TravelStream™ news feed for member tenvols on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/tenvols en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:05:20 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1215753900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1215753900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1215753900/tpod.html Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:05:20 -0400 Thailand to Malaysia 2008

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Melaka, Malaysia

Actually, we are back in Bangkok and we leave for home later tonight. A brief rundown of our last days in Malaysia.

Saturday, July 5, 2008
Today we left Kuala Lumpur and headed for an area called the Genting Highlands. The area has a much higher elevation and is much cooler than Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately, we didn't get to do much outside because this area is dominated by a huge theme park/resort/casino and it is pretty much impossible to do much outside unless you have your own car. We spent most of our time at the casino and did pretty well. We lost about $25 each, but that is not too bad for as much time as we spent gambling. Blackjack here is different than in the US. Players can ride on other player's hands. Basically, we could bet on someone's hand besides ourselves. Also--the dealer gets his second card after all players get their hands. If a player gets 21, they automatically win and get paid, even if the dealer winds up with a blackjack.

While the gambling was fun, the most interesting part of the trip to the highlands was our cab ride. Our driver talked a lot and wanted to talk about politics, both Malaysian and American. Malaysian politics made us appreciate American politics somewhat although politicians are politicians no matter where in the world. Malaysia's opposition party has gained much ground in the past year or two due to the price of oil. There was a big rally scheduled for Sunday in Kuala Lumpur (a good reason to get out of the city) and our cab driver implied that we should stay out b/c who knows what could happen. Luckily the worst thing that happened was a singer decided to pull down his pants and sing in his boxers. He spoke about US politics too and I think he favored US intervention in world affairs. Also interesting is the fact that he is part of the Chinese minority in Malaysia and not a Malay nor a Muslim. It was a very interesting conversation.

Sunday, July 6 -Wednesday, July 9 2008
On Sunday we took a Super VIP bus from the Highlands to Melaka. Melaka is the historical heart of the country of Malaysia. Almost everyone we spoke with mentioned the history. Melaka's history began in 1403 with the arrival of Parameswara, an exiled Hindu prince who later converted to Islam. Melaka gained prominence as a vibrant maritime trading center and eventually was conquered by Alfonso d'Albuquerque in 1511 and ruled by the Portuguese until 1641. The Dutch took it from the Portuguese and ruled for 154 years. The British took over in 1824 and ruled Melaka and Malaysia until independence in 1957.

The city itself is interesting, but could use a face lift. We saw several sights including:
St. Francis Xavier's Church--built in 1849 in honor of St. Francis Xavier who died in Melaka. A very simple, yet beautiful Roman Catholic church that has remained in use since its opening.

Christchurch--built by the Dutch and later converted from a Dutch Reformed Church to an Anglican Church. This church has an amazing picture of the Last Supper in glazed tiles.

St. Paul's Church--or the ruins of St. Paul's which was built in 1521 and was the original burial place of St. Francis Xavier.

The Porta de Santiago (A'Famosa)--a fortress built by Albuquerque in 1511.

The Stadthuys--the official residence of the Dutch governors, built in 1650 and houses several museums today.

The old Dutch and English cemeteries--need I say more?

The Maritime Museum--this is housed in a replica of the Flor de la Mar, a Portuguese vessel that sank off the Melaka coast. This museum traced the history of Melaka from the 15th century through British occupation.

Overall, we very much enjoyed Melaka. It is much smaller than KL and an easy city to navigate and meet people. In fact, one night we went to a place called the Geographer's Cafe for a few beers. While there we met and sat at a big table with people from France, Egypt, and Kuwait and had a great time and good conversation. One of the best things about traveling is that you can enjoy a few drinks while sitting at a table with people from 4 different continents. One of the not so great things would be that people from places other than the US are much more touchy than us.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1215066300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1215066300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1215066300/tpod.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:04:49 -0400 Thailand to Malaysia 2008

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia on Monday night and have been very impressed with the city. We began touring on Tuesday and have been going at it non-stop ever since.

Tuesday--July 1, 2008
Today-we began touring KL and did a whole lot of walking. KL is a huge city and we were warned that it is not pedestrian friendly. The warnings are absolutely correct. Crossing most streets means crossing six lanes of traffic and crosswalks are random and do not often make sense. Taking cabs is not smart to do in this city for long distances b/c it is a sure thing that you will be stuck in a traffic jam. The public transportation, however, is outstanding and the subway is an efficient and reasonably priced way to get around the city.

Our day started with a subway trip from the hotel to KLCC (KL City Center). Our original goal was to get tickets to the Petronas Towers walkway. The towers rise up 88 story's and are the headquarters for the Malaysian oil company Petronas. Al-Jazeera also broadcasts from the towers. When we arrived, tickets were already sold out for the day and we were unable to go up. We began a walking tour of the city center and wound up at the KL Tower. This is a telecommunications tower and rises 282 meters (925 feet) above sea level. This was actually a better panoramic view of the city than from the Towers and shows what an interesting city KL is.

