Adventure #12: Moscow By Roof

This will be the last of my posts about my trip to Russia, but I would LOVE to chat more about my trip. Let's get coffee, and I'll bring my photos :)

One of the best things about going on the river cruise was the ability to see so much of Russia that I wouldn't have likely put on my itinerary if I was planning it myself. Getting to compare the historical richness of St. Petersburg to the small outdoor museum of Khizi, to the bustling city of Yaroslavl, to the veritable metropolis of Moscow was fascinating. However, there were definitely times where we felt a little trapped within the schedule of the boat, and the limited time we got to spend in some places left us feeling like we wanted to stretch our legs by the end of the trip. Moscow was our chance to do this.

We had planned a day with no optional excursions (except one late in the evening) and had planned to explore ourselves. Step one was getting family and individual pictures in front of St. Basils. While our walking tour had taken us by this spot the day before, we didn't have nearly enough time, and given that this is THE iconic spot in the city, we took advantage of it early in the morning. Lines were also short to go inside, and while we had seen PLENTY of cathedrals with their walls of painted and gilt icons, this one was very different. Instead of one main room, each dome hosts an individual chapel with its own wall of icons. It was a nice break from the usual, and great to see people taking care of such an iconic place.

Outside of St. Basils

Inside St. Basil's

Stop number two was a walk through an enormous and elaborate department store, GUM (rhymes with doom). Exiting on the other side of Red Square, we took in the gardens, fountains, and statues that surround the Kremlin, enjoying our leisure time, and the sunshine.

At the suggestion of our Hotel Manager on board the ship, we walked to the Ritz Carlton and took the elevator to the top floor where they have a rooftop bar. Believe it or not, you don't have to be a guest at the swanky hotel-- just be willing to pay for a cup of coffee or a bowl of ice cream and you can get one of the best views of the city.

Next, we walked to the Bolshoi-- home to famous Russian ballet artists. While we didn't get to go in, as we didn't have tickets for that evening, we did enjoy the courtyard, and seeing pictures of the history of the ballet.

Bonus points to whomever can tell me what's playing! The title is in red. (I figured it out phonetically)

After an afternoon of wandering through Moscow, hunting Lego souvenirs for my boyfriend, we finally ended the day with a tour of Moscow by night. A stop at the WWII Monument, and a boat ride along the river were nice, but my favorite moment was getting to see St. Basil's all lit up. The bus stopped on one side of the church, and many people were disappointed to see it in the dark. I decided to walk up the small side street to get a picture of the lights on GUM, and much to my surprise, there was a projection show being tested for an upcoming festival (which explains why the lights were out on the other side. I was the only one on the bus to get to see it, but it was breathtaking. I could have stood there all night, and I wish I had the chance to explore their equipment, and talk to the programmer too! It was a beautiful way to end a beautiful trip.

Adventure #11: Russian Banya

Turns out, running a blog during the school year is going to be a bit more of a challenge than I thought. Working on catching up as I can!

One of the best experiences I had in Russia was on the island of Mandrogy. This small island used to have a community on it, but it was ruined during WWII and disappeared for many years. In the mid 90s, a wealthy man decided it would be fun to bring the village back, and created it as a tourist attraction, and almost outdoor museum for historic buildings and handcrafts. Many artisans will live on the tiny island for the summer months while river cruises bring a steady stream of tourists with their pockets full of money and a need for souvenirs.

One of the optional excursions offered by the boat was the chance to experience the Russian Banya, or sauna experience. Russians believe this helps with purification, and will often have standing weekly appointments. While I've been in saunas before (I'm a lizard person, and I would love to warm up in a sauna after swimming in a cold pool) I'd never experienced anything quite like this.

I thought the process sounded interesting, and I convinced my cousin to come along with me, because adventures are always more fun when you have a friend. We met the rest of the group (about 20 people total from a ship of near 200) and walked down the path along the river. Once we got to two small buildings tucked into the trees, they split us into two groups-- men, and women. Given that most of the people on the cruise were traveling with their husbands, this meant that most people were instantly separated from their travel buddy, inciting panic and much more of an adventure than they had planned on.

