Allegria Travels

Tootsie's -- Stanford's Italian Café

2012-02-04T12:21:00.000-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Tootsie's Terrace amidst lavender and roses

Latte and Zeppole

Sitting in the warm winter sunshine, sipping a rich Cappuccino amidst lavender and rose bushes, you would be forgiven for thinking that you are in Italy. Instead, you are sitting on the terrace at Tootsie’s, tucked away in a miniscule building behind the old Stanford Barn in Palo Alto, California.

At first we were confused – Tootsie’s is not exactly the name you would expect to find on an Italian Coffee House! Indeed, Tootsie was the name of Leland Stanford Jr.’s pet dog, and the name was selected by the University which owns the structure.

There is no question, however, about the food – this is an authentic Italian “Caffeteria”, inspired by the foods of Puglia and Emilia-Romagna, the brainchild of Rocco Scordella, the young Italian co-owner.

Look up at the large blackboards over the counter where the menu is written in English and Italian. Rocco explains that everything is made freshly daily – no sweeteners or syrup and only the highest quality ingredients! When things are finished – that’s it for the day! And things DO run out quickly! If you want a “Bombolone” – large Italian doughnuts popular in Florence—or a plate of the tiny “Zeppole” – round fritters—then you better get there by 10 am or there will be nothing left!

Rocco proudly presides

If you are there for breakfast or brunch, be sure to try the ricotta-stuffed pancakes, served with fresh fruit and syrup and a dash of powdered sugar or the breakfast panino – sautéed baby spinach, crispy pancetta, pecorino cheese and fried egg on a ciabatta roll. Oh-- and the ciabatta is homemade – grilled so it is crusty on the outside and soft inside.

Rocco, who once worked for Mario Batali (the famed New York City chef) at Del Posto Restaurant, before moving to California, told us that the menu is inspired by his childhood and his grandmothers, although he has made a few modifications to suit the American palette. For example, the Tootsie burger is a mixture of hand-ground veal, pork and beef blended with olives and oregano, served on a toasted rosemary roll with caramelized onions and mozzarella cheese AND homemade shoestring fries, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

What are our favorites? That is a hard choice! Some of the perennial best-sellers are the “Pollone” Panini sandwich – crispy fried chicken breast and endive salad on a toasted roll or the “Insalata di Tonno” –tuna salad made with wild arugula, cannellini beans and shaved fennel. However, my all-time favorites are the “Arancini di Riso” – risotto balls stuffed with mushrooms and melted fontina cheese, served with an arugula salad. Oh yes, and the soups which change daily and are unfailingly good!

Fresh soup and ciabatta

Open since 2009, Tootsie’s is tiny – there are seven marble-topped tables inside the former barn generator building with its brick walls, heavy beams and unfinished ceilings. Outside, amidst the lavender and rose bushes (which are in full bloom in spring and summer), large green umbrellas over the dozen or so wooden bistro tables provide cover from the California sun. It is a favorite of the white-coated doctors or medical students from Stanford Hospital, across the street, who appear at lunchtime on any given day.

Order inside, take a number and find a seat. Within a few minutes your

food is brought out by one of Tootsie’s ultra-friendly staff. Sit back, sip your

cappuccino or latte macchiato (made the Italian way with a large amount

of milk and some espresso), dip your fresh apricot biscotti and smile! Life

IF YOU GO

The breakfast board

Tootsie’s is located at 700 Welch Road in Palo Alto between the Stanford Hospital and the Stanford Mall. It is open Monday to Friday 6:30 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm; tel 650-566-8445 www.tootsiesbarn.com (website coming soon). Eat in or take out. Rocco is also available to cater events around the Palo Alto area.

The Fortress of the Far South, Fort Bulnes, Chile

2012-01-31T10:02:00.000-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Fort Bulnes

The chapel, Fort Bulnes

It is as inhospitable a spit of land as you will find anywhere in the world, a place where ocean currents collide …. Where violent tempests rake the land …. Where survival requires tenacity and determination. Yet, for generations nations of the world vied for this spot at the ends of the earth overlooking the strategic navigation route linking east to west! It was thus that Chile lay claim to the Strait of Magellan and, in 1843, built a fort high on a cliff overlooking the

passageway -- Fort Bulnes.

This was not the first attempt at establishing a toehold in the area. In 1584, in order to prevent the English explorer, Sir Francis Drake, from returning to the Pacific via the Strait of Magellan, Captain Sarmiento de Gamboa of Spain founded an outpost, the Ciudad de Rey Don Felipe (the City of King Don Felipe), just a mile away from where Fort Bulnes sits today. But nature proved to be a cruel companion – the inhabitants of Ciudad de Rey Don Felipe starved to death within a matter of months – the victims of the extreme weather and the lack of food and water.

Cannons overlooking the Brunswick Peninsula

The remains of the encampment were discovered some time later by Sir Thomas Cavendish, the English privateer, on his way to circumnavigate the world. He renamed the spot Puerto Del Hambre (Famine Port).

By 1843 the President of Chile, Manuel Bulnes Prieto realized that if his country was going to maintain control of its southern borders, it would have to command the Strait of Magellan. He ordered Captain Juan Williams of the Chilean Navy to “take possession of the Strait of Magellan for Chile” and prevent the French or British from establishing a presence on the continent.

An expedition was organized from Chiloé on the Schooner “Ancud” (the first warship to be built in Chile). Learning from previous failures, the 21 men and two women included provisions of dried food as well as live chickens and pigs to last until they had established their own means of survival.

Fort Bulnes was established on Santa Ana Point, about a mile south of Puerto Del Hambre. (Ironically, the day after Williams landed at Santa Ana, a French frigate arrived off the coast with the intention of establishing a French port on the same site). The fort was built by hand of tree trunks and peat bricks, surrounded by a log fence.

View from the Watchtower, Fort Bulnes

Although the original intention had been to build a town around the fort, within six years, the inhospitable conditions forced the inhabitants to abandon Fort Bulnes, which was burned to the ground, and to move to Punta Arenas, 40 miles to the north. Nature had won again!

In 1943 the Fort was restored and, today, provides a realistic glimpse of what life might have been like during the age of exploration and conquest.

As you drive along the Strait of Magellan from Punta Arenas, the shores are littered with the skeletons of old ships that have fallen victim to the treachery of the currents. They sit silently on their sides, encrusted with the guano of cormorants, gulls and other seabirds that nest in the nooks and crannies.

The Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego

Near the spot where Puerto Del Hambre once stood is a monument marking the “geographical center of Chile.” A map on the white stele outlines the long, thin ribbon of land from the Peruvian border to the tip of the continent, separated from the area of Antarctica that Chile claims as its own.

The port of Bahia Mansa at the base of the hill is home to the wooden fishing boats which ply these waters in search of Patagonian hake, Chilean Sea bass and eel. We visit on a holiday when the ‘fleet’ is at anchor, a collection of small wooden boats, painted blue, white and red, with fanciful names like “Beagle.”

A short drive up the hill takes you to the reconstructed fort. Surrounded by the same type of log wall, a watch tower looks out over the ocean, facing the Brunswick Peninsula on one side and the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego Island on the other. Climb up for a panoramic view through the exposed window where the wind howls, even on the warmest summer day. Cannons line the two sides of the bluff, protecting the church, chaplain’s quarters, jail, powder magazine and stables.

The coastline beneath the Fort

A short walk down the hill takes you past the Santa Ana Lighthouse (1944) to the edge of the Strait of Magellan. Enormous tree trunks lie mangled on the rocks as waves pound around them. If you are lucky you might see a seal bobbing around in the waters off shore, periodically diving after food, then quizzically popping up to see if you are still there.

Standing on this once coveted spit of land, Fort Bulnes is a silent reminder of the extremes that nations would go to reign supreme even over inhospitable lands such as this! Copyright 2012 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

Fishing boats at Bahia Mansa

Fort Bulnes is about 40 miles south of Punta Arenas on a partially paved road that skirts the edge of the Strait of Magellan. The fort is open from 9 am to 6 am.

Your hotel reception will arrange transportation to the fort which can be visited on a self-guided tour.

The Magallanes Penguins of Punta Arenas, Chile

2012-01-28T13:20:00.000-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

A Magallanes Penguin

Magallanes Penguins emerging from the water

There is something very endearing about Magallanes Penguins. These curious little creatures, waddling from sea to sand, look almost human as they gaze up at you, tilting their heads from side to side, as if to gain a different perspective. Before long they lose interest and wander off to fish in the waters near Punta Arenas, Chile.

The Magallanes are the largest of the warm-weather penguins. This means that they migrate south to mate and raise their young and then, when autumn comes to the south, they swim north in search of warmer waters and longer daylight hours.

A tree-trunk burrow

Named after the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who discovered them during his first trip around South America in the early 1500s, the Magallanes Penguin has a wide black stripe under its chin and another in the shape of a horseshoe on its stomach. Black spots are scattered on its chest while the back is completely black. As the weather gets warm, the penguins lose the feathers around their eyes where a pink patch of skin is visible. The feathers grow back after the breeding season.

Standing about two feet high and weighing about 9-10 pounds, the Penguins are very agile, jumping out of the water and racing through the waves in pursuit of small fish or squid for dinner. Their thick feathers help them dive up to 100 feet under the surface, and their short fins help them propel themselves through the water.

Magallanes penguins, which live about 20 years in the wild, spend their lives in the water except when they come to shore to raise their offspring or take care of their plumage.

Calling for its mate

Starting about November of each year, the male penguins arrive to build their nests, followed a few weeks later by the females. Contrary to what we expected, the nests are constructed under bushes, in sandy burrows or inside tree trunks. Walking through the area, scanning the water’s edge for nests, imagine our surprise when a penguin popped out of its burrow, right at our feet!

Magallanes penguins are monogamous. The female selects the male that mated with her the previous year and lays two eggs. About forty days later, the chicks are born; they stay inside the burrow where they are fed, cared for and guarded until they are ready to go out to sea and hunt for food on their own. The biggest threats to the little chicks are seagulls which try to steal both the eggs and the very young.

During this time both parents share the “chick care” responsibilities. They appear to work in shifts. Every morning about 10 am, one parent waddles out to sea to fish while the other stays to take care of the chicks. At 5 pm the process is reversed. Periodically, you can see the parent at the nest throw back its head and emit a braying sound, as if to say “hurry up and get back here” to its mate (these penguins are also known as ‘jackass’ penguins because of the noise they make).

If you happen to find yourself at the tip of South America, the area around Punta Arenas, Chile has two locations where you can observe the Magallanes penguins. (They can also be found in Argentina and on the Falkland Islands).

Grooming the chicks

Magdalena Island, about 15 miles from Punta Arenas, in the middle of the Straits of Magellan, is home to the Los Pingüinos Natural Monument with over 200,000 penguins. It is located where the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean currents meet which means that the expedition to the island by boat is invariably rough and often delayed or cancelled because of weather conditions. In the middle of the island is a former lighthouse. Climb to the top and you will have an unobstructed view of the island where a mass of black and white ‘spots’ move about all around you. A few minutes away is Marta Island. Your boat doesn’t land here but you can see colonies of sea lions, dolphins and many different types of birds on the rocks.

Seno Otway, or Otway Sound, is the second place to visit the Magallanes penguins. The Pingüinera de Seno Otway is located about 40 miles north of Punta Arenas and is accessible by road. Wooden boardwalks guide you through the nesting area where you will be able to see a few hundred of the 8,000 penguins that live here. The rest are scattered across the area, most of which is closed to the public.

Walking through the Pingüinera, you can get to within a few feet of the birds. If you are lucky, a downy gray chick will stick its head out of the burrow or even step outside. One might even stroll across the path in front of you – remember, the penguins have the right of way!!

Whether you visit them on Magdalene Island or on Seno Otway, these enchanting little creatures will become a lasting memory of your trip to Punta Arenas. Copyright 2012 Diana Russler All rights reserved.

IF YOU GO

Penguin season is from October to late

March. There are several companies

that organize expeditions by boat to

Magdalena island including

Waia Expeditions (www.waiapatagoniacom;

tel 61-222695)

Only Expeditions (www.soloexpediciones.com; tel 61-262281

If you suffer from seasickness, be sure to

take the appropriate medication. The

boats are quite small and really bounce

over the waves. The trip takes about 3 hours.

Dress warmly in layers with a waterproof

layer on top.

Seno-Otway is 40 miles north of Punta

Arenas.

Most tour companies in Punta Arenas will

organize excursions to Otway sound.

The trip takes about 3.5 hours. It can be very windy and cold with rain likely, so dress appropriately. There is a small café at the start of the boardwalk where

you can warm up with a cup of

hot chocolate after your walk.

Silent Sentinels of the Far South -- The Cemetery at Punta Arenas, Chile

2012-01-24T15:20:00.001-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Braun Family Mausoleum, Punta Arenas

Memorial for the crew of HMS Doterel

Stroll through the "Cementerio Municipal Sara Braun" (municipal cemetery) in Punta Arenas, and the silent history and “spirits” of the city and southern Chile will be laid out before you!

An immense portico on Avenue Bulnes marks the main entrance to the graveyard; however, it is permanently sealed. According to legend, Sara Braun (who funded the construction of the graveyard in 1894), expressed the desire to be the only person to cross the entrance of the portico which was then to be shut forever. Whether this is a true story or not, when she died in 1955 in Viña del Mar (Chile), her remains were carried through the huge, central door of the portico which was sealed. If you look closely, you can see how the iron hinges have been corroded over the years which would make opening them nigh impossible.

Walk through a small door to the left of the main portico, and you come into a large, formal garden where neatly trimmed European cypress trees shade the avenues. Off the paths, enormous mausoleums decorated with marble walls, bronze statues and stained glass windows (belonging to the wealthiest families) stand interspersed with more modest tombs decorated with photographs or candles. The names are a microcosm of the cosmopolitan settlers in Punta Arenas – Blanchards, O’Reillys, Menendez-Montes, Braun, Hamburger, Vrsalovic . . .

Although the cemetery is said to be divided along national lines, in reality, Punta Arenas was such a melting pot that the same family tomb often lists several different nationalities.

Memorial to Admiral Von Spee

The so-called British section, in the oldest part of the cemetery, includes tombstones belonging to Spaniards, Norwegians and Chileans. It is located near the Braun family mausoleum, a large stone structure with a copper onion dome inside a wrought-iron fence.

Amongst the graves of early Scottish and Welsh settlers, a large stone plaque lists the 143 sailors and officers who were killed when the HMS Doterel, a 1,320-ton British screw sloop, accidentally exploded whilst at anchor off Punta Arenas on 17 January 1881. The names of those who lost their lives are listed by rank with the “boys” at the bottom.

