Travels with Pat

An earthquake leveled the town in   1931, so this “Miami Beach of the Southern Hemisphere” was rebuilt with art deco-style buildings.  From Hawke’s Bay our bus drove inland through Havelock, a lovely village tucked into the surrounding hills; stopped for us to sample huge strawberries at the Strawberry Patch; and ascended Te Mata Peak for a brilliant panoramic view of the
Tuki Tuki River valley.

We proceeded to Clifton Station where our group entered an 1886 Woolshed to see a professional sheep shearer at work.  I was impressed that he could expertly shear a lamb with electric shears in less than a minute.

Two kinds of dogs were used to herd sheep:  The New Zealand Blue Heeler who “stares” at the sheep for obediance and the NZ Huntaway who barks at the sheep – both with much running around the flock according to the farmer’s left and right singles.

On our way back to the ship we had our first stop for scones with raspberry jam and clotted cream at a studdning beach front location on Hawke’s Bay.

New Zealand is adamant in restricting foreign plants, seeds and any food from the ship to shore including sandwiches and fruit.  Sometimes the food sniffing beagles with their handlers were at the disembarking gangplank and other times they were in the port building.

While Kathy toured Rotorua, where geothermal geysers and mud pools spurt from the earth and home of Maori culture, I had a leisure day since Paul and I had visited there in 1993.  So, I started a book, walked a mile (four times around the outside deck) and observed Mt. Maunganui which dominates this resort region.

Three things are certain on cruises – the food is always very good with excellent presentation and service.  After dinner we usually went to one of the high energy extravaganzas held in the Van Gogh Lounge with a Broadway style stage.  There were dancers, singers, magicians. comedians and musicians – all extremely talented.  Male escorts were also present to dance with single ladies before the shows.

“Welcome to the South Pacific and the Land Down Under.” boomed the Captain’s voice over the intercom as Kathy, my MT nurse daughter, and I ate our welcoming lunch on the Lido deck of the Statendam Cruise ship which would be our home foe next fourteen days.

(earlier) Auckland, NZ – There was a beautiful red sunrise as our plane descended into Auckland, the largest city in NZ.  Holland American buses took us on a guided tour of the city before starting our cruise.  It’s called the “City of Sails” because of the number of sailing craft in harbors and bays.

Auckland is very green with tropical foliage because of the 48″ average rainfall.  We had a view of the city from the top of Mt. Eden with its extinct volcano

Our last four days were filled with sightseeing in and around St. Petersburg which included Peter and Paul Fortress; Peterhof, Peter the Great’s summer residence with 150 fountains and the Hermitage with one of the largest art collections in the world.  A fitting culmination of our Cruise – Tour of the Russian Waterways was an excellent performance of the ballet, “Swan Lake.”

And so we bid “dos-vidanya” (goodbye) to Russia and started planning our next cruise.

Day 10 – Kizhi  Island in the middle of Lake Onega is not only one of the most ancient sites of habitation in Russia, it also hosts a huge open air architectural museum.  I joined the slower paced walking group to see over 80 wooden monuments from grave markers to the 22 timbered onion domes on the Church of Transfiguration plus other cultural items of Karella’s ethnic groups which have been brought from other parts of northern Russia.

Day 11 – On our way to Lake Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe, we spent some time in Svinstroi where the highlight was a home visit with a lively 66 year old great grandmother who had baked a large variety of pastries and sang “Moscow Nifhts” for us.  Her entire front and back yards were planted with flowers and a vegetable garden.

After the Captain’s Farewell Dinner, Kathy and I wearing our black boas sang “Peace Is Flowing Like a River” in Russian and English for the talent show.

Day 8 -   We continued our Discoveries in the Golden Ring (an arc of cities where magnificent pieces of Russia’s past have been preserved) with a stop at Yaroslavl.

Instead of visiting yet another Cathedral, we were bussed to a Valenki factory which manufactured a variety of felt winter boots.  From the processing of sheep’s wool into felt to the finished procudt, a lab supervisor led us through loud machinery and steamy conditions with no apparent safety measures for the female manual workers.

Day 9 – Today we learned the art of creating blinis, a small Russian pancake that was served with sour cream and strawberry jam plus tea while we cruised on our way to Lake Onega.  We also were treated to a Russian Fairy tales Presentation featuring the universal character of Baba Yaga (wicked witch).

Day 6   Embarkation day on the “Tiki Don” as we started our cruise on the Volga River and continued through canals, lakes and other rivers on the Volga-Baltic waterway to St. Petersburg.  Every day featured some kind of Discovery in addition to port talks and the scenic beauty we were cruising past.

Day 7  Today we learned about Russian handicrafts and had a few lessons in the Russian language before we arrived at Uglich (curve of the river) which boasts the striking Church of St. Dimitry on the Blood with its red walls and blue domes.  Further on our walking tour we sat on benches in the monumental Cathedral of Transfiguration to hear an acapella group pf monks sing several hymns.

Days 1 – 4  Once we were in Moscow, Kathy visited the tourist sites which I had already seen when I went to the Soviet Union in 1986 with Grandmothers for Peace.  These included the Kremlin with its red brick crenelated walls and 15th century towers; the State Armory filled with valuable jewels and a photo – op of St. Basil’s Cathedral with its many multi-colored domes.

Day 5 – That night we attended the Moscow Circus which showcased trained bears, cats, dogs, elephants and even a hedgehog and porcupine in addition to clowns and many daring acrobatic feats as well as choreographed dance routines.

The 2nd day in Kiev we visited the Lavra (Caves Monastery). another UNESCO site. with many “onion – domed” museums on several levels.  In the 11th century, several “holy men settled in these caves and were joined by other healers and hermits.

The highlight of our Kiev visit was having dinner at the Rappaport’s apartment where they lived with their daughter, her husband and a whippet.  Living space is at a real premium and most families live in huge apartment complexes.

“See with your own eyes what life is like in the new Russia!”  How could I resist going on a river cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg and revisit some of the sites I had seen in 1986 with a group of Grandmothers for Peace when it was still known as the Soviet Union?

Since my MT nurse daughter had friends in Kiev, Ukraine, we decided to join the pre-trip extension to one of the oldest and most historic cities in the world.  Even the snow didn’t diminish our appreciation of the 13 golden domes and ancient icons of St. Sophia’s Cathedral, a UNESCO designated landmark.

Our welcome dinner that night featured a large assortment of zaduskis(hors d’oeuvres), chicken kiev, dumplings, and blintzes while a trio of musicians played folk tunes.