Live from Russia it's Merilyn Sanchez!

October 12, 2008, Home to the States!

It was a really tough call.  Sleep for three hours – well, attempt to sleep for three hours – or just stay up all night.  A few years younger, the decision would have been a simple one, but it's harder when you’re not 25 anymore.  I reluctantly wasted my last few hours in Russia attempting to get a few winks.

At 2:00 a.m., my suitcase went outside the door.  I was very proud it actually zipped, because of course it was smaller than when we arrived, I was sure.  At 2:45, I headed to the lobby.  To her credit, Merilyn followed a few minutes later to wish us all goodbye.  She was part of the group traveling on the Novgorod and could have slept in until 9:30!

Bleary-eyed, we all accounted for our luggage and got aboard the bus with a boxed breakfast.  Most of us just stared at it, but it was a nice gesture.  Tatiana accompanied us to the airport to see us through security.  She would have hand-delivered us all to our gates if it was permitted, I’m sure.  We all gave her warm hugs goodbye as we approached the scanners.

Most of the group was flying through Frankfurt on the way home, as we had on the way here.  A group of about 8 of us, however, were flying through Munich.  The flight to Munich was not crowded and some of us were able to take a whole row, stretch out and get some sleep.  We arrived in Munich with a 5-hour layover – not enough time to venture into the city, unfortunately.  

We browsed the shops, and said goodbye to one of our members heading off for a visit in Vienna.  A few of us decided that the actual hour of the day in Munich was really not relevant  when you’ve been in so many different time zones and countries.  This was our only shot at authentic German cuisine so we went to Air Brau, a small restaurant and pub, and enjoyed a breakfast of sausage, sauerkraut and potatoes.  And it was good, too.

The remainder of our time was spent reading complimentary newspapers and catching up on what had been going on in the world during our absence.   I grabbed a few of the German editions to take back to my daughter for her German 3 class.

Our flight to New York from Munich was two hours longer than our flight the other way, due to headwinds.  Lufthansa pampered us again, so we really couldn’t complain.  Arriving in New York, the group thinned again.  Some were staying the night before traveling on to another destination, some were home, and we three lucky Tennesseans had another 5-hour layover before our flight to Nashville.  I got separated from the Scruggses and ended up in an airport bar chatting with a young English adventurer to whom I tried to explain American football, mostly unsuccessfully.  But I’m sure he’d say the same about my comprehension of European football. 

The flight home seemed long, only because at that point I’d been up for over 24 hours, more or less.  Seeing Rich at the curb and driving in the driveway here at home was great, of course.  But, given the chance to get a  good night’s sleep and snatch my family up for a return trip to Russia, I’d do it in a heartbeat.    I'm trying to talk my two kids into a summer adventure there next year!

It was an experience of a lifetime, and one I will never forget.  Thanks to Merilyn, my fellow NCRA travelers, and People to People for such a grand adventure.  I can’t wait to hear what the next destination is.  For anything I’ve messed up or omitted in these entries, I’m sure Merilyn (who’s going to be home sometime today, I think) will straighten me out!   For those of you who taken the time to share our adventures through this blog, Spasiba!   To all my fellow Russian travelers, dasvidanya!

Day Eight, October 11, 2008, St. Petersburg

Typical morning activities gave way to a gathering in the lobby and our final cultural experience in St. Petersburg.  We were off to the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo.  As always, our guides pointed out places of interest and history along the way.   The rest of the time, many of us occupied ourselves in trying to translate the various Russian signs we saw – sort of like working miniature puzzles in many cases.  (My personal favorites were successfully deciphering a playbill for the Vagina Monologues and a store called Confetti Chocolate.)

The weather continued to be more typical of St. Petersburg, overcast and slight drizzle, much chillier than previous sunny days. We got off the bus to a small band playing the Star Spangled Banner -- with a tip jar, of course.  I wondered how many national anthems they knew and how they could figure out the nationality of the occupants of each bus!

We walked through elaborate and beautiful grounds and entered the lovely pale blue palace to begin our tour.  Tatiana scolded a few of us for forgetting to check our coats.  We tried to explain that we had been told “Nyet” for the checking of the coats, as the attendant had no more numbers available.  At this point, Tatiana sprang into action.  Never underestimate this diminutive Russian dynamo.  Within about two minutes, all our coats were neatly stacked on two posts collectively, and off we went to don our paper slippers and join the tour.

The Catherine Palace was begun by Catherine I in 1717.  It was expanded by Anna in 1733.  In 1752, Elizabeth decided it was outdated and not worthy of her mother’s name.  She hired her favorite architect, Rastrelli, and had the former structure demolished and replaced it with a much more elaborate structure in keeping with Elizabeth’s tastes.   The clotheshorse and party girl of the Russian Royalty, Elizabeth’s taste, it turns out, bordered on gaudy to the extreme.  Everything was gilded in gold, lavish, ornate, and what we came to be able to readily recognize as Elizabeth’s signature style.

When Elizabeth died, Catherine the Great placed her own imprint on the palace.  She found Elizabeth’s love of gold to be over the top.  When the exterior of the building’s golden trim was in need of repair, Catherine had it replaced with more sedate tan paint, for example.  Catherine also employed *her* favorite architect, a Scottsman, Charles Cameron, and redid the interior of one wing in the Neo-Palladian style then in vogue and a complete contrast from Rastelli’s Baroque wings elsewhere in the palace.

One of the most spectacular rooms in the palace, however, was not the work of either Elizabeth or Catherine.  The famous Amber Room was a gift from the Prussian King Wilhelm to his ally, Czar Peter the Great.  The original amber panels for the room were carefully brought to the palace and assembled.  Over time, Russian craftsman enhanced the room by adding panels of their own.  Sometimes referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the room contained more than 6 tons of amber.  It is a breathtaking, and one of the only places in the palace that you cannot take photographs.  The colors and glow of the walls is unforgettable.