From the KL Tower, we headed towards the Central Market. We never made it in the Central Market, but we did make it to Chinatown and the Times Square Shopping Center. Malaysians do love their shopping malls and they are filled with very expensive stores. We spent a lot of time walking and very much enjoyed what we saw that day.


Wednesday--July 2, 2008
Another heavy touring day--and a very hot day. While KL is not as hot as Bangkok, it is pretty darn hot and today was a scorcher. We started out by going to the Petronas Towers to get tickets to go to the walkway that connects the two towers. We were able to get tickets this day and made plans to come back in the afternoon. On our way out of the building, we noticed a red carpet and found out that the President of Bosnia was coming to the towers for a visit. We stayed and watched his procession enter the towers. After that, we went back to the park and garden area of Kuala Lumpur. We saw the National Monument which honors soldiers killed during the 1950 communist defeat. We walked by the Bird Park, but decided not to enter as we did not have as much time as we thought. We finally made it to the Central Market which is a nice market with lots of places to shop for souvenirs and other Malaysian items. After that we headed back the towers where we finally got to walk on the bridge that connects the towers. This was pretty phenomenal and we saw some really great views of the city. We ended our long touring day by going to a couple of happy hours where we made all sorts of friends.

Thursday--July 3, 2008
Today is our first day of just rotten weather. It is hot and it has been raining a good portion of the day. When we were in Thailand, it was rainy season there and it will often rain hard for an hour or so in the afternoon. In KL, it is dry season, but that does not mean there is no rain. Today, there has been a lot.

So far today we did a more extensive tour of Little India and Chinatown. They were pretty much what we expected, but we did get to go to a food market that was very interesting. We even saw a man kill a chicken (by ringing its neck) and begin to take out his feathers. Within one minute, he was chopping off pieces of meat. Talk about fresh meat. We also saw lots of entails and other funky stuff just slopped in buckets. I really wanted Melanie to take a picture of the buckets of guts, but she was too worried about pieces flying into her mouth while she was walking. She absolutely refused to talk while we were there. She was also stressed out b/c neat freak that she is, she was walking through the markets in flip-flop. There was some black smudge on her toe that she is saying was a little dirt, but I am pretty sure that it was a chicken's eyeball.

Anyway, the real highlight of the day was our tour of the Malaysian National Mosque. Neither of us has ever been inside a mosque and it was a very beautiful place. They provided us with robes so as to be respectful and allowed us to take pictures of the prayer room. There was also quite a bit of literature about Islam which made for a very good learning experience.


Tomorrow we leave for the Central Highlands which is considerable cooler and are known for their tea plantations, hiking trails, and casinos.

Reflections of Kuala Lumpur and the country of Malaysia
So far, this country has been an incredibly good surprise. Neither of us knew much about the country before our visit, but so far KL is our favorite city in Asia.

First of all, it is better organized than most cities in SE Asia. I do not mean as much in the design of the city which our guidebooks say is not very good, but there are less touts and people trying to scam you than in some of the other big cities we have visited. Harassment does not seem to be as common here.

Secondly, the architecture here is amazing. Some of the buildings are absolutely incredible and neither of us had any idea how nice it would be.

Finally, this is our first time in an Islamic country since our trip to Morocco in the summer of 2001 (prior to 9/11). I had been nervous about anti-Americanism in an Islamic country, but we have not experienced that. Not only that, but the people here seem to be genuinely nicer than many other places we have visited in the world. We have not had any negative interactions with any of the locals at all and look forward to the rest of our trip.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1214791380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1214791380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/8/1214791380/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:41:13 -0400 Thailand to Malaysia 2008

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Bangkok, Thailand

June 30, 2008

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are back in Bangkok for a trip through Malaysia. Originally, we planned to visit Laos; however, unexpected travel difficulties have forced us to instead go to Malaysia. The bus travel is the only option in Laos and there was some unrest along the route as well as the difficulty of getting back to Bangkok to catch our flights.

We have been in Bangkok since Thursday (June 26) and have been taking it easy while deciding where to go. Our hotel is really nice, with a pool and a view of the river. So far, while here we have been to Khaosan Rd., Siam Square, and Chinatown. We get back in Bangkok on July 9th and will visit Sukhumvit and Attahuya.

When we arrived, we got a place on Khaosan Rd., our old stomping grounds. We quickly found out that we have outgrown this very young and very drunk crowd that hangs out in this area and moved over to the riverside the next day. We will still go back to Khaosan to buy some CDs and books, but that is about it.

On this riverside, we found a nice bar that we hung out at and drank San Miguel beers. The San Miguel girls came to visit (think Miller Lite or Jack Daniels girls) and gave us a free beer as well as a t-shirt and some key chains. They were very pleasant and were dancing much of the time that they were there.

