Russia – Trackchasing Country #64

CONGRATULATIONS!

Yes, congratulations to Colin Herridge from the United Kingdom.  Colin has been picking Lithuania forever but switched to Russia just in time to nab the grand prize.  Colin turns 65 years young next week so this is just in time to celebrate his birthday.  Large grey right Colin?

 

Editor’s note:

64th Trackchasing Country Naming Contest

There are people pounding their desks from Sweden to South Africa and the U.S. this morning.  No, they did not correctly guess the correct name of the “64th Trackchasing Country Naming Contest”.  However, they shouldn’t give up.  Some day they WILL (might?) win and the rewards will be theirs.  However, some folks are picking countries where I have already trackchased.  Bad strategy.  I recommend these fans click on the link of my past countries visited, which is always offered in the contest entry materials.

 

LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RUSSIA – TRACKCHASING COUNTRY #64?

As a service to my readers I always provide a top line background of each country I visit.  If you’d like to learn a little more about Russia the country check out the “background” tab I have prepared for you.  I have condensed this section so you can get a good “feel” for this European continent location.  Most of the material comes from Wikipedia.

 

THE KEYS TO THE TRIP

The Cyrillic alphabet.  Wow!  That’s a trip……………more in “Boots on the Ground”.

Six hundred bucks for visas AND we needed someone from Russia to ask us to come!…………..more in “Visas”.

Ludmila, Black Russians and that lovely couple we met in a deserted Moscow neighborhood in the dead of night ………..details “Throughout”.

The Cyrillic alphabet was an obstacle almost impossible to overcome…………….more in “Saturday – Day 5”.

Maybe the best ten minutes of the trip……………more in “Saturday – Day 5”

How many trackchasers attend the symphony? ………..details in “Monday – Day 7”.

Sixteen bucks for a milkshake??!! ………..details in “Monday – Day 7”.

 

 

 

 

 

ADVANCE PREPARATION

 

THE RACE 

Там будет гонка в Москве. (There will be a race in Moscow).

In 2012 I wrote, “The list of countries that have racing but that I have not visited is dwindling.  After this year, it’s going to get tougher and tougher to add to my list.”

 

That just makes the countries I will see from here on out all the more rewarding.  I will kick off my 2013 trackchasing country adventure with Russia.

 

Finding a race in Russia was not easy.  I actually first got turned onto the event by a buddy in Germany.  Then Google hooked me up with several sites featuring only the Russia language.  You might recall that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make heads or tails from anything written with the Cyrillic alphabet.  More on that later.

 

THE VISA

Some visas are easy to get; some are not. 

Often time the “Visa part” of the trip is no big deal.  About half of the countries we visit don’ even require a visa.  In those places you just show your U.S. passport and you’re in.  For the other half it’s normally just show up, pay some cash to get a “money visa” and you’re in.  Other examples are Australia (country #3) where you pay $20 for an “on line electronic visa”.  Up to now Brazil (country #41) was the most difficult place to get a visa.  We had to drive up to Los Angeles, complete an application, pay $140 each and leave our passports for a couple of weeks.  Then we had to return to the Brazilian consulate to pick up our passports after the Brazilian visa had been approved and completed.  That process cost us some $280 and nearly 300 miles of driving.  No the international trackchasing hobby is not easy or inexpensive.

 

Please invite us to Russia!

Then came Russia!  To get a Russian visa we had to have someone in Russia INVITE us to come to Russia!  I only know one person in Russia (racechaser Jerry Fisher’s ex-wife Elena).  Rather than bother her I had the hotel where we would be staying (Sheraton Palace Hotel Moscow) “invite” us.  They were happy to do that but told us that after they invited us if we didn’t come we would owe them about $100 U.S. per person for the invite.  That didn’t sound very neighborly did it?

 

Go to Russia!

Once we had an invite we could then make an application for a “one-visit” travel visa.  I did some online research.  To complete the Russian visa process by ourselves sounded even more difficult and expensive than what it took to get a Brazilian visa.  It involved flying to San Francisco a couple of times and being without our passports for a period of time.

 

We decided to use a company aptly named, “Go to Russia” to do the legwork for us.  The process would be expensive, nearly $600 U.S. for the two of us.  From what I could tell that was only about $50 more than if we did it ourselves.  The lion’s share of the expense was going to the Russian government.

 

We can’t afford to be without our passports for long.

Beyond the expense was the issue of simply being without our passports.  For folks who travel as much as we do the thought of not having a passport for 2-3 weeks was troublesome.  In early January Carol and I went on a 7-day Caribbean cruise (cruising is a fantastic vacation).  When you cruise internationally you must carry your passport with you at all times.

 

We returned from our cruise on January 19.  The race we wanted to see in Russia would take place on February 23.  Those dates were 34 days apart.  However, we didn’t even have that much time as we were scheduled to leave for this trip on February 20.  Our travel partners “Go to Russia” told us the “visa process” would take the better part of twenty days.  That was going to make everything a bit tighter than I preferred.

 

Just hours after completing our cruise we found a FedEx office in Miami and shipped off our passports.  Just the mailing for next day delivery cost another fifty bucks (ka-ching!).  Now it was late January and early February.  I didn’t have a passport.  That meant I would need to miss the heart of the ice-racing season in Canada.  No passport, no Canadian ice racing.

 

Whew!  Just in time.

Finally on February 9, just eleven days before we were to depart for Russia our passports came back with the valuable Russian visa affixed inside.  There was no note in the envelope.  There was no thank you for planning your trip to Russia.  The mailing simply included our passports.  So much for Russian social skills.

 

TIME ZONES

Knowing what time it was back home would be easy.

Russia is located on the far eastern border of Europe.  It’s almost in Asia.  Moscow, Russia’s location (They’re on the MSK time zone – Moscow Standard Time!) puts it twelve hours ahead of our San Clemente, California Pacific Time Zone.  A 12-hour time zone meant that all we had to do was change “a.m. to p.m.” or vice versa to figure out what time it was back home.  Once in Russia there’s not much value in doing that.  It just makes you feel bad!

 

Additionally, a 12-hour time change is really the most severe time zone change you can encounter.  Think about it.  When it’s 6 a.m. your time you can’t get any further way from your “body clock’s” time than 12 hours.  If you were in a place that was 23 hours ahead or behind your time zone that would only be one hour from what your body clock was used too.  Interesting huh?

 

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Thanks “Traclball”.

In some places finding local folks to use as resources is difficult.  That was the case in Russia with two notable exceptions.  One good contact I had in Russia was “Traclball”.  This person was the first real person (O.K., he was an ‘internet’ person but still a person as far as I knew) able to confirm the race we wanted to see was going to happen.  This was probably my most important contact I would have for the entire trip concerning the racing activity.

 

Ludmila rocks!

The other most invaluable resource was the concierge staff at the Sheraton Palace Hotel Moscow.  “Ludmila” is the head concierge at the hotel.  She was fantastic.  You’ll meet her in one of my videos.  She went above and beyond every time we asked her for help.

 

It’s the 99% that is most important.

We were going to be in Russia for six days and five nights.  We would be at the races for maybe 3-4 hours on one afternoon.  Most of our visit (99%) in Russia would be spent touring and experiencing.  Folks, that “99% number” is the most important aspect of international trackchasing for me.  Some folks try to dismiss what I do as simply some “old dirt track thing”.  Folks my hobby, at least the way I do it is about logistical planning and then touring the world.

 

The hotel staff provided us with details about all of the “admission” events that we could experience in Moscow.  This included the famous Bolshoi Ballet, the Russian symphony and opera alternatives and the equally famous “Moscow Circus”.  As we go along I’ll tell you more about how all this turned out.

 

What’s in a name?

Before I go any further I want to comment on the name of the hotel where we will be staying.  It’s called the Sheraton Palace Hotel Moscow.  The word “Palace” was concerning.  Yes, this was a 5-star hotel in Moscow.  We would be staying there for five nights.  Yes, according to Wikipedia, Moscow is the most expensive city in Europe and the fourth most expensive city in the world (Tokyo is #1).  We would be staying in a 5-star hotel in one of the most expensive cities in the world.  Why the concern?

 

Would you vote for this man?

Yep.  It’s those “Dreaded East Coast Trackchasers”.  You seen politicians make a public comment and you just KNOW that comment is going to be used against them in an attack advertisement by the opposite party.  In the trackchasing world, I have often been accused of being some “rich guy” with unlimited funds.  They’ve said I was the “Bill Gates of trackchasing”.  Serious and long-time readers know that’s not true.  I spent the first 15 years of my life living in a 672-square foot home.  Carol and I borrowed $200 to help us pay for our $500 wedding.  You get the point.

 

I can just hear the “DECTs” now.  There rhetoric would likely go like this.

“You all know Randy Lewis.  Randy Lewis went to Russia and flew in business class.  Randy Lewis went to Russia and stayed in a palace.  Randy Lewis went to Russia and spent hundreds of dollars on visas and entertainment.  Do you want Randy Lewis managing YOUR tax dollars.”?

 

 

THE TRANSPORTATION

Los Angeles to Minneapolis to Toronto to Chicago to Orlando to New York to Moscow to New York to Los Angeles. 

Folks the above description is just the airline portion of this trip.  It doesn’t include about 1,000 miles of driving that took me to ice races in Wisconsin, a fair race in Ontario, Canada and finally to the famous Daytona International Speedway.  I would be gone for 12 days on this trip.  Carol would be away from home for seven.  We were making a serious commitment to add my trackchasing country #64 (Carol’s #32).

 

CURRENCY 

Do you know the official currency of Russia?

It’s the Russian Ruble (RUB).  As we speak my iPhone currency app tells me I can get about 30 RUB for one U.S. dollar.  However, the currency folks at JFK airport are not as generous.  They’ll only give about 25 RUB per U.S. dollar and they charge a $10 fee to boot.

 

We normally get much of our foreign country currency from our local bank.  However, they don’t deal in Russian Rubles.  I wonder why?  We’ll try to use credit cards whenever we can.  We have a Visa card that doesn’t charge “foreign transaction fees” like most do.

In advance of the trip I printed out a list of where all Citibank (our bank) ATMS are in Moscow.  When we arrive we’ll find the closest Citibank ATM.  That will be “our bank” while in Moscow.

 

WEATHER

Coolish but nothing to worry about. 

The weather has been more than “coolish” by San Clemente standards all winter in Moscow.  Highs will be in the 20s and lows about ten degrees each night.  There is no snow predicted.  Those temperatures really aren’t too bad for touring.  Much of the time we will be inside.  Remember, my first ever ice race featured a temperature of -38 degrees Fahrenheit some 100 miles north of Quebec.  That was accompanied by winds of 20 M.P.H. or so.  Running around Moscow in 20-degree temps won’t be too bad at all.

 

OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS 

A nice reward for Carol.

As mentioned previously we will be staying at the 5-star Sheraton Palace Hotel Moscow.  You can’t get too much better than that for our five-night stay.  I love it when Carol comes along on these trips.  It gives me a chance to reward her for all the good work she does back home.  Selfishly, I get upgraded when Carol comes on the trip.

 

THE RENTAL CAR

Nyet.

