Bears in the Streets: Three Journeys Across a Changing Russia

Начало книги

I’m walking down Vladivostok’s Admiral Fokin Street, a tidy, tree-lined pedestrian mall with a view of sparkling Sportivnaya Harbor in the distance. It’s a brilliant late-summer day, the sun beaming down on shops and souvenir stands, the street packed with people. At this time of year, Vladivostok is a warm, inviting seaside city, the smell of salt air mingling with the aroma of freshly flipped blini and coffee wafting from cafés.

Strolling beside me are Valya and Katya, a couple of older Russian women wearing pedal-pusher pants and sensible shoes.

“How’s your trip so far?” Katya asks me.

“It’s my third day,” I say, “so there’s not much to tell.” I’ve only just arrived in Vladivostok, the first stop of a planned three-month journey across Russia. I’ll be traveling by train, dropping into 11 cities to visit people I interviewed first in 1995, then again in 2005, and now in 2015. Valya is one of the people I met 20 years ago, but her friend Katya, who’s tagging along for our walk, is the one asking the questions today.

Читать дальше →