Mike you went to Russia (USSR) in those days...what for?

What did you go there for...did you go to Moscow, St Petersburg (Leningrad) and other cities. What was your mission and experience in the old Soviet Union.Places you visited?

Seb -  I went to Russia in 1992 - a year after Yeltzin took over government.  I took a holiday and spent 3 weeks in Russia.  I stayed in the Octobrskaya hotel and it was economically a very bad time for the Russians.  The hotel food was terrible and I ended up walking down the Nevski Prospect and found a restaurant called Le Café - beautifully restored and decided to have a decent meal for a change.   Very cheap - I ordered a borscht  and a steak dish,  However, It was quite an effort to get to waiters to attend to my order.  There was a German sitting at an adjoining table so I ask him what is going on.  He spoke to the chef and he sent the waiters to take my order and brought me the soup.  After finishing the borscht -  I tried to call the waiters - but they just stood looking me and I had to ask the German, he the chef and the waiter came to fetch the plate and brought me the steak dish.  When I finished the meal - I tried to call the waiter to get the account - but failed and had to turn to the German again and asked him what is going on.  He helped, but also explained that nobody in Russia would act without an order.   If they for 70 years did that they could end up in Siberia or jail.   Anyway I went to all the tourism places and was amazed by them -  also to the Peter and Paul Fortress - which to my amazement had the same basic lay out plan as the Castle in Cape Town.   Apparently the D utch had the same basic plan for fortresses and Peter the Great used the same plan he took from Holland after spending time there to learn about ship building.  Then a week in Moscow and Vladimir.  The road between Moscow and Vladimir was atrocious apparently built by a "sh ock Brigade".   I also saw the coffin of Alexander Nevski in Vladimir.   Russia from a historical point of view is a treasure house of immense value.                          

Seb - the only Communist countries I visited were East Germany and Hungary in 1973.  The conditions were shocking to say the least and it cured whatsoever communistic sympathies I may have had.  However, in my visits there was one thing I will never forget and that was the friendliness of the ordinary people I met in Russia, Hungary and East Germany.  It was really impressive and not in line with the normal portrayal of the people in movies and propaganda.            

Seb - you have not commented on my comments above.  Incidentally I was told that in the 13th century Vladimir was in fact the "capital" of what was then the "Russian area".   I put it in inverted commas because the Tsardom of Russia was only used as a term when Ivan the Terrible was crowned in Moscow in 1547.  Before that the Grand Princes of Moscow ruled - even though Ivan the Great - whom historians called the "Gatherer of the Russian Lands"  himself in foreign correspondence used the term Tsar iro himself.   Apparently the name Tsar was what the Russian Bible used to describe the biblical Kings and Christ was called the Heavenly Tsar.       

Thanks Mike for input...interesting and I will post after the WC met die Kuikens...I'll be routing for the underdogs, being with a touch of Blarmey blood. Go Georgia against the mighty AB's...David and Goliath

 Mikes a commie ,I'm a lefty too .I have two left feet to prove how far left I am .Cheers Comrade Mikey ,now to sing the Internationale !

 Wardad - I am no leftie and as I said my visits in 1973 cured all communist sympathies I may have had.   

 Woosh Mikey woosh ! One of my Wifes lecturers was in St Petersburg in the late 90s .He had a crew of 3 men spend a week outside his window fixing a slab of footpath `for a week ,still broken when he left .The hotel staff were rude and at times openly hostile and the flashest hotel in the city was a dump .In moscow he recalled using the metro and watching early morning commuters getting p!ssed on the way to work .A mate of mine went into Russia in the late 70s via checkpoint charlie into East Germany ,West berlin bursting with entertainment ,consumer goods laughter and wealth ,East Berlin drab grey an miserable .He took a suitcase filed with blue jeans and cassettes some of which the border guards listened to before letting them pass .Russian champagne was the only thing not in short supply apart from goods in special foreign currency govt shops ,his jeans and tapes paid for his entire trip ! He couldnt bring any roubles out so blew it all on a big p!ssup .

 Wardad - I did not find anybody rude - but going through checkpoint Charlie was a mission.   Not rude - but the first time we were on a tour bus.  Had to get out and stand in the rain while the border police took a long time checking the passports,   I got worried - the guy looked at my pass port then looking at me for what seems to be a long time - then look again at the pass port - and then back to me.   There were mostly Americans on the trip and they started whispering.   However, in the end the guy gave me back my pass port and did nothing - but to start with the next person.  When we got to the city center I thought I was in heaven - thousands of parking places with virtually no cars in them - thinking of Pretoria that indeed was in heaven.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the young Russian soldiers - the even posed for photos with me and was chatting in German with me - surprised that I was from SA.   By the way the posing for photos whilst in uniform is forbidden since it exposes posting of army units.  On another trip to San Souci the tour guy asked me how I manage to get a passport since he was trying to get one for three years because he wanted to go to Greece to study historic centers.   He could not believe it when I told him that if I applied for a passport and did not get one within three weeks - I would phone the Department and shout at them they are rank incompetents.   However, in the main East Germany was drab and there were still WW2 bombed buildings not repaired.   Food was in short supply and still rationed.   A friend told me she went to Frankfurt - um - Oder and for a week the only food available was cauliflower.   Bad news that lot and the eladers all had foreign (Swiss) Bank accounts with millions in it.   Corrupt as hell - and that was in the guise of being communists.       

 Mike&Seb, visiting Russia is definitely on my bucket list. 

 ...right up there with NY and Arizona, maybe Canada and Alaska too.