No, we won’t be renting a car in Moscow.  We’ll ride the train too and from the airport.  Our hotel is 0.6 miles from the train station so we can walk to the hotel.  During the trip we plan to use the Metro (subway) often and rent taxies and private cars as necessary.

 

Just to show you how expensive that Moscow can be the Sheraton was charging about $150 U.S. for a one-way ride (about 18 miles) from the airport to the hotel.  On the other hand the very modern “Aeroexpress” train fare from the airport to Moscow’s central train station was just 320 RUB per person or about $20 U.S. for the two of us.

 

NAVIGATION 

Do you know ANYONE who uses the travel strategies I do?

I’ll be using my iPhone Google Maps app for navigation. We’ll supplement that with trying to communicate in English to most people who speak only Russian.  That will make the trip fun!

 

We’ll have the Google Maps capability because we have a temporary international “data plan”.  This will allow me to use my iPhone just as if I were on the streets of San Clemente.  J.J. manages my data plan needs very well.

 

THE TRAVELING COMPANION 

Carol and I would be returning to Russia.

I’m happy to report that Carol will be joining me on the trip to Moscow.  She and I spent eight days in Russia back in 1991.  I couldn’t remember the date but she did.  She’s a “political” person and tied our visit into President Clinton coming into office.  There’s a lot more to it than that but I don’t get into politics in these reports.

 

We had a fantastic time on that group tour.  We’ve only ever done two group tours, one to Russia and the other to China.  Although I prefer to travel without a group both of those trips were “best ever” adventures.

 

Carol will be seeing racing in country #32.  She and I have been together in well over fifty countries.  That’s not bad is it?

 

THE SUMMARY

My “world map” is filling up fast.

One of these days, I’m going to “color in” all of the trackchasing countries I have visited on the world map I got for Christmas.  When Russia gets “knocked off” a very big chunk of geography will go with it on my map.

 

With the internet, the world is becoming a much smaller place.  However, when you get down to the “street level” of international travel it can still be very old world.  That’s what I’m expecting in Moscow.  I’m glad we travelled here more than twenty years ago.  I’m sure Russia has changed maybe more than just about any place during that time.  I’ll tell you as we go along how things compare to the extent I remember our first trip here.

 

 

Pre-Russia 

Carol and I would meet in outer space; no I meant to say New York City.

Early on in the trip I did a good deal of research to get our Russian visa process going.  This is not the type of trip you plan the weekend before you go.  I also used Tripadvisor.com.  Folks over there helped answer questions about the racing.  Just reading the posts helped me become better informed about what our touring and transportation options might me.

 

I had a couple of choices on how I would get to Russia.  I could trackchase the weekend before our Russia trip, then fly home for a couple of days, before flying with Carol back across the U.S. and then onto Moscow.  However, I chose a different more travel efficient method.

 

The weekend before the race in Russia I would trackchase in first Wisconsin, then Ontario, Canada and finally in Daytona Beach, Florida.  This trip allowed me to actually drive a racecar in a real race, see some good friends (Jim Sabo, Paul Weisel and Dave Garrison) and eat some good food.

 

When that trackchasing four-day trip was finished it was time to implement the trickiest part of this trip’s logistics.  This was sort of like (but not really) a manned space trip where precise coordination is required for the space shuttle to line up perfectly with the satellite station.

 

In our case it would be Carol and I “lining up” in New York.  A misstep here or there would get the trip started off poorly.  As you read on you’ll see what I mean.

 

Tuesday – Day 1 – Carol (Los Angeles to New York) – Randy (Orlando) 

We’re ‘active seniors’ aren’t we?

We planned to leave New York on Wednesday of this week bound for Moscow, Russia.  As part of the “staging” process Carol would fly from Los Angeles to New York the day before.  Carol is a “big girl” and can move her self around the U.S. very well indeed.  As she made the long trek from San Clemente to LAX to New York’s JFK airport to her New York hotel for the evening we kept in contact via text message.  Our family uses texting a good deal.  It’s a fantastic way to keep in touch when short messages are all that is needed.

 

While Carol was traveling cross-country I was finishing up my trackchasing trip in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Did I ever mention to you that I consider us “active seniors”?  Do you agree?

 

I would say that Carol’s travel day was a bit tougher than mine.  However, tomorrow the situation would be revered.  That’s pretty much how real life works.

 

Wednesday – Day 2 – Carol (New York to Moscow) – Randy (Orlando to New York to Moscow) 

Carol had it easy; I didn’t.

Today, Carol had it pretty easy.  She could sleep in for the morning at her Priceline.com arranged Comfort Inn.  She just needed to be at New York’s JFK airport by 1 p.m.

 

I, on the other hand, had a little tougher travel day.  My wakeup call came at 4:45 a.m. Eastern time (1:45 a.m. San Clemente time).  That was just three hours after I had turned the lights out on my day in Daytona Beach, Florida after seeing track #1,423 at the Daytona International Speedway.

 

This morning I was flying standby on a flight from Orlando to New York’s JFK airport.  If I made the flight I would have a “six-hour cushion” until our flight departed Moscow later in the afternoon.

 

Can I ask you a question?

Yes, please let me ask you a question.  If you had paid nearly $600 U.S. for Russian visas and had every last (O.K. most) detail planned for a successful trip to Russia would you be willing to fly standby on the morning of the big trip?  Of course, if I missed my flight to New York Carol was instructed to “Go to Russia” by herself.  I would get there later by “figuring it out”.  I will tell you this.  It is exactly this drama that makes these trips even more fun.

 

I am happy to report that I DID make my flight to New York.  Carol and I met seamlessly at JFK.  We had a leisurely New York lunch and I conducted some business on the phone back in California.  We’re thinking about “going solar” for our electricity in sunny California.  If that comes to pass I’ll tell you more about it in the future.

 

If you’re going to fly more than 16,000 miles why not do it in business class.

I am also happy to report that Carol and I were able to fly business class from New York to Moscow.  On these long trips I can fly coach or “up front”.  However, when Carol is traveling with me she deserves the best right?  She doesn’t ask for special treatment, she just deserves it!  I think I may try to patent that phrase!

 

The flight to Moscow was about ten hours long.  I wished it were longer so we could enjoy the business class service even more.  Most business class accommodations on these long flights have “100% lay flat” seats.  This allows travelers to sleep almost as if they were at home.  For me the seats are a little narrow and confining in the “lay flat” mode but still quite nice.

 

In business class several amenities are offered that are not available in coach class.  You’ll get hot towels, unlimited alcoholic drinks, your own personal TV/Video system, upgraded food and lots of other “niceties”.  Yes, flying up front on international flights is the way to go.

 

Thursday – Day 3 – Moscow, Russia

Will the plan work? 

Folks, it is at this point in the trip when the “rubber meets the road”.  When you’ve landed in a foreign country (and Russia was about as foreign as you can get) then all of the San Clemente based planning is put to the test.  Will the plan really work?

 

Panic!

As we were about to land at 11 a.m., I had a minor “panic attack”.  For a moment I thought we had forgotten our Russian “letter of invitation”.  First, I thought Carol had these documents.  No, she did not.  I knew I didn’t have them either.  Where were these friggin’ things?  I had visions of coming all this way and being rejected at the Russian border!

 

Alas, upon further reflection, I remembered the “letter of invitation” was only required paperwork in getting our Russian visas.  After that the visa would suffice without any additional paperwork.  I could breathe easier now.

 

What a border agent!

Clearing Russian customs at the airport was a quick and easy process.  However the border agent was a piece of work.  I handed my passport to a huge Russian border agent seated at a desk with “their” head down.  The agent took my passport and looked up at me.  I just about fainted.  Here was a 220-pound 6”4” woman wearing what appeared to be a fake blonde wig and enough lipstick and mascara to supply a college sorority for an entire semester.  Her fingernails were painted UCLA blue and extended a good inch beyond her fingers.  In point of fact this “get up” looked more like a big Russian man cross dresser.  Wow!  Welcome to Russia!

 

Sometimes, for you, I have to break the rules.

My Russian pre-work had strongly recommended no photos be taken in the airport or railway stations.  However, I had a responsibility to my readers.  I KNOW you want to see pictures of everything from these trips right?  I took those pictures for you enjoyment.  If some day I get arrested and put in a foreign jail for a long time please send me a postcard.  You should know that in the middle of every photo taking opportunity Carol is reminding me that I can (and according to her should) be arrested at any point in time.

 

I’m in this for the adventure.

When we left the secured area of the Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) we were immediately confronted with a host of “privateer” cab drivers wanting to take us to downtown Moscow.  Prices ranged from $1,500 RUB (no receipt – which I assumed meant ‘off the books’) to 2,000 RUB.  That was about $50-70 U.S.

 

However, I had already decided we would ride the train.  Of course the train would be less expensive just 320 RUB per person (about $10 U.S. each).  However, I wasn’t riding the train to save money.  It would be a far greater “adventure” to figure out how to and then actually ride the “Aeroexpress” train.  Anybody can hop in a cab and let someone else do all the thinking.  I do this for the adventure.  It’s as simple as that.

 

We had some difficulty operating the train’s kiosk ticket selling machines.  Even though directions could be had in English we still couldn’t get it to work.  We resorted to buying our tickets from a real person ticket agent.

 

The train runs every 30 minutes from the airport to the train station in Moscow.  However, at lunch they take a one-hour break.  We used that time to have a beer in the local airport pub.  At 270 RUB (about $9 U.S.) that was a bit on the high side although the beer classes were large.

 

From there it was on to a very modern train.  The ride to downtown would be about 35 minutes.  There wasn’t a lot to see.  It’s obviously winter in Russia and the ground is covered in snow.  I will tell you this was some of the WHITEST snow I had ever seen.  The architecture was dominated by huge residential buildings that were part of the Russian communist regime of the 1950-1980s.

 

We would walk from the train station to the hotel.

When the train arrived we would have a ten-minute walk to the Sheraton Palace Hotel Moscow.  I was using my iPhone Google Maps app to direct us.  I also had a map the hotel had sent us.  The only problem was knowing exactly where we were BEGINNNING.

 

Russia uses the Cyrillic alphabet.  If you don’t know what that is think of an alphabet that would be totally unintelligible by any English speaker and you’ve got it.  Trying to read the Russian alphabet makes me think I am dyslectic.

 

While I was “trying to figure it out” an older Russian cab driver came to our aid.  I had the hotel’s address in my iPhone written in Russian.  The cab driver went back to his cab to get his reading glasses and directed us, in Russian, to go up a block, walk three more blocks and we would be there.  At least I THINK that’s what he said.  Off we went.

 

We had walked, with our rolling bags, about three blocks over some very uneven sidewalks.  I stopped to get my bearings.  About this time Carol said, “Isn’t that the Sheraton”.  In point of fact it was just 50 yards from us.  In a display of bravado I tried to convince here I knew it was there all along.

 

My job is to “nibble”.

“Nibbling” is a negotiating term that refers to always asking for a “little bit more”.  Some people might be uncomfortable doing that.  Not me.

 

The Sheraton Palace Hotel Moscow is a five-star rated Tripadvisor.com hotel.  I am a “Gold” member of the Starwood Hotels (includes Sheraton) frequent guest program.  That meant we would get an upgrade.  I was hoping for a “concierge” level upgrade.  We only ended up with an “executive” level upgrade.  This included a much nicer hotel room but no access to the concierge level and probably more importantly complimentary breakfast.  Breakfast for five mornings could run the better part of $500 U.S. in this very expensive city.