Not all the British were buried in this cemetery. About 30 miles south of Punta Arenas, on a hill overlooking the Straits of Magellan, is a tiny “British” cemetery where the remains of Pringle Stokes, captain of the "HMS Beagle," was buried after shooting himself. His grave is marked by a small cross which reads “In memory of Captain Pringle Stokes RN, HMS Beagle, who died from the effects of the anxieties and hardships incurred while surveying the western shores of Tierra del Fuego. 12.8.1828.”

Not far from the British section is the German area of the cemetery where, amongst the tombstones of patients that died at the German hospital of Punta Arenas, a memorial to Vice Admiral Maximilian Reichsgraf von Spee is tucked away under the trees.

Tomb of Adolfo Amadeus Andresen

At the start of World War I, Admiral Von Spree was in command of a squadron of four armored cruisers in the waters around China. Anxious to avoid being trapped by hostilities, he attempted to sail back to Germany via Cape Horn. According to information discovered after the war, the British, who had broken the German naval codes, sent a fake telegram which lured Von Spee to the Falkland Islands. It was here that the Battle of the Falkland Islands took place and the British ships, HMS Inflexible and HMS Invincible, attacked and sank the German squadron, including Spee’s flagship, the “Sharnhorst,” together with the “Gneisenau,” “Nurnberg” and “SMS Leipzig.” All 2,200 sailors aboard the ships, including Von Spee and his two sons, were killed. (It is ironic that in World War II, the German cruiser named after the Admiral, was scuttled after the Battle of the River Plate, a few hundred miles north of where Von Spee lost his life.)

In the middle of the cemetery, decorated with an enormous iron anchor, is the tomb of Norwegian captain, Adolfo Amadeus Andresen, the founder of the Magallanes Whaling Society. Andresen, who hunted whales into the waters of the Antarctic, is credited with claiming large parts of the continent and surrounding seas for Chile. He was accompanied by Wilhelmina Schroder, the first woman to live in the Antarctic.

In a corner of the cemetery is the tomb of the last Selk’nam Indian of Tierra del Fuego, the “Indio Desconocido. He died and was buried on the island of Diego de Almagro in 1930. By the 1960s, the tomb had become a site of pilgrimage,with visitors leaving coins and candles, hoping to benefit from its rumored miraculous powers.

With the coins that were left as offerings, the tomb was moved to the cemetery in Punta Arenas where you can see it today – a bronze statue surrounded by three walls. The walls are now entirely covered with plaques and messages given in thanks for “favors granted.” The hand of the statue of the Indio Desconocido has been rubbed to a shiny patina by visitors.

The cemetery in Punta Arenas is one of the most fascinating you will find in South America. As you walk through the silent sentinels, each will tell a story about the people who lived and died in and around this southern-most city. Copyright 2012 Diana Russler All rights reserved.

IF YOU GO

The Cementerio Municipal Sara Braun is located on Bulnes Avenue. It is open from 7:30 am to 8 pm October to March and 8 am to 6:30 pm from April to September. There are three entrances with the main one located on Bulnes Avenue, about a 20 minute walk from the Plaza de Armas.

Punta Arenas, Chile -- At the Ends of the Earth

2012-01-22T12:39:00.002-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

A quirk of fate has us standing at the harbor in Punta Arenas, Chile, at midnight on New Year’s Eve. As fireworks explode over the Straits of Magellan, we welcome in 2012 together with thousands of townspeople of all ages, bopping to the foot-tapping music of a Chilean rock group . . . at the ends of the earth!

Statue of Hernando de Magallanes

The largest southern-most city of South America, Punta Arenas (named Sandy Point in the 17^th century by its founder, the Englishman, J. Byron) sits on the edge of the windswept Patagonian pampas across the waters from the great frozen continent of Antarctica!

Used as a penal colony by the Government of Chile in the mid-1800s, it soon lured thousands of immigrants from England, Scotland, Germany, Croatia and elsewhere, with dreams of finding gold or hopes of finding employment in the burgeoning sheep industry.

Until the Panama Canal was built in 1914, its strategic position on the only navigable route around Cape Horn made Punta Arenas an important coaling station for steamships sailing between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was also a center for explorers following in the footsteps of Ferdinand Magellan (the first man to sail from the Atlantic into the Pacific Oceans through the straits named after him), Sir Francis Drake (whose ship, the “Golden Hind”, may or may not have sailed through the Passage that bears his name) and Charles Darwin, (whose ship, the “Beagle” gave its name to the Beagle Channel).

Foremost amongst these explorers was Ernest Shackleton, the hero of Antarctic Exploration, who lived in Punta Arenas in 1916 while attempting to rescue his men, marooned on their ship off Elephant Island in the Antarctic when it became trapped in pack ice. It was at the Punta Arenas Naval Institute that Shackleton announced his plans to explore Antarctica.

"Palace" of Sara Braun

The Plaza de Armas with its imposing statue of Hernando de Magallanes (Ferdinand Magellan) serves as the center of the city. Look closely at the monument and you will notice the statue of another man with a shiny toe, touched by thousands of visitors. This is Ona, a native inhabitant of the area. According to legend, if you rub his toe, you will return to Patagonia.

Around the edges of the tree-lined square stand the most important buildings of Punta Arenas (built in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries) including the cathedral, governor’s palace, residence of José Braun Menéndez (one of the most successful pioneers in the region), and the “Palace” of Sara Braun. Look closely and you can glimpse a statue of Sara peering out the window of the turret overlooking the square.

Sara Braun is a legendary figure in Punta Arenas. Of Latvian descent, she married a Portuguese businessman (José Nogueira), one of the founders of the Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego and one of the area’s most successful sheep/cattle ranchers/businessmen. When he died of TB at an early age, Sara Braun took up the helm of the company and together with her brother, José, effectively epitomized Patagonia’s history.

Headquarters of 'La Polar' company

The Braun house, built by a French architect with material and furniture shipped from Europe, is one of Punta Arenas’ most imposing structures with its two-storied façade, wrought iron work and winter garden greenhouse. Today it is both a Museum and a hotel (the José Nogueira Hotel with its Bar Shackleton).

As you walk around Punta Arenas you will note that, other than the homes of the very wealthy, the city is built of corrugated iron, painted in vivid colors (much like Siberia, which this part of the world resembles in many ways). There are multiple nooks and crannies to explore, marked with the Blue plaque of the Circuíto Turístico Antártico outlining the historical importance of buildings and people.

Punta Arenas was an unexpected stop on our journey. From here we were able to explore a number of places that we will write about in future blogs. Suffice to say that sometimes quirks of fate lead you to serendipitous discoveries that you would not want to have missed for the world. Copyright 2012 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

There are daily direct flights on LAN (www.lan.com) from Santiago to Punta Arenas. SKY Airlines (www.skyairline.cl; 600-600-2828) also flies to Punta Arenas via Puerto Mont or other smaller towns.

There are frequent buses from Ushuaia, Argentina, about 11 hours away.

TO STAY

Plaque commemorating Sir Ernest Shackleton

The Hotel Rey Don Felipe (965 Armando Sanhueza, Punta Arenas; www.hotelreydonfelipe.com), a very friendly, family-run hotel.

Hotel Jose Nogueira (Bories 959, Punta Arenas 56-61-711000) is located in the Sara Braun Palace.

Hotel Cabo de Hornos (1025 Plaza Muñoz Gamero, Punta Arenas56-61-715000 www.hotelcabodehornos.com )

TO EAT

Seafood and lamb are two of the dishes you must try.

Sotitos (1138 O’Higgins St, Punta Arenas; 56-61-243565; www.chileaustral.com/sotitos). The place to try king crab, scallops with parmesan, eel cooked in a variety of ways or lamb.

Jekus (1021 O’Higgins Street, Punta Arenas, 245851)

Patagonia – Trails of Discovery for All Ages

2012-01-14T22:58:00.002-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Torres del Paine mountains

The Condoreras Ridgeline

If you are looking to get away, there are few places as remote as Chile’s Patagonia! Stretching almost 1,000 miles off the horizon across the tip of South America, it is a land of soaring, snow-covered peaks, howling winds, turquoise lakes and green forests, just waiting to be explored by adventurers of all ages!

We base ourselves at the newly-opened Tierra Patagonia Hotel and Spa, where multiple excursions of every description are organized on a daily basis. If you like to hike, there are numerous trails, both inside and outside Torres del Paine National Park to explore; if you are a photographer, the opportunities to capture wildlife and birds as well as magnificent vistas are endless; if you are a rider, you can explore the pampas accompanied by a local gaucho. Your difficulty will be fitting everything into your schedule. Fortunately, with 16 hours of sunlight a day during the summer months, you have ample time to play.

Condor in flight

It goes without saying that the most striking attraction in the Torres del Paine National Park is the imposing granite massif that soars above the pampas. The highest point is Cerro Paine Grande with its ice mushroom cap, a unique feature of Patagonia, formed by the fierce winds and precipitation; nearby are the Cuernos de Paine (the Horns of Paine), whose multihued black shale over a granite base provide a canvas for the light; finally, at the eastern end of the range are the three granite towers – the Torres Del Paine.

Two of the most well-known treks in the park are the Paine Circuit Trek (7-8 days of hard-core trekking) and the Paine “W” Trek (5 days if you want to hike the entire trail but you can also break it down and only hike portions in single-day excursions). There are numerous other day hikes including the French Valley, Hunter’s Glen or the Sendero Mirador Cuernos that take you into the core of the park.

Horses waiting at the estancia

The possibilities for exploring the rest of the park and its surroundings are unlimited. Take a walk along Condoreras Ridgeline where you will see more South American condors than humans. The birds build their nests in the craggy cliffs and ride the thermals looking for small prey.

Hike through the trees and lupines to reach a crag above Laguna Azul or walk through meadows sprinkled with tiny orchids along the edges of Lago Verde; imagine that you are a bird and throw yourself into the fierce wind above Lago Pehoe – for a split second it will seem as if you are really flying!

The Torres del Paine National Park is home to the Patagonian Ice Field. We use a zodiac for a quick trip to board a small fishing boat on Lago Grey, sitting amidst the icebergs which have broken off from the main glacier. An hour’s sail later we are beneath Grey’s glacier, its blue ice pinnacles soaring above us. The shapes and colors of the pockmarked snowfield are mesmerizing in the late afternoon light. To celebrate, the boat’s mate passes around a tray of Pisco sours and whiskey poured over chunks of the ancient ice.

A celebratory drink under the glacier

The Torres del Paine Park is surrounded by estancias – the massive, million acre ranches – where gauchos herd sheep and cows over the arid terrain. A horseback ride on one of these estancias will take you over the pampas with its sweeping views of the mountains.

Stop at one of the shearing huts to watch as hundreds of sheep are relieved of their massive winter coats before being set free to graze under the watchful eyes of the sheepdogs.

If you are lucky, you can quench your thirst with a bottle of artisanal beer brewed by the estancia owner using the local calafate berry. According to legend, if you eat (or drink) calafate, you will return to Patagonia.

Sheep on the estancia

As a photographer, the opportunities are endless – apart from the sweeping landscapes and spectacular sunrises/sunsets, the wildlife and birdlife are everywhere, seemingly fearless of humans. Herds of dainty guanacos graze around river banks . . . a small grey fox lies in the grass by the side of the road . . . birds of prey soar and swoop over your head . . . black-necked swans glide across the azure waters.

At the end of the day, return to the Tierra Patagonia where a blazing fire and a drink for all ages, whether a glass of fine Chilean wine or passion fruit juice awaits you. You may not be able to see everything you want to on your first visit – reason enough to return time and again to this captivating part of our planet. Copyright 2012 Diana Russler All rights reserved.

Soaring on the wind

IF YOU GO

The Tierra Patagonia Hotel and spa is located on the shores of Lake Sarmiento just outside the Torres del Paine National Park (www.tierrapatagonia.com; +56-2-263-0606).

It is open from September to April (Patagonia’s

spring and summer).

The Torres del Paine National Park

(A UNESCO World Biosphere reserve) is located

between the Los Andes Mountain Range and the

Patagonian steppes in the south of Chile.

It is open year-round. To reach Torres del Paine you can fly from Santiago

to Punta Arenas (LAN Chile has several daily flights
year-round). During the summer months, you can also
fly into Puerto Natales (the closest town to the park) on SKY Airlines.

A delicate mountain flower

The best times to visit are between October
and April (spring and summer in the southern
hemisphere). This is when there is the least
amount of rain, although the weather in Patagonia is ever-changing and you might experience the four
seasons in a matter of hours. This is also when there
are over 16 hours of daylight, providing ample time
for exploration.The park entrance fee is 15,000
Chilean pesos (US$28) for foreigners. This is a
one-time fee regardless of how long you stay. There
are a number of campsites around the park, which
must be reserved in advance. Camping outside these
specific areas is strictly forbidden –with good reason.
While we were there, an individual who camped
outside the authorized areas sparked a ferocious forest
fire which destroyed over 13,000 hectares of this fantastic
place.

The Tierra Patagonia Hotel and Spa, Chile

2012-01-09T10:54:00.001-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Sunrise at the Tierra Patagonia Hotel and Spa

Torres del Paine massif from the Great Room

Crystal blue lakes and glaciers . . . endless pampas. . . soaring mountain pinnacles …This is Chile’s Patagonia! It is one of the wildest, most remote places on earth that, in the words of Charles Darwin, will “possess (your) mind and enhance the horizons of (your) imagination.” Early settlers, many from Germany, Scotland, Wales and Croatia, struggled mightily to survive in this harsh land, but if you travel to Patagonia today, you don’t have to suffer such privations – the newly opened Tierra Patagonia Hotel and Spa, on the outskirts of the Torres del Paine National Park, will provide you with all the comforts of home – and much more!

After almost 30 hours of travel from North America, including 10 take-offs and landings, we finally arrive at the miniscule airstrip of Puerto Natales, Chile, the closest town to the Torres del Paine National Park. It is still another 90-minute drive to reach the hotel – truly, we are at the ends of the earth!

Rooms with a view, Torres del Paine

As we drive over the pampas on a rough, washboard dirt road, there is no sign of human habitation, only the sun setting behind the majestic granite mountains and herds of guanacos and sheep munching the straw-colored grass. Suddenly, over the rise, an anomaly – a large, flat surface, barely visible, peeks out from behind the edge of a bluff – the roof of the Tierra Patagonia Hotel!

As you walk into the great room that serves as the centerpiece of the hotel, you are riveted by the view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows – sparkling, blue Lake Sarmiento and the towering granite pinnacles of the Torres del Paine massif.