Catherine’s Palace did not escape World War II.   The Russians were only successful in removing a fraction of the palace’s contents before the siege of Leningrad.   When the German military forces retreated, they had the residence intentionally destroyed, essentially leaving only a shell behind.

As for the famous Amber room, when attempting to remove the panels from the walls prior to the invasion, curators discovered that it was too brittle, and it began to crumble.  As a result, they chose to cover the panels with plain wallpaper in an attempt to conceal it.  The ruse failed, and the Germans disassembled the Amber Room in 36 hours and, on October 14, 1941, took it in 27 crates to Konigsberg in East Prussia.   At the end of the war, the original Amber Room disappeared and has never been seen again.

Reconstruction and restoration efforts on Catherine’s Palace continue to this day, although most of it was completed by 2003.  To help raise funds for the efforts, private individuals can now lease the Grand Hall for a mere $75,000 a night.  Of course that’s just the hall.  If you want to access the staircases or the entrances, well, that’s extra apparently.

As for the Amber Room, in 1979 a reconstruction effort was begun.  The efforts relied largely on black and white photographs.  To assist with the enormous cost, a German company donated $3.5 million.  By 2003, the work was mostly completed.  

Our tour complete, we visited the shops, and of course most of us left with something made of amber as a souvenir.    We returned to the hotel for some free time for last-minute shopping and packing and then assembled for our farewell dinner.  Many shared their favorite memory of our time in this amazing country.  We all expressed our gratitude to Tatiana for making us feel so comfortable and welcomed.    The group presented Merilyn with a book and notes of thanks for her leadership during our trip.

Most of us went to the bar for a farewell nightcap.  The seven travelers heading off to Novgorod on the extension trip would have a much more civilized wakeup call than those of us heading back to the States.  We were advised by Tatiana to have our bags outside our doors at 2:15 and to have ourselves in the lobby shortly after that for a 3:15 am departure.  Sunday was going to be a long day, since we were starting our traveling home Saturday night USA time!

Day  Seven Addendum, St. Petersburg Metro Adventure

Not a big deal, but I forgot we actually went out to dinner after the ballet and so my evening accounts have been off by one day.   The schedule we maintained over there was so foreign to mine at home – for me to go out to the ballet is unusual; to go out to eat afterwards? A miracle I could stay awake that long.

Anyway, the point of this is after we returned from Peter and Paul’s Fortress, I was determined to go in search of a place called Bosco Sports to find that t-shirt for Sydney and several others signed on for the trip as well.   We asked at the front desk and got our directions to Bosco Sports on Bolshoy Prospect.  It just really didn’t sound that complicated, but then neither did the directions to Idiot, and we all know how well that worked out.

A group of about seven of us headed toward the square off Sadovaya and the Metro stations.   We got our tokens (17 rubles or about 80 cents apiece) from a nice lady who spoke no English.  I showed her the map through the glass and she held up 1 finger.  We had been told 2 stops at the hotel, so we assumed we’d come into the wrong station, since there were actually three shown on our map.  We cleared the turnstile and found a Metro map on the wall, where we made out the words “Bolshoy Prospect. “ The Metro is layered, and so we started our VERY STEEP descent to a lower level and a different line.   When I say VERY STEEP, I mean it.  People literally lean back while riding!

Working hours in Russia are 9 to 6.  We hit the platforms at rush hour, and it was hot and crowded.  As we puzzled which direction the trains were heading, a nicely dressed gentleman approached.  In excellent English, he offered to get us on the right train and to Bolshoy.  On the ride, he explained he had been an engineer during the Soviet regime and traveled extensively to inspect the building of large military ships.  When the Soviet Union dissolved, he was pensioned from that job and now works as a civil engineer in St. Petersburg.  Although he has his own car, he finds it faster to ride the Metro to and from work daily. 

Our benefactor deposited us on Bolshoy.  He didn’t know what or where Bosco Sports was, but he was sure it was somewhere in the direction he pointed us.  He bid us farewell and good luck.  The street was lined with fashionable shops, many of them familiar, like Columbia Sports, Gucci, etc.  They looked expensive and stylish.  Every third store sold shoes and boots.  After walking a good distance, we would find somebody who spoke English and confirm we were on the right track.  Everybody was kind, but some of our Samaritans had no idea what we were talking about.  Others did, and simply kept pointing in the direction we were walking.

We finally arrived at Bosco Sports.  It appears we had taken the absolute wrong Metro line and had ended up on the complete opposite end of Bolshoy.  But at least we made it.  It turns out Bosco Sports is the official retail outlet for the Russian Olympic Team.  The shirt I had seen our waitress wearing was an official Olympics team shirt adorned with Cheburshka, the Russian equivalent of Mickey Mouse, and the mascot of the team.  In this particular iteration, he was engaging in gymnastics, as indicated in Russian below the picture.

This was the only place I was asked for ID to use my Visa credit card.  Of course it was back in the safe at the hotel.  I scraped together enough rubles to buy two shirts and was given an Olympic pin as a gift by the cashier.  A few others bought shirts for other teenagers back home as well. 

One of the clerks spoke excellent English and headed us off in the RIGHT direction for the correct Metro line this time.  We walked about 200 meters, got our tokens, hopped aboard the train, and going just one stop -- we should have listened to the cashier at the Metro -- we were back to Sadovaya in about 10 minutes.    But the adventure of our circuitous route was fun, and Sydney loves the shirt.  Sadly, though, my attempts to find a venue online to order more were in vain.  It appears you can only buy them in Russia!

Tomorrow is our last day in St. Petersburg and, for many of us, in Russia.  What better way to spend it than off to another palace. :)

Day Six, October 9, 2008, St. Petersburg

We all continued our typical morning routine of running for some, emails and breakfast for most, and we managed to convene in the lobby on time.  This is something we were actually very good at because Tatiana would not accept anything less from us, and one does not disappoint Tatiana without consequences. 