We walked down the path, were shown into a changing room, and told to don our bathing suits, or wrap ourselves in large bed sheets (for those that didn't bring a suit). Then, we were given small, woolen hats, and I still have yet to figure out why, but it was part of the experience (maybe it's to keep us warmer? Maybe it's to protect our brains? Jury is still out). Our "host" for the experience, Dmitri, was in charge of pouring the water on the hot stones, letting steam roll over the room. He instructed us to breathe deeply, and get the steam in our lungs to help with the cleansing. He encouraged people to sit up as high on the benches as they could to get the most steam possible. He told us that we should all be sweaty because it was good for us.

And then he brought out the tree branches.

Part of the Russian Banya is a "birch broom massage" which means getting beaten with a bundle of leafy sticks. It doesn't hurt, and the theory behind it is that it gets the blood flowing to help your body release all of the toxins that have built up, but I wouldn't describe it as comfortable either. I'm not sure how much "science" goes into this, but it was definitely an experience! Ultimately, I think I prefer my massage therapist back in the states because I don't end up covered in pieces of leaves (which is also supposed to be good for the skin).

At the end of this beating, we all walked out to the dock on the river, and either jumped in, or had buckets of river water dumped over us to cool us back down. I figured jumping into a Russian river is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing, so I might as well take a chance. I'm not usually a fan of cold plunges, but what the heck.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Refreshing, yes, but not uncomfortable. Possibly even enjoyable! After plunging, we came back into the building, and drank hot tea, and ate spoonfuls of a tart berry jam, to get our blood sugar up. Following this, it was back into the steam room for a second round of sweating, beating, and jumping into the river.

I think the best part of the experience was the camaraderie we built as a group of women. It was such fun to see us start the experience slightly nervous and uncomfortable, but end with endless giggles and a shared experience. We spent a fair amount of time taking photos inside the banya, figuring out how to take a group photo, and then taking pictures with Dmitri too (I'm sure he thought we were all crazy).

Back on the boat, many people were very curious about our experience. The rumors about being beaten by birch brooms had scared many people away from the banya, but they all wanted to know what it was like. There are no words to fully describe the experience, but it makes me think of why I love traveling so much. It offers the chance to really step outside of our own comfort zones, and fully experience another culture. To embrace what others see as commonplace, or "normal" allows us to grow as humans, and start to understand that no matter where we're from, we all just want to be happy.

Adventure #10: Viking River Cruise to Russia

I've been trying to figure out for about a month now how to break up my most recent international adventure, and finally realized that I just need to write about it and stop procrastinating. With the start of school again, it's been a struggle to find a moment of sitting that doesn't involve immediately falling asleep, but hopefully I'll get back into the swing of the school year routine soon.

As an experienced international traveler, I have to admit that this trip didn't exactly push my personal boundaries a lot-- most of the places I visited were museums or historical sites, we always had a guide to make sure we didn't get lost, and on this trip most of our food was provided for us on the ship too! But the great thing about traveling is that even if the trip doesn't provide a lot of challenges, it will always provide insight into different cultures.

Now, based on my previous comments, I don't want anybody to think I didn't enjoy myself. Viking easily made this trip one of the most relaxing international trips I've ever been on, which was DEFINITELY a new experience. My family's motto when traveling is usually "you can sleep when you die". We spend our time seeing as much as we can in as little time as we can, because we never know when (or if) we'll be back. Viking is an incredible company that has service at the heart of everything they do. I'm normally not a huge fan of cruises, but this trip was much more my speed. It was very educationally focused, and I was much more interested in attending lectures on the Romanov family than playing bingo in the bar or salsa dancing on the lido deck. The food was spectacular, and our rooms were kept immaculate by multiple housekeeping visits a day. I was also astounded by the ability of the crew to learn our names and our preferences so quickly. As a teacher, it takes me about 3 weeks to learn the names of 130 students. The crew had our names, coffee orders, and room numbers memorized in about 2 days!

Another "first" on this trip was losing my luggage. I normally travel in  a carry on, but I was convinced to check a bag because this was a longer trip, and it would be nice to not be in the same pair of jeans for two whole weeks. Viking was incredibly hospitable, provided me with all the toiletries I needed, and washed all my clothes each night until my suitcase was delivered from the airport. Definitely an experience I don't need to repeat again, but I'm glad that it happened in a place where I had so many other people helping me to navigate this potential disaster.

