Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Our Hero, Stalin

"The only good Ruskie is a dead Ruskie" was a saying I heard while growing up. The cold war was cold, and we were constantly warned about how evil the Russians were. No matter how much time has passed, what I was taught as a kid has stuck with me. Then there were all the stories after the break up of the Soviet Union of how economically depressed the former Eastern Bloc had become; and how crime and poverty ran rampant.

You might understand that this portion of our vacation has been a source of concern to me for months. How ridiculous!

Sochi turns out to be a modern busy resort city, just like most resort cities around the world. The only difference I've noticed so far is how clean the city is - and, of course, how unreadable the Russian alphabet is to me. What was I worried about?

Our tour guide today, besides telling us what a great guy Stalin was, informed us that our cruise ship is taking up the only deep water pier in the port. She said that we have effectively shut down all commerce between the city and the rest of the world, and they will have to go without fresh fruit, vegetables and other products for the three days we're here. Oh my!

By the way, I ordered the Tex-Mex Burger for lunch on the ship today. The menu described it as a hamburger topped with cheese and chili sauce. I had to laugh when the burger came with a side of Thai Chili sauce. Someone in the kitchen is not quite clear on the concept of Tex-Mex.

1 comment:

  1. Actually, our guide never said what a great guy Stalin was. Indeed, she strongly implied that he was despised by the people and clearly indicated that after his death all the monuments to him were immediately torn down and destroyed.

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