If I may, a quick diversion for a moment to describe dear Tatiana, our national tour guide who was with us from the moment we landed in Moscow until the moment we boarded our planes home.  She is 71 years old and, I would guestimate, at the most 5 feet tall.   Her English is wonderful.  She works to help out her children and grandchildren financially.  She loves Pushkin (but then of course everybody in Russia does) and she tells wonderful stories.  One of our members described her as a second mother, and I don’t think any of us in the group feel any differently about her.

We headed off into another sunny day, beginning to think rumors of the rain in St. Petersburg were grossly overstated.  Our destination was our second Arbitration Court visit, this time the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and Leningradsky Region. 

We entered the building and were escorted into a large conference room.  Our hosts were a judge and an administrator in charge of overseeing the court reporters.  Unfortunately, I don’t have the paperwork with their names and specific titles, so I hope I’ve gotten that right.  The judge was a pleasant lady with a ready smile, and the administrator was a gentleman who seemed genuinely pleased to have us as guests. 

Our translator in this meeting had a computer set up on the table, and he occasionally relied on it for a thesaurus and other assistance in translating our discussion.   He was a really nice guy, but it took several of us a while to get comfortable with his translations.  That’s partially the problem with some of the names and titles in my notes, I think! (At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

This court is a state court and specializes mostly in arguments of business.  The court reporter performs their tasks here in the same fashion as the Moscow Arbitration Court.   The administrator mentioned the shortage of qualified applicants for positions in his court system as well.  They currently have two courtrooms equipped with audio.  The building was very attractive, and some portions of it were still undergoing renovation.

The discussion concerning service and notification of parties was interesting.  They currently rely on regular mail to serve people, and of course some people prove difficult to find.   They are testing an experimental electronic exchange of information with parties to send electronic notices via email and notifications of receipt would be received in turn.  We asked about process service like we have in the States, but they don’t have anything like that available to them. 

We asked about benefits for their staff, as state employees.  They said they didn’t think they were that great, only getting 40 days of vacation a year plus holidays.  We all let them know that 40 days’ vacation was pretty dandy back here in the US.  They also have an extended New Year’s holiday, which lasts through January 10^th.  The comment was made that other holidays are in a bit of transition.  Some of them were instituted under the former Soviet regime and people are used to the days, but the reasons for the holidays are often no longer relevant.  Apparently some of the names are being changed around but the dates kept the same. 

It appears that the higher-level officials have better benefits, particularly health coverage.  I wasn’t completely clear on the health coverage, if any, for lower-level employees.

We then proceeded on our tour of the building.  We divided up into two groups.  Our group started down in the offices where pleadings are filed, got a demonstration of a kiosk where you can check the status of a filing and see what the costs will be for a matter.  We then worked our way through the various departments that court documents would also travel.  One particular room found litigants using cameras to take pictures of the documents, which is much more economical than paying the 80 cents a page, I believe it was, to receive copies.  The other group made it into a courtroom, but we ran out of time and didn’t get to see the proceeding. 

At the end of the tour, we returned to the conference room, where everyone in our group received a gift.  We were given a gift bag with a box of chocolates, a book about St. Petersburg in English, and a brochure about their court system, complete with their photographs and a picture of the room we used for our meeting – but in Russian so I couldn't use it for correct names or titles, unfortunately.  They let us know that the chocolate manufacturer had been a litigant in a case in their court.  Fortunately they won their case, so they were able to get the chocolates at a good rate.  We were so touched and appreciative of their gifts and gave them ours in return with, I think, a similar reaction on their part. 

There was one Russian court reporter in our meetings.  Irena had traveled to New York and I believe California, and her English was excellent.  She answered all our questions about her duties and translated for the administrator who took my group through the courthouse.  Merilyn and I discretely pulled her aside and gave her one of the lovely handmade bracelets that one of our members had made and brought as gifts on the trip.  She was very touched.  She then said she would quickly teach us a Russian phrase that we would remember.  Yellow Blue Vase (use the vahz pronunciation) is a dead ringer for “I love you” in Russian, so we added that to our four-word Russian arsenal.  We both invited her to come visit us should she return to our country as well.

We went to a local restaurant for lunch.  I believe this is the day we were entertained by costumed performers, two female vocalists and gentlemen playing balalaika and accordion.   There was some audience participation by members of our group.   The food, as always, was wonderful, and we were all getting used to our four-course lunches.

We left the restaurant and headed to the Hermitage Art Museum.  The State Hermitage consists of six incredible buildings along the banks of the River Neva in the heart of St. Petersburg.  The Winter Palace is a part of this collection of buildings, designed by the architect Rastrelli and built from 1754-62.  The collection in the Hermitage is over 3,000,000 items. 

One of the highlights of the tour was the famous Peacock Clock.   The clock was made for Catherine the Great in 1781 by an Englishman, James Cox.  It was brought to Russia in pieces, then assembled, and is still functional today.  When wound, the peacock fans its feathers, a rooster crows, and an owl and squirrel are also set into motion.  Because of concern for the preservation of this magnificent timepiece, it is now only wound and operated once a year, on New Year’s Eve, for one hour.  Here’s a link to more information on this amazing clock: http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/12/2006/hm12_1_22.html

On one floor of the Hermitage we were able to see two works of Leonardo da Vinci, a statue by Michaelangelo, and a large collection of Rembrants.  We did not have time to visit the upper floor, which housed Monet, Picasso, and many other famous artists.  Sadly, we all left the Hermitage feeling we’d barely scratched the surface of this magnificent collection. This is a place that requires days, not hours, to appreciate. 