By Friday, we decided to go the Siam Square area. I guess this is somewhat like Times Square in NYC with lots of restaurants, coffeehouses, and stores. We found the biggest shopping mall we have ever been at and spent several hours exploring. They had stores like Porsche, Armani, Jimmy Choo, and Hermes. The food court was probably the best part about it. It had food from all over the world and Melanie ate some Mexican, while I enjoyed the pizza baked into a cone. It was so good, that we decided to go back on Saturday and go bowling which was very fun. It was an Asian Rock n' Roll bowl.

Sunday, we spent the afternoon in Chinatown. Truth be known, this was our least favorite part of this city. It is crowded, dirty, and the food is untrustworthy. We stayed for awhile and came back to our hotel.

Our impressions of Bangkok are very similar to a few years ago when we came. The toilets are still the same and the city is still a big mix of excitement, wealth, heat, poverty, and chaos that is was in 2003 and 2004. It is really an incredible city, but it is time to leave.

Today we leave for Malaysia. While there, we plan to go on a trek, explore Kuala Lumpur, go to the beach and perhaps windsurf and parasail, and maybe go to Singapore. We'll keep everyone updated.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183479360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183479360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183479360/tpod.html Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:24:34 -0400 Russia--2007

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Riga, Latvia

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Our last day in Riga was a pretty simple day. We went to the Latvian Occupation Museum and to St. Peter's Church. The Church was okay--we did not do a tour of it b/c it was not anything exciting to look at from the inside even though the outside was beautiful. However, the museum was great. The country of Latvia had been controlled by the Russian Empire throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. After World War I, it gained its independence. Unfortunately, independence was short-lived for the Latvians. As a result of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of August 1939, Latvia, along with Lithuania and Estonia were deemed part of the Soviet sphere of influence. By 1940, Stalin basically annexed all three countries. In Dec. 1941, began the Nazi occupation and at the end of World War II, Stalin would not grant or even consider giving them independence.

The museum basically gave a narrative of these events plus continued Soviet rule through 1991. There were artifacts from the meeting and even the secret provision of a treaty signed by Stalin and von Ribbentrop (the German negotiator) agreeing to the fate of Latvia.

Tomorrow, we leave our hotel by 4:30 to begin our long journey home. We fly from Riga to Moscow to Amsterdam to Memphis to Knoxville. It will be a long day, but we're looking forward to getting home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183386180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183386180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183386180/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:44:00 -0400 Russia--2007

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Riga, Latvia

Monday--July 2, 2007

|Riga, Latvia is one of the nicest small cities that we have ever been. Luckily, today was a beautiful day--no rain storms and none expected tonight either. The city is clean and the Old Town has some beautiful architecture and cobblestone streets. It was a little more crowded than yesterday, but it is like a smaller, cleaner Prague.

Today we did a walking tour. We began with the House of Blackheads. This building had been completely destroyed during World War II but was rebuilt after the war in its original Gothic style. From there we went to St. Peter's Church. We could not go in today as it was closed but will go back tomorrow to climb to the top and see the panorama of the city.

Also of interest on the tour were the Guilds, particularly the Small Guild building. Across from the guild's was the Cat's House. There is a cat perched atop each of the two towers. Back in the past, when the owner was kicked out of the guild, he changed the cats so that their backsides were facing the guilds. Eventually he was readmitted to the guild and changed the cats back to where they were facing the guild.

We also saw the Powder Tower, Jacob's Barracks, and the Old Fortification Wall. The Powder Tower was built in 1330 and was used to store gunpowder and cannonballs. Jacob's Barracks is currently the longest building in Riga and houses many shops and restaurants.

Tomorrow we plan to tour the Latvia Occupation Museum (Nazis through the Soviets), St. Peter's Church, St. Jacob's Church, and the Freedom Monument. Our flight leaves Wednesday morning and we should be in the states by early Wednesday night.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183310940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183310940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183310940/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:22:49 -0400 Russia--2007

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Riga, Latvia

July 1, 2007

This morning we arrived in Latvia after a very relaxing 13 hour train ride. I think I can safely say that I could grow used to this first class stuff, especially on eastern European trains. Today has been a day of orienting ourselves with the city. The hotel that we found on hostel world is surprisingly nice, actually downright luxurious and will be a nice way to end our vacation. Unfortunately for Melanie and her blackjack addiction, there is a casino inside that could put her into debt. Riga seems to be a very nice city that I think I will enjoy. It reminds me of Prague but with not as many people. The people have been okay so far. Our first native Latvian was a hag. She was old, mean, ugly, and should be flying on a broom. Most everyone else has been much nicer.

Today, we just walked around the Old City and will do some heavier touring tomorrow and Tuesday. We have just spent about three hours on the internet updating this travel-pod and letting people know that we are safe.


Other Reflections of Russia
Mosquitos Everywhere
First of all--St. Petersburg was so nice and cool. There was no air-conditioning in our hotel so we slept with the window open for a pleasant breeze. Lonely Planet advises about the mosquito problem in St. Petersburg. A colleague of mine advised about it. We brought Off from home. Yet did we put any on ourselves at all for the first two days in the city? Of course not. Consequently, I have about four bites on my back. Melanie has about 40 on her whole body. If you come--be sure to put on bug repellent.