 

On the other hand, not having breakfast at the Sheraton every morning would add to our adventure as we scrounged for more affordable food.  However, our upgrade package did include free internet, which could easily cost $20 U.S. per day in Moscow.

 

With the aid of our hotel porter we were escorted to our fully modern room.  As I looked out our hotel window I could see a Moscow metro (subway) station.  We plan to ride the metro a good deal this trip.  It comes highly recommended.

 

Carol!  Don’t go to sleep now!

It was now nearly 4 p.m.  Remember to figure out what time it was in California all we had to do was change the “p.m. to a.m.” or vice versa.  However, when we’re traveling we do our best not to mention what time it is back home.  It’s a “When in Rome….” thing.

 

Carol decided to take a short nap.  That could have been the “kiss of death” as regards sleeping for the rest of the trip.  My strong advice to anyone is when you travel to Europe from the U.S. stay up the first day until an hour or two past dinner.  Then sleep for 10-12 hours.   This is the BEST way to get quickly accustomed to the local time change.

 

I did some more planning while Carol slept.  Seeing HER sleep encouraged ME to take a short nap.  To make a long story short we slept from 4 p.m. Moscow time until nearly 9 a.m. the next day!  We should be well rested for the remainder of our time in Moscow!

 

Friday – Day 4 – Moscow, Russia

First we needed money, then advice and finally the metro.

Today will be a big touring day for us.  It’s the beginning of four FULL days in Moscow.  I’ve read about some trackchasers who visit foreign countries.  It sounds as if they get to the hotel, go to the racetrack, and then come back to the hotel for their meals.  That’s not how I like to travel.  The race itself brings me to these foreign countries.  However, the race will be a very small part of the entire trip.  I’m here to SEE things and DO things.  I won’t hole up at the hotel and I won’t eat any more meals at my hotel than I have too.  You’ll see how we travel as you read along.

 

When I awoke at 6:15 a.m. I noticed it was 0 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  I got that information from the Weather Channel app on my iPhone.  Of course, having a “data plan” allows that information to come my way while I travel in foreign countries.  I decided to keep the outside ambient temperature to myself.  This was something Carol did not need to trouble herself with.  I rolled over and went back to sleep.

 

Our first stop once we did get rolling was to Citibank.  I had printed out a list of Citibank locations in Moscow before we left.  Luckily, there was a Citibank located just around the corner from our Sheraton Palace Moscow hotel.  There we were give an exchange rate of almost 30 Rubles per dollar.  Recall, that we got only 25 Rubles for each dollar exchanged in New York’s JFK airport.  That’s a pretty big difference isn’t it.

 

With enough Rubles to pay for the tickets to the Moscow Circus and the Moscow Symphony we returned to the Sheraton Concierge desk.  There we met “Ludmila”.  She had been most instrumental in my pre-trip communications.  Today we spent nearly an hour with her going over our touring options.  Ludmila’s advice was outstanding.

 

What does THAT sign say?

We were soon off for our first attempt at touring Moscow.  We would find that few servers in Russian restaurants speak much English.  They speak enough that we won’t starve but that’s about it.  We found an Italian restaurant.  This was where we learned they have smoking and no smoking areas.  Coming from California everything in non-smoking, which seems like a good idea to me.  I ordered a pizza for two reasons.  I wanted to see what kind of pizza Russia makes and I like pizza.  I will say that ordering pizza is a pretty wimpy attempt at enjoying “local” cuisine.  I’ll do better in future meals.

 

With Russia using the Cyrillic alphabet reading signs, menus and the like is virtually impossible.  Any idea what the following says, “Здравствуйте есть ли у вас пиццу saugage”  Give up?  This says in Russian, “Hello, do you have any sausage pizza”.  With almost ZERO understanding of any signs we might see (except for an English sub-title) once in a while we resorted to “guessing” a good deal of the time.

 

For directional help during this trip I’ll be using my Google Maps iPhone app.  That’s especially helpful with riding the Moscow metro (subway) system.  The only thing we had a hard time with was walking from wherever we were to the metro stop.  However, I attribute that to user error (me) more than any shortcoming of the system.

 

Riding the metro was a trip highlight.

Riding the metro was incredibly easy and cheap once we got the hang of it.  A one-person, one-way ride was just 28 Rubles (less than a dollar).  The metro is famous for its historical architecture and parts of it are very beautiful.  Back in 1992 I seem to remember hearing the metro was not safe.  Today it appears to be just fine.  Buying “kakkas” tickets is easy.  They only take cash and will sell you as many rides as you want.  Even though we were two travelers we only needed one ticket.

 

You can’t tour Moscow in the wintertime without a winter hat….can you?

Somewhere along the line Carol lost her winter hat.  In the cold of wintertime Moscow that wasn’t good.  In the bowels of the metro there are all kinds of shops.  Of course some of those shops sell winter hats!  Soon Carol was sporting a beautiful new hat.  Photos of this traveling episode and everything else I mention are available by clicking on the photo/video links above.

 

As Carol was trying on various hats a couple of Russian women who were also shopping for hats stopped to help Carol with her purchase.  Neither spoke any English.  However, they had all kinds of non-verbal advice.  They “weighed in” on the purchase just as if it were their best friend getting a new piece of wintertime finery.

 

When we travel like this there are so many things to notice that are different than where we come from.  One of the striking differences was the amount of women wearing fur coats.  With P.E.T.A. you won’t see that in the U.S.  Just before we hit Red Square we came across the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.  There a bride was getting out of her limo wearing her full bridal dress.  I was glad I wasn’t going to a wedding today.

 

Red Square is where it’s at in Moscow.

Much of the touring “action” is in the Red Square area.  There you will find the “Kremlin” and the famous “GUM” shopping center.  Not many people buy much in the shopping center because it is insanely expensive.  However, it is a nice WARM place to explore between periods of being outside in the cold.

 

In reality I didn’t find the cold that bad.  There wasn’t much wind.  If you were to ask Carol she might have a different opinion.

 

THAT’S hot chocolate?

While in the GUM shopping center we stopped to have a refreshment.  I ordered a hot chocolate.  They took my order literally.  I was served a small cup (maybe 4-5 oz.) of what was essentially liquid fudge or a melted Hershey’s bar.  At first I thought the server was going to add milk and mix it up but no…..just PURE hot chocolate!

 

During the winter they have a huge ice skating rink set up in the middle of Red Square.  I always like to watch ice skaters, even though I don’t ice skate myself.  Also in Red Square is Saint Basils Cathedral.  I’m sure you’ve seen this many times in photos of Moscow.  We took the cathedral’s interior tour, which wasn’t much.  Most of what we saw appeared to be recreated.  I doubt various Russian leaders left much of what was original.

 

Near to the Red Square is Moscow’s theatre district.  This includes the famous Bolshoi Theatre home to the equally famous Bolshoi ballet.  Back in ’92 we saw a performance of Swan Lake at the Bolshoi.  That was a true touring highlight.  As memory serves we paid about $25 U.S. per ticket while locals paid 10% of that.  Today tickets to the Bolshoi go for anywhere from $200-400 U.S.  I’m glad we had already visited the Bolshoi.

 

How about a ‘Black Russian”?

We had been walking outside in the cold temperatures for much of the afternoon.  We had a couple of hours before our dinner reservation and stumbled onto the Hotel Metropole.  It didn’t take long to find the hotel bar.  There we enjoyed cherry brandy, Black Russians and a couple of other potent concoctions.  That certainly warmed us up!  I was glad I wasn’t driving.

 

Dinner would be at the famous Godunov restaurant, again within shouting distance of Red Square.  My pre-trip research had turned up this place.  Ludmila, our concierge, confirmed this would be an excellent location to get authentic Russian food.

 

I’ll have the bear chops with sauerkraut and the pigeon’s milk with chocolate soufflé.

Our meal was served in a rustic 17^th century former monastery.  Some of the more unique entrees included bear chops with sauerkraut, roast elk, chopped steak of venison, a pair of quail with apple and wild boar-loin along with goose liver pate.  Yes, we were in Russia now.

 

We had a delicious meal, although the service was quite slow.  I went with the beef stroganoff in bread.  The portions were so large I couldn’t eat but half of my entrée.  That was after consuming about half a gallon of the delicious pumpkin soup.  There was simply no room for the “pigeon’s milk with chocolate soufflé”.  Yes, we were a long way, a very long way from the Waffle House!

 

From there it was time to hop on the metro.  The temperature was now 16 degrees.  We had a very full day of touring on our first full day in Moscow.  Tomorrow would be an important day.  It was “race day”!

 

 

Saturday (race day) – Day 5 – Moscow, Russia

Trackchasing brought us to Russia.

Today is Race Day!  Today is “International Race Day”.  In my 64 years of living I have only been able to say that 64 times.  So I guess today would be kind of a special day.

 

We came to Russia so I could see auto racing in my 64^th different country (Carol’s 32^nd).  We would do lots of other things while we were here.  However, trackchasing BROUGHT us to Russia.

 

Some time ago, I had discovered on a “secret” website (competitive reasons) that an auto race would be held in Moscow, Russia today.  The venue was the old (very old) Moscow Central Hippodrome (MCH).  The place, home to mainly horse races, was built in 1834.

 

O.K., so I rented a big black Mercedes limo….does that make me a criminal?

We could have found our way to MCH on our own.  However, I didn’t want to arrive late.  Therefore for my own peace of mind and Carol’s comfort I rented a huge black Mercedes limousine.  Please don’t tell those “Dreaded East Coast Trackchasers” about this.  I’ll never hear the end of it.

 

The Mercedes was driven by the surliest and most ornery “Russian mafia” character you can possible imagine.  Nevertheless, he was a good driver.  With the Cyrillic language problem this would not have a been a good place to be driving by myself.

 

In just a few minutes we arrived at a building with several huge columns.  The driver, who did not speak any English, grunted as if to say, “This is where you get off bud”.  However, this did NOT look like any racetrack I had ever seen.  I was concerned.

 

I certainly did not want to be dropped off in an area of Moscow that was NOT the track’s location.  If the driver sped away how would we ever find the right location?  I insisted our driver call the Sheraton so I could speak to Ludmila, the hotel concierge and our new Russian friend.  If Carol wasn’t there I fear the driver might have pulled out a snub-nosed 38 and shot me.  As it was he called the Sheraton.  Ludmila calmed me down.  We agreed that I would get out of the car and look around.  I did.  Although I didn’t see any racecars I did see what looked like a snow-covered oval.  There was a young lady handing out fliers for Renault.  This must be the track.  I went back to retrieve Carol from the limo.  Ludmila had told us the driver would be back promptly at 4 p.m. to pick us up.  We had three hours to experience trackchasing country #64, RUSSIA!

 

Let’s compare my introduction letter in both English and Russian.

I didn’t have any advance contacts with the track.  However, I had sent them the message copied below.  I sent it in both English and with the Russian translation.  I received no reply.

 

Hello,

I am an American racing fan.  I am coming to Moscow to see your racing on February 23 at the Hippodrome.  Can you give me some information about this race.  Sorry for speaking in English but I don’t speak Russian.