Being in Russia at this point in time was also fascinating. Despite the "friendliness" between our current political leaders, I feel like there are a lot of tensions regarding election hacking, and even some latent resentment regarding our cultural relationship in the past. It was fascinating to be reminded that despite the way our countries are run, or who they are run by, that we are all just humans; we all want the same things. People want to be happy, and safe, and healthy have opportunities to grow. Whether they are from big cities like Seattle or Moscow, or little towns like Belfair, or Uglich, people want to connect with each other, and learn about the world around them. We all have our own given circumstances that shape us into who we are, but our experiences are often much more similar than we realize.

One striking moment on this trip was getting to meet a woman named Nadia who opened her home to visitors so we could see what her life was like. She spoke through a translator and told us about her life as a grandmother, and how she enjoyed working in her garden. She spent most of her early life growing up in Lithuania, and became a biology teacher. When the USSR was dissolved, the principal at her school said she had done a great job as a teacher, but she had 6 months to leave the country. I was floored that she had spent her life in one place, and was suddenly told that she had to abandon everything she's known. Then, I remembered that people in my own country, known as DREAMers, are experiencing similar uncertainties about their future. It really hammered home the point that no matter how different we are, we have even more in common.

I'll write a bit more about a few specific moments of my trip, but there's no way I can blog every moment. If you'd like to hear more, let's meet up for a drink (or maybe some pelmeni) and we'll chat :)

Adventure #9: July Hikes

One of the better parts of teaching is having summer vacation off, which means I get to spend a LOT of time outside. Many people (who have no experience in education) think it's unfair that teachers get the "entire" summer off, but I promise if you want teachers to be safe, effective, and somewhat sane during the school year, then they need the summer off. I know I always feel better when I have some time to sweat my way uphill to look at some beautiful places in nature.

Given that I've done a fair bit of hiking in July, I thought I'd combine them all into one summative post. It feels like cheating to count them each as their own adventure, but I wanted to acknowledge all of the cool places I've gone this month, and the wonderful people that I've gotten to spend time with.

Hike #1 July 8th: Bandera Mountain
Nothing like 3000+ feet of elevation gain to remind you how out of shape you are! This trail starts with a climb, and finishes with a scramble to the top of the rock pile, but definitely pays off on a clear day with beautiful views of Mt. Rainier. This was also my first hike with someone new and it was also a ton of fun getting to climb with Mike Schubert! He's a fellow Seattle improvisor, and runs Potterless (a Harry Potter podcast) so we had plenty to chat about when I was able to keep enough air in my lungs :)

Hike #2, July 11th: Upper Dungeness River
I hiked this gorgeous riverside path with my friend Cassondra, and my original hiking buddy, my mom! Beautiful river views and sounds as we strolled along the trail. It takes a bit of a drive to get out there, and navigation can be a bit confusing, but once we got there, it was smooth sailing. There are plenty of trails out there, but we decided to turn around at Camp Handy, which was a great place for a sit and a snack. Several people had come out to camp for an evening or two and it would definitely a great place for a gentle backpacking trip-- easy water source, little elevation gain, dog friendly, and beautiful views throughout the trip. Be sure to stop at Finnriver Cidery for a beverage when you're done!

Hike #3, July 13th and 14th: Ipsut Creek Campground
Time for Baby's First Backpacking Trip! It was a pleasure to be able to escort my un-biological nephew (and his parents) on his first backpacking trip. The hike is an easy climb to an old front-country campground, which makes it marvelously well appointed despite its isolation. Bear boxes and picnic tables abound, and the trail is wide, mostly flat, and well maintained. There aren't too many beautiful sites on the way up, but there are some great views just beyond the campground. We packed up the next day, given that Henry was not a fan of sleeping in the tent, and headed out the next morning to ride the gondola up to the top of Crystal Mountain for one of the best views in the state. While I've been to both of these places before, I'm counting it as (part of) an adventure because this was my first time hiking with Henry, or his dad, Steve!

Henry helping me set up my tent.

