Vladivostok

There are about 300,000 people in Vladiovostok and 600,000 cars.  Cars everywhere.  Cars parked on streets, on sidewalks, anywhere a car could be squeezed, cars were stuck in traffic, there was gridlock, some played Russian roulette in traffic circles (breathtaking to watch), some actually followed in lanes and all of this was done with almost no signals.  Crossing streets was a thrill.

The Russians have one expression - glum.  At least the women don't have to worry about wrinkles as they never smile.  It seems like a tough existance so maybe they don't have much to smile about.  I need to learn more about the history of Vladiovostok but when artists, muscians, writers, etc were exiled to Siberia they ended up in this town and it flourished.  After the Cultural Revolution it began to deteriorate and for about 50 years it was closed, even to Russians.  It was re-opened in 1992 and has a lot of catching up to do.  The buildings are in bad shape and sidewalks and stairs are crumbling.  Everyone lives in government built apartments.  They are very small, some have one room plus a bathroom yet cost @$1,000 a month. 

Our tour bus had seen better days but it was really decorated!  Each seat was covered with a white dish towel size fabric bordered with a blue folkloric design.  Around the entire inside above the windows was a shaped brocade valance adorned with two scalloped rows of ball fringe.  Pretty funky!  Our first stop was Eagles Nest Hill for a nice view of the harbor.  Brian asked our guide, Olga (perfect name), about the naval fleet and was told there was none here.  I reworded his question and asked about submarines but no, they weren't here either.  We could see several naval ships, many uniformed sailors and some kind of a navy headquarters so evidently the guides can not talk about the military.  Our English dinner friends visited a school teacher's apartment where she had to sign in and out each time, so someone knew where she was at all times.  Aren't we lucky to live in the U.S.?

We toured a submarine that we scrambled through which was fun.  No signs were in English but I learned the submarine was famous for downing five ships during WWII and the Captain was awarded The Hero of the Soviet Union.  We visited the "Square of the Fighters for Soviet Power in the Far East" (whew).  This is a central square that was built for large celebrations which also include a military tank to oversee events.  It looks like a gigantic parking lot with a couple of statues.

We went to the railroad station and got to see the Trans Siberian train leaving for Moscow, a 7-day trip.  Brian loved that but after seeing the train we agreed we'd never want to take that trip.   We walked to Gum Department Store which I was anxious to visit.  It looked like a series of boutiques merchandised like a store from the 1950's.  In the afternoon, Brian was relaxing on our deck when he was startled by a fly over of MIG fighter jets.  They returned and I got a photo.  It was exciting and creepy at the same time. 

We were late leaving port due to a confused Chinese passenger hanging on to his passport.  When we finally got clearance, 28 immigration officers marched off the ship in formation, down the pier and finally into some building.  They are very serious about immigration here.  Many people came to the pier to see the ship sail but only occasionally did someone wave.  This has been a fascinating port.

Top Eagles Nest

Square of the Fighters...

Sapporo

What a fabulous day!  We took a nice bus ride through beautiful country for about 1 1/2 hrs to Sapporo.  It was rolling hills, lots of trees and farmland with views of the coast.  We had one potty stop with fairly normal toilets with lots of buttons.  We were warned not to press the buttons, but who could resist a hot seat and a little music? 

It clouded up and started to rain just before we got to Sapporo.  We headed to a handcraft/fiber shop that was wonderful. I could have spent the day there.  The website is Mariya.com.  Such nice people, beautiful things, and great displays on two floors.  I took lots of photos.

We headed to an underground mall when we left the shop because it was still raining.  Because of so much snow here, there is a lot that goes on underground such as connected malls.  The shops were very trendy and beautiful to see.  Brian was ready for some Sapporo beer so we had lunch and beer.  (Couldn't find the yakitori, Michael)

When we went back up to street level, the rain had stopped and we walked the full length of the park which I think is 1.5 miles.  They were celebrating Autumn Fest so there was lots of food, beer and music.  I finally found the yakitori (chicken on a skewer) and lots of varieties of ramen.  Everyone was having lots of fun, including the teens doing their group dances in the park.  It was a great place to people watch and see some funky outfits.

We finally headed back to Muroran and the ship.  The local kids did a wonderful send off with dances and then there was a lot of back and forth yelling of sayonara.  Great fun.  (Our room steward brought us a bottle of champagne.  We could get used to this.)

Today we are at sea.  It is about 65, sunny and smooth.  Perfect day for cruising.  Tomorrow - Vladivostok.

Betty

Konnichiwa

Tomorrow we land at Muroran and will take a 1-2 hour bus ride to Sapporo.  We are going to Odori Park (gardens, shops, restaurants, underground mall, ski jump at one end, tv tower at the other, about 3 miles long).  More on that later.