Many thanks.

Randy Lewis

San Clemente, California USA

 

Здравствуй,

Я американский поклонник гонок. Я приеду в Москву, чтобы увидеть ваши гоночные 23 февраля на ипподроме. Можете ли вы дать мне некоторую информацию об этой расе. Извините за говорить на английском, но я не говорю на русском языке.

Большое спасибо.

Рэнди Льюис

Сан – Клементе, Калифорния, США

 

No, there would be no advance V.I.P. treatment for us.  I strolled up to the ticket window and purchased two tickets for 600 Rubles (about $20 U.S.) each.  We walked through a metal detector and we were in the Hippodrome.

 

More security, including metal detectors, than I’ve ever seen at a racetrack.

We would see lots of unusual things today at our first racing event in Russia.  There were an unusually large amount of security people and police.  They seemed to delight in telling people “nyet” or no.  I am trained to “work with” folks who have that attitude.  However, I feared these Russians were trained to “work with” people like me….and they had guns.

 

The Hippodrome offered seating on two levels.  We entered on the lower level.  We were not permitted to watch from the second level.  I sensed this was reserved for V.I.P. customers.  Even on the lower level we were constrained to a relatively small spectator section.  It reminded me of our visit to Fenway Park!

 

I checked around for souvenirs and refreshments.  As far as I could tell there was NO food or drink being served anywhere that we could go.  I often complain about American racetrack food and drink but at least those places have SOMETHING.  Nothing.  Not a single thing to eat or drink and we hadn’t eaten breakfast so we could enjoy whatever the track had to offer.

 

Thank you Chevy Chase.

I am a disciple of Chevy Chase.  What I picked up from Chevy is that if you act like you own the place then you do.  It wasn’t long before Carol and I had snuck into the Continental Tire private seating area.  Folks, you need to truly appreciate what “sneaking” in this environment entails.  There were guards at nearly every turn preventing people from moving around freely.

 

Nevertheless, as I have been trained to take “no” aka “nyet” as “maybe”, we scouted for a way to improve our situation.  In reality trackchasing is like life.  If you want something better you just need to keep trying until you get it.  Soon we came across a young woman attired in the bright yellow and black Continental Tire colors.

 

What?  You want us to sit in your corporate suite?

There were two great things about this young attractive woman.  First, she spoke English.  Secondly she had coffee, hot wine and various forms of Russian cookies.  She offered all she had to us.  We accepted.  We had turned “not much” into at least a “little something”.  It was about the best we could do given the circumstances.

 

In our “suite” we had least had chairs “plastic” to sit on.  We had a little break from the wind.  Finally, we had Russian cookies and hot wine so we wouldn’t starve or die from thirst.

 

As the day wore on I learned how this young woman came to know English so well.  Back in 2004, she was a high school exchange student for ten months in Uniontown, Pennsylvania (a small village outside of Pittsburgh).  She loved the U.S. and couldn’t wait to go back.

 

Oh yeah, they raced too.

Today’s racing would take place over a fully snow covered one-mile flat oval track.  They normally race horses at the Hippodrome.  All of the P.A. announcements and commentating were in Russian.  We didn’t hear a word of English over the P.A. system all day.  To make matters worse the announcer never stopped talking….in Russian.

 

In 63 countries I had never seen this.

I had read something most unusual about today’s racing.  In my visits to 63 different countries up to now I had never seen this.  In Russia they BET on the car races.  Here’s what my information told me:

 

February 23, 2013 at the Central Moscow Hippodrome been receiving bets on races RACE STARS “at the wheel.”

Bets are accepted on the following types of bets:

“Single,” – a bet on one car in one race, which a panel of judges will be declared the winner.

“Paired” – a bet on two cars in one race, which will be recognized a panel of judges at the first two places in prize money regardless of which of them will take the first or second place.

Bets will be settled in cash in rubles.

Minimum rate – $ 100.

In persons who have not attained the age of majority, the stakes are not accepted.

 

I roamed around taking pictures to the extent that the local police would allow any movement.  Carol stayed close to the warm coffee in the Continental Tires “suite”.

 

Sight lines for the oval were limited.  We could see the cars drive off toward turn one and then again when they raced out of turn four.  The rest of the racing could be seen very well over a huge Jumbotron.

 

Lots of plusses and minuses.

Each race started 8-10 cars for a period of about 8-10 laps.  In every race, a major flip at high speeds occurred.  However, every time that happened the accident was on the backstretch or in one of the turns that we could not see directly.  Nevertheless, we did see the flips on a live time basis on the Jumbotron.

 

The temperature was about 20 degrees for today’s racing.  All of the P.A. was in Russian.  There was no food or drink available to the public.  We couldn’t move around much in the spectator area.  These conditions were not all that conducive to maximum enjoyment.

 

Nevertheless, we (speaking for myself here) did have a good time seeing racing in Russia.  I don’t know ANYBODY else who has seen racing here.

 

Toward the end of the event I was given a special keepsake from the Continental Tire corporate entertainment specialist.  This was a bright (Caterpillar yellow) winter scarf.  It’s perfect.  Just a few minutes before 4 p.m. we were out in the parking area meeting up with “Mr. Congeniality” in our Mercedes limo.  He would drive us to the next stop on our tour for the day.

 

Let’s get back to touring Moscow.

When I take these trips I do a bit of research.  One of the main things I’m looking for is those unique but popular “off the beaten path” touring activities.  In the “35 MM” theater I found exactly what I was looking for.  This theatre has been around for a very long time in Moscow.  They show films, sometimes in English, at all times of the night.

 

Ludmila had helped us purchase tickets to this cinema back at the hotel.  In many foreign countries movie theaters provide a reserved seat location.  That was the case today.  General admission was 250 Rubles and V.I.P. seating was 350 Rubles.  I would have purchased the more expensive tickets but Ludmila assured us there wasn’t much difference.

 

I wouldn’t come to Russia for the food.

As we were early for our movie, and we had not eaten anything but Russian cookies all day we looked for a place to eat.  There wasn’t much in the immediate area.  It was cold.  We had been out in the cold all afternoon and we didn’t have all that much time before our movie started.

 

The only place we could find was a sushi restaurant.  Of all the food types and ethnicities sushi is the only thing we don’t eat.  Nevertheless, we had no choice.  We walked in and were greeted by an Asian staff that didn’t speak a single word of English only Russian.  That seemed weird.  Despite that and despite it being late February the music system in the restaurant was playing “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” in English.  You just have to love the irony.

 

Carol will eat about anything and not complain.  However, she HATED her sushi filled soup.  I went with some dumpling concoctions that were at least edible.  Soon we were outta there and bound for a movie theatre in Russia.  How many people do you know who have visited a foreign country have seen a movie there?  Yes, it is a bit unusual but fun.  This all falls under the general category of “Let’s compare some of the things we do at home to how people in foreign countries do them”.

 

How about going to the movies?

We would be seeing the movie “The Master”.  It had some big name stars in it including Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Anderson and Laura Dern.  I love Joaquin Phoenix (especially as Johnny Cash) and I used to have a crush on Laura Dern (not any more).  Phoenix, Hoffman and Anderson all were nominated for Academy Awards in this film.

 

However, Carol and I both thought the movie was “out there”.  I thought it was well acted but just a plain weird movie.  However, it served it’s purpose.  It allowed us to see a movie in a Russian movie theatre.  It played in English with Russian subtitles.  Oddly, there were no refreshments whatsoever available in the theatre.

 

This 10-minute episode was a true trip highlight.

Following the movie it was time to get something to eat and ride the metro back to the hotel.  We had a bit of a hard time finding the metro.  What we did find was ourselves walking along in the dark in a Moscow residential neighborhood.  We were clearly lost but not too worried about it.

 

When I’m lost (unlike lots of men I know) I stop immediately and ask someone for directions.  Tonight I saw a couple out for an evening walk and asked if they could direct us to the metro station.  Only the man (in his early 30s) spoke English.  Not only would they help us they would walk us to the station.  Our walk took about ten minutes.  During this time we conversed all the way.  The young man was a human relations manager in a bank.  He told us a bit about his family.  Tonight he was walking his mother back from his home to her house.  She spoke only Russian.  The young man told us his mother was concerned for us and wanted to make sure we made it safely to the metro stop.  Don’t miss the picture of these kind-hearted good-Samaritans.  It’s encounters like this that make these trips so memorable.

 

We ended up at a late night dinner (10 p.m.) just a block or so from our hotel.  It had been a fantastic day of touring and trackchasing.  We’ve got two more days to see Moscow.  So far it’s a wonderful adventure.

 

Sunday – Day 6 – Moscow, Russia

I didn’t want too but I had too.

Today is kind of a kickback day.  We have the Moscow Circus this evening.  We agreed to sleep in late, have breakfast at the hotel and just “hang out” until mid-afternoon when we would head to the circus.

 

I wasn’t a big fan of eating at the Moscow Palace Hotel.  I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels in my time.  I estimate I stayed overnight more than 4,000 times in hotels since I started my business career in 1972.  I feel that a hotel’s core competency is being a hotel and not a restaurant.

 

I knew the Sheraton would provide a nice Western buffet breakfast.  They did.  I knew it would be expensive and probably not a great value for money.  It was.  How does $99 U.S. strike you for two buffet breakfasts.  Now at least we know what is was like.

 

This was not your father’s circus.

Today’s major “Trackchasing Tourist Attraction” was going to be the famous “Moscow Circus”.  We had attended the circus on our trip back in 1992.  Russia was a lot different back then.  At that performance we noticed there was not a single souvenir being sold.  There was only ONE concession item, strawberry ice cream  At intermission we stood in line for this treat.  Before we reached the head of the line they sold out!  We were very much interested in seeing if things had changed in twenty years.

 

I had purchased our circus tickets through the hotel that had purchased them through a “ticket agency”.  What does that mean?  Everybody makes a profit!  I had only one requirement.  I wanted good seats.  The Moscow Palace and more specifically, “Ludmila” the chief hotel concierge came through for us.  We were in the fourth row of the single ring circus performance area.  The arena wasn’t all that big.  We probably could have had the same enjoyment from any seating location.  However, in advance, you just never know.

 

The arena seated about 800 people.  The seating was in steep circular setting that fully surrounded the circus ring.  There really wasn’t a bad seat in the house.  We arrived early, after taking a walking tour of a local residential neighborhood.

 

What we saw could not have been more different than our experience in 1992.  Today they were selling all kinds of souvenirs.  Refreshments included everything you might find and more at a similar U.S. venue.  There was one more thing that we found most unique and something you might not find at a U.S. based circus.

 

We missed this great photo opp.

All kinds of wild animals were on display out in the open with only their handlers and a leash keeping them from mischief.  This included tigers, leopards and elephants.  Customers could sit next to the animal of their choice to get a special photo taken.  I was trying to talk Carol into an up close and personal photo with a wild tiger but she wasn’t buying what I was selling.

 

The circus itself was magnificent.  The two-hour performance really could not have been any better.  Photos and video were prohibited.  Women “ushers” stared into the crowd intently trying to spot violators.  I was only able to get one action shot of the elephant act.  Sorry, I couldn’t do better for you my loyal readers.  However, I didn’t want to have my iPhone taken away.