Weather and Rain
The temperature has generally been pleasant enough although there were a few hot days in Moscow, however Russia has been rainy and windy. Bring a jacket and an umbrella and make sure you keep them with you at all times. Also, the summer in St. Petersburg--It is still like dusk after midnight and the sun rises by 4:30 AM.

Alcoholism
It is worst than we ever imagined. I am pretty sure that the 18 year old Volkswagen driver was drunk. Most everyone drinks all of the time. It makes me feel like a teetotaler.

Time
Everything takes so long to get to and complete. Something that we would estimate an hour for becomes two. We have not done all that we have planned, still I don't know how I would have done it differently.

I will write another travel pod entry sometime this week after exploring Riga.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183221600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183221600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183221600/tpod.html Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:36:51 -0400 Russia--2007

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St. Petersburg, Russia

Saturday--June 30, 2007

Well--we have had a very interesting day. First of all, it was actually sunny out for a good part of the day so we decided it would be great to go to Peterhof while the whether was still nice. Peterhof is located in the city of Petrodvorets and was built by Peter the Great. It was modeled in the Baroque/Rococo style of architecture and is incredible to look at. Not only the buildings, but the grounds are beautiful. It is a big park with several fountains and is located on the Gulf of Finland. It is very similar to the Palace at Versailles that Louis XIV built in France just a few years earlier.

We decided to take a marshrutkas to Peterhof. It is about a thirty to forty minute drive and the marshrutkas is similar to a mini-bus or a big van. The grounds were all that we thought they would be and more. I will post some photos now that I found on the web and post the ones we took at a later date as I am unable to upload them to this computer. Anyway, we toured the gardens and viewed the Grand Palace. We also were able to see the much simpler Montplaisir that was on the Gulf of Finland. It is surrounded by the Bath House and the Catherine House (where Catherine the Great lived before she had her husband murdered).



While this sounds exciting, the true excitement really began on the way home. We were feeling quite jubilant about how easily we were able to find the marshrutkas and navigate through our journey. We had seen them on the street and Melanie in particular was intrigued. We were even happier because we figured out how to catch it for our thirty minute drive back to St. Petersburg. In fact, we were feeling so good that we had the ipods on and were rocking out. I was listening to a little Blues Traveler and dozing off and Melanie was listening to Sugarland and also dozing off (although she was not sure about the dozing). All of a sudden the van jolted and rocked hard. There were 14 passengers in the van and many were being jolted from their seats. I was not, but Melanie realized she really was dozing when she awoke on the floor of the van. A Volkswagen coming from the other side of the road had rammed into us and hit our marshrutkas. Our driver managed to get us off the road and from what we were told later, a concrete trunk hit our backside (where we were sitting). Keep in mind we had no idea what was going on at the time. All I knew was that we had to get out of the van b/c we smelled something funny and I was afraid it might be gasoline. I checked to see how Melanie and our other seat-mates were, encouraged Melanie to get up and we all got out. The only serious injury was this one older woman who had a very bad head wound and some cuts on her legs.


People's reactions to the accident were very interesting. A soldier and his girl were on the bus and her back was slightly bleeding. I gave them tissue but I was very surprised when they started kissing and walked away without offering help to anyone. Several others walked away as well, but a witness who happened to see the accident stayed the entire time and helped the poor woman with the head wound. She was wearing a Nesquick hat and that is how I will refer to her because I do not know her name. The older woman also had a companion who helped although he did smoke a cigarette when he was kneeled down by her with his hand on her head. Melanie and I were the only other people who tried to help. We retrieved cushions that had been knocked over from the bus and gave her my jacket b/c she was cold. Melanie held her hand and she tried to talk to us, but we tried to convey that we did not know what she was saying. The Nesquick lady was the most helpful and also tried to talk to us, but quickly realized we had no clue as to what she was saying. The marshrutkas driver probably would have helped as he brought out a first aid kit, but he was way too stressed out and was busy with the police and the driver of the concrete truck. Unlike in the US, the police were surveying the scene and smoking cigarettes not even offering the old woman help. In their defense though, we found out later that an 18 year old boy who was driving the Volkswagen had broken his leg and some of the police and the ambulance were with him. Still--many of the cops just stood there even when the Nesquick lady yelled at them to do something.

Finally, an ambulance came for the old lady and we had to figure out what to do to get 30 miles back to St. Petersburg. We had a train to catch at 10:00 and did not want to miss it. The driver tried to put us on another marshrutkas but we would have had to sit on the floor and was just not very keen about that idea. A man wandered on the scene and spoke a little English. It was he who told us what happened. He and Nesquick also made sure we were put on another marshrutkas (although people had to double up) to make our way back to town.

