A Visit to Russia

I thought I was watching a skit from Saturday Night Live, but no, it was real. I slipped my passport to the Russian agent behind the plexiglass window. I was trying to get through Passport Control after an hour-long wait in a crowded terminal in St. Petersburg.

I said "hello" to the uniformed employee, but there was no response and no smile. When she processed my documents, she snapped her head sideways, indicating I was free to pass through Customs. I would go through this ordeal five more times in my two-day visit to this fascinating city.

Other workers, stoic uniformed soldiers, paced the area, for what reason? I have no idea. I saw three official-looking men take a young man with a briefcase into a separate room. In fifteen minutes they returned him to the line waiting to enter the city. Straight out of an old KGB movie, I thought.

To be honest, St. Petersburg is a lovely city, built by none other than Peter the Great (who was nearly seven feet tall). He built canals that allow residents from both the past and the present to traverse the city. It is called the Venice of the North. Peter was greatly influenced by the canal system in Amsterdam and wanted to reproduce it in his fair city that was built to impress other nations with his wealth and power.

St. Petersburg is home to beautiful Russian Orthodox churches, their onion-dome spires reaching to the sky. It is home to a fabulous collection of art in the famous Hermitage, rivaling that in the Louvre in Paris.

In spite of its beauty and grandeur, I couldn't help feeling a little on edge in Russia. Gray is the dominant color and the residents look like they've endured a harsh existence. And, yes, there are babushkas (grandmothers) walking along the city streets with their shopping bags full of the day's purchases. They were clad in gray overcoats, woolen scarves wrapped around their heads, black hose, and orthopedic shoes--a caricature of elderly Russian women.

What redeemed St. Petersburg (all of Russia, in fact) were two things:

An authentic performance of Russian folk dancing, held in an old palace turned into a theater. We walked up three flights of creaky wooden stairs to get to this ancient, ornate theater. The dancers were fantastic--very acrobatic and graceful. And, they were the first smiles I saw since entering the city! Their performance mesmerized me and gave color to the drabness I'd been seeing all day.

So refreshing to see lovely smiles.

Traditional Folkloric Costume

I'll write about the second redeeming event in the next blog post. Meanwhile, I'm working at keeping the positive images of this vast country in the forefront of my mind. Historically, the Russian people have endured difficult circumstances. I'm trusting there is warmth and kindness, and even a few smiles, beneath the rough exteriors.