Vladivostok, Russia - Day 16

Greetings from Vladivostok, Russia.

Vladivostok is 43 degrees north, 131 degrees east which is very near where China, North Korea and Russia meet. It was home to the Russian Pacific Fleet and therefore, was off-limits to foreigners during most of the Soviet era. In 1992, with the fall of the Soviet Union, tourism re-opened. Vladivostok also served as the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

After the immigration fiasco we had in Petropavlovsk, we decided to take a ship shore excursion since it would provide us the ability to be off the ship in the first group. Our tour was scheduled to leave the port at 8:00 a.m. and it did! The day was very gray and very overcast. This town can best be described as dismal. Soviet-era architecture abounds with its large, monochromatic boxy buildings. The harbor area is quite nice and has a terrific selection of old naval ships in port.

We were taken first to a naval museum which offered a Russian submarine you could walk through. It was very interesting to see how tight the accommodations were. Alongside the museum was a memorial complex with an eternal fire, in honor of Russian soldiers who died in WWII. The overall effect did not invoke much emotion as those in Washington D.C. do, but it definitely felt Russian. Also, part of the complex contained an arch of triumph which legend has it that if you cross under the arch with your eyes closed, good luck will follow you.

Next, we went to an area called Eagles Nest hill which offered panoramic vistas of Golden Horn Bay. A new bridge was being constructed to carry the anticipated traffic that will occur when Vladivostok hosts an upcoming APEC meeting. The whole city seems to be dusting itself off for this event. Lots of sidewalks being refurbished….

After visiting a natural history museum and a local church, we stopped at a monument dedicated to the bloody events that occurred during the Russian revolution where Vladivostok was the scene of the struggle until 1922. While I was admiring the monument, Jeff went off in search of a horse statue to purchase. He found one, so his day was made. We wandered over to the famous Russian department store, GUM. They really could use a big lesson in how to merchandise their wares. Supposedly, for a very long time, there was not much on the shelves. Now, everything seems to be jammed together and no one particular item is given the opportunity to shine.

Well, this city was exactly what I expected. It looks a bit down on its luck but is awakening and might be much more interesting in a few more years. I’m glad we got to see it, but see no need to revisit for at least ten years.

As a side note, only five cruise ships visit here a year so the local citizenry are quite curious with us. I’ve never seen so many locals visiting the cruise terminal to get a picture of our ship. I was lazy, but if I’d gone and gotten my camera, I’d say that at least a few hundred citizens waved goodbye to us along with at least thirty sea cadets!

Good night!