ZDRAST-vuy-tye! (Hello!)
So I’m
trying to learn a little Russian right now.
I’ve got a couple of phrases down
pat . . . well, more or less J
Vi ga-va-RI-tye pa an-GLI-ski? (Do you speak English?)
And
Ya nye pa-ni-MA-yu. (I don’t understand.)
Yes, I'm all set . . .
Oh, wait.
There’s still Step 2:
Before jumping on the Rossiya 2 or the sumptuous (and incredibly expensive) Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, Lonely
Planet says there’s a biography you should read: The
Princess of Siberia by Christine Sutherland. They describe the book as “unputdownable”.
Beautiful and romantic Princess Maria
Volkonsky (only 21) travels thousands of frozen miles to be with her exiled
husband, Prince Sergei, in Siberia. (The prince was one of the Decembrist revolutionaries who wanted to free the serfs.) Forbidden to have servants, she learns to clean and cook, as well as
cheerfully support the “emaciated human wreck” she finds “covered with verminous rags,
dragging his chains” in a mine. Conditions
did improve, but, after eleven years, Sergei’s health was seriously impaired,
and, due to Maria’s efforts, permission was granted for them to settle near a
doctor. In Irkutsk, Maria became a society leader who worked to establish schools and the arts.
The
Volkonsky House-Museum now is one of the sights in Irkutsk – “a small mansion
set in a scruffy courtyard”.
All right, here I go . . .
. . . putting it on my Bucket List. J
************
I was
surprised (pleasantly) to find that, when in their food coverage, Lonely Planet
makes recommendations for Ukrainian restaurants in Russia separate from Russian
restaurants.
***********
Now, for something delicious I'd be happy to find anywhere:
PEAR SALAD (3-4
servings)
From: 500
Sensational Salads, edited by Julia Canning for Hermes House
2 pears
Butter lettuce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
Blue cheese (optional)
Shake vinegar and oil together and
serve over the pears and lettuce. The
salad is excellent; with, or without the Blue Cheese!
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