The view from the top of Crystal

Hike #4, July 27-31: Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Craters of the Moon National Monument

I spent the later part of my July on a bit of a road trip through some beautiful national parks. While Cass and I easily could have spent a week in each of these places, we unfortunately have other things to get to, so we did what we could. We earned our junior ranger badges at each of these locations, and really enjoyed getting to see locations that are so vastly different from our PNW home. None of the hikes we did were particularly strenuous, and most were under a mile (as we were trying to see as much of each park as possible), but again, it's always a nice reminder that a hike does not have to be long or steep for it to provide opportunities for beauty, solitude, and wonder.

Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park

Schwabacher Landing in Grand Teton National Park  

Inside Cunningham Cabin in Grand Teton National Park 

Spatter Cones at Craters of the Moon National Monument

Dwarf Buckwheat at Craters of the Moon National Monument

Adventure #8: Stonehenge

I am incredibly fortunate to be so well traveled at my age, but the downside is that I sometimes think I take it for granted. While I find cathedrals to be beautiful, there are only so many you can see before they start to run together in your mind, and while I love being in historic places or renowned museums, the crowds can often be overwhelming and can overshadow the experience. Then, there are some places in this world that demand your attention. Stonehenge is one of them.

While I had been looking forward to this place since I booked the trip to London, upon arrival, I feared the crowds would make this experience uncomfortably sterile and rushed. The wait to get on the bus to go out to the site was daunting, and we had to adjust the timing of our travel plans to Bath that evening to accommodate the extra long wait. I was less than thrilled but tried to keep a good face for my students.

The wait was worth it.

While much of our travel in London had included sites like St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and Windsor Palace which are architectural wonders within their own rights, Stonehenge could be seen as much simpler, and maybe even lackluster given the natural state of things, but I find that's why I liked it so much more. It is so clearly designed in such an elegant way, and while it has SO much history to it (and so much that we don't even know) the lack of perfected sculpture seems welcoming, familiar, and humble. I often talk about feeling my most spiritual in nature, and while I can greatly appreciate the marvel of building immense cathedrals reaching towards the heavens, for me, this captured so much more of the wonder that human beings can create. Their will to overcome obstacles, and their strength and determination to succeed is evident in each massive stone. The breeze sweeping over wide grassy fields carries away the noises of other people leaving you to contemplate how short your own personal existence is (despite being surrounded by literally hundreds of other tourists). I very easily could have spent the rest of the afternoon learning about the history of these big rocks, wandering the fields in the sunshine, and even watching other people discover their own sense of amazement, but alas, there was more too see, and never enough time to do it.

Guess I'll just have to go back :)

The Heel Stone

The clouds were perfect that day

Selfie time!

Adventure #7: Shakespeare!

While this adventure happened over the course of a few days, they all have a common thread: Shakespeare in London.

As an English teacher, it's a prerequisite to have (at very minimum) a tolerance, if not a healthy appreciation, or even obsession with Shakespeare. My enjoyment of his works began at a relatively young age when my middle school English teacher gave a small group of us an assignment to write a biography, read summaries of ALL of his tragedies and comedies, and rewrite and stage our favorite over the course of a trimester. As an 8th grader, this was quite the undertaking.

The first play that I had the pleasure of acting in was an abridged version of The Tempest. It was produced in two weeks as part of an acting camp in Tacoma, and really introduced me to the world of performance. While I didn't recognize it at the time, that show was life changing.

It was a great joy to get to see Iris Theatre Company's production of this show on June 30th. Their production took place at St. Paul's Church in Covent Garden, and made use of the gardens, patio, entranceway, and main chapel as the show was presented in a "processional" form, meaning audience members would move to different locations for different acts. While this show did not have the large budget of a West-End production, it was captivating and entertaining all the same.

(P.S. I didn't take pictures of this part because it's rude to take pictures of performances, and I'm not going to post pictures of my students)

The next day, my students and I traveled to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see Anne Hathaway's cottage (where she grew up, and where their married life began) and Shakespeare's birthplace. It was fascinating to me to think that these buildings have been around since before our country was founded, and we are still able to identify them as family homes, and they are structurally sound enough that hundreds of tourists are able to walk through them each day. They even know which room in the house Shakespeare was born in! The town of Stratford is much calmer than London proper, and we had a beautiful sunny afternoon to eat lunch, check out the shops, and I also took the opportunity to go visit the church where he and his family are buried. Quite impressive.