Each of the 40 guest rooms has the same view. As you lie in your ultra-comfortable king-size bed with the blinds open, you can watch the interplay of light and clouds, stars and moonlight, wind and waves on the landscape outside. With almost 16 hours of sunlight a day, the variety is endless!

The Great Room with dining area and bar

Everything inside the hotel is designed to accentuate the local environment – the building is constructed from the local lenga wood and blends in perfectly with the landscape, the furniture is locally handcrafted, and Patagonian textiles and wool provide the accents. Dining room chairs are covered in sheepskin as are the comfortable armchairs scattered around the dramatic central fireplace near the oval bar. It is the perfect place to sit and read after an exciting day of exploring.

Nearby, a large map of the area covers a wall of the great room. This is where the guides gather to outline the daily excursions that are organized to the Torres del Paine Park and its surroundings. Regrettably, while we are there, a forest fire consumes many hectares of the park resulting in the temporary closure of some of the more iconic hikes. However, the Torres del Paine National Park is massive and the guides have developed an entirely new set of hikes and excursions to areas unaffected by the flames.

Swimming pool at the UMA Spa

Returning from an all-day hike in the mountains (which will be described in future blogs), we enjoy a massage at the UMA Spa followed by time in the steam room and sauna, as well as the pool with its invigorating jets. Outside the window, a small grey fox scampers across the pampas while rheas (desert ostriches) wander sedately towards the lake. A caracara hunts for its dinner, swooping, unafraid, across the windows of the hotel.

Soon it will be time for a glass of wine and dinner as the sun sets over the lake, turning the sky into a canvas of riotous colors, indicative of the “Spirit of the Far South!”

The brainchild of the Purcell family, (who also own the Tierra Atacama Hotel in San Pedro de Atacama and the ski resort of Portillo), the Tierra Patagonia Hotel and Spa is a welcome addition to the harsh lands of Patagonia. Once you have visited, the Darwinian prediction will have been realized! Copyright 2012 Diana Russler All rights reserved.

IF YOU GO

Lake Sarmiento and Torres del Paine massif

The Tierra Patagonia Hotel and spa is located on the shores of Lake Sarmiento just outside the Torres del Paine National Park (www.tierrapatagonia.com; +56-2-263-0606). It is open from September to April (Patagonia’s spring and summer).

To reach the Tierra Patagonia Hotel you can either fly to Punta Arenas from where it is approximately a 4 hour drive to the hotel or you can fly to Puerto Natales followed by a 90-minute drive. LAN has regular flights to Punta Arenas while Sky Airlines flies to both Punta Arenas as well as, seasonally, to Puerto Natales. While it is possible to fly direct from Santiago to Punta Arenas, there are no direct flights

Sunset over the Tierra Patagonia Hotel

to Puerto Natales. The hotel will arrange transfers

from the airport(s) to the Hotel and back.

There is no cell phone coverage in most of

Patagonia. If you feel the need to stay in touch,

you may wish to rent a satellite phone to take

with you. There is WiFi coverage is the great

room of the hotel.

The weather in Patagonia is completely unpredictable – as the local residents will tell you, you can

experience all four seasons in a matter of

hours. And the wind almost never stops blowing! You therefore need to pack layers of clothing and rain gear as well as good hiking shoes, sunscreen (the ozone hole over the South Pole makes the sun particularly strong), chap stick, and a hat with a strap (we spend a lot of time chasing baseball caps over the pampas!). The hotel is very informal.

Rebuilding the Cinque Terre, Italy

2011-12-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

By Diana Russler

Vernazza as it once was

Once upon a time in Vernazza

As any of you who have walked along the Sentiero del’Amore (the Path of Love) which connects the five medieval villages of the Cinque Terre, or dined at one of the tiny restaurants perched along the port front, will know, there are few places as picturesque or charming. Yet charm does not stave off disaster.

On October 25, 2011, after 20 inches of rain fell in the space of a few hours, the villages of the Cinque Terre were hit by massive flash floods and mudslides, 14 feet deep, that have all but destroyed the towns of Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. (See links below for video of the flooding).

The raging muddy water swept away cars, boats, the railway line and the lives of three people. In the process, it destroyed the livelihood of so many who had lived in these villages all their lives. Although some villages escaped relatively unscathed, the inhabitants of Vernazza have been evacuated and will not be allowed to return for some time to come.

Monterosso al Mare in happier days

As of this writing, the villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corneglia are intact. The more modern neighborhoods of Monterosso al Mare appear to be somewhat back to normal but the old town will require extensive repairs.

The situation in Vernazza continues to be dire. Valiant efforts have been made to dig out the delightful old village. During the month of November alone, one million square feet of mud was removed. Underneath it the damage is extensive, and the cost of repairs has been estimated at over 100 million euros.

You can help. The town of Vernazza has established a non-profit organization (Una Pietra per Vernazza, which translates as “a Stone for Vernazza”) to channel donations for the rebuilding (www.unapietrapervernazza.blogspot.com). The names of all contributors will be listed on a ‘wall of thanks’ to be erected in the village. American expatriates living in Italy have also established a nonprofit organization – Save Vernazza (www.savevernazza.com) which is collecting donations.

Until Vernazza is rebuilt, those of us who have been captivated by it will only have our memories. Please help.

Links for videos of the floods

· http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVtGHvq6X1A

· http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x658rAEWPQ

· www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFnoT0WEdoI

The Kremlin of Kazan, Russia

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Kul Sharif Mosque, Kazan Kremlin

The Annunciation Cathedral, Kazan Kremlin

By Diana Russler

and Bill Gent

Riding the Trans-Siberian railway from east to west, you follow in the tracks of the Mongol Golden Hordes that stormed across Asia to the Ural Mountains of Western Siberia and the city of Kazan where many of them settled along the banks of the Volga River. Today, it is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, one of the largest and most beautiful Russian cities, where many of the world’s major faiths coexist in peace, as evidenced by the Kremlin of Kazan.

Kazan Kremlin seen from the Volga River

When Ivan the Terrible conquered the city in the 1500s, he had all the mosques destroyed in the name of the Russian Orthodox Church, building a citadel – the Kazan Kremlin – on the ruins of one. It was only when Catherine the Great came to power that the mosques were rebuilt. Ironically, thereafter, Russian Orthodox Churches were confiscated (and many destroyed) during the Communist era. But the resilience and tenacity of the inhabitants overcame the vagaries of their political leaders.

Today, there are over 1,000 mosques and 272 churches in Kazan (the word means ‘cooking pot’ in Tatar). As you wander through the streets, you are likely to hear the muezzin’s call to prayer echoing over the hills as bells chime from the church towers.

The Kazan Kremlin (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), is the historic center of the city. As you enter the grounds, your eyes are drawn to the eight striking blue and white minarets of the Kul Sharif Mosque, the largest in Europe, built in 2005 and named after the imam who was killed whilst defending the city against Ivan the Terrible.

Nearby is the Annunciation Cathedral, its blue and gold domes resplendent on white walls. Built in the 1500s, it has recently been restored to its original grandeur, every inch of its interior walls covered with icons of the saints, coiffed with golden halos.

Statue of Musa Dzhalil, Kazan Kremlin

Beside the cathedral is the Soyembika Tower, Kazan’s most iconic structure and subject of legends. According to our guide, when Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan, he fell hopelessly in love with Soyembika, the last queen of Kazan. She did not return his sentiments and, desperate to find a way out of marriage, told Ivan that she would only marry him if he built the highest tower in the world in seven days. When, to her surprise, the tower was completed, she ascended and dived off the top rather than succumb to the tyrant. According to legend, she turned into a swan!

In front of the Kremlin, overlooking the city below, stands a bronze statue of Musa Dzhalil, wrapped in barbed wire. A Tatar poet who was tortured and executed by the Nazis, Dzhalil’s notebook of poetry was saved by his cellmate after his death and published posthumously.

Kazan is a city of contrasts where eastern and western faiths live in harmony and where the people celebrate by sharing bread and salt with visitors. As we approach the end-of-year holidays, when peace and goodwill are supposed to reign, there is a lot to be learned from the people of Kazan who have been able to put aside their differences to celebrate their diversity. Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

There are direct flights from Moscow to Kazan as well as several times a week from Frankfurt and Vienna on Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines.

Welcome ceremony of Bread and Salt, Kazan

Kazan is the last stop on the Trans-Siberian Express before Moscow as it heads from east to west. The “Tsar’s Gold” train is owned and operated by the German company, Lernidee (www.lernidee.de; +49-(0)30-786-0000). Reservations can be made direct with the company or through MIR Corporation in Seattle (www.mircorp.com; 800-424-7289). Organizations such as National Geographic and the Smithsonian also offer this trip as part of their excursions.

TO STAY

Shalyapin Hotel (ul. University 7, Kazan; +7 8843-231-1000; www.shalyapin-hotel.ru;)

Courtyard by Marriott Kazan Kremlin (6 Karl Marx Street, Kazan; Tel +7-843-567-4000; www.marriott.com/hotels/kzncy-courtyard-kazan)

TO EAT

Bachelor’s Shelter (Privyut Kholostyaka) (ul. Chernyshevsky 27A, Kazan; tel +7-843-292-0771)

Sultan Kebap (ul Baumana No 74; Tel. +7-843-238-3803) for excellent Turkish food

From Eastern to Western Siberia – Ekaterinburg, Russia

2011-12-20T09:23:00.000-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Church-on-the-Blood, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Train travel in Russia is such that even riding on a prestigious passenger train such as “The Tsar’s Gold’ is secondary to the needs of the economic machine. Several times during our crossing of Siberia, our train is shunted onto a siding to sit and wait, while we contemplate the view outside, sometimes for hours, as behemoths carrying lumber, coal and iron blast past. As a result of one such delay we do not arrive in Ekaterinburg (Yekaterinburg) until long after dinner. Nevertheless, it is a city that must be seen, so a midnight tour of the city is quickly organized.

Home of the Patriarch, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Originally built in 1723, and named after the wife of Peter the Great, this city on the border between Asia and Europe was a non-descript, industrial center of iron ore mining. Then, one night in July 1918, Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, Alexandra, their daughters (Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia) and their son, Tsarevitch Alexis, together with their entourage, were brutally murdered in Ekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks in the cellar of the farmhouse in which they had been imprisoned.

As we drive through the hushed and deserted streets of the city, an enormous snow-white church can be seen on the hill, its golden domes gleaming in the floodlights. This is the “Church-on-Blood in Honor of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Lands,” built in 2003 on the site where the Royal Family was executed. It commemorates the canonization of the Romanov family by the Russian Orthodox Church and their elevation to sainthood.

Outside, enormous banners with photographs of the Royal family surround the church. Inside, the 198-foot high Church, adorned with red granite columns, contains several memorials to the Romanovs and includes memorabilia from their time in Ekaterinburg. (The remains of the Romanovs themselves are buried in St. Petersburg).

Chapel of St. Elizaveta, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Nearby, and slightly downhill, is the residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, all gold domes and white walls with icons on the sides.

Between the two structures stands a tiny wooden chapel dedicated to St. Elizaveta. The sister of Alexandra, Elizaveta, who had joined a nunnery after the death of her husband Grand Duke Sergei, was also gruesomely murdered by the Bolsheviks.

The church has become the centerpiece of the city and a pilgrimage site for many. On the 90^th anniversary of the death of the Tsar (2008), 35,000 people took part in services to honor them.

Across the river, in the historic center of Ekaterinburg is the Palace of the Merchant Sevast’hanov, built in the 1860s. It is a green and white three storey, wooden gingerbread house, decorated with lattice work and swirls. According to legend, Sevast’yanov wanted to plate the roof of his house in gold but was denied permission by both the mayor of the city and the Tsar, who reminded him that only churches could have gold roofs. He was sentenced to go to church every day to ask for forgiveness for his arrogance!!

Our stay in Ekaterinburg was much shorter than planned but sometimes an unexpected turn of events, such as a train delay, can surprise you with a different perspective of a place. Ekaterinburg by night was one such experience. Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All rights reserved.

Home of the merchant Sevast'yanov, Ekaterinburg

IF YOU GO

Ekaterinburg can be reached by air, with three daily flights from Moscow. There are also several flights a week direct from Frankfurt to Ekaterinburg on Lufthansa and from Vienna on Austrian Airlines.

Ekaterinburg is a major stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway with frequent service in both directions. The “Tsar’s Gold” train is owned and operated by the German company, Lernidee (www.lernidee.de; +49-(0)30-786-0000). Reservations can be made direct with the company or through MIR Corporation in Seattle (www.mircorp.com; 800-424-7289). Organizations such as National Geographic and the Smithsonian also offer this trip as part of their excursions

TO STAY

Hyatt Regency (8 Borisa Yeltsina Street, Ekaterinburg; tel +7 (343) 253-1234; www.ekaterinburg.regency.hyatt.com)

Marins Park Hotel (Ul Chelyuskintsev 106; Tel +7 (343) 214-3000; www.sv-hotel.ru)

TO VISIT

The Church-on-the-Blood is located at 34 Ul Tolmachyova; Tel +7 (343) 371-6168); it is open from 1000 to 1800 daily; no photography is permitted inside. Women must cover their heads with a scarf before entering.

Irkutsk, The 'Paris' of Siberia

2011-12-14T08:26:00.000-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Statue of a Cossack, Irkutsk, Russia

Home of Apollos Shastin

For those of you who have played the board game “Risk,” you know that there is a mysterious land on the right side of the board, in the heart of Asia, named Irkutsk. The name was taken from a real Russian province with its homonymous capital, Irkutsk, nicknamed “The ‘Paris’ of Siberia” by Anton Chekov.

Founded 350 years ago (1661) as a Cossack garrison on the bank of the Angara River (the same Angara River that flows out of Lake Baikal, some 30 miles away), the city quickly became eastern Siberia’s main trading center, exchanging ivory and furs (particularly sable) for tea and silk from China. When gold was discovered in Irkutsk in the 19^th century, fortunes were made, establishing this as the wealthiest city in Siberia. It also was home to the exiles and deportees such as the Volkonskys (see previous article).

Today, it is a modern city but, fortunately, it has retained its original structure, and work is being done to preserve the iconic wooden houses that were built by wealthy merchants. Although many are still dilapidated, you can’t help but admire the intricately carved fretwork frames, the gingerbread scrolled eaves and the windows with their wooden shutters painted in bright, cheerful colors.

Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture

The most famous and best restored house belonged to Apollos Shastin, a wealthy merchant living in Irkutsk in the 19^th century. Today it is The “House of Europe,” an organization created 'to cement the bonds of friendship between Irkutsk and Europe.' White carved shutters accent the brown wooden structure trimmed with white gingerbread along the eaves and the edges.