Merilyn and I went to a place we all affectionately called “The Cave” for a late dinner.  Our waitress spoke no English, so we pointed to our choices and, for the most part, got everything we intended to order.  When we were paying our bill, we discovered the bartender spoke English.  I was trying desperately to make out the sign for the tavern and failing miserably, even though I was getting better at reading Russian.  It turns out the name is actually a proper name, but the remainder of the Russian he said loosely translated to “The tavern where everybody is equal.”  

We walked back to the hotel in the pleasant evening air.  Chatting as we crossed the canals and enjoyed the scenery, we both commented how lucky we were to be in this incredible city.

Day Seven, October 10, 2008, St. Petersburg

Despite the fact that it finally rained, today was an exciting day for all of us.  We were heading out to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.  We were the first group of our kind to be permitted to visit this prestigious court, and the honor was not lost on any of us.  Passports were required, and we went through a more extensive security system for this building than previous courts.  The court has only recently relocated from Moscow to St. Petersburg, in May of this year, but retains a satellite office in Moscow.

Once we cleared security, we were taken on a tour of part of this magnificent complex.  Housed in the former Senate and Synod buildings, every room we visited was incredible.  We saw a breathtakingly beautiful church; the Pompei Hall, where foreign dignitaries are received; and many other rooms of amazing beauty.  We were then led to a large conference room that is often used by the justices for plenary meetings.  It was magnificent, with marble columns, beautiful chandeliers, and painted ceilings.  The room is equipped with a sophisticated audio and video recording system and teleconference capabilities.

Our session began with an explanation from our hosts on the history, function, and makeup of the court.  The Constitutional Court is a high court empowered to rule on whether or not certain laws or presidential decrees are in conformance with the Constitution of Russia.  Its only purpose is to protect the Constitution and deal with disputes where it has jurisdiction.  It is one of three Supreme Courts in Russia.  The other two Supreme Courts can direct matters to the Constitutional Court if there is a question of constitutionality.  Individual citizens as well as Federal and regional authorities can also petition the court.   Proceedings are quite specific and deal with the legal issues only, not issues of fact.

The court consists of 19 justices (3 of whom are women), appointed by the President of Russia with the consent of the Federation Council of Russia.  Justices must be at least 40 years of age and have at least 15 years of experience and have “recognized high qualification” in law.  They are appointed for life, with a mandatory retirement age of 70.  The court consists of two chambers, made up of 10 and 9 judges respectively.  The most important matters are dealt with in plenary sessions and all 19 judges participate.  The court annually comes up with several dozen opinions and often renders decisions to deny consideration of a petition for a variety of reasons.  The court’s decisions are published as legal precedents and dissenting opinions are also published.

The Constitutional Court does keep verbatim records of both public courtroom proceedings and judges’ meetings (closed sessions to discuss decisions).  All matters are recorded via video and audio.  A pool of reporters work in another part of the building to prepare the transcripts, viewing the video and listening to the audio.  The managing reporter divides the tapes into 15-minute sections and assigns the work to the six reporters, who prepare a day’s transcript in approximately a half-hour.  Once prepared, it is reassembled and any overlapping sections removed.  As in the Arbitration Courts we visited, the official record is the summary-type minutes of the proceeding.  However, the verbatim transcript is attached and made a part of those minutes.  The video is not made a part of the record, but is used as a production tool and is also archived.

Some of what is related above was explained in their opening remarks, and the remainder was learned through our question and answer sessions with the members of the court’s delegation.  They were surprised by our considerable number of questions and joked that it was time for us to stop asking so many so we could tour the court.

We again divided into two groups.  Our group did get the chance to meet two of the court stenographers.  They were both middle-aged women.  I regret I was not making notes at the time and cannot refer to either of these ladies by name.  They worked in a quiet, dimly lit room with large computer monitors and a system that seemed to work very well for their task.  The video is displayed in the lower right-hand corner of the monitor while the stenographer listens to the audio and types the proceedings.  When asked about typing speed, we learned our very experienced and highly respected colleague types around 120 wpm.  When asked what the biggest challenge to doing their job was, she replied acoustics in the courtroom is critical.  We all nodded in knowing agreement.  When asked how she handled inaudible or overlapping speech, she replied that having the ability to play it repeatedly helps.  I got the impression the system allowed for the separation of sound tracks as well.  In short, I was left with the feeling no inaudibles remained once she had completed her work.

She then asked for an explanation of how we do our job, and I did my best to explain the use of our steno machines, realtime computer software, and interactive hookups for judges and attorneys.  I also explained the use of audiosync as a transcription aid and the use of video and the ability to synchronize it with our transcripts for depositions during discovery (which is hard to explain to a Russian, as discovery doesn’t exist in their system).  I did let her know in some state courts, video is utilized as well.  We would have loved to stay and visit longer, but we were informed our time was up. 

We met back up with the other group in the main courtroom.  It was gorgeous, with dark paneling, red velvet chairs, and the double-headed Eagle in gold on the back wall, as well as etched in the leaded glass ceiling above.  I forgot to mention that during our tour, very discretely, we had an escort of gentlemen we assume were Russian Secret Service.  I was too busy looking around to even notice them, but several others in the group pointed them out to me when we reassembled in the main courtroom. 

A few final questions and answers were followed with a presentation to our hosts of gifts from the delegation.  Earlier, at our question and answer session, we had been presented with a book about the Constitutional Court and another on the Federal Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. 

We left the courthouse and had lunch.  Afterward, we toured the beautiful Cathedral of Savior on the Spilled Blood.  The name of this cathedral refers to the blood of the assassinated Alexander II, who was mortally wounded on that site on March 13, 1881.  Alexander III began construction on the church in 1883, as a memorial to his father.  The cathedral wasn’t completed until 1907.  The architecture is medieval Russian and resembles St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow.  The colorful spires were slightly muted by the overcast skies, but still beautiful.  The interior is almost completely made up of incredible mosaics, purportedly more than any other in the world.  If that’s not correct, it’s got to be close! 

