It’s a sad indictment of the current situation that we couldn’t return to St Petersburg / Leningrad on the Baltic cruise last year. We were about 40km from the border with Russia in Finland and cruises used to go to St Petersburg. I would have loved to visit again. For one good reason, think about all the European art in the State Hermitage Museum that doesn’t get seen by outside eyes anymore. For example, see this selection of French painting from the Hermitage website > [opens in a new tab]
and this one from the Claude Monet Room >
Soviet Union
In 1986 we had a two week holiday in the Soviet Union taking in Leningard, Yalta on the Black Sea and Moscow. See the “Places” page here >
Margaret made daily notes of what we did and, especially, what we had to eat. More of that later. Inclined to keep everything, we also have the brochure, tickets and the copies of our visas. The notes have an enthusiasm for times and other specific details. For example:
“Had luggage searched. Knife and camera causing problems! Seem to be in a minority on plane ie younger people poorly represented.” “Out for a walk in Leningrad at 8.15 saw people with billy cans.” “It was Sunday so ‘no workers’. Clothes brighter than we imagined.” There were many wedding parties in evidence “tradition to take cars around the city and make stops for photos – in cemetries, war graves etc and leave flowers.” We were made aware of Leningrad’s status as ‘hero city’ and the 25 million Russians killed in the Second World War.
We toured the city and took a hydrofoil to Peter the Great’s Summer Palace with the trick water fountains. “Plenty of tourists! Long queue for ice-creams. Loos hard to find.”
“Visit to Alex Nevsky Monastery and cemetery. Rather disturbing in one part – very densely covered with memorials etc – all black/grey stone. Saw graves of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Bordin, Dostoevsky, Pushkin’s wife etc.”
The notes indicate we had a sense of being in a group at all times and we had “intriguing discussions”. Independent travel was unusual at that time and, indeed, one woman disappeared for the fortnight between flights in order to attend a family funeral. Another couple absented themselves for the gay scene in Leningrad. The rest of us were accompanied by a rather attractive tour manager, called Natasha, whose job was usually desk-based for Intourist. Helping our tour was regarded as her holiday and she was very open and helpful.
“So many issues being raised and questions asked. Are we looking for some things that are not really there? Some strange things may have happened but are we attaching too much to them? Maybe we are conditioned more than we think afterall.”
“Walked around Massandra Gardens and sat on a wall until 10pm watching the world go by. Apparently people from Chernobyl have been brought here for holidays. Clothes are very ‘normal’ – nothing outrageously in fashion or expensive anywhere. Nobody looks over-dressed as we have seen before.”
“Had good discussion about Soviet Union and our impressions before and after. Interesting comments made about health of children, Soviet dress, poverrty or lack of it where we have been, the anticipation of going to Moscow etc.” This point about peoples’ appearance was raised again when we were in the Cosmopolitan Bar in the Moscow hotel with many overdressed people. And, notably, the Arab-dressed men with eye patches who will have had eye surgery in the hotel – what we would now know as medical tourism.
Marg noted her horror at being on the 23rd floor of the hotel and recalls going out for jog before breakfast without any real clue as to where she was going or how to return. What the people cleaning the streets thought is unknown.
One bone of contention was the food expectation. We had varied vegetarian meals to our satisfaction. The others complained of a lack of vegetables with repetitive meat dishes. The notes reveal there was a group meeting to discuss the food issues which were taken to Natasha.
The hotel in Yalta was a large slab of a building. Our room was comfortable although extremely hot at night but it is was nice to have a roomy balcony with a good view. It was disapointing that none of the bars had outside seating areas as the evenings were warm. Our privilege was evident when we saw the crowded public beaches.
Thoughts now
At this distance it is painful to consider the consequences of the USSR break-up and the decent into oligarchy and organised crime. The annexing of Crimea, the Black Sea domination and Putin’s war on Ukraine is unspeakable. I don’t see tourism returning any tiem soon which is such a shame as it was a great experience in the 1980s.