Throughout the neighborhood, wooden houses, shaded by ancient poplar trees, look almost like a page from a fairy tale as the inhabitants go about their business, including having to draw water from a pump on the street as none of these houses have indoor plumbing.

In addition to the wooden houses in downtown Irkutsk,

the Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture, about 16 miles

outside the city, in the forest, contains an interesting outdoor

collection of old Siberian buildings. Several homesteads complete

with farm implements, stores, two chapels, a church

and lookout towers have been recreated.

As you walk through the settlement on a crisp, autumn morning,

you can almost imagine the early settlers walking

through the golden birch trees.

Bogoyavlensky Cathedral, Irkutsk

Irkutsk has a number of beautiful churches which were spared destruction under Stalin. On the edge of the Angara River, in the historic district, stands the Bogoyavlensky (Epiphany) Cathedral. Built in a sort of “Siberian Baroque” style, this salmon, white and green church is decorated with over 300 scenes depicting flowers or fairy tale characters, including the babr – a mythical animal – holding a sable in its teeth, the symbol of Irkutsk’s power and wealth.

Across the street is the Spasskaya Church, the oldest brick and stone building in Eastern Siberia, decorated with gold domes and frescoes. It is the only building remaining of the original Irkutsk

fort. Not far away, the statue of a Cossack stands

Autumn in Irkutsk

guard on the riverbank, looking inwards towards

the churches.

So the next time you play “Risk,” imagine yourself commanding the Cossacks who secured Irkutsk for such a long time. No longer should Irkutsk be that mysterious land in the middle of the board but a thriving metropolis that earned it the nickname “Paris of Siberia.” Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

Irkutsk is one of the main stops on the Trans-Siberian Express. The city has one of the largest airports in eastern Russia with direct flight to Moscow and a number of Asian countries. Flight time from Moscow to

Irkutsk house in need of TLC

Irkutsk is 5 hours.

Shastin’s house, now the House of Europe

(21 Fridrikh Engels Street, Irkutsk,

Te. 7-3952-205-018)

Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture

(Open 10 am-5 pm in summer; 10 am to 4 pm

in winter. There is an admission fee and a

permit must be purchased for taking photographs)

TO STAY

The Imperia (Empire) Hotel (1 Polskikh Povstantsev St; Irkutsk; Tel 7-3952-210-210; www.empirehotel.ru;)

Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture

Angara Hotel (7 Sukhe-Batora St, Irkutsk;

Tel 7-3952-255-102;

www.hotel-angara.ru).

TO EAT – be sure to try Siberia’s traditional

dish – pelmeni (meat dumplings), a mixture of

beef, pork and lamb that is fried or boiled.

You can also have them as desert with a

sour cherry filling.

Restaurant Lancelot (2 Kievskaya St, Irkutsk; 7-3952-202328)

Restaurant Uzbekiston (46 Lenina St., Irkutsk; Tel 7-3952-203576)

The Decembrist Museum and the Volkonskys, Irkutsk, Siberia

2011-12-07T11:54:00.003-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

The Volkonsky House, Irkutsk, Siberia

Maria Volkonskaya's parlor

People respond to adversity in different ways. Some simply give up, others cope the best they can but a few special individuals turn their adversity into opportunity. Such is the example of Maria Volkonskaya, wife of Prince Sergei Volkonsky, one of the leaders of the ill-fated 1825 uprising against the Tsar of Russia. The Volkonsky story is now immortalized in the Decembrist Museum, previously their home-in-exile in Irkutsk, Siberia.

In 1825 Russia was emerging from a victorious war against Napoleon. Groups of officers returning home were excited by many of the ideals of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution that they had witnessed abroad and hoped to apply the concepts of “Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité” to their own country by abolishing serfdom and establishing a government of representative democracy..

Maria Volskonskaya's boudoir

Their ill-conceived and poorly led uprising on 14 December was quickly put down by Tsar Nicholas I. Over 3,000 soldiers were arrested, five were hanged and over 120 (including eight prominent members of the aristocracy) were sent to Siberia where they joined the thousands of exiles providing cheap labor for the government. Amongst the eight was Prince Sergei Volkonsky, a member of one of Russia’s oldest noble families, a close confidante of the Tsar, whose mother, Princess Alexandra, was Mistress of the Robes to the Dowager Empress.

In Russian, the term “Decembrist wife” refers to the devotion of a wife to her husband. It was coined for Maria Volskonkaya and the wives of those exiled by the Tsar. In a show of loyalty to their husbands, these women renounced all their possessions, their titles and even their children, to follow their husbands to the depths of Siberia, near Lake Baikal, over 3,000 miles away from St. Petersburg. They lived in exile for over 28 years.

Triangular Piano

With her husband initially working and living in the salt mines, Maria established herself in Irkutsk, a backwards, wild town with little in common with the sophistication of St Petersburg. Not one to wallow in her sorrow, she and her fellow Decembrist wives turned their attention to ‘civilizing’ Irkutsk. They opened schools and hospitals, edited newspapers, and set up social welfare systems. Prohibited from attending social events in the town, they organized concerts, balls and poetry readings in their homes. An invitation to the Vonkonsky house was an entrée into a world of sophistication. The impact on society in Irkutsk was tremendous, prompting Anton Checkhov to call it “The Paris of Siberia” when he visited at the turn of the century.

As you walk around the former Volkonsky home in Irkutsk (known as the Decembrist Museum), you can almost feel Maria’s presence. The traditional Siberian wooden two-story house has been restored to its original condition and is filled with her possessions and her spirit.

Two staircases link the floors, the rooms of which are connected in a circular pattern by doors. Rich, colorful wallpaper covers all the walls, an antidote to the greyness of the winter. On the second floor there are two boudoirs, one for Maria and one for her daughter, Elena, born in Siberia. (The Volkonskys also had a son, Mikhail, born in Siberia).

A champagne toast

Nearby, a large cozy library with an enormous fireplace houses thousands of books, sent to the Volkonskys by family and friends. It seems the ideal place to spend cold Siberian winter nights.

At the top of the stairs is Maria’s winter garden, filled with plants, including small palm trees, that would not survive the brutal Siberian winter.

Everywhere there is music. An Italian music box, sent to Maria by her family to help ease her isolation, sits on a side table. Nearby, a pyramidal piano is perched against a wall. You can imagine the Volkonsky children sitting on the bench, learning their music.

Downstairs is a richly decorated living room with an 1831 Lichtenthal piano, a gift from Maria’s brother, Alexander, which traveled across Russia to Irkutsk on a cart. It was in this room that Maria held her musical and literary salons.

With candles flickering in their holders, we attend a reenactment of a “Soirée” in Maria Volkonskaya’s salon, complete with a concert on the Lichtenthal piano and a champagne toast. If you close your eyes you can almost imagine Maria mingling with her guests, enjoying the world which she had created for her family and herself, surviving, and even thriving – a woman who stared extreme adversity in the face and made such an impact on the society of her time. Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

The end of a concert at the Decembrist Museum

The Decembrist Museum is located at 10 Volkonsky Lane in Irkutsk. It is open from 10 am to 6 pm from Tuesday to Sunday (Tel 7-83952-207532; www.russianmuseums.info/M979; www.imb38.ru (the Museum’s website in Russian)

Irkutsk is one of the main stops on the Trans-Siberian Express. The city has one of the largest airports in eastern Russia with direct flights to Moscow and a number of Asian countries. Flight time from Moscow to Irkutsk is 5 hours.

TO STAY

The Imperia (Empire) Hotel (1 Polskikh Povstantsev St; Irkutsk; Tel 7-3952-210-210; www.empirehotel.ru)

Angara Hotel (7 Sukhe-Batora St, Irkutsk; Tel 7-3952-255-102; www.hotel-angara.ru)

TO EAT

Restaurant Lancelot (2 Kievskaya St, Irkutsk; 7-3952-202328)

Restaurant Uzbekiston (46 Lenina St., Irkutsk; Tel 7-3952-203576)

A Picnic on the Shores of Lake Baikal, Siberia

2011-12-02T15:06:00.002-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Lake Baikal, Siberia

Trans-Siberian Express on the shores of Lake Baikal

It is a land of superlatives -- the deepest, purest, oldest and biggest freshwater lake in the world, so large that all the rivers in the world combined would take a year to fill it. There is enough water here to supply the world’s fresh water needs for 40 years as 336 rivers flow into the lake but only one – the River Angara – flows out. Surrounded by mountains covered in birch, pine and larch trees, green and golden in the autumn sun, this is Lake Baikal, also known as the “Pearl of Siberia,” or the “Blue Eye of Siberia,” one of the most beautiful and unique places on earth. It is here that we stop for an unusual picnic!

Omul fish hanging in Listvyanka market

Formed some 50 million years ago on an active continental rift which is widening almost an inch a year, the lake is renowned for its clean waters and its wildlife. Over 1,550 species of plants and animals make this their home. Some have even nicknamed Lake Baikal the “Galapagos of Russia” because of the unique wildlife that lives here and nowhere else in the world – including the endangered Nerpa or Baikal seal.

The crystal clear waters are rich in aquatic life, in part due to the fact that the lake is well oxygenated but also because of the tiny crustacean, the Baikal epishura, which works as a sieve, straining out the bacteria in the water. The lake has numerous species of fish including pike, surgeon, salmon, perch and the omul, a delicious whitefish, dozens of which can be seen in the market in Listvyanka, smoked and hanging from the stalls.

The "Zackaria" steaming into Port Baikal

Our Trans-Siberian Express train, the “Tsar’s Gold,” now pulled by an old diesel locomotive, makes a detour from the main line onto a stretch of ancient track that parallels the shore. This original section of the line was abandoned when a dam constructed on the Angara River in 1959 flooded part of the tracks. Today it is used as a means of conveying visitors to the small village of Port Baikal from where you board a steamer for a ride up a portion of the 1,300 mile long coastline with a stop in the village of Listvyanka.

Not far from the village is the Angara River with its dam, hydroelectric plant and wood pulp plant which, unfortunately, continue to pollute this portion of the lake. However, the majority of Lake Baikal and the adjacent lands are officially protected with nature reserves and national parks. Efforts are also being made to clean up the remaining polluters.

The bridge at Km 110, Lake Baikal

As part of efforts to make the area more accessible to visitors, a series of hiking trails are being constructed – the Great Baikal Trail project – which ultimately will encircle the entire lake.

Although the lake is exceptionally beautiful, it can quickly become violent with storms that cause 6-foot high waves to crash onto the shore, contributing to local myths and legends. According to the Buryats, the lake is alive and can become offended and angry. They believe the evil spirit, Begdozi, lives on an island in the middle of the lake. Local shamans believe that the lake is home to a sea god. Others say that you can prolong your life by 25 years if you go for a swim in the frigid waters.

More recent rumors suggest that the gold fortune of the Romanov Tsars may have been lost in Lake Baikal when the train of White Army commander Admiral Alexander Kolchak, which was carrying the fortune, derailed and plunged into the lake.

Wood burning Savmovars

After our stop at Listvyanka and a cruise on the lake, our train heads back along the shores of Lake Baikal, sometimes only feet away from the edge of the water, passing through dozens of tunnels carved in the rock. At Kilometer 110 the train stops on a bridge over an inlet in a picturesque valley. A winding path takes you through meadows to a tiny village where gingerbread houses are reflected in the still waters.

The passengers disembark and explore the surroundings while the train crew sets up a Siberian barbecue and picnic complete with charcoal roasted kebabs, salads, desserts, all drunk down by the ever-present vodka. Two wood-fired samovars heat water for tea as the sun slowly sets behind the hill turning the sky pink and orange. It is a truly unique experience.

We board the train for Irkutsk in the pitch dark except for the light of the millions of stars that are visible in the crystal clear Siberian air. “The Blue Eye of Siberia” is such a magical location you can’t help but fall in love with it! Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved

IF YOU GO

The village at Km 110 Lake Baikal

The “Tsar’s Gold” is owned and operated by the German company, Lernidee (www.lernidee.de; +49-(0)30-786-0000). Reservations can be made direct with the company or through MIR Corporation in Seattle (www.mircorp.com; 800-424-7289). Organizations such as National Geographic and the Smithsonian also offer this trip as part of their excursions. The Circumbaikal Railway around a portion of Lake Baikal offers stops in this area.

You can also drive to Lake Baikal from Irkutsk, a 40-50 minute journey.

TO STAY

If you want to stay in Listvyanka, there are several basic hotels to choose from.

The Pribaikalskay Hotel (23 Krasnogvardeiskaya St;

Trans Siberian Express on shores of Lake Baikal

www.pribaikalskaja.ru; tel 7-3952-290864)

The Hotel “Legend of Baikal”

(Listvyanka settlement; 11 Istok Angary St.

www.legend-of-baikal.ru; Tel 7-3952-960-150

THINGS TO DO

Take a ride on the Zakharia Steamer sailing between Port Baikal and Listvyanka.

(www.baikalway.ru; Tel 7-3952-745-118);

Visit the “Nerpinarium”, an indoor facility where you can observe the Nerpa Baikal Seals which are hard to spot in the wild because they are very shy

(Listvyanka Settlement, 101 A Gorkogo St;

7-3952-55-44-32; www.baikalnerpa.ru) Open 1100 to 1800 hours; closed on Mondays.

From Mongolia into Siberia, a Visit to Ulan Ude, Russia

2011-11-25T12:16:00.002-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

The Ulan Ude Opera House

A giant head of Lenin, Sovetov Square

As we bid farewell to the Mongolian steppes, a sense of excitement pervades the train – we are on our way to Siberia! Your imagination conjures up all sorts of images – an endless frozen land inhabited by sable, wolves and bears…a harsh land where survival and luck go hand-in-hand … a part of the world that is unknown to most people except possibly through the eyes of filmmakers. On the other hand, Siberia has a rich history that we discover starting at our first stop – Ulan Ude, in the Buryat Republic of Russia.

Our train crosses the Russian-Mongolian border just after breakfast. We are confined to our cabins with strict orders not to leave until the passport formalities have been completed. One passenger who rebels is told that she will be arrested unless she complies immediately!!

In the middle of the vast Siberian steppe, at Ulan Ude our train joins the main route of the Trans-Siberian Railroad running from Vladivostok to Moscow, some 3,500 miles away. Originally founded as Fortress Udinskoye by Russian Cossacks in 1666, the city was closed to foreigners until the early 1990s.