Although this was a very stressful accident, we were lucky that God was with us. We also learned much about the character of Americans. Many of the Russian cops were taking pictures with their cell phones while smoking cigarettes. In the US, the cops would have helped those injured before that. Also--I really believe there would have been more people than Nesquick that would have tried to help that old woman. I felt very proud at that moment to be an American. Granted we would have been taking pictures because there would be lawsuits later; however, most Americans would have been helping the old woman.

We made it back to St. Petersburg and did not have time to visit the defenders of Leningrad Cemetery and Memorial that we had planned. We did finally catch our train and sat in a first-class sleeper. Although we splurged and spent more money than we needed to for this luxury, it was well worth it and probably well-deserved on this day.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183109400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183109400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1183109400/tpod.html Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:35:12 -0400 Russia--2007

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St. Petersburg, Russia

Here are our updates from St. Petersburg. We arrived Wednesday morning after an eight hour train ride. We shared our cabin with a man named Igor who is a professor of international relations in St. Petersburg. He has written books about international relations and has been published in the US. We also shared it with a woman from Moscow who is a journalist. Both were very nice, but the man thought it was dangerous for us to travel without a tour group. We obviously disagree with that statement or we wouldn't be here, but it was interesting seeing his point of view about traveling in his own country. We've actually found people to be much nicer than we originally thought they would be.

Wednesday--June 27, 2007

We arrived in St. Petersburg at 6:00 this morning and sat around drinking cappuccino's as our hostel was not even open. We finally went and decided to spend the day running errands. You might be asking what errands are there on a trip like this? Well--we updated the travelogue. We also had to find a new hotel to spend Thursday and Friday. Finding places to stay have been the single most difficult thing to do on this trip. There are just not enough hotel rooms in Russia and even the budget places cost over $100.00 per night. We finally found one after two hours searching and at least have a place to stay. We also decided it would be a good idea to book a hotel for our stay in Riga. All in all, we spent over four hours on the internet doing this. In addition to all of this, we booked our train ride from St. Petersburg to Riga, Latvia. We did book it in first class as we have to spend 13 hours on the train. Aside from all of this, we did very little. We simply oriented ourselves with the city.

Thursday--June 28, 2007

Today was a pretty big day of touring for the two of us and our legs and feet hurt by the end of the night. We started out with a walking tour of St. Petersburg and began our day at the Mikhaylovsky Palace which is today one part of the Russian Museum. It is a beautiful building from the outside although we did not tour the inside. Directly center in front is a statue of Pushkin, a Russian poet.

From there we took a walk over to the Mikhaylovsky Castle (today known as the Engineer's Castle and the place of a school of engineering closed to the public). There is a nice park in front of the castle and we saw a few couples getting married. There is also an enormous statue of Peter the Great at the center of this park Peter the Great is known for the westernization of Russia. When Peter came to power in the late 1600s, he felt that Russia's old fashioned Orthodox Christian ways kept it behind Europe. He decided to build ships and a navy and was somewhat successful defeating the Ottomans and very successful defeating the Swedes who were the reigning northern European power in the late 1600s. He designed and built the city of St. Petersburg on swampland on the Baltic Sea as his "window to the west" and designed it in the style of western cities. He also forced his boyars (nobles)to come pay tribute to him there to keep them under his thumb as they had unsuccessfully rebelled against him when he went on his Grand Tour of Europe. On his grand tour, he learned ship-building techniques, dentistry, as well as general scientific knowledge that he brought back to Russia with him. He also brought back European social customs. For the first time, he made it so any parties had to include women and he also allowed the women to unveil themselves. He forced his nobles to shave their long beards which was religious sacrilege during the time. Anyone who refused found their beards literally yanked out of their faces. He also forced the church to reform itself and basically took control of the church setting up a pattern where the Russian Orthodox Church and the tsar worked hand in hand for the next two hundred years of so with the tsar having the upper hand. Essentially, he began the modernization of Russia.


After this we headed over to the Cathedral of the Resurrection also known as the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. For history lovers who are reading this, this church was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1882. Alexander II, was the great reformer. He tried to bring Russia into the 19th century by freeing the serfs, enacting local governments called zemstvos, building railroads and trying to industrialize the country, and also allowing more freedom of speech than any tsar prior to his rule. Unfortunately for him, these freedoms led to his assassination. A group called the Will of the People wanted more radical reforms than were possible for the time period and blew up his carriage on the site of this Church. The Church itself has several domes which are almost as colorful as St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

From the cathedral we continued our walking tour by crossing the bridge over the Neva River. This is the river that Rasputin's body was dumped. Rasputin was a mystic peasant who supposedly had healing powers over Nicholas II 's (the last tsar) son's hemophilia. He was a part of this weird cult and was considered dirty and perceived to have more influence with the tsar's than he did (although he did have much influence with his wife). In 1916, during the middle of WWI, a group of Russian boyars conspired to assassinate him and invited him to the the Yusupov Palace for dinner. Supposedly they poisoned, beat, and shot him, yet he still pulsed with life. Eventually they dumped his body in the Neva River where he finally drowned. Eerily enough, Rasputin predicted that if he were harmed by anyone related to the tsar (Yusupov was some sort of cousin), then the tsar's family would not survive. Lenin and the Bolsheviks came to power the following year and Rasputin's prediction became reality.