 

My iPhone was both my “map” and my “translator”.  We were lucky to have it as a GPS unit.  However, did I tell you the iPhone can translate from English to whatever foreign language we need?  I can simply type in the word, as an example, “Green Tea” and out comes “зеленый чай”!  I then show my phone to the server and soon green team appears.  Pretty amazing huh?

 

Where would ‘supper’ come from?

Following the circus it was time for a late night dinner.  We eat “supper” (yes, we’re from the Midwest) at 5:30 p.m. each night.  Europeans eat much later.  Tonight dinner would be at just past 9 p.m.  We wanted something special.  We walked more then eight blocks trying to find a great place to eat.  With the Cyrillic alphabet finding places was nearly impossible.  With famine and frostbite setting in we ended up back at the circus venue.  Right next to the building was a Burger King.  I don’t like to eat at American chains when traveling outside of North America.

 

During our eight-day Russian trip in 1992 the food was the WORST of any country I had ever visited.  During eight days we had two good meals.  One was at a five-star hotel serving Italian food and the other was at a McDonalds.  On that trip I had never been happier to eat at a Mickey D’s in my life.

 

On this trip I wanted to eat at a McDonald’s.  We never did.  However, tonight a Burger King would have to suffice.  The place was unique in two aspects.  First, no one spoke a word of English.  When we tried to order in English our server went away to get a laminated menu.  There all of the BK items were listed in English.  We pointed and she added our selections to our order.  The second most unusual thing about this Burger King location was they served beer albeit in the flimsiest plastic cups I had ever used.

 

At this point I must add an important demographic note.  When Carol and I travel (we’re in our mid-60s) internationally, I estimate that 98%+ of the people we see are younger than us.  They are often half our age.  Where are all these people who had the mantra, “When I retire I’m going too….”.  C’mon folks, get off the couch.  They’re be plenty of time for resting when you’re dead.  Sorry, didn’t mean to offend anyone….but.

 

The circus and the Burger King were right next to a metro stop.  That made getting back to the hotel a snap.  I love the Moscow metro.  Don’t miss the photos of the circus environment.  You’ll like them.

 

Monday – Day 7 – Moscow, Russia

What a pleasant travel companion.

The day started out with someone tapping on my shoulder.  Where was I?  Heck, it was 11 a.m. and I was still sleeping.  That shoulder tap was coming from the lovely “Trackchasing’s First Mother”.  She stared down at me.  “I didn’t want to wake you up but it’s 11 a.m.  Shouldn’t we get our day started?”  What a pleasant way of putting it.  Yes, we SHOULD get our day started.

 

Let’s get going.

Today was going to be our last full day for touring Moscow.  We had big plans.  My sleeping until 11 a.m. put us behind the 8-ball just a bit.  I rushed to get dressed and we hopped on the metro.  The metro is easy, safe and cheap.  A one-way ride will take you just about anywhere you need to go in Moscow.  The cost?  It’s just 28 Rubles per trip or a little bit less than one U.S. dollar.

 

Not my favorite memory of Russia.

I did learn this riding the metro and just walking around Moscow.  Russians, like many Europeans don’t respect lines.  If you leave only the smallest space between you and the person ahead of you then someone will step in front of you.  It’s a little bit like NASCAR racing at Bristol.  I’m guessing this has been their way of life since birth and they don’t seeing anything wrong with it.  We Americans are just too damned nice.

 

Tipping is another unusual thing.  Of course, in America tipping is used to reward superior service.  I’m sure you know where the word “TIPS” came from.  TO INSURE PROMPT SERVICE.  In most foreign countries there is either no tipping or very little tipping.  In Russia that was no place on the credit card receive to leave a tip.  However, travel advice recommended a 10% tip if service was good.  Many Russian menus mentioned that tips should be left in cash.

 

I had done some advance research regarding good Moscow restaurant choices.  One such reco was a Mexican restaurant called La Cantina.  It was supposed to be near the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.  The Ritz is near Red Square and the Kremlin this afternoon’s touring activities.

 

Is that a café, a veterinary office or a yoga studio?

The metro dropped us nearly in front of the Ritz-Carlton.  However, the Cyrillic alphabet is a real bugger.  They don’t seem to use vowels.  Some English letters are turned backwards.  Others don’t appear in the English alphabet at all.  In a nutshell, as you try to read signs you realize you can’t read virtually any of them!

 

I don’t think most people realize how much they count on reading for “mental feedback”.  As you walk the streets of Moscow you can’t figure out if the building in front of you is a restaurant, veterinary clinic or yoga studio.  You pretty much have to peer in the window.  Then if it IS a restaurant you have no idea if it’s a coffee shop or the most upscale 5-star eatery in town.  We just muddled through the very best we could and had fun doing it.

 

In advance of lunch we never did find our Mexican restaurant.  Then after we dined at a very upscale Italian place we noticed we had walked past the La Cantina twice looking for it.

 

Ever been to the Kremlin?

With another gourmet lunch in the rearview mirror it was time to head to the Kremlin.  The Kremlin is a historic fortified complex in the heart of Moscow.  It is home to five palaces, four cathedrals and is enclosed by the Kremlin Wall.  It is also the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.  We were interested in the Kremlin cathedral and grounds tour.  This would allow us to see all of the beautiful churches located inside the Kremlin.  Don’t miss the pictures.

 

However, just buying a “kacca” or ticket proved challenging.  There were a million entrances.  There were ten million police and security guards around.  We would try one place and be rejected.  That security guard would grunt and point us in the opposite direction.  This process took the better part of thirty minutes.  However, we don’t give up.  Soon we had “kaccas” for the Kremlin grounds tour (350 Rubles each) and the Armory Museum tour (700 Rubles each).

 

The grounds tour was a little disappointing.  Many of the churches were closed.  Others, due to probable wartime and czar destruction, allowed us to see very little and no jaw-dropping chapels like so many countries offer.

 

The Armory Museum, Russia’s foremost museum attraction was much better.  When entering this museum we were required to wear plastic disposable booties over our shoes so as not to scuff the floor.  Also, no photos were allowed.  Female “guards” were stationed everywhere to prevent the taking of photos.  Carol is a “rule-abider” to the nth degree.  I abide by rules too….except when I think they are unnecessary or stupid.  I guess that’s the way criminal looks at rules too!

 

I know that not everyone reading this has or will visit Moscow.  That being the case I did risk my personal safety and potential Russian imprisonment by taking a few pictures of the jewels collected over time in Russia.  I did this for your benefit.  Don’t miss these photos.

 

From a little dirt bullring to the Moscow Symphony…the trackchasing hobby has it all.

With all of the time it took just finding the places we wanted to visit there was no time for dinner.  We would be riding the metro directly to this evening’s final major “Trackchasing Tourist Attraction”.  What was that?  We were going to see the Moscow Symphony.

 

We had passed this location a time or two earlier in the trip.  I knew EXACTLY how to get there using the metro from the Kremlin area.  We hopped on the “train” and off we went.

 

When you use the metro you will end up walking a good deal up and down steps from platform to platform.  I’m guessing we walked well over five miles every day we were in Moscow.  In the fresh air I loved it.  I’m a huge fan of walking.

 

When we arrived at the symphony stop we rode the metro escalator to street level.  Like gophers we popped our heads above ground.  We looked left then we looked right.  Where was the symphony hall?  I had never seen this part of Moscow.  Carol, like lots of spouses I’m guessing, was getting ready to provide a little razzing in my direction.

 

I wasn’t lost…just disoriented.

Nevertheless, I knew we weren’t lost.  We were just disoriented.  I looked around some more and gathered my wits.  Where WERE we?  The best I could do was ask a nearby Moscowite.  Most people we encountered on the street, and we encountered a lot of people, spoke little to no English.  Nevertheless, they were always willing to try to help.  Oftentimes my Google Maps! directions included location descriptions in Russian.  That was most helpful.

 

In point of fact, we were not lost.  The symphony was just around the corner and mostly out of sight from our position.  There was no time to eat.  The show was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

 

I had purchased our tickets through the hotel in advance.  Ludmila, our hotel concierge had acquired both our Moscow Circus and symphony tickets through an “agent”.  The tickets we received had the original price “blacked out”.  What did that mean?  It meant that we were paying above face value for the tickets.  I normally don’t do that.  However, I wanted good seats at great activities for Carol to see.  It was worth paying a little more to “make it happen”.

 

Loud and long but worth the experience.

The symphony hall seated about 1,000 patrons.  We had great seats.  Don’t miss the pictures.  The first “half” of the performance featured a young woman soloist on the violin.  She was accompanied by about 40 members of the Moscow symphony including some 28 violinists.

 

Then they took a short break and the FULL orchestra showed up.  There were about 80 musicians to play for the second half of the performance.  The show was sold-out, somewhat loud and somewhat long.

 

Sometimes Americans can be a bit much.

The couple behind us included an American man and his Russian date.  I’m not sure if he was in town for a “buy a bride” opportunity or not.  The American correctly pointed out that the Russian audience did not applaud at different intervals but only when the complete first or second act of the show was finished.

 

However, the American man grew impatient during the second half of tonight’s evening of entertainment.  Some patrons left midway during the second performance when there was a break.  The American kept saying to his date “We need to leave after the next ‘song’ in finished”.  It was all I could do to say “We are not listening to ‘songs’ we are listening to ‘pieces’.”  However, I held my tongue.  Now the American was saying in “Russian baby talk”, “We go!  We go!” to his rather buxom girlfriend.  Culture is better suited for some rather than others.

 

I must admit Carol was a bit annoyed by the length and loudness of the show.  I was just there for the experience.  I often say that folks who go on trackchasing trips and do nothing but watch a race are really missing the boat.  Travel is there to provide enrichment.  In trackchasing it takes a good deal of travel to reach the tracks.  If I take all that time to get to a place then I’m going to see all I can (racing and otherwise).  In the end I’ll remember many of the “Trackchasing Tourist Attractions” long after I have forgotten whatever happened on the racetrack.

 

You can keep your $#%#$ $16 U.S. milkshake.

Following the symphony it was time for a 10 p.m. dinner.  Carol wasn’t wild about that prospect given that tomorrow was “getaway” day.  But it “was what it was”.  Earlier we had spotted the “Starlight Diner” in a little garden area behind the symphony hall.  The menu was offered in English as well as Russian.  They made mention that the Starlite Diner was awarded “Moscow’s best burgers in 2011”.  That was good enough for me and for Carol as well.

 

I think in many ways Russia is still behind the U.S. in many ways.  That being said Russia is light years ahead of where they were when we visited in 1992.  However, they still offer “smoking/no smoking” areas in their restaurants.  We haven’t had that in California in more than ten years.

 

The Starlite Diner was a takeoff on an American diner concept.  It was burgers, fries and shakes.  I wanted a chocolate milkshake so badly I could (well I guess I couldn’t) taste it.  However, a chocolate milkshake was 399 Russian Rubles.  How much was that?  At the “good” Citibank exchange rate a little more than $13 U.S.  At the “bad” airport exchange rate a little more than $16 U.S.

 

Folks, what must these Moscow folks earn to afford prices like that?  Are you kidding me?  Seriously, are you kidding me?  Some $13-16 U.S. for a #$^#@^& milkshake.  I had an apple beer!

