SIBERIAN SUNDAY

Sunday, September 21, 2014
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Far East Russia, Russian Federation
How do you lose a full day of your life and not feel it? Simple. Just cross the International Dateline. Just a few days ago, this is precisely what we did. What was 10:45 Wednesday night instantly became 10:45 Thursday night. That, together with the hour we've set the clock back every day of this voyage, and it's no wonder that we're walking around in a daze. Heard of death by a thousand cuts? Well, this is fatigue by a thousand minutes.

The week we spent crossing the Pacific went by so quickly, sailing was smooth, and only one day saw any appreciable rocking . Being the northern Pacific, most days have been chilly and wet. However, the cruise staff have kept us busy with courses, lectures, games, movies, entertainers, parties, etc. In short, it's been cold, cold, cold but fun, fun, fun. See the picture of our favorite Top Chef in the on-board competition.
Yesterday, we were on terra firma, visiting our first port, Petropavlovsk, a coastal Siberian city, and site of Russia's largest submarine base. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and several active volcanoes, it's dramatically scenic. The city itself, however, does not equal the beauty of its natural environment. Instead, it's gray, smallish and utilitarian, with little to offer visitors. Thus, we found that a few hours of wandering around on a Sunday was enough for us.

And sadly, we had almost no interaction with its residents, as English was rare, and we had no rubles to spend. Dollars weren't accepted anywhere and banks were closed. Nonetheless, visits to a log cabin church, a Russian supermarket, and a pretty in-city park lake redeemed the day.

In a few days, we start hitting the Japanese ports, and we're excited about that. Our first, Otaru, is a short distance from Sapporo, which we plan on visiting. You may recall it as a past Olympics site. We've heard good things about it from fellow passengers, so it should be a great visit. In preparation, I have picked up a little Japanese, but there's a problem. He insists that I put him down! 
 
Stay tuned to find out how well our first day in Japan turns out.



Comments

Joseph
2014-09-23

Hope you guys get a great New Year celebration as well. Shana Tova

cissie.retired
2014-09-23

Wow! How exciting to be where you are! So different and yet, unfortunately, the man made city pales next to nature's grandeur. Love your pictures: especially the top chef!
Tomorrow my family will join me for an "Erev" Rosh Hashanah meal. Today was chopping, dicing and peeling day besides cleaning. I may zzzzzz during the dinner!
Shana Tova and many happy and healthy more to you both. I look forward to your next blog from Japan. Arigato!
Cecile

Hope Springman
2014-09-24

Great start to your incredible adventure! So much to do on your sea days - loved looking at your position on the map too! How do you say "Chef Extraordinaire" in Russian? Shana Tova to you both - not sure when you'll be celebrating 5775. Maybe the holiday should be 4 days long - just for the cruising Liliens! Love, Hope

2025-02-14

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