Shakespeare's chair (with initials and family emblem)

The Living Room at Anne Hathaway's Cottage

His final resting place

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Aspiring authors would carve their names on a window.

Our final Shakespearean stop was to The Globe Theatre. While I have pictures of the outside from my first trip to London, I wasn't able to go in, so getting to see the reconstruction of the theatre from the inside was a real treat. The stage was being transitioned into The Twelfth Night set while we were there, so we got to see the space as a functioning theatre, even though we weren't able to see a performance (another thing to put on the list for next time). My students also got to participate in a workshop exploring themes of Romeo and Juliet, and the use of iambic pentameter in storytelling.

This building is a recreation close to where the original Globe Theatre was. 

Whether you love him, hate him, or just don't understand him, it's hard to argue against the significance of this guy's stories!

Adventure #6: Harry Potter Studio Tour

I recently returned from a trip to London, so I've separated some of my favorite moments out into a few adventures. While this was not my first trip to London, each thing highlighted will be a new experience--something I didn't get to see or do my first time around.

There are two authors who I feel have had a profound impact on my adolescence: J.K. Rowling and Tamora Pierce. I routinely return to their worlds and stories to reexamine the characters who helped me grow into the woman I am today, and often find comfort in times of stress or strife. While many people turn to a religious text for these feelings, I find that the realms of Tortall and Hogwarts often help me to set my moral compass true, inspire me to push through my trying times, and give perspective on current world events (despite them both being fictional lands).

One of the things I was looking forward to most on this trip was the opportunity to visit Leavesden Studios, where all eight Harry Potter movies were filmed. They've taken two full sound stages and packed them full of sets, props, costumes, and more that were all used during the filming process. Despite my near encyclopedic knowledge of the stories and characters, I still learned a TON about how they achieved certain visual effects (how is Hagrid so big?), materials they used (the floor in the Great Hall is actually stone!), and greatly enjoyed seeing the creative process behind some truly incredible world building. They also had a "passport" (designed for children, but let's be honest; we all know I'm a child) that encouraged visitors to ask questions about certain locations, and provided a place to get a 3D stamp for each location. I collected ALL of the stamps, and spotted all 19 hidden snitches.

The Invisibility Cloak would have been worn with the "green screen" fabric on the outside. 

A small collection of the MANY hats created in the millinery shop.  

Models and illustrations from the Art Department. Not used for filming, but just for creation and communication of what the details of this world looks like. 

One of the biggest surprises to me was seeing how small everything seemed. The set for the Gryffindor boys dormitory is barely larger than my own bedroom, and #4 Privet Drive (while built as a full scale house) felt positively cramped. I struggled to imagine filming in locations like that, knowing that many actors, creatives, and their equipment would have to fit in a rather small living room or office setting.

The interior of #4 Privet Drive

My favorite displays were the final two rooms. One held the scale model of Hogwarts used to film all the exterior shots of the castle. I may have started crying when I saw it because of its spectacular detail and intense beauty. This model is ENORMOUS, and took 7-8 months to build. After the initial build, they discovered that when a train would pass by under the studio, it would shake the model ever so slightly, and it would register on camera, so they then had to move the model to a new location away from public transportation. This moving process took 40 days! When it was winter at Hogwarts, they would cover the model in salt "snow" and then spend several days vacuuming up all traces of winter for other seasonal shots. Nowadays, in December, the model is decorated for the exhibition using a synthetic snow that is less realistic looking, but also less corrosive.

The final room was decorated like the back room at Olivanders, and contained 4,219 "wand" boxes. Each box bore the name of a person credited with working on the films. The staff working in this room could direct people to any box requested, despite the fact that the boxes were not organized by category (writer, actor, composers, etc).

Can you see any familiar names? I can! 

When it was time to go, I was sorely tempted to leave them with a job application, but given my distaste for change, I decided that moving out of the country to live in a fantasy world would upset my status quo a bit. I could have easily spent another 8 hours enjoying more details, talking with the employees, and sitting in the sunshine enjoying a cold glass of Butterbeer, but all good things must come to an end. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that I'll get to return there some day soon!