In the relatively compact city center, with its many streets lined with decorated wooden houses once belonging to rich merchants, youngsters play Frisbee and ride their skateboards under the watchful eye of an enormous bronze head of Lenin on Sovetov Square. Across the square, people sit and chat near the ornate fountain outside the Opera House before wandering down the pedestrian area of the city. Nearby is Odigitria Cathedral, its golden onion dome gleaming in the setting sun.

Odigitria Cathedral, Ulan Ude

Ulan Ude was once the place of refuge for the Old Believers (Torbogatai), a Russian Orthodox sect who fled here in the 17^th century when doctrinal reforms in the Church made them victims of persecution. A visit to the Village of Old Believers will provide you with a small insight into the lives of this group. Dressed in their traditional clothing – colorful layers of magenta, yellow, red and green dresses, with bright scarves covering their heads, the Old Believers sing a capella, telling stories of love and suffering.

Just outside Ulan Ude is the Tibetan Monastery, Ivolginsky Datsan, the center of Buddhism in Russia and a reputed Siberian Lourdes. In a wide green valley surrounded by mountains, the colorful temple, adorned with statues of the Buddha and painted dragons, is the final resting place of Khambo Lama who died in 1927. On major Buddhist holidays, his preserved body, sitting upright in a lotus position, is on exhibit. It is a phenomenon that continues to intrigue scientists who have studied his remains and inspires thousands of believers who stand in line for a quick glimpse of the Lama.

This first stop in Ulan Ude begins our voyage of discovery through Siberia, a vast, empty land which has impacted the lives and stirred the imagination of so many people through the ages. Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

Looking up the pedestrian mall, Ulan Ude

In addition to the Trans-Siberian express trains that travel between Moscow and Ulan Ude, there are daily flights from Moscow on S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru/en) -- a six hour overnight flight.

To get to Ivolginsky Datsan take bus No 130 from the bus station to Ivolginsk village; switch to a shuttle bus that will take you to the Monastery.

TO STAY

The Baikal Plaza Hotel (Erbanva 12; www.baikalplaza.com; Tel 7-3012-210070

Sagaan Morin Hotel (25 Gagarin St; Tel 7-3012-444-019; there is no website but details regarding pricing and reservations can be found at www.baikalinfo.com/html/ english_hotel_ulanude.xml.php)

TO EAT

Ulger Restaurant and Café, serving traditional Russian and Buryatian food (Kirova St No 8; tel 7-3012-2012-212109)

Across Mongolia In the footsteps of Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan)

2011-11-11T11:04:00.001-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Giant equestrian statue of Chinggis Khan overlooking the steppes

Chinggis Khan and his golden whip

It is a funny thing about history – it changes depending on the perception of the viewer. Such is the case with Genghis Khan, better known in Mongolia as Chinggis Khan (which means “universal leader”). Whereas in the western world he may be viewed as a ruthless, marauding conqueror, in Mongolia he is considered as the “father of all Mongols,” the man revered as a brilliant military leader who, in the 13^th century, unified dozens of warring tribes into the world’s largest empire.

Eight hundred years later you can see the pride that Mongolians feel about their ancestor – his iconic, bearded face or name appear on the national currency, on the airport and university, on beer bottles and cookie packages. A gigantic seated statue of Chinggis Khan graces Parliament building in Sükhbaatar Square, flanked by his two sons and guarded by two mounted horsemen. And outside ÜlaanBaatar is one of the largest statues in the world – Chinggis Khan, holding his golden whip, mounted on his 250-ton stainless steel steed, overlooking the steppes of Tsonjin Boldog National park.

On a sunny day, the statue first appears as a shining speck on the horizon. As you approach closer, the speck grows into a gigantic 130-foot giant on horseback sitting on a 35- foot base surrounded by 36 columns, dedicated to the memory of the 36 kings who followed Chinggis Khan. Take the elevator and several flights of stairs up and walk to the head of the horse through its chest and neck for a superb view of the Mongolian steppes. Eventually a tourist camp with over 200 gers, restaurants and shopping complexes is slated to occupy the adjacent land. For now you can look out and take in the vast, empty landscape where horses graze under the steely eye of the Great Khan.

Mongolian cowboy lassoing a horse

According to legend, this site is where Chinggis Khan found his golden whip (considered to be a good omen in Mongolia) that supposedly inspired him to start his conquest of a major portion of the world. A replica is housed inside the base of the statue.

If Chinggis Khan was successful, it was due in great part to his horses – the diminutive Mongolian creatures that can still be seen galloping across the steppes – and his horsemen. According to Morris Rossabi of Columbia University, “The Mongols by nature are good at riding and shooting. They took possession of the world through the advantage of their bow and horse.”

The horses that gallop across the steppes today are their modern-day descendants. Today’s Mongolian cowboys still use the centuries-old methods of lassoing them. The wooden saddles with stirrups that they use are not dissimilar to those used by Chinggis Khan and his horsemen. According to legend, the stirrup was invented in Mongolia as a means of allowing fighters to fire arrows from a full gallop or even whilst riding backwards.

Stirrup on a Mongolian saddle

As for Chinggis Khan’s reputation, in the western world his name is synonymous with mayhem and murder. He is said to have been responsible for the wholesale massacres of civilian populations – perhaps as much as 11% of the world’s population at the time. Mongolians will tell you that he was centuries ahead of his time with enlightened policies that, among other things, espoused freedom of religion, enhanced trading, protected enemy envoys and ambassadors, outlawed the kidnapping of women and established a winter-only hunting season to preserve the game. And unlike many rulers that followed him around the world, he also was of the view that he was bound by the rules as much as any other person!!!

After his death, his sons and grandsons, including Kublai Khan, extended his empire as far as Eastern Europe and the Middle East before it all started falling apart, the victim of size, distance and in-fighting amongst Chinggis Khan’s successors for power.

A feisty Mongolian horse and wranglers

Irrespective of what you may think, one fact is undeniable – Chinggis Khan created the largest contiguous empire in history stretching from the Danube to the Pacific and the Arctic to Iran. Included in that empire were China and Russia, today considered as some of the largest countries in the world; yet as you travel from Beijing, through Mongolia, across Siberia to Moscow and beyond, on the Trans-Siberian Express, you realize that these lands were once the domain of one man – Chinggis Khan – and his united people! Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All rights reserved.

IF YOU GO

A visit to the equestrian statue of Chinggis Khan can be organized through your hotel or by your tour operator.

Exploring Mongolia's Steppes

2011-11-06T09:17:00.001-05:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

The Tuul River, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park

A herd of Mongolian horses grazing on the steppes

Landlocked between Russia and China . . . larger than the combined areas of Italy, Germany, France and England . . . the most scarcely populated country in the world . . . Mongolia is a land of rugged mountains, desert, lakes and vast steppes. Just a few miles outside ÜlaanBaatar, urban congestion is replaced by nomadic gers, wide open spaces, and wildlife. . . all accessible at Gorkhi-National Park, part of the enormous Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area.

As we drive out of ÜlaanBaatar, a paved road quickly takes us onto the open grasslands where livestock – cows, yaks, double-humped camels, horses – graze, unfettered by fences. Enormous rock formations appear against the backdrop of pine-covered mountains. In the distance, round white tents with colorful wooden doors are scattered here and there – home to the nomadic people who make up one-third of Mongolia’s population.

A ger sits at the base of rock formations

About 50 miles from ÜlaanBaatar, punctuated by the Tuul River, a tiny corner of the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park has been developed for visitors with ger villages to accommodate aficionados of hiking, rock climbing, horse-riding or communing with nature. The remainder of the park, with its alpine scenery, glacial lakes and hot springs, is much more inaccessible.

At the base of a granite rock formation, a grass-covered meadow is home to a herd of Mongolian horses – descendants of the same breed used by Chinggis Khan to conquer a large part of the world 700 years ago. Mongolian “cowboys” sit near their felt covered ger, enjoying the warm autumn weather.

Interior of a ger

Mongolians are very hospitable people, and it is customary for them to invite strangers to enter their ger, to share a bowl of salted milk tea or daraig (fermented horse milk). You might even be invited to share a meal!

A ger is an ingenious tent-like structure that can be taken down and reassembled in less than an hour, to be transported easily on camel or horseback as the nomadic family moves to follow the grazing.

The inside is surprisingly large. Usually a ger has five walls of collapsible lattice (although 4,6 and 8 sided gers are also seen), with large poles to hold up the roof. The outside is covered with felt material and a waterproof canvas. Gers are heated by wood fires which burn in the middle of the structure, the smoke escaping through a pipe in the center of the roof.

Father and child entering a ger

Entering a ger can be like stepping back in time – but don’t be fooled. Mongolians have entered the age of technology – satellite dishes and solar panels provide electricity and access to television.

There is even scope for artistry – the furniture inside a ger is often painted in bright colors – with the door being the most striking. Every ger we saw, either in the park or from the windows of the train as we rode the Trans-Mongolian railway from south to north, were painted in colorful, unique patterns – a way to mark one’s individuality!

The Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is but one of the many unique places to visit in this vast, undeveloped country where the simple life of the nomads can still be experienced in spite of encroaching modernity. But don’t wait too long to visit! Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights reserved.

Nomads sit near a double-humped camel

IF YOU GO

The Gorkhi-Terelj National Park can easily be visited from ÜlaanBaatar. Contact the hotel/camp for recommendations on how best to reach the location. It is also possible to hire a rental car or take the bus from ÜlaanBaatar to the park.

It is a nice gesture to take small gifts to thank the people for their hospitality. Pencils or pens, small flashlights, or books are possible items to consider.

TO STAY

Terlj Hotel (www.tereljhotel.com; 976-9999-2233; 1-866-264-5744 (US)) A luxury hotel next to the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park which organizes excursions to most of the attractions in the park.

Ecotourism Ger Camp (976-993-4710; reservations must be made by phone, there is no internet site. Ask for Bert)

Chinggis Tourist Camp (www.chinggisgercamp.com; fill out an on-line booking form that connects you to Samar Magic Tours LLC which owns the camp; tel 976-11-311051).

Exploring ÜlaanBaatar, Mongolia

2011-11-01T10:11:00.001-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Sükhbaatar astride his horse, ÜlaanBaatar

Newly weds and Chinggis Khan

ÜlaanBaatar (popularly known as UB), capital of Mongolia, is a city of contrasts, with a surprise around every corner. It isn’t what you would call a beautiful metropolis but it has a charm and fascination all its own, where the old and the new are intertwined and thriving.

Although the area had been inhabited for over 2,000 years, the “city” started life in 1639 as a tented nomadic Buddhist centre, changing locations over 25 times until a permanent center was created in 1778. Its name also changed at least five times until 1924 when it became the capital of the then Mongolian People’s Republic and was named ÜlaanBaatar. The name means “Red Hero.” Today ÜlaanBaatar is capital of one of the world’s youngest democracies.

There are very few old buildings in the city, which essentially consists of Soviet-style apartment blocks and huge government buildings juxtaposed with modern glass high-rise buildings. ÜlaanBaatar is one of the world’s fastest growing cities, a booming construction site with dozens of cranes lining the horizon.

There is very little green space in ÜlaanBaatar – not surprising when you remember that it is one of the coldest capital cities in the world and very, very dry. Intense dust storms, swirling off the Gobi Desert, are a common occurrence during some months of the year.

Gandan Monastery

At the center of the city is Sükhbaatar Square, an immense rectangle presided over in the center by a statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar, hero of the 1921 revolution, who declared Mongolia’s independence from China. He sits astride a bronze horse, his arm raised in the air, seemingly pointing to the future and the new construction that surrounds the square.

Watching Sükhbaatar from nearby is an enormous bronze statue of the Mongolian legendary leader, Chinggis Khan, flanked by his two sons, Ögedei Khan and Kublai Khan. Two Mongolian warriors on horseback stand guard. Behind the statue of Chinggis Khan is the white marble Parliament House, its inner courtyard graced by a large ger (Mongolian name for a yurt) used for ceremonial occasions.

Sükhbaatar Square is a popular meeting place, especially for young Mongolians. Newly-weds walk down the marble staircase for a photograph in front of the massive statue of Chinggis Khan while groups of visiting Mongolian dignitaries, many wearing the traditional deel, pose at the bottom of the steps.

Megrid Janraisig Buddha

The salmon-pink building on the east of the square is the Mongolian State Opera and Ballet Theatre whilst the Cultural Palace containing the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery, with 6,000 exhibits representing both modern art and traditional fine arts, is on the east.

A few blocks to the north is the National Museum of Mongolia. Mongolia is a very ancient country, rich in history -- some even think of it as one of the “cradles of humanity”. Remains of Stone Age sites, some almost 800,000 years old, grace the first floor of the museum where you will also find a collection of gold treasures discovered during recent excavations.

On the second floor you will find a collection of clothing representing all the ethnic and tribal groups found in the country. There are 400 styles of deel (the traditional calf-length, long sleeved tunic worn by both men and women); 100 types of hats (which differ in shape and purpose); 20 types of boots (with characteristic upturned toes) as well as sashes, hair ornaments and countless other items.

The third floor is by far the most interesting with a number of items dating to the time of Chingghis Khan and his Mongol armies. There is also a fully furnished ger that provides a vivid illustration of nomadic life. Gers are still home to over half of the Mongolian population (3.1 million in 2011).

Spinning the prayer wheels

Near the center of Ülaanbaater stands the Gandantegchenling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery (Gandan for short, meaning ‘great place of complete joy’). This is the only Buddhist monastery that continued to operate in Mongolia under Soviet rule when over 900 other monasteries were destroyed and more than 17,000 monks murdered while countless others were imprisoned.

As you enter the grounds, buildings with intricately decorated rooftops line the cobblestone paths. This is a very popular temple, frequented by old and young, eager to turn the various gold-painted prayer wheels, inscribed with the mantra “om mani padme hum.”

Monk on the temple roof

The Monastery consists of ten datsans and temples, and over 900 monks live and work here. It is not unusual to see them strolling around the grounds, cell phone in hand. Inside one of the temples is Asia’s tallest standing Buddha – the Megjid Janraisig – the “Buddha of the Future.” Originally built in 1911, the 86-foot high, gold-gilded copper Statue was destroyed in 1938 (and allegedly used by the Soviets to make bullets) and recently restored. Constantly burning incense fills the air with a smoky haze as believers leave offerings and pause to spin the prayer wheels. Lining the walls of the temple are hundreds of statues/images of Ayush, the Buddha of Longevity.