After the Russian revolution, the church was ransacked and the interior badly damaged.  The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s.  During the Siege of Leningrad, it was used as a warehouse for vegetables.  As a result, the church was also sometimes referred to as Savior on Potatoes. 

It suffered significant damage during the war.  There is also a photograph in a small gallery in the church which shows an unexploded artillery shell that had pierced the main dome and came to rest on a ledge just under the arm of Christ in the icon on the ceiling.  The round was large enough that, had it gone off, it most likely would have leveled the church.  Restoration of the church began in 1970.  In 1997, after 27 years of work, it was reopened. 

We left Savior on Spilled Blood and made our next stop at Peter and Paul Fortress.  The fortress was founded in 1703, on a small island in the Neva River.  In the middle of the fortress is the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where almost all the Russian emperors and empresses (also known as czars and czarinas) are buried.   We passed the tombs of Peter the Great and most of his descendants.  Catherine the First, Catherine the Great, Anna, Elizabeth, and all the others whose names we had been versed on during our time in St. Petersburg are there.

Nicholas and Alexandria and all three of their five children, including Anastasia, are buried in a separate anteroom, away from the remainder of the tombs.  The remains of their two other children, Maria and Alexei, were recently found and their identities confirmed.  They will be joining the family soon. 

On the top of the cathedrals’ gilded spire is a golden angel, holding a cross.  This weathervane is one of the most prominent symbols in St. Petersburg and, at 404 feet tall, the cathedral is the highest building in the city. 

We left the fortress and returned to the hotel.  Some of the group headed off for dinner at a place called simply “Idiot.”  Merilyn and I wandered in vain in an attempt to find it, but after two hours and asking directions at least three times, we gave up.   We started to think we were on our very own snipe hunt, but apparently others had trouble finding it as well.  We joined two more of our group and went to a placed called Mozzarella’s and had pizza instead.  The waitress had on a cute shirt I thought my daughter would like.  I asked her where I could find one, and she gave me the store’s name.  More on this adventure tomorrow.

Day Five, St. Petersburg, October 8, 2008

Another gorgeous day in St. Petersburg (our second of their 42 for the year) found us aboard the buses and on our way north of the city, to Peterhof, the location of the famous Summer Palace of Peter the Great.  Julia described the countryside and history as we headed to Peterhof. 

The Nazis took the area north of St. Petersburg during the war, from 1941 to 1944.  On our way out of the city, we passed Victory Square, the monument to the 1 million civilians who died in the 900-day siege of Leningrad.  The front line was so close to the city, public transportation could be used to go to and from the fighting.  The Nazis never made it into the city itself, but they did make it to Peterhof (more on that later).

As we approached the palace, smaller (only by comparison, of course) palaces could be seen in the surrounding countryside.  Some have been restored; some have not.    Large, graceful trees and much less traffic gave the town a different feel from St. Petersburg proper. 

We got off the buses and walked toward the palace, a massive and lovely yellow building trimmed in white.  On both ends of the main palace were gold-gilded spires gleaming in the sun against the deep blue sky.  We were told one set of spires were for the church in the palace.  The other set was constructed for the sake of symmetry of the building.  The combination of architecture and colors was breathtaking. 

Prior to entering the palace itself, we explored the fountains and gardens, which overlook the Baltic Sea.  Fabulous gold statutes, fountains, reflection pools, and Italian marble terraces on several levels are surrounded by gorgeously landscaped grounds.  The canal to the sea is lined by majestic blue spruces on either side.  The gardens and parks of the estate cover some 1,500 acres.  There are 173 fountains, fed by underground springs.  The entire scene is almost too beautiful to put into words.  I would have considered the trip worthwhile just to see the grounds alone.

We entered the palace and checked our coats and donned paper slippers over our shoes to protect the intricate parquet wood floors.  Originally built in 1714-25 for Peter the Great, the palace was remodeled in 1745-55 to its baroque style by Batrolomeo Rastrelli, a favorite architect of the royal family who also designed the Winter Palace in downtown St. Petersburg and whose name came up several times during our stay in St. Petersburg.  Czarina Elizabeth (the one with the 20,000 dresses and a love for balls) used his services almost exclusively.

It is amazing that during our tour of this palace, as well as so many other places in Russia, none of us fell and broke our necks.  Even the ceilings are works of art, and one is constantly craning to look up and around in an effort not to miss anything.  We walked from one gorgeous room to another -- ballrooms, dining rooms, drawing rooms and studies.  Ornate gilded walls, incredible chandeliers, intricately carved oak walls in Peter’s study, hand-painted Dresden tiles on floor-to-ceiling ceramic stoves, and hundreds of paintings, including many of the royal family, were all on display. 

Much of what we saw was not original.  As the Nazis approached, efforts were made to bury, rescue or hide as much of the contents of the palace as possible, but time and manpower was too short for the task and far more was left behind than was saved.  During the three years of occupation, the palaces were burned, the gardens were shelled, and the fountains were used for target practice.  All of Peterhof was broken, vandalized or burnt. 

As soon as the war ended, however, efforts began to restore and reconstruct Peterhof.  The repairs have continued, with much of the money to cover the expense initially coming from Germany as part of war reparations.  Peterhof first reopened in 1952.  The fountains began working for the first time since the war in 1996.  What could not be repaired was replaced as authentically as possible, using black and white photos and paintings as guides.  The skill and immense effort it must have taken to put this beautiful place back together is incredible.

We left Peterhof and went to another great restaurant for lunch.  Lunch was followed by a sightseeing cultural tour of the city, where we learned about the history of St. Petersburg, the rivers and islands, the cathedrals and monuments of this beautiful city. 

