaurant near the embankment that my one of my business friends had taken me previously. I call Stepan to invite him but his motorcycle is giving him the springtime troubles and he can't make it.
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