UlaanBaatar is a city of contrasts – traditional life juxtaposed with modern life… the deel versus Armani… the young versus the old . . . a new democracy than hums with hope for the future whilst echoing the past! Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

TO STAY

Feeding the pigeons, Gandan Monastery

Hotel Ülaanbaatar (Sükhbaatar Square 14; Ülaanbaatar 210645; Tel 976-11-320620; www.ubhotel.mn)

TO EAT

Although there are many excellent restaurants in ÜlaanBaatar, if you want to taste typical Mongolian food, try the Taliin Mongol (Juulchin Gudamj Central, ÜlaanBaatar; tel. 976-11-319451)

TO SEE

National Modern Art Gallery (www.art-gallery.mn; open 10 am to 6 pm in summer, 10 am to 5 pm in winter; admission fee)

National Museum of Mongolia (www.nationalmuseum.mn; 9:30 am to 6 pm; admission and photography fees)

Gandan Monastery, (www.gandan.mn; open 8:30 am to 7 pm). There is a charge to visit and to photograph the Megjid Janraisig, the only building you can enter in the temple complex. You can take photos outside.

From Beijing to Ulaanbaatar on the Trans-Mongolian Express

2011-10-26T08:58:00.001-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

The Train from Beijing to Erlian

Sunrise over Inner Mongolia, China

Beijing’s railroad station is a milling sea of people when we arrive in the evening to board a Chinese train, on the Trans-Mongolian Railroad. This is the start of our 5,000- mile adventure that will connect us to the Trans-Siberian Railway and carry us through eight time zones to our final destination – Moscow! But first we have to cross Inner Mongolia to the Chinese-Mongolian border and the Gobi desert, before reaching the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar!

The first half of the 16-hour voyage to Erlian (or Erenhot as it is called on some maps) takes place in the dark. The train compartments are spacious and comfortable; dinner is surprisingly good and turns out to be the best meal we have on the entire train journey. After spending our first night rocking on the rails, we are greeted by a glorious sunrise as the train makes its way across the sands of Inner Mongolia.

Model in Erlian's Dino Park

Small villages appear periodically, the inhabitants already hard at work in the fields, harvesting their crops. Giant trucks loaded with coal from nearby mines raise a cloud of dust as they race the train on dusty roads. In one field the statue of an enormous wooden ox drawn cart pays tribute to the importance of agriculture.

About 15 minutes before we arrive in Erlian in the late morning, a startling sight appears on the cabin side of the train – dinosaurs! They are replicas of the ones found around Erlian in the Iren Dabusu (meaning “colorful” salt lake) as well as elsewhere in the Gobi Desert. We later visit the Dinosaur museum, established in 2009 as a tourist attraction. With a bit of imagination you can see these enormous extinct creatures chasing each other and fighting for survival. The atmosphere is more theme park than excavation site, and some liberties have been taken with the exhibits since not all the replicas you see were actually found here. Still, it makes for some interesting photography!

Erlian's food market

Erlian has recently been built up, although the town itself has served as the main trade route between China and Mongolia for centuries. Shop after shop of wares line the streets, their signs written in Russian, Chinese and Mongolian. Every type of product from auto parts and food can be found here.

A large market is housed inside a warehouse. Carcasses of butchered animals hang from large iron hooks; catfish swim in aluminum tubs waiting for buyers; piles of fruits and vegetables and sacks of dried legumes cover the wooden stalls.

Had we been continuing our journey on our Chinese train, the wheels (or bogeys, as they are known) would be changed in Erlian -- a time consuming process whereby the train is separated into three sections. Each is pushed into a hangar and the carriage is lifted off the Chinese wheels (operating on a standard gauge) and replaced with Russian bogeys which are 3.5 inches wider.

Reflections of the Zamaan Uud train station

Instead, Erlian is where we switch trains and board the “Tsar’s Gold” for the continuation of our journey to Moscow. The train travels across the border through the 2.5 miles of no-man’s land before stopping at the Mongolian border town of Zamaan Uud where Mongolian immigration formalities are completed. Meanwhile a throat singer accompanying himself on a horse head fiddle entertains the passengers while the attendants wash down the windows of the train.

The journey to Ulaanbaatar is another 16 hours through the Gobi desert with its barren, desolate expanses. Overhead an almost full moon and a canopy of stars shine down on the seeming emptiness. In the early morning light, as the desert gives way to the grasslands of the Mongolian steppes, ‘gers’ (traditional Mongolian tents) appear. Herds of horses and two humped Bactrian camels graze near the tracks, some tended by herders riding motorcycles!

As the train approaches Ulaanbaatar, more and more brick houses appear – many with the traditional ger pitched in the backyard. In the distance high rise apartment buildings fill the skyline.

Mongolian throat singer

Finally, we arrive in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where we will spend the next few days. The capital of an ancient land that was once the largest and most powerful empire in the world, today, it is the centerpiece of one of the world’s youngest democracies where Armani-clad businessmen rub elbows with deel-clad nomads…where children play under the gaze of an enormous statue of Chingghis Khan . . . and where a once closed society is now eager for visitors. But that is another fascinating story! Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

If you are planning on taking the train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar, tickets can be purchased in Beijing from CITS (www.cits.com.cn; however, be advised that reservations for the sleeper cars must be made well in advance. If you are purchasing tickets overseas, Intourist Travel (www.intourist.com) is a good source.

The “Tsar’s Gold” is owned and operated by the German company, Lernidee (www.lernidee.de; +49-(0)30-786-0000). Reservations can be made direct with the company or through MIR Corporation in Seattle (www.mircorp.com; 800-424-7289). Organizations such as National Geographic and the Smithsonian also offer this trip as part of their excursions.

Five Classic Beijing Destinations

2011-10-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Gate of Heavenly Peace, Beijing

The Golden Stream and its marble bridges, Forbidden City

One of the options when riding the Trans-Siberian Express is to start the adventure in Beijing, China. This immense city (which is the size of Belgium) has roots deep in the past, having once served as the capital of Kublai Khan (grandson of Chingghis), who presided over the largest empire the world has ever seen. Today, Beijing is a glittering, modern city with skyscrapers, the latest fashion houses and Mercedes Benz cars juxtaposed with small alleys, traditional street life, bicycles and motorbikes. The central part of the city is rich with history – Beijing has 4 of China’s 41 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – and you could spend weeks exploring nooks and crannies. If you have a limited amount of time, there are five attractions (besides the Great Wall of China) which you must not miss.

TIANANMEN SQUARE AND THE FORBIDDEN CITY

Large plaza and pavilions, Forbidden City, Beijing

At sunrise and sunset every day of the year, a flag-raising ceremony takes place on Tiananmen Square, across from the Gate of Heavenly Peace which leads into the Palace Museum. A precision-marching honor guard from the People’s Liberation Army (108 paces per minute, 3 feet per pace) halts traffic as it enters the square to raise/lower the Chinese national flag. It is an event that draws a large, mostly local, crowd, who watch in silence from behind the white barriers before breaking into applause.

Tiananmen Square is the center of the city, the symbolic center of the Chinese universe. It is also the world’s largest square where events in history have played out, and it is a good place to start your walk into the Forbidden City, off limits to all by the Imperial family for over 500 years.

Nooks and crannies in the Forbidden City

The Gate of Heavenly Peace (with a portrait of Mao Tse Tung hung over the entrance) was once one of the four gates through the red brick Imperial Wall which surrounded the Forbidden City. The Gate itself has five doors, reached by crossing seven bridges. The central door was reserved for the exclusive use of the Emperor. Cross a large plaza inside the wall used for support staff and you reach the massive Meridian Gate once used by the Emperor.

To visit the Forbidden City today, you follow a one-way prescribed path, entering through the Meridian Gate, and exiting through the northern Gate of Spiritual Valor. Only some of the 70 halls and 9,999 rooms, once used by 24 successive Ming and Qing emperors, are open to visitors but you can spend an entire day exploring and following in the footsteps of emperors.

As you cross over the Golden Stream, shaped like a Tartar bow and spanned by 5 marble bridges, the Gate of Supreme Harmony is directly ahead of you, overlooking a massive courtyard that could hold up to 100,000 people attending an imperial audience.

Dragon boats on Lake Kunming, Summer Palace, Beijing

Palace after palace temple after temple, fill the City. Their names reflect the occupations of the Imperial family: the Gate of Heavenly Peace; the Gate of Military Prowess; the Hall of Joyful Longevity. There are walls within walls, gates, halls, pavilions, tiny gardens, the palace where the Emperor’s concubines slept, the library and more.

Finally, as you step through the Gate of Terrestrial Tranquility, you reach the Imperial gardens built in 1417. Here, amidst the ancient, twisted cypress trees, walkways wind through the twenty pavilions, rockeries and fountains. Look for the intertwined 400- year old pine trees in front of the Hall of Imperial Peace and imagine what the garden must have looked like when the Imperial family strolled through it.

SUMMER PALACE

Even the Emperor could not escape the torpid Beijing summers in the Forbidden City. Instead, he and his court would move to the Summer Palace, some 6 miles away in the Fragrant Hills.

Empress Cixi's marble boat, Summer Palace

Vandalized and partially destroyed by Anglo-French troops during the Second Opium war of 1856, the Summer Palace was rebuilt in 1888 by the Empress Dowager Cixi, a former concubine who rose to be the de facto leader of China for over 47 years. She is usually portrayed as a despot and a villain, although perhaps her gender had something to do with how she is perceived. Nevertheless, in the eyes of many she symbolized the decadence of the Imperial Family, and she certainly didn’t change that perception when she used funds intended for the navy to rebuild the Summer Palace. The only naval connection is the magnificent marble boat that sits in Lake Kunming, forever immobile.

Wander beside the lake and along the waterways, where arched bridges and decorated corridors lead you to Buddhist temples, palaces, pavilions, and gate towers. Climb up to visit the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity on Longevity Hill. Take a ride on one of the fanciful dragon boats or rent a small paddleboat to explore the lake on your own, navigating under 17-arch Bridge which crosses the lake. Take your time walking through the grounds under the willow and mulberry trees to explore nooks and crannies – each will present a surprise or an unexpected vista.

Ceiling decorations, Corridor of Summer Palace, Beijing

TEMPLE OF HEAVEN PARK

Your first impression as you enter this immense park is crowds of people having fun! As a result of China’s young mandatory retirement age, so-called “senior” citizens have to find something to do to pass the time. Large numbers of them congregate in the park during the work week. Some sit along the benches playing board games, knitting or socializing. Others practice Qi Gong or Tai Qi or fly kites while others do aerobic exercises. There is even ball room dancing going on around the plaza!

The park, which is of Confucian design, is filled with grassy areas and shaded by ancient trees, including 4,000 cypress trees, some of which are 800 years old! Fountains and rock gardens are hidden here and there in this oasis of tranquility, disturbed only by a patrolman on a Segway zipping through the trees.

Board game in Temple of Heaven Park

The park is graced with a number of temples dominated by the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a three-tiered marble terrace capped by a triple-eaved purple and blue umbrella roof. In ancient China the Emperor was considered the Son of Heaven, responsible for affairs on earth. It was his job to ensure that the harvests were plentiful and it was to this temple that he came to pray for a good yield.

As you walk back through the park, stop and participate in one of the many activities! You will be rewarded with smiles of appreciation and howls of laughter as you attempt to master what comes naturally to the locals! It is all in good fun!

THE BELL AND DRUM TOWERS

Artist in the Temple of Heaven Park

Before the invention of clocks, telling time (especially at night) was a challenge. As early as the Han dynasty in 206 BC, the Chinese resolved this problem by building drum and bell towers that would sound the hours for the people, helping them live and work.

In Beijing the towers are about 100 yards across a square from each other. The Drum Tower kept time at night while the Bell tower kept time during the day. The acoustics are so good that the sounds could be heard across the old city.

The Bell Tower (originally built in 1272 and rebuilt twice) has two floors. On the second floor is the largest, heaviest copper bell in China, standing 23 feet high and weighing over 138,000 lbs. Two long, thick wooden logs hang sideways nearby and were used to ring the bell at sunrise and sunset.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

The Drum Tower is reached by climbing 63 vertiginously steep stairs to the second floor where one big drum and 24 smaller drums line the room. Only the big drum is original, the rest are replicas. In the olden days, the drummers themselves used a water clock to determine the time. Beginning at 7 pm the drums were beaten every two hours through the night until 7 am. Not only did this inform the people of the time but it also set the time for the changing of the guards in the city. The drum was beaten quickly 18 times and slowly 18 times for three rounds, a total of 108 beats. The number 108 represented one year in ancient times. Time your visit so that you can witness a demonstration of the drumming ceremony performed by young men and women dressed in red and white uniforms.

A DRIVE AROUND THE HUTONGS

No trip to Beijing would be complete without a rickshaw drive through the narrow streets and alleyways of old Beijing known as the Hutong. Unfortunately many of these ancient parts of the city have been destroyed to make room for the luxury high-rise buildings. However, there has been a realization that traditional old Beijing must not be destroyed and efforts are being made to preserve the Hutongs. One third of Beijing still consists of Hutongs, providing a balance between the old and the new, with one of the nicest areas near the Drum and Bell towers.

Bicycle-powered rickshaws are a traditional form of transportation in the Hutongs, and lines of them around the square await riders. A rickshaw ride will give you a glimpse of traditional Chinese life – elderly people play mahjong in the handkerchief-size parks, colorful markets and stalls selling local food line the miniscule alleys that weave between the houses, thick red doors decorated with golden dragons protect the houses behind the walls.

The Drum Ceremony

IF YOU GO

Distances in Beijing are vast, even if they look close by on the map. The subway is a reliable way to get to many destinations in the city. You can buy a rechargeable transport card that can also be used on the buses. Taxis are another alternative but few drivers speak English so it is best to get your hotel concierge to write out where you want to go and be sure that the meter is set before you drive off. At all the touristic locations there will be self-proclaimed guides who will pester you to hire them. Renting a self-guide audio-system is a better alternative.

The Forbidden City (www.dpm.org.cn). Take Subway Line 1 to Tiananmen East or West and walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace. If you are carrying a backpack or bag, expect it to be scanned several times. The City is open from 8:30 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. Try to avoid visiting on the weekend or public holidays. Some credit cards are accepted to purchase tickets. Separate admission is charged for the Hall of Jewellery and the Gate of Heavenly Peace

Rickshaws wait for passengers near the Hutongs

Summer Palace Open from 8:30 a.m.to 5 p.m. Take subway Line Number 4 to BeiGongMen station at the North Palace Gate. Admission fee required. You can spend an entire day exploring the Summer Palace which is best visited in spring, summer or fall. In winter the lake is frozen.

The Temple of Heaven Park is open 6 am to 9 pm; The Temple is open from 8 am to 6 pm. There are separate admission fees for the park and the temple. Take subway line 2 to Tiantandongmen stop)

The Drum and Bell Towers are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; a single ticket will get you into both locations. You can take Subway Line number 2 (Ring Line), exit at Guloudajie Station at exit B and walk south. The Drum Ceremony takes place every hour on the half hour.