 

Carol dined on what can best be described as a “trucker’s late night breakfast”.  This consisted of three eggs, ham, a boatload of hash browns and more.  Mind you Carol watches what she eats.  That’s why she’s just 110 pounds and in the best shape of any women in trackchasing.  Yet, she said she was starving and this was her reward.

 

From there we hopped on the metro and made our way back to the hotel.  Frankly, everything we had planned for this trip had worked out perfectly.  Considering this is Russia and they have an alphabet we can’t read that’s saying something.

 

If I don’t like the trip I can only blame the guy who planned it.

One more thing about this trip, I planned it all by myself.  Don’t get me wrong.  I had lots of help and advice from both people and information resources.  However, when it came time to decide what to do, where to go and when to go it was “my plan”.  Folks, that’s the only way to travel.

 

Some people want to just show up in a difficult foreign atmosphere and have someone “take them around”.  I guess that is another way of doing it.  I guess it would be a lot “easier”.  Maybe that’s the way folks who don’t have a lot of creativity or initiative would do it.  However, I get a lot more out of the trip when I input MY ideas and interests.

 

Tuesday – Day 8 – Moscow, Russia to New York to Los Angeles

Just 26 more hours and we’re home.

Today was “time to get home” day.  However, traveling from Moscow to Los Angeles through New York is fraught with potential peril.  First, if all goes well it takes some time.  We left the Moscow Palace Hotel at 8:30 a.m. Moscow time.  We planned to arrive in San Clemente at 10:30 p.m. that evening if all went well.  That would be 26 hours of straight traveling.  When was the last time you traveled non-stop for 26 hours without sleeping in a bed?  Never done it?  Try it sometime and you will get a good feel for what it takes to “fly over the pond or the north pole or wherever”.

 

When we went to bed the night before the Moscow to New York flight I noticed the flight’s seats were filling up fast.  Remember we fly standby.  It’s part of our most excellent sponsorship agreement.  Would your spouse or significant other be willing to travel 26 straight hours?  If they were would they be willing to attempt that trip on a standby basis with the full understanding that the 26-hour trip might take 52 hours….or longer?

 

Carol is kept on a “need to know” basis.

I don’t tell Carol everything about our trips.  There are some details that it’s just better to not worry her about.  Here’s an example.  About a month ago this flight had 133 open seats.  We had to commit to nearly $600 U.S. in Russian visas in advance of that date.

 

A week before this flight was to leave there were 29 open seats.  The night before our flight that number had been reduced to just ONE open seat.  Luckily, there was only one person flying standby with a better priority than us.  He/she would get that one open seat.  We were counting on at least two people, with confirmed tickets, not showing up.  Over the years, I’ve found that about 5% of the passengers do not show even though they have purchased airline tickets.  It varies by market of course.  Folks flying to/from Hawaii almost always show up.

 

Carol can keep up very well.

We were out the door of the Moscow Palace Hotel on schedule at 8:30 a.m.  We were walking with our rolling bags for about ten minutes to the Moscow train station.  Once there Carol stood in the center of the station (outside – temps about 20 degrees) while I searched for the ticket selling location for the Aeroexpress train.  We had ridden the train from the airport to near downtown to begin the trip.  The train costs 320 Rubles per person (about 10 bucks U.S.) whereas a private hotel car was about $150 U.S.

 

Soon I found the tickets, then I found Carol again.  We then sprinted with our bags bouncing along behind to make the 9 a.m. train just one minute before it departed.  The 35-minute train ride was uneventful even though our train car was too crowded for us to sit together.

 

Airport security was slow and a bit of a hassle.

Once at the airport we had to run our bags through a bag scanner before we could get near the check-in counter.  Travelers don’t have to do that in the U.S.  Then it took nearly 40 minutes of standing in line to check our bags.  International flights are notoriously slow at this.

 

Clearing Russian customs was a breeze.  No questions asked.  Just stamp stamp and my passport began to fill up even with 48 additional pages added.  Once at the gate we would wait to see if our name was called from the standby list and we could board the plane.

 

I always try to humor Carol.

If we WERE called we were headed to New York.  If we were NOT called to get on this plane then “EMERGENCY PLANNING” mode would begin.  What did that mean?  We would have to wait 24 hours and try this flight again.  However, that flight was overbooked by twenty passengers.  We could buy a ticket on an Aeroflot flight (Russian airlines) leaving later in the day to New York.  You can imagine what a last minute one-way flight would cost!  Or, we could take up semi-permanent residence in Moscow until a sponsored flight did open up.  Carol didn’t think that last option was funny at all.

 

Folks, we made that flight.  As a matter of fact, we made the flight in business class.  I would say that most of my travel internationally has been in business class.  BC is great for a 10-hour flight like this one.  With 100% lay flat seats and all the food and drink you want at no cost BC is a great perk offered by my sponsors.  Another great tool in addition to having your own video screen and nearly 50 movies to choose from is electrical power.  That’s very valuable on a 4,661-mile flight with my laptop.

 

The rest of the trip through New York worked out perfectly.  We were home in time to sleep in our own beds even though we had left Moscow “this morning”.  Russia was a “faraway” place to trackchase.  We loved the experiences we gained from this trip.

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

Randy Lewis

World’s #1 Trackchaser

Randy is a freelance journalist who winters in San Clemente, California and sometime flies in coach.

 

And so it goes from country #64.  I hope you’ll tune in when country #65 becomes a reality.  It is a glimmer in my eye right now.

 

 

Russia – Country #64!!

 

RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Lifetime Trackchasing Countries

# 1 – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – Peoria Speedway – Mt. Hawley, (oval) – Track #1, Peoria, Illinois – circa 1954 (age 5)

# 2 – CANADA – Cayuga Speedway (oval) – Track #174, Nelles Corner, Ontario, Canada – July 31, 1988 (Dick Trickle winner)

# 3 – AUSTRALIA – Parramatta City Raceway (oval) – Track #180, Granville, New South Wales, Australia – November 17, 1989 (accompanied by Carol)

# 4 – UNITED KINGDOM – Northhampton International Raceway (oval) – Track #378, Northhampton – June 26, 1999 (accompanied by Carol, Kristy, Jim)

# 5 – NETHERLANDS – Driesum Racetrack (oval) – Track #839, Driesum – May 5, 2005 (accompanied by Roland Vanden Eynde)

# 6 – BELGIUM – Bellekouter oval (oval) – Track #841, Affligem – May 8, 2005 (accompanied by Roland Vanden Eynde)

# 7 – FRANCE – Circuit de Croix en Ternois (road course) – Track #843, Saint-Pol sur-Ternoise – May 8, 2005 (accompanied by Roland Vanden Eynde – 2^nd new country in one day!)

# 8 – GERMANY – Nurburgring (road course) – Track #844, Nurburg – May 13, 2005 (accompanied by Carol, Roland Vanden Eynde)

# 9 – NEW ZEALAND – Western Springs Speedway (oval) – Track #1,134, Western Springs – December 26, 2006 (accompanied by Carol)

# 10 – MEXICO – Triovalo Bernardo Obregon (oval) – Track #1,281, Tiajamulco de Zuniga, Jalisco – October 14, 2007 (accompanied by Carol, J.J., Roger Ward)

# 11 – BARBADOS – Bushy Park Racing Circuit (road course) – Track #1,296, Bushy Park – December 9, 2007

# 12 – THAILAND – Bira Circuit (road course) – Track #1,300, Pattaya – January 19, 2008

# 13 – SOUTH AFRICA – Durban Grand Prix (road course) – Track #1,315, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal – February 24, 2008 (accompanied by J.J. and Will Van Horne)

# 14 – JAMAICA – Dover Raceway (road course) – Track #1,322, Brown’s Town St. Ann – March 24, 2008

# 15 – SWEDEN – Sturup Raceway (road course) – Track #1,335, Malmo – May 10, 2008 (accompanied by Carol)

# 16 – DENMARK – Ring Djursland (road course) – Track #1,336, Tirstrup – May 11, 2008 (accompanied by Carol)

# 17 – CZECH REPUBLIC – Automotodrome BRNO (road course) – Track #1,381, Brno – September 13, 2008

# 18 – AUSTRIA – Lambrechten Stock Car Track (road course) – Track #1,382, Lambrechten – September 14, 2008

# 19 – IRELAND – Tipperary International Raceway (oval) – Track #1,388, Rosegreen – October 26, 2008 (Carol and I visited this track earlier in the year)

# 20 – GUYANA – South Dakota Circuit (road course) – Track #1,390, Timehri – November 2, 2008 (accompanied by Carol)

# 21 – CHINA – The Guia Circuit (road course) – Track #1,392, Macau – November 16, 2008 (accompanied by Carol)

# 22 – COSTA RICA – Autodromo La Guacima (road course) – Track #1,398, La Guacima – November 30, 2008

# 23 – ANDORRA – Grandvalira Circuit (road course) – Track #1,404, Port d’Envalira, Andorra – January 17, 2009

# 24 – ARGENTINA – Circuito Efren Chemolli (oval) – Track #1,406, Buenos Aires, Argentina – January 31, 2009 (shared with Jerry Fisher)

# 25 – QATAR – Losail International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,408, Doha, Qatar – February 13, 2009

# 26 – BAHRAIN – Bahrain International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,410, Sakhir, Bahrain – February 27, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

# 27 – UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Dubai Autodrome (road course) – Track #1,411, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – February 28, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

# 28 – COLOMBIA – Autodromo de Tocancipa (road course) – Track #1,415, Tocancipa, Colombia – March 22, 2009

# 29 – SPAIN – Motorland Aragon (road course) – Track #1,416, Alcaniz, Spain – March 28, 2009

# 30 – PORTUGAL – Circuto de Murca (road course) – Track #1,417, Murca, Portugal – March 29, 2009

# 31 – ICELAND – Kapelluhraum (road course) – Track #1,420, Hafnafjorour, Iceland – April 25, 2009 (shared with Will White)

# 32 – HUNGARY – Hungaroring (road course) – Track #1,426, Mogyorod, Hungary – May 8, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

# 33 – SWITZERLAND – Hock Ybrig (road course) – Track #1,427, Hoch Ybrig, Switzerland – May 9, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

# 34 – ITALY – Vighizzolo d’Este Stock Car Track (road course) – Track #1,428, Vighizzolo d’Este, Italy – May 10, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

# 35 – DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Autodromo Mobil 1 (road course) – Track #1,515, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – December 6, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

# 36 – MALTA – Ta’Qali Race Track (road course) – Track #1,521, Ta’Qali, Malta – February 7, 2010 (accompanied by Carol)

# 37 – FINLAND – Lake Pidisjarvi Ice Track (road course) – Track #1,524, Nivala, Finland – February 20, 2010

# 38 – JAPAN – Suzuka Circuit (road course) – Track #1,530, Suzuka, Japan – March 21, 2010

# 39 – CHILE – Autodromo de Interlomas (road course) – Track #1,531, Temuco, Chile – April 18, 2010

# 40 – MOROCCO – Circuit de Marrakesh (road course) – Track #1,535, Marrakesh, Morocco – May 1, 2010 (accompanied by Carol)

