In old Russia, everything was long. The roads were long. The novels were long. The winters were long. In today`s Soviet Union, things are even longer: the speeches, the queues, the wait for your meal in a restaurant. But for the spirited tourist durable enough to put aside demands for first-class travel, a trip to the USSR is a fascinating journey, and one that will pay back the extra effort for a long time to come.
This year, the Soviet Union celebrates its 70th birthday–the Nov. 7 anniversary of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. It has been decades since this nation of 281 million has wrestled as much as now with such dramatic and exciting transformations in almost every aspect of domestic life.
Compared with the current tenor of openness set by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, few periods in the past have offered a better opportunity for the adventurous traveler to glean insights into the other superpower.
After returning home, the traveler will find that the evening news will never be the same. Jokes about Ivan and Boris will sound flat. When candidates speak about ”The Russians”–for or against–the blank spaces in their stereotypes will be obvious. You will know, because you will have seen for yourself.
Be forewarned. In addition to the toilet paper, mineral water and peanut butter that are survival tools for the American tourist, be sure to pack your patience. It is needed almost the second you touch down at Moscow`s Sheremetyevo airport, where transit through passport control and customs may take hours.
There is only one reason to visit the Soviet Union, and that is curiosity –about a land rich in culture and history, and about a political system that truly does present the Western eye with progressive layers of troubling riddles and enigmas.
Travel in the USSR is no day at the beach. Hotels are mediocre compared with their Western counterparts. Food is palatable, but rarely exciting. Shopping tends to extremes–top-dollar fur coats and hats, or political pins that cost just pennies. A shopper with a keen eye is able to find beautiful lacquer boxes or painted dolls that capture the character of the land better than any snapshot.
All of these can be found in the Beriozka stores that cater to foreigners and their convertible currency. While there, don`t forget to stock up on mineral water and snacks that can make all the difference during an overnight train ride or daylong tour.
Visitors must plan their vacations through Intourist, the sluggish Soviet travel bureaucracy. Bookings can be made with Intourist directly or with the assistance of a travel agency. A typical Intourist travel voucher is maddeningly full: lodging, transportation and meals; tours morning, noon and night; tickets for theater, ballet or circus.
In a sense, there is comfort for first-time travelers in the Intourist monopoly, as it is often difficult for individual visitors to reserve tickets for the Bolshoi or squeeze their way into a restaurant. If you desire a personal excursion or a special restaurant meal away from the group, by all means approach your hotel service bureau for arrangements. The USSR is ever-interested in hard currency earnings, so the American willing to pay extra for such side trips is usually successful.
A basic tour of the country includes stops in Moscow and Leningrad, plus, perhaps, one additional region.
For the romantic and robust traveler, there is Soviet Central Asia, the traditionally Moslem area that borders Iran, Afghanistan and China. You can tour ancient ruins conquered first by Alexander and then by desert sands. The cuisine tends to spicy shashlik–shishkebab–and muddy but magnificient coffee. There also are captivating outdoor spice and rug markets that date to Marco Polo.
The Caucasus mountain region, in the southern USSR, is an abundant, hospitable area known for its anything-goes lifestyle. Farther south are the sunny resorts of the Crimea and Black Sea.
Known by Soviets as the USSR`s window to the West, the Baltic republics have kept their old-world charm–and free-enterprise spirit–despite nearly five decades of Soviet rule.
Intourist also can custom-tailor trips for the stout-hearted. Fishermen can battle Siberian trout in the USSR`s wild, wild East. Mountaineers can join Soviet climbers on expeditions in the Pamirs, foothills of the Himalayas, or the Caucasus, the highest mountains in Europe.
For transportation between those points, Aeroflot, the state airline, is efficient if uncomfortable. When possible, ride soft-class on overnight train. A pleasant conductress will bring you tea and biscuits. Pretend you`re on a film noire set.
But remember, the Soviet Union spans 11 time zones and includes 15 constituent republics, and travel here is exhausting. Set realistic goals for your trip.
A pocket Russian phrasebook is a must, as more than one surly doorman has been softened up by the well-meaning tourist attempting to communicate in the native tongue. Of the many travel guides, Fodor`s ”Soviet Union” remains the standard. However, the Blue Guide for Moscow and Leningrad (though more limited) is the choice of veterans because of its remarkable detail.
Only Moscow and Leningrad offer a real choice of hotels.
Moscow`s Mezhdunarodnaya, built under the guidance of oil magnate Armand Hammer, is like a little piece of Hyatt on the Moscow River. The Cosmos, built for the 1980 Olympic games, also is a modern complex.
