September 5 – 11
Back home in Canada, the first Monday in September is Labour
Day and the last long weekend of the summer. At the Embassy of Canada in
Russia, September 5 is just another working day! Staff at the Embassy are
granted ten stat holidays – a combination of Russian and Canadian holidays and
apparently Labour Day didn’t make the cut. So off to work I go to regale my colleagues with stories
about the wonders of St Petersburg and, of course, get some work done.
Two of the local staff were very helpful with the logistics
for out St Petersburg adventure so I drop into the nearby flower show and pick
up a couple of thank you bouquets to complement the Krupskaya chocolate that I
picked up on the weekend.
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| The Squirrel! |
Krupskaya chocolate – named after Lenin's widow – is closely
entwined with the history of St Petersburg and a national favourite. After
Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya died in 1939, Leningrad workers petitioned the
powers that be to immortalize her by renaming the local chocolate factory in
her honour. The fanciful chocolate
with the squirrel (белка) on the
package is a sweet trip down memory lane for many Russians.
Bouquets and chocolate in hand, I head to the Domik to find
that one of my helpers is off for a couple of days so my office gets some
cheering up and I’ll make another stop for flowers later in the week for
Tatyana. I also bought a box of chocolates for the Trade Section so everyone
enjoys a sweet start to their day.
Tuesday, after work, I am headed to Bинный дом Каудаль for a
wine testing at the invitation of the USDA and the Embassy of the US. Annick
and I are off to meet the new Director of the Agricultural Trade Office, David
Leishman and trade colleagues from other Embassies. I have carefully selected
an outfit and I’m off to the corner beauty salon at lunch for a blow out so I
will look my best when at my first official event.
It was an intimate gathering with the agricultural trade
folks from the US, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. It was a lovely evening
with eight types of wine from New Zealand, Australia, South America and, of
course, the US. The wine was great of course and there were some nibbles to
make sure we didn’t get too snookered.
It was a great opportunity to make connections with
colleagues and I look forward to the chance to set something up in the future.
Better still, I am promised an invite to the St Paddy’s Day Bash at the Embassy
of Ireland; the best party in the city on my favourite holiday. Doesn’t get any
better than that!
Wednesday night, I had invited most of the folks that live
in my building for dinner to thank them for their hospitality and generosity. My next-door neighbours had other plans
and two others came down sick before dinner so it was just Eva, Jack and I for
dinner in the end.
It was a school night so I had planned a “simple” meal of
homemade roasted sweet potato soup, fresh homemade rolls, pork chops, roasted
potatoes, carrots finished off with apple crisp. Everything turned out great
and the three of us had a nice evening. Craig and Kerry stopped by right in
time for dessert after their function. I had leftovers to keep me going for the
rest I the week so the dinner was a success.
The rest of the week sped by with last minute preparations
for my Saturday departure for Vladivostok for a trilateral Asian Gypsy Moth
meeting. I was joining CFIA colleagues from Canada; Wendy Asbil and Diana
Mooij, a larger US contingent and our Russian hosts for discussions and
inspection visits in (far) eastern Russia.
Friday night, Canada Club and a couple glasses of wine with
colleagues before heading home to get packed and ready for Saturday’s flight.
You know Russia is big but I didn’t expect an 8.5-hour direct flight was
possible within a country. Look out Aeroflot, here I come!
The driver from the Embassy is waiting for me when I head
downstairs a few minutes early with my luggage. I have over-packed as usual but
a girl needs options and I can check the larger bag and carryon the smaller
one.
Saturday Moscow City Day and it’s 869th birthday.
Over 1,000 different events and activities including parades, fairs, street
entertainments, sports contests and live music concerts are planned. Luckily, traffic is moving and Evgeny
gets me to the airport in plenty of time to catch my flight.
I am flying in Economy Plus for the 8-hour plus flight as
there were none of the cheaper economy class tickets available when I booked my
tickets a few weeks ago. Aeroflot has modernized it’s fleet and this flight is
on a fairly new 777. When I get to my seat there are slippers, an eye mask and
a pillow and blanket for our comfort. We are offered water or juice before
departure and the menu for dinner looks interesting. Clearly Aeroflot has upped
it’s game!
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| Moscow to Vladivostok |
The fight is long and it’s hard to sleep but there are loads
of good movies available on the in-seat entertainment system and the food is
plentiful and pretty good. Eventually we land in Vladivostok and I am
exhausted. Our Russian hosts had arranged for us to be picked up at the Airport
so I look for the Gypsy Moth sign and meet Elena, the interpreter hired by the
Russians, for the first time. Her husband, Victor, is with her and my luggage
and I are quickly put in their SUV for the drive to the hotel.
Sunday morning, I’ve got early check-in set up with the
Hyundai Hotel so I bid adieu to Elena and Victor after our 45-minute ride into
the city and head to my room to crash. A sleepless night combined with a 7-hour
time difference make it easy to sleep for several hours. I am meeting the
Canadian girls later for dinner and/or drinks.
Unpacked and showered I head to the lobby and meet the
ladies and some of our American colleagues. After a bit, we head out en masse
to a Pan-Asian restaurant recommended by the hotel.
Vladivostok is built on a series of hills (like my home town
of Halifax) so we head down the hill toward the water. It’s not going to be as
much fun walking back up these steep hills but we find the restaurant without
any trouble. Zuma’s looks like a great place to eat – with lush beautiful
décor. We didn’t think to make a reservation so we are offered seats in the
karaoke room and accept. How bad
can it be on a Sunday night?
We follow the hostess through the restaurant to a mirrored
wall that slides open as we arrive. On the other side, we are greeted by
“guards” and scanned for weapons! What are we getting into here? Our seats are
on the left of the stage right up front – yikes! I guess we will have a good
view at least.
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| Some of the Gypsy Moth Crew |
The décor is bordello chic and there are a few other patrons in
this part of the restaurant including a table of teenage girls who are guzzling
shots and belting out Russian songs from the comfort of their table!
LOL, we finally get drinks and take the opportunity to get
to know each other between sets. The menu is vast and its hard to make
decisions but I opt for a sushi roll replete with seafood and topped with mango
and raspberry sauce as an appetizer to be followed by local scallops stir fried
with garlic scapes and some steamed rice. Both dishes are quite tasty.
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| Sushi |
I can’t convince anyone to sing with me so after what seemed
like an eternity of listening to the progressively drunker girls singing, we
head back up to the hotel and the penthouse bar for a few quieter drinks. Can’t
stay up too late, as I need to get back into the right time zone soon!