# 41 – BRAZIL – Circuit de Caruaru – Aryten Senna (road course) – Track #1,540, Caruaru, Brazil – May 16, 2010 (accompanied by Carol, Jerry Fisher and Katina Spencer)

# 42 – ESTONIA – Laitse Rally Park (road course) – Track #1,571, Laitse, Estonia – July 24, 2010 (accompanied by Carol)

# 43 – LATVIA – Bikernieki (road course) – Track #1,572, Riga, Latvia – July 25, 2010 (accompanied by Carol

# 44 – GUATEMALA – Autodromo Pedro Cofino (road course) – Track #1,580, Alotenango, Guatemala – August 15, 2010

# 45 – EL SALVADOR – El Jabali (road course) – Track #1,582, Quezaltepeque, El Salvador – August 22, 2010 (accompanied by Carol)

# 46 – ROMANIA – Bradu (road course) – Track #1,603, Bradu, Romania, El Salvador – October 16, 2010

# 47 – BULGARIA – Closed Route – Burgas (road course) – Track #1,604, Burgas, Bulgaria – October 17, 2010 (accompanied by Lyubomir and Plamen Simeonov)

# 48 – SOUTH KOREA – Korea International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,605, Yeongam, Jeollanam-Do, South Korea – October 24, 2010

# 49 – PHILIPPINES – Batangas Racing Circuit (road course) – Track #1,608, Batangas, Philippines – November 21, 2010

# 50 – NORWAY – Lyngas Motorbane (road course) – Track #1,648, Lier, Norway – April 30, 2011

# 51 – MALAYSIA – Sepang International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,656, Sepang, Malaysia – May 28, 2011

# 52 – INDONESIA – Sentul International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,657, Babakan Madang, Boder, Indonesia – May 29, 2011

# 53 – LUXEMBOURG – Alzingen (road course) – Track #1,711, Alzingen, Luxembourg – September 4, 2011 (accompanied by Carol)

# 54 – POLAND – Tor Slomczyn (road course) – Track #1,713, Slomczyn, Poland – September 11, 2011 (accompanied by Carol)

# 55 – SINGAPORE – Marina Bay (road course) – Track #1,714, Singapore, Singapore – September 24, 2011 (accompanied by Carol)

# 56 – URUGUAY – Piriapolis Grand Prix (road course) – Track #1,724, Piriapolis, Uruguay – November 12, 2011

# 57 – SRI LANKA – Pannala Race Track (road course) – Track #1,732, Pannala, Sri Lanka – February 12, 2012

# 58 – ECUADOR – Autodromo Internacional de Yahuarcocha (road course) – Track #1,736, Ibarra, Ecuador – March 11, 2012

# 59 – SLOVAKIA – Slovakia Ring (road course) – Track #1,742, Orechova Puton, Slovakia – April 29, 2012

# 60 – MONACO – Circuit de Monaco (street course) – Track #1,746, Monte Carlo, Monaco – May 13, 2012 (accompanied by Carol)

# 61 – CROATIA – Automotodrom Grobnik (road course) – Track #1,762, Rijeka, Croatia – June 23, 2012

# 62 – PERU – Autodromo La Chutana (road course) – Track #1,802, Lima, Peru – October 21, 2012 (accompanied by Carol)

# 63 – GREECE – Serres Circuit (road course) – Track #1,807, Serres, Greece – November 4, 2012

# 64 – RUSSIA – Moscow Central Hippodrome (oval) – Track #1,824, Moscow, Russia – February 23, 2013

 

The International Big 3.

During the last 64 months, I have added 55 trackchasing countries to my list.  That’s an average of nearly one new country every month for more than five years.

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California USA – 64
2. Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 52
3. Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California USA – 32

 

This begins another great year of international trackchasing.

Russia was a big country (in more ways than one) to knock off.  My goal for the year is to add four new countries.  We’ll see how that goes.

 

2013 Country List

Russia

Russia becomes the 31st European continent country where I’ve seen racing.  There are a handful of countries I still have to see on this continent.  I’m a big fan of Europe overall.  In some ways, geographically speaking, moving from European country to the next is similar to traveling from one American state to the other.

 

 

Russia – FAST FACTS*

Russia, also officially known as the Russian Federation, is a country in northern Eurasia.  It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the U.S. state of Alaska across the Bering Strait.

 

A QUICK BACKGROUND ON RUSSIA.

Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area. Russia is also the world’s ninth most populous nation with 143 million people as of 2012.  Extending across the whole of northern Asia, Russia spans nine time zones and incorporates a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world’s largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally.  Russia has the world’s largest forest reserves.  Its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world’s liquid fresh water.

 

The Russian economy is the world’s ninth largest by nominal GDP and sixth largest by purchasing power parity, with the 3rd largest nominal military budget. Russia is one of the world’s fastest growing major economies. It is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction.

 

SOMEWHAT RECENT HISTORY 

The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (called Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic at the time) together with the Ukrainian, Byelorussian, and Transcaucasion Soviet Socialist Republics, formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or Soviet Union, on 30 December 1922.

 

Following Lenin’s death in 1924, a troika had been designated to govern the Soviet Union. However, Joseph Stalin, an elected General Secretary of the Communist Party, managed to put down all opposition groups within the party and consolidate much power in his hands. Leon Trotsky, the main proponent of the world revolution, was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929, and Stalin’s idea of Socialism in One Country became the primary line. The continued internal struggle in the Bolshevik party culminated in the Great Purge, a period of mass repressions in 1937–38, in which hundreds of thousands of people were executed, including original party members and military leaders convicted in coup d’état plots.

 

Under Stalin’s leadership, the government launched a planned economy, industrialisation of the largely rural country, and collectivization of its agriculture. During this period of rapid economical and social changes, millions of people were sent to penal labor camps, including many political convicts who opposed Stalin’s rule, and millions were deported and exiled to remote areas of the Soviet Union.  The transitional disorganisation of the country’s agriculture, combined with the harsh state policies and a drought, led to the Soviet famine of 1932–1933.  However, though with a heavy price, the Soviet Union was transformed from a largely agrarian economy to a major industrial powerhouse in a short span of time.

 

On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany broke the non-aggression treaty and invaded the Soviet Union with the largest and most powerful invasion force in human history, opening the largest theater of World War II. Although the German army had considerable success early on, their onslaught was halted in the Battle of Moscow. Subsequently the Germans were dealt major defeats.  Under Stalin’s administration, Soviet forces drove through Eastern Europe in 1944–45 and captured Berlin in May 1945. In August 1945 the Soviet Army ousted Japanese from China’s Manchukuo and North Korea, contributing to the allied victory over Japan.

 

The Red Army occupied Eastern Europe after the war, including East Germany. Dependent socialist governments were installed in the Eastern Bloc satellite states. Becoming the world’s second nuclear weapons power, the USSR established the Warsaw Pact alliance and entered into a struggle for global dominance, known as the Cold War, with the United States and NATO. The Soviet Union supported revolutionary movements across the world, including the newly formed People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and, later on, the Republic of Cuba. Significant amounts of the Soviet resources were allocated in aid to the other socialist states.

 

In 1957 the Soviet Union launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, thus starting the Space Age. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth aboard Vostok 1 manned spacecraft on 12 April 1961.

 

Following the ousting of Khrushchev in 1964, another period of collective rule ensued, until Leonid Brezhnev became the leader. The era of 1970s and the early 1980s was designated later as the Era of Stagnation, a period when the economic growth slowed and social policies became static.

 

From 1985 onwards, the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who sought to enact liberal reforms in the Soviet system, introduced the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to end the period of economic stagnation in the country and democratise the government. However, this led to the rise of strong nationalist and separatist movements. Prior to 1991, the Soviet economy was the second largest in the world, but during its last years it was afflicted by shortages of goods in grocery stores, huge budget deficits, and explosive growth in money supply leading to inflation.

 

By 1991, economic and political turmoil were beginning to boil over, as the Baltic republics chose to secede from the Union. On 17 March, a referendum was held, to which the vast majority of participating citizens voted in favour of preserving the Soviet Union as a renewed federation. In August 1991, a coup d’état attempt by members of Gorbachev’s government, directed against Gorbachev and aimed at preserving the Soviet Union, instead led to the end of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Despite the will expressed by the people, on 25 December 1991, the USSR was dissolved into 15 post-Soviet states.

 

Boris Yeltsin was elected the President of Russia in June 1991, in the first direct presidential election in Russian history. During and after the Soviet disintegration, wide-ranging reforms including privatization and market and trade liberalization were being undertaken, including the radical changes along the lines of “shock therapy” as recommended by the United States and International Monetary Fund.  All this resulted in a major economic crisis, characterized by 50% decline of both GDP and industrial output between 1990–95.

 

The privatization largely shifted control of enterprises from state agencies to individuals with inside connections in the government system. Many of the newly rich businesspeople took billions in cash and assets outside of the country in an enormous capital flight. The depression of state and economy led to the collapse of social services; the birth rate plummeted while the death rate skyrocketed.  Millions plunged into poverty, from 1.5% level of poverty in the late Soviet era, to 39–49% by mid-1993.  The 1990s saw extreme corruption and lawlessness, rise of criminal gangs and violent crime.

 

On 31 December 1999 President Yeltsin resigned, handing the post to the recently appointed Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, who then won the 2000 presidential election.  High oil prices and initially weak currency followed by increasing domestic demand, consumption and investments has helped the economy grow for nine straight years, improving the standard of living and increasing Russia’s influence on the world stage.  While many reforms made during the Putin presidency have been generally criticized by Western nations as un-democratic,  Putin’s leadership over the return of order, stability, and progress has won him widespread popularity in Russia.

 

On 2 March 2008, Dmitry Medvedev was elected President of Russia, whilst Putin became Prime Minister. Putin returned to the presidency following the 2012 presidential elections, and Medvedev was appointed Prime Minister.

 

CLIMATE

The enormous size of Russia and the remoteness of many areas from the sea result in the dominance of the humid continental climate, which is prevalent in all parts of the country except for the tundra and the extreme southeast. Mountains in the south obstruct the flow of warm air masses from the Indian Ocean, while the plain of the west and north makes the country open to Arctic and Atlantic influences.

 

Most of Northern European Russia and Siberia has a subarctic climate, with extremely severe winters in the inner regions of Northeast Siberia (mostly the Sakha Republic, where the Northern Pole of Cold is located with the record low temperature of −71.2 °C/−96.2 °F), and more moderate elsewhere. The strip of land along the shore of the Arctic Ocean, as well as the Russian Arctic islands, have a polar climate.

 

ECONOMY

Russia has a market economy with enormous natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas. It has the 10th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the 6th largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Since the turn of the 21st century, higher domestic consumption and greater political stability have bolstered economic growth in Russia. The country ended 2008 with its ninth straight year of growth, averaging 7% annually between 2000 and 2008.  The average nominal salary in Russia was $640 per month in early 2008, up from $80 in 2000.  In the end of 2011 the average nominal monthly wages reached 24,310 RUR (or $810 USD), while tax on the income of individuals is payable at the rate of 13% on most incomes. Approximately 13.7% of Russians lived below the national poverty line in 2010, significantly down from 40% in 1998 at the worst point of the post-Soviet collapse.  Unemployment in Russia was at 6% in 2007, down from about 12.4% in 1999.