A better location is the Rossiya, just off Red Square, said to be the world`s largest hotel, for those desiring such a diary entry. Regulars pick the National, a grand institution opposite the Kremlin that has grown a bit tawdry at the edges–but Lenin slept there. Around the corner is the newer Intourist. The Berlin and Metropol will be choice after current repairs are completed.
In Leningrad, two old-world hotels, the Yevropeskaya and the Astoria, offer fine food and convenient locations. The newer hotels Leningrad and Pribaltiskaya also are pleasant. Most other Soviet cities have only one hotel in which foreigners may stay.
The Soviet Union is one nation where travel posters don`t lie. Visit the Kremlin. Visit it again in different light. Watch the sunbeams glint off the gold dome of St. Isaac`s cathedral in Leningrad, and wander through the collection of the Hermitage.
Visit the old city center of Tallinn, Estonia, and imagine yourself in a German hamlet five centuries ago. Or sit through the moving sound-and-light presentation at the 17th Century Registan, the trio of madrasas and mosques on the central square in Samarkand, the old trading crossroads in Soviet Uzbekistan.
In the hands of a knowledgeable Intourist guide, not one of the USSR`s major sites will be missed during organized tours. Intourist will shepherd you to world-class art galleries, fabulous restorations of czarist palaces, monuments to political and literary greats, and exhibitions of economic achievement.
Most official guides don`t go in for much America-bashing, but be prepared for the occasional dig at President Reagan`s Star Wars program, a hint that the USSR won World War II almost single-handedly or an assertion that the Soviet people want peace more than Americans. Since your guide is the Soviet citizen you will get to know best, don`t be afraid to challenge him or her with any question of lifestyle or politics. They can handle it.
Because Intourist`s job is to show the USSR at its best–and keep you out of trouble while doing it–guides tend to monopolize a visitor`s time. Be sure to work out a personal itinerary before your trip of those special interests you want to pursue. Then, excuse yourself from the group and just go explore. Did you have a favorite Russian literature class? Grab your map and visit the canals, parks and alleyways described by Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Pushkin. Always wondered about the life of a Soviet consumer? Wander through the huge GUM department store off Red Square or GD in Leningrad, and duck into every bookstore, bakery and grocery you see. Don`t be afraid to get lost on the safe and speedy subways.
Do you love classical music? Don`t be put off by the difficulty of finding tickets to the Bolshoi or Kirov. Ask the hotel service bureau to inquire about one of the dozens of fine, smaller halls that give first-class performances almost every night. Try the Moscow Conservatory hall, a short walk from the Kremlin. For those courageous enough for a bus ride to the city limits, ask for the chamber music hall at the Olympic village.
In Leningrad, many of the local factories have houses of culture that offer rock and jazz shows in the evening. Buy a local paper–it will cost about a nickel–and ask your guide to translate the entertainment listings.
Doctors, lawyers, teachers, farmers–your profession might also be capital you can spend for greater understanding of the Soviet system. Before leaving the U.S., contact Intourist about a meeting with the Soviet friendship society founded along your career lines. Most of these groups, whose mandate is explaining the Kremlin`s ways to foreigners, will be delighted to invite you to lunch with an English-speaking Soviet colleague.
Despite your best efforts to explore the Soviet Union and its society, the barrier of language and fear is difficult to surmount. Sadly, the Soviet government usually hides its best salesmen, as there are laws that discourage average Soviet citizens from contact with foreigners. All too often, the only local citizens a tourist meets are the guides and black marketeers who ply their trade in the foreigners` hotels.
(A word of caution: Currency speculation is a messy business, and there is no rubles-for-dollars deal worth the headache and embarrassment of being nabbed trading hard currency. It`s also a bad idea to sell those fluorescent Nikes to any smooth-talking black marketeer. A proper way to make friends is with gifts like English-language magazines, American cigarettes, a Chicago Cubs T-shirt or a new rock `n` roll cassette.)
For those impromptu meetings with random Soviet citizens that result in the most memorable conversations in the USSR, just walk. Get away from the hotel and its swarm of underground entrepreneurs, and visit one of the spacious parks or outdoor markets that dot every Soviet city.
In Moscow, stroll through Gorky Park around sundown. In the afternoon and evening, walk along the capital`s Arbat street pedestrian mall, restored to its gaslight-era splendor.
In Leningrad, Nevsky Prospect is a magnet like Michigan Avenue. The nearby riverfront is a century-old equivalent to Lake Shore Drive for casual strolling amid architectural splendor.
With a little eye contact and a general impression of being lost, you are bound to be approached by a curious passerby. A number of college-age Soviets speak English, and have a huge interest in the West. Many who work in academia and the professions have English-language greetings in their vocabulary.
The official salutation in Russian is zdrastvuytye. Better is privyet, a less stuffy way of saying ”hi” and easier to remember.
It`s also shorter, which is usually a relief.
