We Love to Travel!: Irkutsk

June 24, Monday. Irkutsk is one of the largest cities in Siberia and the home of our tour director, Tatiana. She was able to get away to spend time with her father today, while we toured her city in the rain. And the cold. It was not cold by Russian standards, but to us, fifties is quite chilly, and with wind and rain, many of us were happier on the bus than off. Our first stop involved a walk down a long promenade to the inevitable war memorial and then across a bridge for a view of the busy roadway beneath and the city spread out around it. I got off one quick snapshot and headed back to the bus in the increasingly heavy rain. Most of the others did the same, which probably upset our very knowledgable and talkative local guide, the very same one we had yesterday. She actually teaches others how to be a tour guide at the local university and had a student in tow taking notes and helping out both days, so we are fortunate to have her even though we sometimes wish for the condensed version of her talks.

The Irkutsk railway station

Looking back at the station as we crossed the river

A church near the war memorial

The promenade leading to the memorial is home to changing exhibits

Students in uniform take turns at ceremonies honoring the war dead of Irkutsk

The war memorial

A view from the bridge. You can't see it, but it is raining pretty steadily, and it is very windy.

Our second stop was at the former home of Prince Volkonsky, one of the wealthier Decembrist revolutionaries who were exiled to Siberia following their failed rebellion. All these men were educated and monied, so it was a surprise when their wives decided to join them and made the long three month trek into the Siberian wilderness. Unlike the prisoners, the wives were allowed to communicate with the outside world about the conditions their husbands were forced to endure. As conditions eased a bit and the exiles were allowed to congregate, they began to organize educational and cultural activities that were of lasting benefit to Siberia. In general, they were welcomed and even honored by the local people. Because the Decembrist cause was an effort to end the practice of serfdom in Russia, they had wide support outside the nobility, and eventually most of their sentences were commuted and some were able to return to European Russia. Many others chose to remain in Siberia after serving their sentences because it had become home to them. Meanwhile, the exiles were gradually allowed to live with their wives, build houses, and apparently live somewhat normally. It was one of these houses we visited. This particular house was originally constructed in a place some distance from Irkutsk, but later the exiles were allowed to move closer to each other and into cities like Irkutsk. At that time, the original house was dismantled and rebuilt on its present site. Being inside made it easier to imagine what it must have been like for these people. The house is comfortable but not grand, made of wood where they probably had come from houses made from granite and marble. It is spacious, but not like the palatial homes they had been accustomed to in Moscow. We can see it today and think exile wouldn't have been so bad, but they were denied many things they had considered their birthright, and in the early 1800s, getting even basic supplies would have been nearly impossible. Most assumed they would never see family or friends ever again, and meanwhile, the exiled husbands were forced to do hard labor as well. Husbands and wives aged quickly during their time in Siberia even though they became skilled in making the best of their situation.

Our local guide telling us about this house and the Decembrist Revolt
as a shadow show plays on the wall behind her.

"Decembrist wife" has become a Russian expression meaning loyalty. These wives left everything they knew to follow their husbands into exile. Their families then tried to make them feel more at home by sending a few luxuries to them.

The husbands were banned from communicating, but their wives were active petitioners and letter writers.

Prince Volkonsky's family was quite wealthy. He was allowed to apply for permission
to receive money from them to build this surprisingly elegant and well appointed house.

I think this was his study

Her conservatory has been repopulated with plants she would have enjoyed

They were able to host large parties of their friends, usually fellow exiles
as they were banned from contact with the rest of the populace.

Princess Volkonsky was a talented musician, and her brother eventually managed
to send her a small piano. They often hosted musical evenings in this salon.

It was raining when we arrived, but as we dashed up the walkway to the shelter of the Volkonsky house I had a nostalgic moment. The walk was lined with bleeding heart, peonies, bridal wreath, lilac and mock orange, all blooming reminders of my parents garden in Wisconsin. The climate here is more harsh, but the early summer flowers are the same. I can't grow any of those flowers where I live now, and I realize I miss them. So small a thing compared with the lives these people unwillingly left behind.

Our next stop was at the city apartment of a woman who is a retired dentist. She, her husband and two grandchildren live in the same apartment that was given to her father following his army service in WWII. The college age grandchildren were present to help welcome us and answer questions using their excellent English. Our hostess was especially charming. She is an excellent cook and served us a lovely tea with homemade apple cake and preserves. At one time she had a cooking show on local television, and later the same on Korean TV. We were all surprised to see her comfortable apartment filled with a lifetime of treasures located in an ugly old building you would think was nothing special. Inside, it is almost a museum. She especially appreciates its location in the city center near transportation, shopping, and cultural events.

This is the building where our hostess lives. It actually looks better in the photo.

Inside, it is filled with a lifetime of memories

We enjoyed a lovely tea here. How did I manage to miss photographing one of the five new model television sets?

After a nice lunch in a local restaurant, we drove around the city, making short stops in the rain at several minor sites. Then we were taken the former home of the mayor of Irkutsk during the same era, where we enjoyed a concert by a classical pianist and male and female opera singers. Soirees there would have been a bit more grand than at an exile's house, and the Decembrists were not allowed to mingle with the population that was not exiled. At the end of the concert, we were all given a glass of champagne and enjoyed a musical toast.

A typical wooden house of the 1800s

The house where we were entertained by a concert. It was the mayor's residence in its heyday.

The salon with its grand piano

A very special toast

Back on the bus, we arrived at a large market where individual shops selling all kinds of meats, fish, cheese, other dairy products, cakes, flowers, and produce were available. If you cook from scratch, you could get nearly everything you need here. We didn't see inside a regular supermarket, but I assume that would have canned goods, staples, and household needs. As we learned on our previous river cruise in Russia, the days of empty shelves and long bread lines are long gone in Russia. The rain finally stopped while we were inside the market.

This is about half of the market from the outside. It was huge and all indoors so it can operate in winter.

One of several meat markets. This one specialized in sausages.

Russian cheeses

Fish, including smoked omul from Lake Baikal, and caviar

Beautiful produce, but not a huge amount of it for sale here

Sour cream, soft cheeses, yogurt, etc, produced by local ethnic minorities

All kinds of dried and specialty items

A Korean market

A huge pastry shop

The egg lady

Don't forget to buy flowers!

We also stopped in a commercial area where many old Russian wooden buildings have been relocated and renovated into shops and restaurants. Our guide said it is quickly becoming a hotspot, easy to believe with loud rock music blaring from several places.