Hutong Tour: Although it is possible to hire a rickshaw, most of the drivers speak only Chinese and communications can be a challenge. Be sure to agree a price and a length of time before you climb on board. If you prefer a guided tour of the Hutongs, several Beijing tour companies offer this option. Ask your hotel concierge for a recommendation.

Climbing the Great Wall of China

2011-10-08T09:20:00.001-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

The Great Wall of China undulating over the hills

Steep steps link the towers

Controversy still swirls as to whether the Great Wall of China is visible from outer space, but one thing is certain – this grand and imposing structure is a sight to behold and to ponder from ground level! After all, according to a Chinese saying, “He who has never seen the Great Wall can never truly be a great man.” Whether this is true or not, you can’t help but “wonder” at this Wonder of the World.

Originally intended as a series of walls built by independent warlords to keep out their marauding nomad neighbors, this 24-foot high, 5 yards wide ancient structure (built in the Qin dynasty over 2,000 years ago) soon evolved into a major military fortification. While much of it is damaged and has yet to be restored, there are several sections that have been rebuilt and which are easily accessible from Beijing – the Juyongguan section (closest to Beijing), the Badaling section (the most visited) and the Mutianyu section (about 50 miles from the capital). We opt to visit this last section, rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty and renowned for its towers.

As you leave the parking lot to start hiking to the wall, an army of vendors bombard you with offers to purchase a panda or a cheap T-shirt proclaiming that you have climbed the Great Wall. Once you have escaped them, you have a choice: you can hike 40 minutes up a path that will take you to the top of the wall or you can take a cable car that will whisk you up in a few minutes, depositing you at the top of the wall near tower 14.

900 steep steps up the hill

Ahead of you the Great Wall undulates left and right, sweeping up hills and down, like a great dragon to which it is so often compared. Twenty-two watchtowers, spaced about 100 feet apart, line the 1.5 mile length of the restored wall. The insides of the towers are essentially identical – square rooms with openings on both sides. Periodically, an alcove off the side of the tower leads to a window overlooking the outer edge.

Steep steps lead to many of the towers. One incline has over 900 very steep risers linking the watch towers. It rises at almost a 90 degree angle up the side of the mountain. If you think walking up it is hard work, wait until you need to climb down – a treacherous undertaking at the best of times but especially if the stones are wet. Imagine what it must have been like to run, heavily armed, from tower to tower!

The parapets along the edges of this section of the Great Wall are different – they were designed in such a way that arrows could be fired from both sides onto enemies below. As you peer over the edge, a panorama of overlapping tree-covered hills spreads out as far as the eye can see.

Walking up and down these lofty heights, it is hard to imagine the effort required to raise this structure – manpower provided mostly by political prisoners, whose bones (according to legend) were incorporated into the building materials when they died.

An alcove overlooking the Great Wall

Whether the structure is visible from space or not is quite irrelevant since the grandeur of the Great Wall of China can only truly be appreciated by walking its length, touching its cold granite stone and marveling at the ingenuity and skill of those who built it over 2,000 years ago. Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved

IF YOU GO

To get to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China you can sign up with a tour group but be sure to check and see what you are going to get for the price of your ticket. A better solution is to hire a car and driver through your hotel concierge. This will give you the freedom to explore not only the area of the Great Wall but also the surrounding countryside without time constraints or visits to “tourist shops and restaurants” that seem to feature prominently on the organized tours.

Since communication may be a problem, it is a good idea to have the hotel concierge write out exactly what you want to do so that you can give it to your driver.

Arrows can be fired from both sides of the parapet

The cable car is open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and takes about 4 minutes to reach the top of the Great Wall. A good strategy is to be there as early as possible in the morning before the tour buses arrive which is also when the light is good for photography.

For the truly adventurous, there is a toboggan that will swoop you down from the Great Wall, twisting and turning through the countryside on its metal tracks.

Although the Great Wall is spectacular in any season, October is when the leaves change colors, turning the mountainsides into palettes of red, orange and gold.

From Beijing to Moscow on the Trans-Siberian Express

2011-09-30T12:37:00.002-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

The Trans-Siberian Express travelling across the Gobi Desert

Chinese train in Erlian station

Mongolian nomads herding camels and horses across the sands of the Gobi Desert . . . miles and miles of orange and yellow birch trees in the heart of Siberia . . . ancient wooden houses adorned with brightly colored shutters…these are only some of the images framed in the windows of the Trans-Siberian Express as it meanders from Beijing to Moscow, a distance of almost 5,000 miles, crossing eight time zones and almost a quarter of the globe. It is a nostalgic, epic voyage of discovery and adventure to the lands of the Mongols, Chinese Emperors and Russian Tsars that defies easy description. While this blog entry will concentrate on the journey itself, subsequent ones will focus on the individual destinations along the route.

Our Provodniks

The Trans-Siberian Railroad was built between 1891 and 1916 to connect Moscow and Vladivostok in the east, (with offshoots to Beijing and even Shanghai). Even today it can be an arduous voyage! The most comfortable way to travel across Siberia is on a private train – “The Tsar’s Gold.” While it is possible to use regularly scheduled passenger trains, the challenges of stopping off at various locations, finding hotels, and arranging transfers, can be overwhelming, especially if you do not speak or read Russian, Chinese or Mongolian.

This adventure begins in Beijing where, following visits to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace as well as the city itself, an overnight journey on a comfortable Chinese train transports you to the border town of Erlian (or Erenhot as it appears on some maps) where the 21-car “Tsar’s Gold,” pulled by a large locomotive, is waiting.

Uniformed, white-gloved cabin attendants (provodniks) stand at attention as we climb aboard. They live in a tiny cabin at the end of each compartment, working 24-hour shifts; their job is to make up the beds, clean the cabins and generally keep us supplied with tea (served in glasses tucked into silver filigree holders), coffee and vodka (for a fee, of course). Communication is via charades and a handy Russian phrase book. By the end of the trip we have learnt to ask for “Kofe” and “Chai” “Chorny” – black coffee and tea!

Washing the train windows

There are several classes of service on this train, including the Bolshoi with minuscule all-in-one bathrooms connected to each cabin and no more than six cabins per compartment. A couch converts into two fairly large and comfortable bunks for sleeping, leaving about two feet of space in which to move around. You very quickly learn to do the “Trans-Siberian two-steppe” to maneuver and keep your balance at the same time. A tiny table under the window holds the fresh fruit, water and ubiquitous bottles of vodka – which go flying around the cabin from time to time as the train lurches through the landscape.

Four restaurant cars provide meals for the 200 plus passengers. Illogically, they are located far from the cabins requiring what feels like miles of walking – we count 9 compartments and 42 doors to be opened and closed between our cabin and the assigned dining car.

Gold sconces, drapes, heavy wooden chairs and linen-draped tables recall days of old. Handi-wipes are provided to wash your hands after touching all those door handles. The food, which is prepared on board, is very basic – soups, cabbage rolls and stews. As there is no lounge or bar car, the restaurant is also where activities are organized at set times to pass the hours – lectures, Russian language lessons or vodka/caviar sampling. Once they are over, you are ushered out so that the tables can be set for the next meal. No matter! There is much to see and photograph out the windows of the compartment.

Lunch on the Tsar's Gold

After leaving Erlian, the train stops a few kilometers further down the track in Zamaan Uud, Mongolia’s border town. While the passport formalities are undertaken, the provodniks pull out large squeegees to wash the dust-covered windows – critical for photography! Nearby a Mongolian throat singer, accompanying himself on a two-stringed horsehead fiddle, entertains passengers with the haunting sound so typical of the steppes. Then it is across the Gobi Desert to UlaanBaatar, capital of Mongolia.

Tufts of grass and small trees cover the sand – the result of unprecedented amounts of rain in the Gobi. From time to time herds of double-humped camels and horses appear next to the rails. Canvas gers (the Mongolian yurt) with fanciful, multicolored doors dot the landscape.

Mongolia is an ancient land with a colorful history – the home of Chingghis Khan (better known in the west as Genghis Khan). Our two-day stop in UlaanBaatar is not enough to even scratch the surface but it provides enough to feed the imagination and to guarantee a return visit.

From UlaanBaatar the train rolls through the Selenga river valley to the Mongolian-Russian border town of Naushki where we are confined to our cabins with strict orders not to leave while the passport formalities are completed. Welcome to Siberia!

A herd of two humped camels along the tracks

The first stop in Siberia proper is Ulan Ude, capital of the Russian Republic of Buryatia, where we latch onto the main Trans-Siberian railway line. A whirlwind city tour takes us to main sights including wooden mansions, fountains and an enormous statue of Lenin’s head.

Not far from Ulan Ude is the “Blue Eye of Siberia” – Lake Baikal. When the hydroelectric plant was built along the Angara River (the lake’s only outlet), a portion of the original Trans-Siberian Railway line flooded, and a new line was constructed around the area. However, the old track has been maintained and the “Tsar’s Gold” makes a side journey around the edge of this stunningly beautiful expanse of clear blue water – the largest, oldest, deepest and purest lake on the face of the Earth!

The next morning we reach Irkutsk, known as the “Paris of Siberia.” The streets of this lively market town are lined with hundreds of old wooden houses with intricately carved fretwork and brightly painted window shutters. Once upon a time the wives of rebellious officers in the Tsar’s army exiled to Siberia turned this town into a center of society. Irkutsk is still five time zones away from Moscow – if you were flying, it would take you 7 hours to cover the distance!

Skirting the edge of Lake Baikal

As the train chugs inexorably westward, the landscape of Siberia unfolds outside the windows. Black and white kilometer markers on the south side of the track count down the distance to Moscow. Siberia (Sibir or “sleeping land”) is vast and empty with a few small hills breaking up the miles of autumn-hued birch forests interspersed with pines and larch. Small villages with their elaborate woodwork and colors are scattered here and there, each with a small plot of cultivated land, filled with large cabbage plants. In the woods graveyards appear, hidden amongst the birch trees. Some are enormous; others consist of only a handful of gravestones. Many belong to the early settlers and those forced into exile in Siberia to provide cheap labor for the construction of the railway line.

Periodically the “Tsar’s Gold” is shunted onto a siding or stops at a small rural railway station to wait while the big, powerful freight trains loaded with coal or lumber which have priority on the tracks, blast past.

Markers listing the distance to Moscow

As you sway mile after mile across Siberia, there is one thing missing from the rural landscape and the villages – there are few onion domes to be seen. This is because most of the Russian Orthodox churches were destroyed during Stalin’s time and, unless the village had found the funds to rebuild them, there is nothing left.

As we roll across steel bridges over massive rivers and huge expanses of water, we are surprised by the lack of birdlife – apart from some ducks and rooks, the birds seem to have disappeared!

Over the next four days we wind our way through western Siberia to the town of Ekaterinburg, infamous as the place where the late Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed. Because the train has been delayed several hours, we arrive in the middle of the night but are still able to go on a tour of the city, with a stop at the Church on the Blood, built in 2003 on the spot where the family was murdered and which commemorates their sainthood.

Shortly after leaving Ekaterinburg, we cross from Asia into Europe. Kazan is the last big city before Moscow. The 1,000-year old city, capital of the Russian Province of Tatarstan, perched on the banks of the Volga River, is the crossroads between East and West. Equal numbers of Moslems and Russian Orthodox believers live together in this town in seeming peace and harmony, the skyline dotted with minarets and onion-shaped domes.

As we approach Moscow the landscape changes again– there is more industry, more concrete buildings. The charm of eastern Russia has been lost to urban blight. However, it soon makes way for the glory of Moscow’s Kremlin, Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral.

The locomotive

After ten days on the train we disembark with mixed feelings – how wonderful to have space again, to be able to walk freely without constraint; but how sad to be coming to the end of an adventure of a lifetime on the Trans-Siberian Express. Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

Michigan's Pasties

2011-09-09T06:16:00.001-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

The Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company

Miners enjoying their pastie lunches

The signs appear every few miles as you drive across Northern Michigan – “Pasties”. . . “Freshly Baked Pasties” . . . “Hot Pasties for Sale.” If you thought these were a culinary staple found only in Cornwall, England, think again! Cornish miners who emigrated to work in the copper mines brought their favorite food with them to Michigan where you can sample it today at the Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company in Mackinaw City.

So what exactly is a pasty or pastie as it is spelled in Michigan? Traditionally, it is a pocket of pastry filled with beef, potato, onion, rutabaga and spices and baked in the oven until it is a golden brown.

The Hunt family (Dick, Jean, daughter Donna and son Rob) have been making pasties since 1983 when they purchased the Mackinaw Pastie Shop from its previous owners, Bill Grew and his wife, Wanda. Wanda’s grandmother had emigrated to Michigan from Cornwall and the Grews made pasties using her grandmother’s original recipe.

Donna, Jean and Dick Hunt

The Hunts continue making pasties according to the traditional recipe but have also introduced some variations – you can now buy chicken pasties or vegetable and cheese pasties. As a number of customers had said that they would like the pastie to be moister, Dick has also introduced an optional side of gravy as well as offering choices of other toppings such as marinara sauce or sour cream.

Over 400 pasties are baked daily at the two Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company stores. Only the freshest ingredients are used. “None of our ingredients have ever been frozen,” said Jean.

She also related how the pastie had become a staple in northern Michigan. According to Jean the Cornish miners, who came to work the copper mine on the Upper Peninsula, were hired for their technical expertise. Italians and Finns were hired to provide the labor. The wives of the miners would bake meat and vegetables in a crust and wrap the pie in layers of linen or newspapers for their husbands to eat for lunch. The miners loved them because they could put them in a pocket and pull them out to eat underground without having to stop.

A tray of freshly baked pasties

Over time, different immigrant groups added their own touches so that some pasties made on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan deviate from the traditional filling in that they include carrots and peas in the mix.

The manner in which the pastie is folded has also evolved from the way they are made in Cornwall. If you read our blog about the pasties from the Chough Bakery in Padstow, England (April 2011), you will see that the pasties are folded and sealed with a crimp on the side of the pastry. In Michigan, the pastie is folded in half and the two ends are folded into the middle. Pasties in parts of the Upper Peninsula are folded in other ways – it all depends on the creativity of the cook.

