Today is my last day in Krasnoyarsk and effectively my last day in a true, Siberian city. Tomorrow around noon I will hop the same train that I disembarked a few days ago and forge my way westward for 36 hours to the city of Yekaterinburg, a city that straddles both the Asian and European continents along the Ural Mountains. I'm very excited to break through into Europe (that is, not to say that I am happy to be leaving Asia, of course). But it has been a long time in coming.
Today though, being my last day in Asia proper, was spent in the city, resting, healing (my stupid aching shoulder), and catching up on the things that require the internet. So I slept in, made breakfast and a cup of coffee (I found some really, excellent, strong, Russian instant coffee - believe or not), I did laundry, and I chatted awhile with Anatoliy. I still had one voucher left for free food at the English School Cafe, so for the third and final time I made my way to the cellar and ate what I must describe as one of the most delicious meals of my life. It's hard for me to say this and to be fair I don't usually dabble in fine dining so it must be understood that I'm easily pleased, but I will try my hardest to remember this meal and will try to make it when I'm home and domesticated again. I ordered two things. The first, a side dish, was just cut green beans and some thinly sliced red pepper that must have been sauteed in a pan with butter and some salt. Blown away. I will excuse the reader for being skeptical. The second, my main dish, consisted of cut pieces of chicken filet baked in a small dish with sliced potatoes, onions, sour cream, and cheese (and probably other things, I don't know). To be fair, it doesn't sound very Russian except for the sour cream. Russians have this strange (but awesome) love affair for using sour cream with everything. They put it in soup, they use it with salads (as opposed to salad dressing), they bake it into things. What a great idea! I'm storing this away for when I'm cooking on my own again. It's hard to explain why this meal was so good (maybe I've been eating too much stale bread and spread cheese in an effort to save money that I forget what real food tastes like...). But sometimes meals just do that to you. This was one such occasion for me.
I finished my meal and left the cellar in a glorious mood. Now I want to take the time briefly to talk about a couple of Russian culture things again, if you'll excuse me, and the first pertains to the women (again, sorry I keep bringing this topic up but I mean, it is Russia after all). One more thing that separates Russian women (and I suspect this is more about Siberian women but I'll have to wait until I get to European Russia to find out) is that almost all of them, from teenagers to the elderly, wear fur coats. Big, long, elegant fur coats and most come equipped with a large, oversized hood that they bury their heads in. The hood is sort of draped over the head so that the sides of the hood hang down to the shoulders. They are all like characters in a fairy tale donning cloaks in the forest, like little red riding hoods or something. But not only is it a very attractive way to keep warm, it looks very practical too. Like there are hundreds of skinny bears walking around the city. Don't worry, I'm not saying I'm an advocate for furs or anything (I think this only really feels appropriate in Siberia). But let's put it this way. I'm not, not an advocate for it. And some of the men wear them too but without the hood and usually it is as a symbol of wealth or that you belong to the mafia. I give those guys a wide berth.
The second topic of note is the driving situation. I can't remember if I've talked about this in an earlier post or not, but in China, drivers would rather run you over than yield to a pedestrian. I can't count how many times I have had to literally leap out of the way of an oncoming car, even when the pedestrian has the little green guy blinking in his direction to indicate it is now safe to cross the street (it is never safe to cross the street in China!). Mongolia was like that too. But as soon as I crossed into Russia, it was as if suddenly I was transported back to the safe, orderly streets of America. Russians yield to pedestrians, even when there is no crosswalk (the one difference is that you don't have to thank them like you do in the US, you just accept it Russia-style). And pedestrians give it back to the cars. They wait for their turn. They wait for the little green guy to say it's okay to cross now. Again, sorry to trouble the reader on such topics but I wouldn't be writing about it if it hadn't impacted me so much (maybe, and you just have to trust me on this one, China's drivers really are that crazy).
Moving on.
I left the cafe and walked down to the river, the Yensei, famous as one of the large north-south running rivers that dumps the frozen snows of Siberia into the Arctic Sea. I wanted to see the SV Nikolai, an old Russian river boat, a paddle boat, now dry docked as a museum on the side of the river. This boat is famous in Russian history for several reasons. My favorite reason, and the reason I came to see the boat, is that it was responsible for transporting Vladimir Lenin, the original pioneer of Soviet Communism, into exile from Krasnoyarsk, upriver to the Siberian backcountry of Shushenskoe. But the boat also dates back to the Napoleonic wars where captains used it to help beat back the French invaders. As you can perhaps imagine, I was the only visitor in yet another Russian museum. I stepped on board and was approached by a Russian soldier brandishing a rifle. I expect there is always a military member posted to keep watch of the historical vessel. He chuckled when I told him I can't speak Russian and then he led me into the Captain's cabin where a woman, the sole museum keeper, sold me a cheap ticket and showed me where I could walk around. The exhibits were all in Russian but there were a lot of pictures and maps and diagrams so I got the idea. The boat wanted to emphasize its involvement in the Napoleonic wars. But that is the extent of what I got from that. Later, I went further where there was a small exhibit on Lenin and the path that the boat took to transport him upriver. Again, I couldn't read it, but I took a picture of a picture of Lenin in his prime, creepy bald head and pointy beard and all. It should also be noted (and I got this info from Anatoliy) that SV Nikolai is named after St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, and across the river from the boat is a small but beautiful orthodox chapel named after St. Nicholas and was built as a memorial to all Russian sailors. Also, I sort of have a thing for boats and ships. I had to see this one, I'm glad I did.