The Peter and Paul fortress is on the Petrograd side of the River and had some interesting buildings, the most interesting being the cathedral. From the outside, the cathedral looked very plain, but the inside is designed in the baroque and so far is the nicest one that we have seen. Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and other tsars are buried here as well. |During our tour of the cathedral, there was another group touring including some Orthodox priests. The priests and their tour group began having some type of service and chanting some hymns and saying many prayers. After our tour of the Cathedral, we saw an old Rolls Royce brought over with Rolls Royce first office in St. Petersburg. We then left the Peter and Paul fortress.

We continued our walking tour by going to Dvortsovaya Ploshchad (Palace Square) which is located outside of the Winter Palace that the Empress Elizabeth began to build (she was the daughter of Peter the Great). In this square, the Russian Revolution of 1905 began with an event called Bloody Sunday. Workers marched to the palace demanding lower prices for bread and better working conditions. The Palace Guard became somewhat nervous (Nicholas II was not even at the Palace) and fired upon the crowd. This led to riots and revolts throughout the country. Nicholas II finally agreed to create a parliamentary democracy by creating the Duma (a legislative body) with officials elected by universal male suffrage. However, within a year, the Duma had no real political power, was limited to only the upper classes, and was basically a debating club. The failure of Nicholas to allow the Duma to conduct itself the way it was designed is one of the main reasons for the Russian Revolution of 1917 which led to the execution of the royal family and the beginning of over 70 years of communist rule.

On the other side of the square is the General Staff Building which housed armed forces administrative offices. At the top of this building is the Chariot of Victory commemorating Russia's 1812 defeat of Napoleon and the beginning of the end for Napoleon Bonaparte. Also, in the middle of the square is the Alexander Column (for Alexander I--the tsar who defeated Napoleon) also commemorating this victory. The victory over Napoleon ranks as Russia's greatest military victory along with their World War II victory (which Russian's still call the Great Patriotic War).

We concluded our walking tour by going by St. Isaac's Cathedral. This cathedral was built in the late 1800s and has a beautiful exterior. We chose not to do an inside tour because it was over $20 per person and we are cathedraled out. Once again, if you choose to come to Russia--be prepared to spend a lot. We thought we were prepared, but have learned that we were not as prepared as we thought. In most countries, there is no fee to visit a holy place. That is not the case in Russia.

We finally ended the day with a traditional Russian dinner at a medieval themed restaurant called Camelot. We had Russian soups--one with sauerkraut and mushrooms, the other, borsch with beetroot). Melanie had a Russian style pork chop and I had Russian style stuffed calamari topped with cow-berry sauce. It sounds exotic but in actuality was very bland and a disappointment.

Friday--June 29, 2007

Today, we had another big day of touring but this one was hampered by heavy rain storms and we did not see everything that we had intended to see. We began our day by walking to the Yusupov Palace, but the twenty dollar entrance fee was a deterrent to going inside just to see the room where Rasputin's murder took place. After this, we went to a small cafe for a cappuccino. Neither of us was craving caffeine, but, it was a way to stay dry during the downpour that occurred.

After the storm we walked to the Winter Palace, site of the world-famous Hermitage Museum. We toured the museum which was pretty spectacular. The museum began with art collections of Catherine the Great whom I have read was a pretty shrewd art dealer. We saw several rooms of interest including the Peacock Clock (with mushrooms that tell time), the throne of Peter the Great (by himself), the Throne Room, Italian Renaissance art (with works by DaVinci) and French Impressionism (with works by Matisse and Van Gogh).


We then did a quick walking tour to the Summer Palace and Gardens. This was built by Peter and was okay. It is a small palace that was closed but unguarded. We were able to look through the windows to get an idea of the rooms themselves. The gardens have fountains and statues and are more impressive than the palace was.

We ended our day on Nevsky Prospect, the main street in St. Petersburg since Peter built the city. We had a much better Russian dinner tonight that consisted of fish soup, garlic bread, veal, and pelmeni (Russian dumplings). Tomorrow we plan to visit Peterhof and a memorial to the WWII victims of Leningrad. After the Communist Revolution, St. Petersburg was re-named Leningrad. During WWII, the Nazi's tried to take the city but were unsuccessful. They were more successful in surrounding the city for close to three years. Over a million people died of starvation--people were so desperate that they were eating rationed bread that had sawdust baked into it, boiling leather until it was chewable, and scraping paste from behind wallpaper. There were no dogs, cats, or birds to be found and some even resorted to cannibalism. Despite the hardships, the people never surrendered and Leningrad remained out of Nazi hands. It sort of shows the determination and endurance of the Russian people.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1182882960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1182882960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1182882960/tpod.html Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:18:24 -0400 Russia--2007

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Moscow, Russia

Monday, June 25, 2007

Well we finally began some major sightseeing today and it was pretty incredible. Moscow is a beautiful city and we have been able to see much today to make up for the last two days. One of the reasons it is so hard to see stuff is simply b/c of the sheer size. All of the guidebooks warned of this, but it is hard to believe how long it takes to get from place A to B.