We stopped twice at the Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company during our travels in Michigan to sample the pasties as well as the delicious freshly-baked, homemade cookies which were added to the menu in 2000. The store was filled with young and old – bikers, joggers, grandparents, children – all enjoying their meal and then buying a couple of dozen frozen pasties to take home with them. The Detroit Free Press has rated the Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company in the top three for several years in a row. What was once a favorite of the miners is now appreciated by new generations. Don’t miss out! Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

The menu board

IF YOU GO

The Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company has stores in two locations. The first at 117 West Jamet, Mackinaw City, MI (Tel231-436-8202), just off exit 339 on the I-75 highway, is open year-round. The second, at 516 South Huron, Mackinaw City, MI (tel 231-436-5113) is open seasonally. If you can’t get there yourself, during the winter months the Hunts will be happy to mail you a dozen frozen pasties

Cornish in Michigan

(Discovering the Peoples of Michigan)

Three Lighthouses of Lake Huron, Michigan

2011-09-06T06:58:00.001-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

The vast waters of Lake Huron on a calm day

40 Mile Point Lighthouse, Lake Huron

Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario truly merit their name – The Great Lakes. These enormous fresh-water seas, hundreds of miles deep and across, are fed by countless rivers and scattered with innumerable islands. The world’s largest concentration of lighthouses dot the shores (over 300), making this area a treasure trove for lovers of these lifesaving beacons of navigation. Over 50 lighthouses grace Lake Huron alone, seven in and around the area of Thunder Bay, near Alpena, on Michigan’s east coast. A visit to three – Forty Mile Point Lighthouse, The Old and the New Presque Isle Lighthouses – recalls the days of storms and ship (boat, as they are known on the Lakes) wrecks.

Lake Huron (the second largest of the lakes) – and this Bay in particular -- has been particularly deadly for boats-- 1,200 wrecks scatter its shores, with one of the worst disaster having claimed 27 ships in 1905 after a storm boasting 90 mph winds and 40 foot waves swept across the waters. It was precisely to minimize these losses that the lighthouses were built.

The remains of the Joseph S. Fay

Forty Mile Point Lighthouse, north of Alpena, looks like a little red schoolhouse. Sitting on a bluff overlooking the water, it is still active today, guiding mariners on their way to Lake Superior. Put into service in 1897, the white 53-foot tall, 12-foot square brick tower is attached to a red brick keeper’s house (now a museum).On the beach below, a portion of the hull of the Joseph S. Fay, which sank in the 1905 storm, sits on the sand, her 150-feet long wooden side accented by the metal rods and spikes which continue to hold her remains together. If you have a hankering to live in a lighthouse, this one has a volunteer assistant lighthouse keeper program that lets you spend a week helping run the place.

Closer to Alpena, the Old and New Lighthouses on Presque Isle (which means ‘almost an island’ in French) stand a mile apart, on a peninsula forming one of the refuge harbors between the Straits of Machinaw and Port Huron.

The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse

The Old Light, completed in 1840, is one of the oldest surviving lighthouses on the Great Lakes, its conical stone and brick tower rising 30 feet into the sky. As you climb the circular staircase to the light for a commanding view of Lake Huron, below you is the bronze bell from Lansing City Hall. Weighing 3,425 lbs, it is heavier and larger than the Liberty Bell. Nearby is an enormous ship’s anchor.

According to legends, the lighthouse is said to be haunted, perhaps by the ghost of George Parris, the former lighthouse keeper. Shortly after his death in 1971, reports began to emerge of an amber light that appears in the tower from time to time, even though all the wires have been disconnected.

The Bronze bell

Less than 30 years after its inauguration, the Old Light was replaced by the New Lighthouse, constructed one mile away on the north end of Presque Isle peninsula. It is still active today -- at 109 feet, it is the tallest lighthouse accessible to the public on the Great lakes. The view from the top of the light is breathtaking.

Four arched windows punctuate the tower below the wrought iron brackets supporting the gallery and the dark green walkway. A red roof tops the light beacon which is attached to the keeper’s house by a short brick enclosed passageway. Nearby a tiny museum houses a collection of maritime artifacts including steam fog whistles and fog bells.

Alpena is home to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center where you can visit the shipwrecks along the coast, either by glass bottomed boat or by diving. Alpena also hosts the annual Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival (Oct 6-9 in 2011) during which time tours are organized at many of the Lake Huron lighthouses.

With the advent of technology, many of these lighthouses are no longer required to guide boats and mariners through the storms and shoals for which these lakes are famous. However, they continue to fascinate visitors from around the world and should be preserved for future generations as bright beacons of our past. Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved.

IF YOU GO

The new Presque Isle Lighthouse

Forty Mile Point Lighthouse (Take Highway 23 north from Alpena, 7 miles past Rogers City. Look for a brown sign on the right, “lighthouse ½ mile,” just past 40 Mile Point Ave. It is open year round Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm; 517-734-4029; www.40milepoint.org).

Presque Isle Lighthouses (Take Highway 23 north of Alpena for 10 miles; turn right on Grand Lake Road, follow the signs for the two lighthouses, one mile apart on the Presque Isle Peninsula. For more information call 989-595-9917. The lighthouses are open mid-May to mid-October, 7 days a week, 9am – 6 pm.)

Visit www.lighthousefriends.com for more information.

Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center (500 W. Fletcher, Alpena, MI 49707; tel 989-356-8805; www.thunderbay.noaa.gov);

Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival (Oct 6-9, 2011 at the Aplex Event Center, 701 Woodward Ave., Alpena, MI; www.lighthousefestival.org)

For additional photographs of the Great Lakes lighthouses

go to www.allegriaphotos.com

Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses, 2nd: Ontario, Erie, and Huron

Lighthouses of the Great Lakes: Your Ultimate Guide to the Region's Historic Lighthouses (Pictorial Discovery Guide)

Great Lakes Lighthouses: American and Canadian

Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Lake Superior, Michigan

2011-09-03T07:56:00.001-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

Lovers Leap Arch, Painted Rocks National Lakeshore

Waves constantly lap at the sandstone cliffs

Known to the Ojibwe tribe as Lake Gichigumi (Big Water), Lake Superior is the world’s third largest freshwater lake after Baikal in Russia and Tanganyika in Tanzania. It is the largest, deepest, and coldest of the Great Lakes, beset by vicious storms that can spawn waves over 20 feet high, destroyers of countless ships that lie at the bottom of the Graveyard Coast near Munising, Michigan. It is also home to a place of great natural beauty, the nation’s first National Lakeshore – Pictured Rocks!

Over a 15-mile stretch, huge sandstone cliffs, topped in places by white dolomite, soar 50 to 200 feet directly out of the turquoise blue water into the sky. Covered by ancient, dense forests of pine, birch, maple as well as other types of trees, interspersed with white sandy beaches, accented here and there by gushing waterfalls, the multicolored cliffs are constantly changing, sculpted by the wind and water.

Minerals leaching from the rocks

The name, Pictured Rocks, comes from the streaks of mineral deposits (iron, manganese, limonite, copper) that color the cliff side – white, green, orange, black, red – like a giant living canvas of natural graffiti, glistening with water that drips incessantly. If you look closely and set your imagination free, images and shapes appear!

Although it is possible to hike along cliff top trails, the only way to see the Pictured Rocks in all their glory is on a 2.5 -3 hour cruise, starting at Munising, on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

As the boat pulls out of the harbor, it passes over several shipwrecks that succumbed to the wrath and fury of the lake (including the Bermuda (1870), the Manhattan (1903) and the Herman Heltler (1926) which can be visited by glass-bottomed boat in the Alger Underwater Preserve near Grand Island. Farther along the coast is the 1975 wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, once the largest ship on the lake, immortalized in the song by Gordon Lightfoot).

Miners Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

The first major sandstone formation you reach is Miners Castle, the most famous of the Pictured Rocks, perhaps because it is also accessible by vehicle. A turret of rock rises above a series of interconnected caves, a favorite of kayakers. There once were two turrets until a few years ago when one collapsed, falling 90 feet into the water, part of the ever changing face of the shoreline.

Further along the lake, several arches dot the cliff sides. The entrance to the Grand Portal Arch is heaped with piles of boulders, the debris from the most recent collapse of the sandstone. Meanwhile the Petit Portal is a favorite of kayakers who paddle under it over the green and blue water.

According to legend, the tree-lined Lovers Leap Arch got its name when a Native American woman jumped to her death after her husband failed to return from a hunting trip. Yet another story tells of a couple who wanted to show their love for each other by jumping off the archway – unfortunately they did not realize that the water was extremely shallow—only 2 feet!

Indian Head Rock formation

Look for the Indian Head formation, so named because it appears to be the profile of an old Native American, keeping watch over Lake Gichigumi. If you use your imagination you can see the nose and chin jutting out over the water. It reminds you of Longfellow’s poem “The Song of Hiawatha.”

As the boat rounds a corner, a series of cliffs appear known as Battleship Rock. They resemble a line of battleships formed up and ready for action, their bows pointed into the crashing waves of Lake Superior.

At the farthest point of the cruise, look for Chapel Rock (or La Chapelle as it was known by the early settlers), a large, solitary formation on the edge of the water that looks like Swiss cheese. Once, an archway connected it to the cliffs. When it collapsed Chapel Rock was left isolated, topped by a single pine tree whose roots are now connected to the mainland where the arch once stood.

The best time to visit the Pictured Rocks is in the summer and fall unless you like snow and ice – Munising has over 200 inches of snow every year and the lake freezes, making this the perfect winter playground.

Chapel Rock, Pictured Rocks

Whether you call it Gichigumi or Lake Superior, this enormous body of water with its ever-changing natural canvas at Painted Rocks National Lakeshore is the perfect example of nature’s unending cycle of creation and destruction. Copyright 2011 Diana Russler All Rights Reserved

IF YOU GO

Munising is on the north shore of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, about 40 miles east of Marquette. You can get there on highways M-28 and M-94.

The Painted Rocks National Lakeshore is open year round 24-hours a day although many roads are impassable in winter. There is no entrance fee.

Pictured Rocks Cruises offers a number of sailings each day, weather permitting. (See www.picturedrocks.com for details; 800-650-2379 or 906-387-2379). Be sure to get there early to get a seat on the upper deck. On a windy day the lake becomes very choppy so check the weather before you set sail, especially if you have a sensitive stomach.

Grand Island Shipwreck Tours uses glass bottom boats to take visitors to view three shipwrecks on the bottom of the lake (906-387-4477)

If you are adventurous, kayaks and canoes can be rented at the Grand Island Ferry Dock (906-387-3503) and at Sunset Motel on the Bay (906-387-4574).

Hiawatha National Forest has miles of hiking and biking trails. (For the visitor information center call 906-387-2607)

Caves dot the base of the cliffs

TO STAY

Timber Ridge Lodge is tucked away on a hillside overlooking Hovey Lake in the heart of the Hiawatha National Forest, a few miles from Munising. Its cozy two room suites are perfect in summer or winter (tel 906-387-3790; www.munisingwebsites.com/timberridgelodge; N4045 Buckhorn Road, Munising, Michigan).

Sunset Motel on the Bay, Munising (www.sunsetmotelonthebay.com; Tel 906-387-4574; 1315 Bay Street, Munising).

TO EAT

Rock River Café (Tel 906-439-5509; N5298 Rock River Road, Chatham, MI; email rock.river.cafe@gmail.com; also on Twitter and Facebook). This newly opened café a few miles south of Munising offers freshly cooked, wholesome food. Try the broiled whitefish from Lake Superior or the lake trout and be sure not to miss the Cheesecake. Eat it very, very slowly to make it last!!!!

To view additional photographs of Lake Superior and the Pictured Rocks visit www.allegriaphotos.com.

Pictured Rocks: National Lakeshore

Hiking Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Hiking Guide Series)

Pèrouges, France

2011-08-29T07:25:00.000-04:00

By Diana Russler and Bill Gent

A cobblestone medieval lane

Gastronomic delicacies!

Your nose will be your guide into the tiny medieval town of Pèrouges, about 20 miles north of Lyon. As you stroll into the town, loaves of freshly baked bread are being set out on the window sill, drawing you further into the labyrinth of small alleys and cobblestoned lanes. Next to them, Galettes de Pèrouges, crepe-like pastries made with sugar, cream and syrup sit on white lacy paper doilies, tempting you to stop and sample them.

This magical little town, dating to the early Middle Ages, on a small hill overlooking the Ain River, is now preserved for future generations. It is also a favorite location for film makers -- you might remember Michael York as D’Artagnan, together with the other Musketeers,

wielding his sword through the streets of Pèrouges!

A 200 year old lime tree, Place Tilleul

Founded by a group of craftsmen – farmers and linen weavers – returning from Perugia, Italy, (after which it is named) the village flourished until the textile industry foundered and the railway was routed elsewhere. Thereafter, the village almost died until it was resurrected and turned into a tourist site in the early 1900s when Marie Thibaut, a school teacher from Lyon, began efforts to save the village – a perfect example of how one person can make a difference!

Enter through the thick, high walls of this fortified town through the Port d’en Haut (The Upper Door). The Port d’en Bas (the lower door), which was almost completely destroyed in 1468, provided a second entrance to the village. All that remains today is an inscription in Latin boasting about how the Dauphin, who tried to take the town from the Savoyards, was only able to take the door with its locks and hinges. The inscription concludes, tauntingly, “May the Devil take them!”

Through the Porte d’en Haut, the Rue du Ronde, paved with large pebbles, leads you around the center of the village to the main square, the Place Tilleul. A large lime tree (tilleul in French), planted in 1792 to mark the French Revolution, provides shade and a meeting point.

The square is surrounded by a number of exquisitely preserved buildings, some with stained glass windows, most with geranium-filled window boxes. Look for an intricate Sundial on the side of a building on the north side of the square. In addition to the signs of the zodiac, the face is decorated with a dragon in the red circle which is the coat of arms of Pèrouges, as well as the coat of arms of Dombes (the region).

The sundial, Place Tilleul

One of the most beautiful buildings in Pèrouges is the Ostellerie on Rue des Princes and Place Tilleul. This 15^th century two-storied, cantilevered house has many medieval features – vertical and horizontal beams, a huge walk-in fireplace, stained glass windows – and still houses an inn and restaurant.

For a great view of the village, climb to the turret of the tiny museum (Musée de Vieux Pèrouges), on Place Tilleul. The museum has an interesting collection of exhibits showcasing the history of the town.

With its dozens of nooks and crannies to explore, you can spend almost the entire day walking around this exquisite little community, a sure way to make you hungry – a perfect excuse to try another Galette de Pèrouges!

IF YOU GO

Pèrouges is located about 20 miles from Lyon. If you are driving, take the N84 or the A42 Exit 7. You can also take a train from Lyon to Meximieux and walk up the hill to the village (about 20 minutes).

Be sure to wear comfortable shoes – the galets (stones collected from the riverbanks) which “pave” the alleys are hard to walk on!