It felt like Christmas morning when we awoke yesterday* (Thursday) to the beautiful view of snow-capped Russian mountains. We were in the port of Petropavlovsk, a city that has the largest settlement on the Kamchatka Peninsula. During the Soviet Era, this remote Far East Russian outpost served as the submarine base of the Pacific Fleet. Today, it is dominated by the fishing industry, with trawlers bringing in a million tons of fish each year. It is a rare occasion for a cruise ship to make a stop here.
By all appearances, Petropavlovsk seemed to be behind the times. In fact, a fellow traveler from Germany commented that it reminded him of the condition of his country in the eighties. Most buildings and roads were in a state of disrepair. But we nevertheless got the chance to step foot on Russian soil, and experience a bit of its culture, at a local restaurant.
After a welcome drink of Russian champagne, we were entertained with a performance of traditional Russian folk songs and dances by several groups of children and adults.
We then had a cooking demonstration and a tasting of locally brewed beer, following by lunch featuring traditional Russian dishes. Following lunch, we took a drive up the mountainous terrain for some spectacular views of the sea and volcanoes in the distance. It was a pleasant afternoon and we are now heading due east across the Bering Sea. Our destination: Alaska!
*Note: “Yesterday” was actually 48 hours ago as we crossed the international date line on May 22 (in Latitude 53°08´ North and Longitude 169° 36´ East), and thus experienced Friday twice...
Ron told me you guys called yesterday and your in Alaska Welcome back to the good ole USA We have followed your travels or blog what a great time Chere and Chad have aslo followed along, let us know how many small children were carried of by the Mosquitotes (PS check our spelling)if you can stop by before heading home we would love to see you We have up graded from 3 stars to 5 stars.
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