We returned to the hotel to change clothes for our trip to the Imperial Hermitage Theater and the ballet Swan Lake.  The Hermitage is one of the oldest theaters in Russia and was built by Catherine the Great from 1783-85.  The basic restoration of the theater was complete in 1989.  It has been returned to its original magnificence, and restoration continues today while accepting guests.  Seating just 250 people, the theater is small.  The stage and orchestra are very close to you, and there is no assigned seating.  The production was beautiful, and the graceful lead ballerina danced the part of Odette/Odile flawlessly. 

After the ballet, we boarded the bus for our return to the hotel and watched the floating fountain in the Neva River.  We were informed by our guide Julia the next day that the fountain is not so popular with the citizens of St. Petersburg.  It was terribly expensive to construct and breaks much of the time (we were very lucky to see it working, apparently).  Additionally, during what they call the “White Nights” of summer, it’s too bright to see the lights of the fountains.  Her final lament was much of the time it’s so windy the fountains are blown into a massive wet cloud and the sound of the music is drowned out.   But our night of the ballet, they were beautiful and a perfect finishing touch to the day. 

Day Four, October 7, 2008

Up early, we packed our bags, placed them by our doors to be loaded on the bus, had breakfast, and prepared to go to the Court Reporters Department of Moscow College #16.    There was a slight rain falling as we headed off to the school – the first of our trip.

The educational system is different in Russia than America.  This particular college is attended by teenagers from 14 to 18 years of age.  They have completed their secondary education and are continuing to specialize in law or law/social services.  Based on the director's description, it appears the students have some time to decide what specialization to pursue, particularly during their first year there.  In the four years their court reporter’s program has been in existence, they have graduated 100 students.  The director of the school noted they could use 100 times that amount – the shortage of students in their court reporting program is similar to ours here in the States.  Reasons cited were that for the court reporter’s position, the requirements are stringent (law degree and 3 years’ experience) but the remuneration was not great.  (Several of the court reporters we met mentioned they lived at home with their families to be able to make ends meet.)

We were seated at a large conference table, and students of the school sang part of their school anthem to welcome us (we were told that it was far too long to sing the whole thing).  Then one young lady sang two songs for us in English – “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt and Gloria Gaynor’s ever-popular anthem, “I Will Survive.”  She had a great voice, and we let her know how much we appreciated a musical touch of home.

One of the students in our delegation, Susan Haight from Michigan, gave a nice presentation via PowerPoint about court reporting education in the U.S.  Merilyn covered our certifications and what they meant as well.  The school followed in turn with a presentation from a new court reporter about her internship in the courts.  It was humorous and educational.  She was a really delightful and energetic person – a great ambassador for their profession and their training program.

We engaged in questions and answers – us to them and them to us – for a good period of time.  As our session ended, I commented to the group that the more we learned about their system, the similarities far outweighed the differences.  Yes, we make a verbatim record and they make minutes of the proceedings.  However, the end goal for both methods was a proper record and their passion and enthusiasm to learn the skills to do their job well were evident.  At the end of the day, both countries are striving for a system that dispenses justice to all their citizens and protects their liberties and rights under the law.  We gave them our gifts.  Many of them, like peace sign necklaces and the like, were carefully selected because they were geared toward our younger audience.  We then enjoyed their hospitality for a wonderful luncheon in their school’s dining hall.

We said our farewells at the school and boarded the bus on our way to Sheremeyevo-I airport.  The weight requirements for our flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg were very strict, and we all worried our suitcases would be too heavy.  Our national guide and mother hen, Tatiana, assured us we would be fine and reviewed the procedures for clearing security and getting our boarding passes.  She told us our hand luggage was huge by Russian standards, true, but we’d be fine -- and of course she was right.

Aboard our Aeroflot flight, many of us took advantage of the chance to catch a few winks.  Others chatted with Russian seatmates, read, or caught up on their journals.  We arrived in St. Petersburg to a gorgeous setting sun turning the clouds incredible shades of oranges, purples and pinks.  We were met by our St. Petersburg guides, who bundled us on the buses.  Our guide, Julia, commented that we had brought Capitalist weather with us, and thank you very much.  The sun actually only shines in St. Petersburg 42 days a year, we were told, and we did continue our string of incredibly good luck with the weather!

Our narrated tour into the city gave us a taste for St. Petersburg.  We checked into the hotel, the Ambassador, and headed out on our own for dinner.  Our group of three was determined to venture out of the hotel, but we decided it was not a night for excessive adventuring.  Our sprit was willing, but our bodies couldn’t do much more than take the recommendation of our guides to go next-door to the Sushi Bar Rocco.  It turned out to be an excellent choice.  Our waiter, Daniel, spoke great English and escorted us to a private dining alcove.  We quickly discovered the prices of food in St. Petersburg were about half what they were in Moscow and enjoyed a great meal for a very reasonable price.  Daniel drew us a map to a t-shirt store for later exploration, and we taught him some Americanisms, such as “on the rocks” means bring the guest ice, not stones from the garden.

We headed back to the Ambassador.  The rooms were smaller than the Marriott, almost Scandinavian in style, but still clean, attractive, and comfortable.   We settled in to get some rest and prepare for our next day’s adventure – a trip to Peterhof and the Summer Palace.  I was looking forward to the trip and, as I commented in an email back home, hey, what girl *doesn’t* love a good palace?

Moscow, Day Three, October 6, 2008 (Merilyn asked me to help catch up the blog since internet connection & time are scarce until you get home.  Forgive any errors due to jet lag and/or misrecollection.  Laurel)

Much-needed rest behind us, we fell into our typical morning routine.  Some ran or hit the beautifully equipped gym, and most of us managed a few minutes of email to touch base back home.  After breakfast, we were off for our first courthouse tour.  We arrived at the Moscow City Arbitration Court a bit earlier than expected, and our hosts scrambled to assemble their staff for our meeting. 

