Soaking up the Sun.. and Snow in Sochi

9 March 2009

I bet you don't think of Russia as a subtropic zone. It is hard to imagine that the same place that boasts -40 winters and eternal snow could have anything like a beach. How wrong we were! The planned Middlebury trip this semseter took us to the southern part of Russia, Sochi, where the temperature was about 30 degrees higher than in Yaroslavl. Unlike Perm, Sochi was designed to be pleasing to all the senses. Situated right on the rocky shore of the Black Sea, this has been THE spot to travelfor those seeking relaxation and healing since the times of the Romanovs. It is a pretty neat place.

Apparently the unique chemical makeup of the Black Sea (lots of minrerals, natural gas and SiO2) along with the "Matsesta" springs can be extremely helpful in the curing of all sorts of illnesses and complaints. During WWII all the soviet casulties were brought here to recover. As were the cosmonauts after long space runs. The water has been proven to help bones knit 2 to 3 times faster! Because of all the invalids running about Sochi, hundreds of exotic, beautiful plants (most with healing properties) have been imported. it was decidedly odd to be walking around a decidedly Russian city, in shirtsleeves, under the shade of palms and magnolias. Strange and wonderful. As I write this, every second takes me closer to the muddy ice clogged streets of Yaroslavl. But let's not think about that right now...

The reason why I am able to give you so much info about Sochi is due largely to our tour guide, Alla. She is without a doubt the best one I have had the pleasure of listening to here in Russia. She was amazing, and was genuinely in love with her city. She not only wanted us to hear her, but understand.

So now that I have told you about all the palm trees and beaches, you are probably waiting to hear more about some fun swimming with Dolphins (there are lots in the Black Sea) and lazing on the beach and such. Alla had other plans. We spent most of our trip exploring the mountains (foothils of the Caucuses) and.. snow that surrounds Sochi. We saw the future sight of the 2014 winter olympics ( I bet that they will be the only ones to sharre living space with palm trees). Not that I am complaining! We climbed up to the tallest point in the area, where I once again was able to engage in some cultural dress up. (pictures later) Also, we had a wine tasting of local wines (and honey), climbed up fantastic waterfalls (they reminded me of the dear old appalachians) and had some lovely snowball fights. I also got to swim in the Black Sea (sort of- it was a heated pool full of sea water, but it still counts), and be bounced all around a river in a former military ATV (super fun, extreme and wet) We even saw Medvedeev once!

After our day tours, we were given free reign to roam around the city. That was super. We found all sorts of tasty restaurants, and parks, and walked along the rocky beaches. My personal favorite place we visited was a Georgian restaurant. My mouth is watering just thinking about that. More sorts of fried cheesy loveliness than can be properly described. (I also found it amusing that while we ate we were serenated by some traditional Georgian light jazz) The last night, at the recommendation of our driver, we had an absolute blast at a waterpark/ night club. Yes, apparently those exist in Russia. For a mere 400 rubles (about 12 $) we were able to play on the slides, swim, go in the sauna, get free food (and free beer, but I didn't have any of that), and on top of all that, get into the nightclub. The show that night was a Michael Jackson impresonator, who entertained us immmensely. In a word, fantastic. So while Sochi was by no means what I was expecting, it was a ton of fun, and I can't wait to go back