Today, our highlight was a tour of the Bridge!  Brian's Goddaughter surprised us with this.  Thanks KT!  A group of 10 of us got a personal tour led by the Captain (the charming, Italian).  It was fascinating and a fabulous view.  I took lots of photos of various computers, gizmos and flags.  Actually I learned too much to relate in this blog but it was super cool. 

We are seeing land now and then which is exciting after nothing but water for several days.  It has been overcast and cool (around 50) but now and then it clears and we see clouds and sunsets.  The seas are still calm and we have been very lucky.  We are going to get a few bumps in the night as we round Hokkaido.  The Captain explained that he is going faster to avoid the typhon off of China so we will miss most of the effects of that and will arrive in port early.  I love him.  The smoother the better for me!!

Today there was a German buffet set up at lunch which was popular with the many Germans on board.  We've had different specialty lunches: Japanese, Mexican, English, Indian, etc. 

I went to a lecture on Russia and the Pacific which was very interesting.  I learned about the history of where we are headed and that the population is greatly diminishing.  If it is as dreary as it sounds, then it's no wonder everyone is packing it up.  I've also been going to great talks about the upcoming ports.  Today I popped into Easy Japanesy but after about 5 minutes I decided to rely on what Michael taught me.  (Michael, some of it did stick with me.)  We went through Japanese immigration where we had both index fingers printed and a photo of our retina done.  We will need to do this again when we get to Nagasaki which seems a little redundant.  There's a different routine to entering every country but we have been told to be zen about it. 

By the way, konnichiwa means good afternoon.  Sayonara.  Betty

Where's Wednesday?

I'm going to back up because Michael asked me what I liked about the Anchorage Museum and one was everything that was made out of animal intestines.  That included the parka (sort of like a weather proof poncho).  It was even adorned with a bit of beading - for my fashionista friends.  Another was a quilted wall hanging by Marie Snell (?) called Flag Unfurled...as if Betsy Ross got into my stash.  It was clever and colorful and I'll email a photo later to my quilting friends.

When we boarded in Whittier, we had flowers, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in our cabin, sent by Brian's Goddaughter.  Thanks KT.  It was a fabulous send off.

We met our charming, Italian Captain who is doing an excellent job of steering us away from rough seas.  He told us he was up at 4 am to find a different route.  So, we cut north, above the Aleutian Islands to avoid 30' swells on the south side.  We really appreciate that!  Brian took some Dramine as a precaution and now he is a sleepyhead.  The swells have been between 5-7' so the sea is quite calm.

Today's news is that it is Thursday!  Yesterday it was Tuesday 9/21 and today it is Thursday 9/23.  We crossed the International Date Line and lost a day.  There's going to be a "What Happened to Wednesday?"party this afternoon.

The food has been quite good.  Today there was a Mexican buffet for lunch so all the CA and AZ people were there getting their fix.  Tonight is Margarita night :).  We also found the soft serve ice cream bar. (They're looking for you, Rich.)

We've been attending informative lectures on upcoming ports.  One included a hilarious discussion on how ladies should manage the toilets (ie. holes in the ground).  Fun times ahead.

OK - since the internet is so slow:
Michael, let Ryo know that we are not going to Tokyo.
Kathi, email your brother.  He is not sure his email is working correctly.
K.O. - I've been going to the gym.  Just saying.
Hi to M,T,t & n.
Betty

Sailing Away

We sailed from Whittier (pop. 250) on Saturday and the scenery was stunning.  We passed tall mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, forests of thick healthy pine mixed with trees changing color - fabulous.  It reminded me a bit of the coast of Norway.  Then we traveled through the inland passage, between Kodiak and the mainland which I think has helped to give us smooth sailing so far.  We passed Dutch Harbor, for all you Deadliest Catch fans, but it is calm.  The weather is about 50 so it's a bit chilly to be outside. We are reading, going to talks, chatting with new friends and relaxing.  We dine with three Brits but we need a couple of rowdy Americans to join us.  I hope the waters remain smooth and all will be well.

Anchorage

Well, we landed in Anchorage.  Actually that was lucky since the day before the airport was fogged in and all flights were diverted to Fairbanks.  Today, we visited the Anchorage Museum which was fabulous and featured an exhibit from the Smithsonian.  Our room overlooks the Anchorage train station so Brian is happy overseeing all the train action.  I managed to find a quilt shop just around the corner. Tomorrow we have what we understand to be a very scenic 2-hour train ride to our ship.  We're off to a good start.

Heading to Anchorage

Well, we're nearly off on our loooong cruise.  I'll blog if the computers on board cooperate.  And if we have smooth waters.