We were given an overview of the court’s role, the types of cases they hear, the history of the court, etc.   It’s a busy court, hearing 61,528 cases in 2007 and hearing 32,008 cases in the first six months of 2008.  There are 156 judges in two divisions.  Each judge generally has a staff of three, consisting of an assistant or clerk, a court reporter, and a court specialist.  After their introduction, we engaged in a lengthy question and answer period, where members of our group asked about how the record is made, how long the trials last, and other procedural matters. 

We were also able to learn more about the role of the court reporter, or court secretary, in this particular court.  The reporters were all young, mostly female.  All have law degrees and at least three years’ experience.  Again, this position is a career steppingstone to that of a judge in many cases, and reporters don’t stay in this position for lengthy periods of time.  The reporters were bright and friendly and kindly answered our questions about their position and tasks. 

The judge was an attractive, soft-spoken woman who was impeccably dressed.  We learned that 60% of the judges are women in the lower courts, with a larger percentage of men in the higher courts.  She was very accommodating, as was the court administrator, the head of their IT department, and a representative of Speech Technology Center, the company installing the video/audio system in their new courthouse, which will be completed in about four months’ time.   We saw models and drawings of the courthouse.  It is going to be a lovely, modern facility, and everyone was excited about moving in.

The new building will also implement the use of electronic case filling, something that is just being developed for use in Russia.  There will be 96 courtrooms in the new courthouse, all with video systems that will use digital recordings and automatic backup systems.  They currently have, and will expand in the new courthouse, the use of their Internet database.  Decisions and rulings are currently available via their website, as well as the status of cases.  Most information is just available to parties to the cases, not the general public.

As we mentioned, there are no verbatim reporters in the Arbitration Court.  The reporters take minutes of important events in the proceedings, note who is in attendance, what motions are made, how the judge rules on the matters, what witnesses testify and the like.  They are required to produce their final set of minutes no later than three days after the proceeding.  If any party wishes to dispute the minutes, a hearing is held and the matter discussed.  If corrections to the minutes are required, they can be made after the hearing.   A transcript of the minutes is available upon request to the parties free of charge.  It was noted that the second time a request was made, it would be at a cost which equates to about 25 cents a page.

Litigants can bring in an audio recorder to tape proceedings if they wish.  The judge and administrator both felt the addition of video/audio to their courtroom would be an improvement to their current system and would allow the court reporters to verify information if necessary in preparing their minutes.   

The representative of the AV system answered questions as well.  He referred to a means of getting a transcript of a proceeding that would be available in the new system using a stenography bureau, particularly for high-profile cases.  Upon further clarification, we learned that by dividing the audio into sections, five different typists will produce the transcript.

At the conclusion of the questions and answers, we presented the judge with gifts from our various delegation members across the country to be shared among the group as they saw fit.  They in turn presented us with a book describing the Moscow Arbitration Court and the celebration of its 70^th Anniversary.  It’s written in Russian, however, so we’ll have to hone our skills before we can enjoy it! 

We then adjourned to take group photos and say our thanks and goodbyes.  On the way out of the courthouse, a few of us stopped in to meet another judge.  He mentioned to us he had hoped to come to America at one point but was denied a visa because he was a former military attorney.  We heard stories of visa denials from more than one person during our trip, actually.

Once on the bus, we headed off for lunch at the Taras Bulba restaurant, where we enjoyed a Ukrainian meal served by a wait staff in full Ukrainian attire.   When a group of us wandered outside a bit early to enjoy the fresh air, several of the staff carried out benches for us to sit on when they found us perched on the curb.  We didn’t mind our roost, but appreciated their hospitality and accepted the seats with a “Spasiba” (thank you) and appreciative smiles.

The evening was to be our last in Moscow.  Several groups headed in various directions.  Our crowd walked up to Pushkin Square, then down Pushkin Boulevard on our way to Arbat Street.  Everybody was out and about in the early evening, and the resemblance to New York or another metropolitan American city was strong.

Once on Arbat Street, some were delighted to spy their first Starbucks and dashed in for a shot of caffeine.  Arbat is a cross between Bourbon Street and Disney’s Main Street.  Very clean and attractive, both sides of this long boulevard are lined with shops of all kinds, street vendors, restaurants and pubs.  As dusk approached, the street musicians seemed to increase in number.  Everybody we saw playing had CDs for sale, and Merilyn and I ended up each buying one from a very talented classical guitarist.  We had intended to eat there on Arbat, but the group decision was to return to Red Square for our last dinner in the city. 

Red Square at night was lovely.  The stars from the Kremlin shone brightly against the night sky.  Still unseasonably warm, we opted to dine outside at Bosco, a café in the Gum (pronounced “GOOM”) directly on Red Square.  The food was wonderful, and other than a miscue on ordering cranberry juice and getting carrot juice, we got through any potential language barriers.  We laughed and savored the scenes and sights of the Square at night before heading back to the hotel on foot.  The stores stay open until 10 pm, so there were still lots of people out and about, shopping, dining, and enjoying the mild evening.  We all headed back to pack and prepare for our last professional visit in Moscow in the morning before our flight to St. Petersburg.

We forgot to mention one fun tradition we saw.  There is a bridge with many iron trees on it.   Attached to the trees were thousands of padlocks.  Traditionally when someone was married, the couple would take a padlock and secure it to the iron grating on the bridge.  They would then throw the key in into the river below.  The inability to retrieve the key symbolized the permanency of their union.   There was a problem with the gratings falling into the water due to the weight of the padlocks, so they designed a series of metal trees to hold the padlocks.  Some people elaborately decorate their padlocks with names and dates, others are satisfied with the knowledge their lock was there.

Day Two, Sunday, October 5

Exhausted travelers had varying levels of success dealing with time changes ranging from eight to eleven hours.  People found themselves waking up at 3 am for no apparent reason – except, perhaps, that back home it’s really 5 p.m.