Satisfied with my visit, I walked across town to its northern edge where the city meets some pretty steep hills left undeveloped. Beyond the hills are some small, suburban communities, but at the top of the hill is a very small, one room chapel called Chasovnya Chapel which is also featured on Russia's 10 ruble notes. Everyday at noon the chapel fires a cannon shot over the river (I don't know what the significance of this is and I didn't observe it today and it is not the chapel firing the shot, but there is a cannon for some reason at the base of the chapel itself - chapels don't fire cannons) but the main reason people come here is for the remarkable panoramic views of the city. The sun was low as well which improved the colors of the sky. From here I could see the ski resort slopes in the mountains of the Stolby Reserve way beyond in the distance, opposite the Yenesei. It was a very peaceful moment.
I walked back to the hostel where I saw Anatoliy and Mikhail. Mikhail's operation had gone well but he was not up (he couldn't really see, I don't blame him) for having dinner so I ventured off on my own to a nearby Soviet era canteen. Apparently, and Mikhail explained this to me earlier, during the Soviet days, if you wanted to eat out at a restaurant, you had to go to these common, community canteens that resemble grammar school cafeterias in the US. All restaurants were these canteens back then (Mikhail is in his 30's and is probably just old enough to remember them). You walk in, grab a tray, and pick food that has already been cooked from behind a counter, served to you by a big, unfriendly Russian woman. Then you pay based on what and how much you choose to take, Soviet-style. Today, there are some chain restaurants that still offer these Soviet-style canteens and this is where I ate tonight. This one was called Stolobaya No. 2 (I can't translate that). It is a chain that maintains it's Soviet roots and styles its canteens in a very kitschy way. But I was told by more than a few Russian people that they are pretty much the same as they used to be. Anyway, this type of restaurant is perfect for me because I don't have to speak much Russian. I just point to what looks good and they put it on a plate and I pay for it. Tonight, my server was not a big, unfriendly Russian woman, but a young, friendly girl with a sort of carefree, rocker look (her hair was dyed blue and she had a few piercings on her face). I told her when I first approached the counter that I couldn't speak Russian and she looked at me and smiled, and then chuckled a bit like she was saying, "Oh you poor boy, what on earth are you doing here." I sort of get this response a lot from Russian people when they find out I'm not Russian. I responded with a smile and shrug like I want to say, "I have no idea." Then we both laugh a bit and move on. I got my food with no problems, some goulash and mashed potatoes and some breaded chicken and a Baltika No. 7 beer, and I sat in front of a TV monitor that ran non-stop Russian music videos (as I believe all TV monitors in Russia do).
All in all it was a pretty good day. As I said before, tomorrow I hop the train to Yekaterinburg. 36 hours on a Russian train should be interesting. I expect to meet some more interesting train folks. And waiting for me on the platform for the first time will be (hopefully) my couch surfing host Lilia. That should be an exciting experience as well.
With that said, I probably won't be able to post for a few days until I'm established in Yekaterinburg. See you then!
Today though, being my last day in Asia proper, was spent in the city, resting, healing (my stupid aching shoulder), and catching up on the things that require the internet. So I slept in, made breakfast and a cup of coffee (I found some really, excellent, strong, Russian instant coffee - believe or not), I did laundry, and I chatted awhile with Anatoliy. I still had one voucher left for free food at the English School Cafe, so for the third and final time I made my way to the cellar and ate what I must describe as one of the most delicious meals of my life. It's hard for me to say this and to be fair I don't usually dabble in fine dining so it must be understood that I'm easily pleased, but I will try my hardest to remember this meal and will try to make it when I'm home and domesticated again. I ordered two things. The first, a side dish, was just cut green beans and some thinly sliced red pepper that must have been sauteed in a pan with butter and some salt. Blown away. I will excuse the reader for being skeptical. The second, my main dish, consisted of cut pieces of chicken filet baked in a small dish with sliced potatoes, onions, sour cream, and cheese (and probably other things, I don't know). To be fair, it doesn't sound very Russian except for the sour cream. Russians have this strange (but awesome) love affair for using sour cream with everything. They put it in soup, they use it with salads (as opposed to salad dressing), they bake it into things. What a great idea! I'm storing this away for when I'm cooking on my own again. It's hard to explain why this meal was so good (maybe I've been eating too much stale bread and spread cheese in an effort to save money that I forget what real food tastes like...). But sometimes meals just do that to you. This was one such occasion for me.