We began our day at the Novodevichy Cemetery and Convent. Both of these places were very interesting, especially if you like history. The cemetery was for influential people during the Soviet regime such as Raisa Gorbachev, Nadezhda Alliluyeva (Stalin's second wife), and Nikita Khrushchev (who was deemed not good enough to be buried in the Kremlin). The cemetery is the place where Peter the Great imprisoned his sister Sophia after the Strelsi Rebellion and his first wife (whom he thought was a nag). It was an interesting place to visit.
After this, we made our way to Red Square. Red Square is something to truly marvel at. All of the Soviet demonstrations and political rallies were held here back during the hey day. It is bordered by the National History Museum at one end and St. Basil's Cathedral at the other end. Lenin's Mausoleum and the GUM mall enclose the other two sides. After paying homage to the great Lenin, we toured St. Basil's Cathedral. The outside of it is incredible. The inside was a little disappointing, but I think that is b/c we are used to western icons and images rather than eastern. There was a group of guys that were singling religion tunes inside and Melanie almost bought their CD because it was moving and soothing. As for the GUM mall, it is almost the opposite of what was there prior to 1991. The GUM mall is known for pricey items and as a place for the wealthy to shop. Prior to 91, the state run stores with long lines were there for the proletariat to do their shopping (or waiting in line).



That evening we toured one of the wealthier areas outside of Red Square and saw Bentley, Ferrari, and Lamborghini dealerships. After test-driving a Ferrari through the Moscow traffic, we discussed financing with the dealership but could not come to a deal with them. Maybe when we return to America. A few hundred meters past the dealership was the Lubyanskaya Plaza and Prison, home to the former KGB and today's KGB successor, the FSB (Federal Security Service).

Our evening wound up back at the casino that we went to the other night, The Mirage where we were treated like VIPs. Free beer and hors d'oeuvres made up a good portion of the night, but tonight we did not leave winners. We lost some money, luckily not too much. We did have a good time though, especially Melanie who is now addicted to both blackjack and gambling in general. She wants to go back tomorrow night, but I will not allow her anymore. Someone needs to call Gambler's Anonymous when we get back and do an intervention.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Today we planned to spend at Red Square and the Kremlin. We began our day at the Kremlin with an audio-guided tour of the Armoury Museum and a tour of the Kremlin. The Armoury Museum was incredible. Sights ranged from silver and gold of Russia to weapons, clothing, and even carriages of the royal families. We also saw some of the original Faberge Eggs that the Romanov czars traditionally gave to their wives as a gift. Our favorite exhibitions were the throne room and the carriage room. We especially liked the Dual Throne of Peter the Great and his older half-brother Ivan V. Ivan was dimwitted and died young. They were the only two monarchs to rule jointly but they were really under the regency of their older sister Sophia until Peter took over on his own. The carriage room was also pretty neat as we saw the carriages that the royals used to get around Russia during the 1700s. There was also a sleigh that carried Peter's daughter Elizabeth for her coronation from St. Petersburg to Moscow in three days one winter during the 1700s. Melanie particulary liked the children's carriages. There was a procession that included dwarves to accompany the children in these miniature carriages. There was also a neat clothing room that included outfits worn by both Peter and Catherine the Great.



After the armoury we spent the rest of the day at the Kremlin. A kremlin is a fortress and the Kremlin of Moscow is immense. There are several churches as well as other buildings built within the main square of the Kremlin. We went to the Archangel Cathedral in the Kremlin where both Ivan the Great and Ivan the Terrible are entombed. Outside of the main square is the residence of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, as well as several cannons taken from Napoleon's army in 1812.

Finally we boarded a night train that would take us to St. Petersburg. On the subway to the train we saw this poor woman trying to get on the subway. The door was closing and it was pretty packed but she was determined to get on the train. She stuck her foot in the door to hold it open. Instead it closed with her foot in the door and she lost her shoe in the door. It could have been very scary had she not been able to get her foot out of the door. Because she was alright, people started laughing. Tomorrow we plan to do busy stuff such as book a hotel (which has been incredibly hard in Russia) and book hotels for the last leg of our trip as well. The hotel situation has been pretty stressful b/c so few have open rooms unless they are expensive.