Two of us were up and motivated and certainly rewarded as we ran to Red Square before sunrise.  The lights on St. Basil Cathedral were beautiful.  Because it was Sunday and they were getting ready for mass, there were first bells tolling, then people chanting, and finally singing.  The beauty of the architecture, the lighting, and the music took our breath away. (Okay, maybe the running had a little bit to do with it.)

The Marriott served an excellent breakfast buffet to start each day.  Russians typically eat a large breakfast, and none of us had any trouble adopting a “When in Rome” philosophy.    With five minutes of free Internet service, many of us checked in back home after breakfast, delighted to write, “Greetings from Moscow” at the head of our posts.  

We convened at our buses for a full day of touring on another gorgeous and unseasonably warm October day.  We approached Red Square on foot, with one group stopping to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It was fascinating and akin to London’s changing of the guard.  It was around 9:30 Sunday morning as we crossed through the gates of Red Square.  Mass was being said in the cathedral and the music and chanting was being broadcast into the Square.  The entire scene, sights and sounds, sent goose bumps up our arms and many of us found tears in our eyes.  It was simply impossible to believe that here we were, 50-odd NCRA members from around the country, standing in this place.  St. Basil’s Cathedral’s famous spires were silhouetted against the sun, as it continued to rise into the morning sky.  The history of the square, St. Basil’s, and Lenin’s Tomb were all covered in our walking tour.

Our next stop was the Tretyakov Art Gallery.  This amazing art gallery dates from 1856, when the purchase of Nikolai Schilder's painting, The Temptation, saw the beginning of the collecting activities of the young, wealthy Moscow merchant, Pavel Tretyakov (1832 - 1898).  Although we could only scratch the surface of this incredible place due to time restrictions, our guides did an excellent job of giving us a history of the art contained in the gallery and helped us understand the evolution of Russian art from Icon painting to portraits to landscapes, as well as helping us learn to recognize various members of the Russian royal family.  Here is a link with an overview of the gallery: http://sunsite.cs.msu.su/moscow/tretyakov/tret0.html and here is the gallery’s official link:  http://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en

After our tour of the gallery we went to lunch at a local restaurant and enjoyed some authentic Russian cuisine.  That was our first encounter with the traditional four-course Russian lunch of salad, soup, entrée and dessert.  Of course, to be polite we ate it all.

Lunch was followed with our tour of the Kremlin.  We entered through one of several gates.  The spire on the top of this gate and many other places in the Kremlin area are adorned with beautiful red stars.  The stars are large, weighing around two tons, and are made of crystal and powdered rubies.  They are lit 24/7 and glow even during the daytime, particularly if the sky is even slightly overcast. 

We viewed the historic Assumption Cathedral on our way to the Armory Chamber.  First we viewed several rooms of carriages the various czars and czarinas used beginning in the 1600s.   The variety in design and decoration was interesting, and some of them actually had lots of gold and were studded with diamonds, rubies, and other jewels.   The system used to protect these incredible pieces of Russian history was really quite impressive.  Sensors were activated if a visitor leaned too closely and an announcement admonishing you to step back could be heard throughout the museum.  Many of the carriages were extravagant gifts, and some could not be used due to poor design.

We moved from carriages on to dresses, vestments and crowns worn by the various czars and czarinas.  We later were able to identify some of the pictures of rulers by the dresses we saw them wearing.  The one thing we all seemed to remember and could respond back correctly to our guides when prompted was a fact about Elizabeth the Great.  She was possibly Russia’s first and foremost clothes horse.  She never wore the same thing twice and upon her death there were 20,000 dresses in her possession.  Again, we only scratched the surface of this magnificent collection of Russian history in our tour.  One could easily spend a full day or longer touring it and learning of its contents.

We came back to the hotel exhausted and brain dead from our long walks around Moscow’s sights and the absorption (or attempted absorption) of so much information about this amazing country.  A few of our delegation not only kept their wits about them, but managed a bit of luck in their timing in the lobby.  The Kremlin 2008 tennis tournament was using the Marriott as its host hotel during our stay.  One of our members recognized and got the autograph of none other than America’s own Serena Williams!

Everyone went their separate ways for dinner – with a few people opting out of food altogether and choosing sleep instead.  The more adventurous in the group headed to various shopping and sightseeing destinations, with one contingency finding their way to a Russian pub and nightclub.  Like New York, Moscow is Russia’s very own City that Never Sleeps. 

Day One

The flurry of e-mails has died down, the shopping is done, and all that is left is to try to cram two weeks’ worth of clothing into one bag, total weight 22 kilograms (44 pounds).  Many of us realized we had never even questioned how much our luggage weighed.  By the time we all convened in New York City, however, we knew the exact weight of our bags, our clothes, and ten days’ worth of underwear!  Some delegates’ trips began the night before, with an arrival at JFK to allow enough time to catch our 3:30 flight to Frankfurt.  Others woke up in the dark and watched the sun rise from their airplane seats as they headed in to meet up at the Lufhansa check-in counter.

Our fellow delegates were easy to spot with their People to People lanyards.  You could hear shouts across the ticket line as we spotted yet another traveler.  Some old friends were reunited from our China trip; others were meeting for the first time.  The energy was certainly running high as we embarked upon our journey to Russia. 

Our first flight as a group was some seven hours, crossing the Atlantic, England and Germany on our way to Frankfurt.  We were all pleasantly surprised by the luxurious service we received on Lufthansa!  We joked we hadn’t eaten that much and been that entertained except on a cruise ship.  We must say, the US airlines could take a lesson from their German counterpart.  I hadn’t seen a real fork and knife on a plane in at least five years.  Not only was the first glass of wine complementary – so were the refills and any other “adult” beverage of choice.  Snacks, full dinner service, and full breakfast kept us entertained, along with several movie choices, music and television optio