 

Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of Russian exports abroad.  Since 2003, the exports of natural resources started decreasing in economic importance as the internal market strengthened considerably. Despite higher energy prices, oil and gas only contribute to 5.7% of Russia’s GDP and the government predicts this will be 3.7% by 2011.  In 2006, Russia repaid most of its formerly massive debts, leaving it with one of the lowest foreign debts among major economies.

 

A simpler, more streamlined tax code adopted in 2001 reduced the tax burden on people and dramatically increased state revenue.  Russia has a flat tax rate of 13%. This ranks it as the country with the second most attractive personal tax system for single managers in the world after the United Arab Emirates.  According to Bloomberg, Russia is considered well ahead of most other resource-rich countries in its economic development, with a long tradition of education, science, and industry.  The country has a higher proportion of higher education graduates than any other country in Eurasia.

 

Russia ranks the second most corrupt country in Europe (after Ukraine), according to the Corruption Perceptions Index.

 

ENERGY 

In recent years, Russia has frequently been described in the media as an energy superpower.  The country has the world’s largest natural gas reserves, the 8th largest oil reserves, and the second largest coal reserves.  Russia is the world’s leading natural gas exporter and second largest natural gas producer, while also the largest oil exporter and the largest oil producer.

 

Russia is the 3rd largest electricity producer in the world and the 5th largest renewable energy producer, the latter due to the well-developed hydroelectricity production in the country.

 

Russia was the first country to develop civilian nuclear power and to construct the world’s first nuclear power plant. Currently the country is the 4th largest nuclear energy producer.

 

DEMOGRAPHICS

Ethnic Russians comprise 81% of the country’s population.  Though Russia’s population is comparatively large, its density is low because of the country’s enormous size. Population is densest in European Russia, near the Ural Mountains, and in southwest Siberia. 73% of the population lives in urban areas while 27% in rural ones.  The results of the 2010 Census show a total population of 142,856,536.

 

Russia’s population peaked at 148,689,000 in 1991, just before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It began to experience a rapid decline starting in the mid-1990s. The decline has slowed to near stagnation in recent years due to reduced death rates, increased birth rates and increased immigration.[198]

In 2009, Russia recorded annual population growth for the first time in fifteen years, with total growth of 10,500. 279,906 migrants arrived to the Russian Federation the same year, of which 93% came from CIS countries.  There are also an estimated 10 million illegal immigrants from the ex-Soviet states in Russia.

 

The 2010 census recorded 81% of the population as ethnically Russian, and 19% as other ethnicities:  3.7% Tatars; 1.4% Ukrainians; 1.1% Bashkirs; 1% Chuvashes; 11.8% others and unspecified.

 

Russia’s birth rate is higher than that of most European countries (12.6 births per 1000 people in 2010 compared to the European Union average of 9.90 per 1000), but its death rate is also substantially higher (in 2010, Russia’s death rate was 14.3 per 1000 people compared to the EU average of 10.28 per 1000).  The government is implementing a number of programs designed to increase the birth rate and attract more migrants. Monthly government child assistance payments were doubled to US$55, and a one-time payment of US $9,200 was offered to women who had a second child since 2007.  In 2009 Russia experienced its highest birth rate since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

 

LANGUAGE

Russia’s 160 ethnic groups speak some 100 languages. According to the 2002 Census, 142.6 million people speak Russian, followed by Tatar with 5.3 million and Ukrainian with 1.8 million speakers. Russian is the only official state language, but the Constitution gives the individual republics the right to make their native language official in addition to Russian.

 

Russian is one of the six official languages of the UN.

 

RELIGION

Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism are Russia’s traditional religions, and are all legally a part of Russia’s “historical heritage”.  The Russian Orthodox Church was the country’s state religion prior to the Revolution. It remains the largest religious body in the country.

 

Easter is the most popular religious holiday in Russia, celebrated by more than 90% of all Russian citizens, including large numbers of those who are non-religious. More than three-quarters of the Russian population celebrate Easter by making traditional Easter cakes, coloured eggs and paskha.

 

HEALTH 

The Russian Constitution guarantees free, universal health care for all its citizens. In practice, however, free health care is partially restricted due to mandatory registration. While Russia has more physicians, hospitals, and health care workers than almost any other country in the world on a per capita basis, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union the health of the Russian population has declined considerably as a result of social, economic, and lifestyle changes; the trend has been reversed only in the recent years, with average life expectancy having increased 2.4 years for males and 1.4 years for females between 2006–09.

 

As of 2009, the average life expectancy in Russia was 62.77 years for males and 74.67 years for females. The biggest factor contributing to the relatively low life expectancy for males is a high mortality rate among working-age males. Deaths mostly occur due to preventable causes (e.g., alcohol poisoning, smoking, traffic accidents, violent crime). As a result of the large gender difference in life expectancy, and also because of the lasting effect of high casualties in World War II, the gender imbalance remains to this day and there are 0.859 males to every female.

 

EDUCATION

Russia has a free education system – this is guaranteed for all citizens by the Constitution, however an entry to subsidized post-secondary education is highly competitive. As a result of great emphasis on science and technology in education, Russian medical, mathematical, scientific, and aerospace research is generally of a high order.

 

Since 1990 the 11-year school education has been introduced. Education in state-owned secondary schools is free. University level education is free, with exceptions.

 

SPORTS

Combining the total medals of Soviet Union and Russia, the country is second among all nations by number of gold medals both at the Summer Olympics and at the Winter Olympics. Soviet and later Russian athletes have always been in the top three for the number of gold medals collected at the Summer Olympics. Soviet gymnasts, track-and-field athletes, weight lifters, wrestlers, boxers, fencers, shooters, cross country skiers, biathletes, speed skaters and figure skaters were consistently among the best in the world, along with Soviet basketball, handball, volleyball and ice hockey players. The 1980 Summer Olympics were held in Moscow while the 2014 Winter Olympics will be hosted in Sochi.

 

Although ice hockey was only introduced during the Soviet era, the national team managed to win gold at almost all the Olympics and World Championships they contested.  The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) was founded in 2008 as a successor to the Russian Superleague. It is seen as a rival to the NationaL Hockey League (NHL) and is ranked the top hockey league in Europe as of 2009.

 

Russian synchronized swimming is the best in the world, with almost all gold medals at Olympics and World Championships having been swept by Russians in recent decades. Figure skating is another popular sport in Russia, especially pair skating and ice dancing. At every Winter Olympics from 1964 until 2006 a Soviet or Russian pair has won gold. Since the end of the Soviet era, tennis has grown in popularity and Russia has produced a number of famous players, including Maria Sharapova, the world’s highest paid female athlete.  Chess is a widely popular pastime in Russia; from 1927, Russian grandmasters have held the world chess championship almost continuously.

 

Formula One is also becoming increasingly popular in Russia. Renault’s Vitaly Petrov is the only Russian Formula One driver to date. There have only ever been two Russian Grands Prix (in 1913 and 1914), but it is set to return for 2014, in a six-year deal.

 

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS AND SYMBOLS

There are seven public holidays in Russia, except those always celebrated on Sunday. Russian New Year traditions resemble those of the Western Christmas, with New Year Trees and gifts, and Ded Moroz (Father Frost) playing the same role as Santa Claus.  Another two major Christian holidays are Easter and Trinity Sunday.

 

Further Russian public holidays include Defender of the Fatherland Day (23 February), which honors Russian men, especially those serving in the army; International Women’s Day (8 March), which combines the traditions of Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day; Spring and Labor Day (1 May); Victory Day (9 May); Russia Day (12 June); and Unity Day (4 November), commemorating the popular uprising which expelled the Polish occupation force from Moscow in 1612.

 

Victory Day is the second most popular holiday in Russia; it commemorates the victory over Nazism in the Great Patriotic War. A huge military parade, hosted by the President of Russia, is annually organised in Moscow on Red Square.

 

State symbols of Russia include the Byzantine double-headed eagle, combined with St. George of Moscow in the Russian coat of arms. The Russian flag dates from the late Tsardom of Russia period and has been widely used since the time of the Russian Empire.  The imperial motto God is with us and the Soviet motto Proletarians of all countries, unite! are now obsolete and no new motto has replaced them. The hammer and sickle and the full Soviet coat of arms are still widely seen in Russian cities as a part of old architectural decorations. The Soviet Red Stars are also encountered, often on military equipment and war memorials. The Red Banner continues to be honored, especially the Banner of Victory of 1945.

 

The Matryoshka doll is a recognizable symbol of Russia, and the towers of Moscow Kremlin and Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow are main Russia’s architectural icons.  Chamomile is the national flower, while birch the national tree.

 

TOURISM

Tourism in Russia has seen rapid growth since the late Soviet times, first domestic tourism and then international tourism, fueled by the rich cultural heritage and great natural variety of the country. Major tourist routes in Russia include a journey around the Golden Ring of ancient cities, cruises on the big rivers like the Volga, and long journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway.

 

The most visited destinations in Russia are Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the current and the former capitals of the country. Recognized as World Cities, they feature such world-renown museums as Tretyakov Gallery and Hermitage, famous theaters like Bolshoi and Mariinsky, ornate churches like Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral and Church of the Savior on Blood, impressive fortifications like Moscow Kremlin and Peter and Paul Fortress, beautiful squares and streets like Red Square, Palace Square, Tverskaya Street and Nevsky Prospect.

 

Typical Russian souvenirs include matryoshka doll and other handicrafts, samovars for water heating, ushanka and papaha warm hats, and fur clothes. Russian vodka and caviar are among the food that attracts foreigners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[enter content]

TRAVEL DETAILS

 

AIRPLANE

Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Minneapolis, MN (MSP) –1,535 miles

 

RENTAL CAR #1

Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota International Airport – trip begins

Gresham, WI

Caroline, WI

Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota International Airport – 606 miles

 

AIRPLANE

Minneapolis, MN (MSP) – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – 678 miles

 

RENTAL CAR #2

Lester B. Pierson (Toronto) International Airport – trip begins

Milton, Ontario

Lester B. Pierson (Toronto) International Airport – 94 kilometers or about 60 miles

 

AIRPLANE

Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Chicago, IL (ORD) – 436 miles

Chicago, IL (ORD) – Orlando, FL (MCO) –  1,005 miles

 

RENTAL CAR #3 

Orlando International Airport – trip begins

Daytona Beach, FL

Orlando International Airport – 145 miles

 

AIRPLANE

Orlando, FL (MCO) – New York, NY (JFK) – 944 miles

New York, NY (JFK) – Moscow, Russia (SVO) – 4,661 miles

 

PRIVATE CARS, TRAINS, SUBWAYS

Sheremetyevo (Moscow) International Airport – trip begins

Moscow, Russia

Sheremetyevo (Moscow) International Airport – 68 miles

 

AIRPLANE

Moscow, Russia (SVO) – New York, NY (JFK) – 4,661 miles

New York, NY (JFK) – Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – 2,485 miles

 

Total air miles – 16,405 (8 flights)

Total rental car miles – 811 (3 cars)

Private cars, trains, subways miles – 68 (lots of rides)

 

Total miles traveled on this trip – 17,284 miles 

 

That’s all folks!  Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report