Our reflections on Moscow and Russia in general have been very positive. The city is incredible b/c of it's size, it's beautiful architecture, and the history in general. The city is also very cosmopolitan as would be expected of a city with approximately 10 million people. Finally, the people have been much nicer than either of us thought. The first day we got a lot of "Nyet Nyet" when we would ask for help, but that has very much subsided. Many people have been willing to help without even being asked. There are also some serious issues that Muscovites face. I have read that Moscow is more expensive than both NYC and LA. As a result, there is a lot of poverty and a large population of homeless and mentally ill go about the city begging but not much more than in most big cities. A much more serious issue is the rampant alcoholism. I guess that would be expected in a city that allows alcohol to be sold all hours of the night and open containers on the street. The average lifespan of a male in Russia is 58 years old and for a country as economically advanced as Russia, there are many poor lifestyle choices being made.

Overall, we would like to come back and see more--there is just so much to see but more time is needed. We will keep you all updated from St. Petersburg.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1182967440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1182967440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tenvols/russia_2007/1182967440/tpod.html Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:14:31 -0400 Russia--2007

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Moscow, Russia

Sorry it has taken so long to start this. We will try to update it more frequently.

Friday, June 22, 2007

After many long flights, we finally landed in Moscow. Our route took us from Knoxville to Houston and then on to Paris before we finally landed in the former Soviet Union, but around 3:00 our plane touched ground in Moscow.

Our first impressions of the city are varied. The city is huge--there is no other way to describe it. I was really expecting it to be completely concrete; yet, there are many trees scattered throughout the city. And by trees, I mean whole bunches of them. There seem to be many parts of the city where it would be possible to be lost in the forest. In addition to the trees there are many high-rises. These are not so pretty, but they are a good example of socialist realist architecture. In fact we are staying in one--the Delta-Gamma complex. It is a series of 5 high-rises that were built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Some have been updated, but many have not and have made it affordable to stay in Moscow.

Another impression of the city is how expensive everything is. At first, we screwed up how many rubles equaled a dollar and actually thought we were getting a deal. How wrong we were. The cheapest budget hotel is at least $100 a room--even many hostels are priced similarly.

Yet another impression is the subway. Designed during the Stalinist era, the subway itself is a work of art. There are many pictures, statues, and marble facades and columns scattered throughout. The Moscow metro has more passengers per day than the subways of NYC and London combined.

A final impression is the amount of sunlight. The sun rises around 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning and sets after 11:00 PM. Of course this is the summer solstice, but it is still unsettling to have to put sunglasses on at 11:00 at night. It was even more unsettling to hobble out of a casino into a bright morning.

As for tonight we took the subway to one of the downtown areas known as the Arbat. We walked for what seemed forever, but never found Red Square or the Kremlin. Tiredness eventually overtook us and we wound up back at the hotel by midnight.

Saturday, June 23, 2007
Well, we woke up today with the intentions of going to the market and then on to the Kremlin, Red Square, and St. Basil's Cathedral. The only thing that we were successful with was making it to the market. The market was actually pretty neat. We bought a few pirated CDs--Bon Jovi, The Killers, U2, and Maroon 5. We also looked at all sorts of stuff of which we intended to go back and purchase. Russia is famous for these nesting dolls which are wooden figurines each filled with several other smaller ones. We found a University of Tennessee one that included Erik Ainge and Robert Meacham. There was also another that included all of the Russian leaders from Putin back to Czar Nicholas II and yet another that started with George W. Bush and went back to Richard Nixon. There were also some pretty neat copies of WWII propaganda posters which is something that I hope to purchase before I leave Russia.

After the market, we went to Gorky Park. It is a big amusement area that was a pretty good place to people watch. The rides were a little rickety, but the normal people of Russia seemed to be enjoying themselves and we enjoyed watching. We also went to Statue Park. It is a less than impressive park with statues scattered throughout. We couldn't read the inscriptions being we do not know Russian nor can we read the Cyrillic alphabet. We did make up our own language by pronouncing the Cyrillic words phonetically. It sounds like neither Russian nor English, but we have mastered it especially while getting around the subways.

Afterwards, we again attempted to find the Kremlin and Red Square. We finally made it, but it was closed for something or another and we were unable to go inside. It was pretty frustrating, but tomorrow we will be able to go with ease.

Finally--we went to the casino. For those of you that play blackjack, Russian rules are actually closer to American rules than most of western Europe. There are two major differences though. First of all, the dealer is only dealt one card until the end which changes the odds (i.e., it is much more difficult to get two cards worth ten right in a row). Secondly, there is a surrender option. This means that you can pay half of your bet and just give up without taking any cards. Melanie has never played blackjack before and was not looking forward to it the way that I was. By the next morning, she was loving blackjack as we stayed until 6:00 in the morning. Luckily, we didn't lose anything but a good night's sleep.

Sunday, June 24, 2007
We had all sorts of plans for this day, but sleeping past noon was not one of them. The jet lag combined with being at the casino all night has really slowed things down. In addition to this we need to find a new hotel as our reservation ends tomorrow morning. This afternoon we set about this task. It is unbelievable the number of Moscow hotels that are sold out. The Delta-Gamma has over 5000 beds and it is completely sold out. We finally found one called the Sherston and took an hour long journey over to check it out. It was okay and we made our way back to the Arbat District and then back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
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