I finished my meal and left the cellar in a glorious mood. Now I want to take the time briefly to talk about a couple of Russian culture things again, if you'll excuse me, and the first pertains to the women (again, sorry I keep bringing this topic up but I mean, it is Russia after all). One more thing that separates Russian women (and I suspect this is more about Siberian women but I'll have to wait until I get to European Russia to find out) is that almost all of them, from teenagers to the elderly, wear fur coats. Big, long, elegant fur coats and most come equipped with a large, oversized hood that they bury their heads in. The hood is sort of draped over the head so that the sides of the hood hang down to the shoulders. They are all like characters in a fairy tale donning cloaks in the forest, like little red riding hoods or something. But not only is it a very attractive way to keep warm, it looks very practical too. Like there are hundreds of skinny bears walking around the city. Don't worry, I'm not saying I'm an advocate for furs or anything (I think this only really feels appropriate in Siberia). But let's put it this way. I'm not, not an advocate for it. And some of the men wear them too but without the hood and usually it is as a symbol of wealth or that you belong to the mafia. I give those guys a wide berth.
The second topic of note is the driving situation. I can't remember if I've talked about this in an earlier post or not, but in China, drivers would rather run you over than yield to a pedestrian. I can't count how many times I have had to literally leap out of the way of an oncoming car, even when the pedestrian has the little green guy blinking in his direction to indicate it is now safe to cross the street (it is never safe to cross the street in China!). Mongolia was like that too. But as soon as I crossed into Russia, it was as if suddenly I was transported back to the safe, orderly streets of America. Russians yield to pedestrians, even when there is no crosswalk (the one difference is that you don't have to thank them like you do in the US, you just accept it Russia-style). And pedestrians give it back to the cars. They wait for their turn. They wait for the little green guy to say it's okay to cross now. Again, sorry to trouble the reader on such topics but I wouldn't be writing about it if it hadn't impacted me so much (maybe, and you just have to trust me on this one, China's drivers really are that crazy).
Moving on.
I left the cafe and walked down to the river, the Yensei, famous as one of the large north-south running rivers that dumps the frozen snows of Siberia into the Arctic Sea. I wanted to see the SV Nikolai, an old Russian river boat, a paddle boat, now dry docked as a museum on the side of the river. This boat is famous in Russian history for several reasons. My favorite reason, and the reason I came to see the boat, is that it was responsible for transporting Vladimir Lenin, the original pioneer of Soviet Communism, into exile from Krasnoyarsk, upriver to the Siberian backcountry of Shushenskoe. But the boat also dates back to the Napoleonic wars where captains used it to help beat back the French invaders. As you can perhaps imagine, I was the only visitor in yet another Russian museum. I stepped on board and was approached by a Russian soldier brandishing a rifle. I expect there is always a military member posted to keep watch of the historical vessel. He chuckled when I told him I can't speak Russian and then he led me into the Captain's cabin where a woman, the sole museum keeper, sold me a cheap ticket and showed me where I could walk around. The exhibits were all in Russian but there were a lot of pictures and maps and diagrams so I got the idea. The boat wanted to emphasize its involvement in the Napoleonic wars. But that is the extent of what I got from that. Later, I went further where there was a small exhibit on Lenin and the path that the boat took to transport him upriver. Again, I couldn't read it, but I took a picture of a picture of Lenin in his prime, creepy bald head and pointy beard and all. It should also be noted (and I got this info from Anatoliy) that SV Nikolai is named after St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, and across the river from the boat is a small but beautiful orthodox chapel named after St. Nicholas and was built as a memorial to all Russian sailors. Also, I sort of have a thing for boats and ships. I had to see this one, I'm glad I did.
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| The SV Nikolai, Lenin's vehicle of exile |
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| I think you know who this is |
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| Chasovnya Chapel |
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| An orthodox cross outside the chapel overlooking the city |
All in all it was a pretty good day. As I said before, tomorrow I hop the train to Yekaterinburg. 36 hours on a Russian train should be interesting. I expect to meet some more interesting train folks. And waiting for me on the platform for the first time will be (hopefully) my couch surfing host Lilia. That should be an exciting experience as well.
With that said, I probably won't be able to post for a few days until I'm established in Yekaterinburg. See you then!
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