One of my passions is traveling the world and experiencing other
people's cultures. So far I have been to Italy, Ireland, Barbados, Puerto Rico
(several times), Mexico, the Bahamas and several states within the United
States. Seeing the United States is not one of interests however, it's
extremely young compared to Europe and Asia. My newest and craziest new idea is
to travel to Russia within the next few years. All we hear and to me all we
know is how aggressive Russia is, and about the cold war and being in an arms
race with them. Sometimes I think we forget Russia's beauty before the
revolution in 1917. Russia was and is full of a culture that is foreign to me.
All the pomp and circumstance of the Romanov dynasty is what drew my interest
into Russia. Although the food might not be good and everything is pickled
there, the architecture and the history that is Russia is what makes me go on
tangents about this subject. I want to go on this trip with my father. All I
call him about are tours of Russia I've found on Russia. We can go to the
ballet and see the Kremlin, experience a true winter wonderland. There are many
more countries to see, but right now I’m stuck on Russia.
I have to take issue with your claim that pickling is associated with bad food--Eastern European foods, and pickled foods generally, are amazing! Just try some authentic borscht and I think you will find your mind changed.
ReplyDeleteBut that's neither here nor there. You raise the point that cultural interchange is one of the best forms of education. I actually think, however, that even travel within the US can be quite edifying. Certainly living in different regions of the country, from Upstate New York, to New York City, to the mountain West, to Appalachia now, has vastly enriched my life and expanded my capacity for empathy. Or at least I hope it has!
There is indeed tons of history in Russia that would be absolutely amazing to see. I think that visiting a country that is many years older than the United States would certainly provide you, or anyone, with a new outlook on the world. I really appreciate that your main reason for traveling is about exploring the history of other places. I more want to travel simply to experience new foods and cultures, and even then Africa is my main continent that I want to visit and get to know inside and out. I lived there for a few years and ever since I've been hooked on all the culture and tradition. I'm sure the same will happen to you when you visit Russia.
ReplyDeleteRussia is indeed an interesting place, maybe not for entirely the right reasons, but interesting nonetheless. I respect any one who can make a logical decision without food being a motivator I myself would find it educating if not humbling to see what people live like in a so called " Democracy" that is increasingly authoritarian, and have the feeling I would be much more grateful of living in a country where peoples rights are of the utmost importance
ReplyDelete