Christchurch Girl Has Holiday In Russia

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28699, 24 September 1958, Page 2

Christchurch Girl Has Holiday In Russia

~ The Russians dress with absolutely _ no fashion whatever, according to Miss Lorraine Blow, I daughter of Mr and Mrs W. K r Blow, of Cashmere. Miss Blow, who is spending a working holiday in Europe, recently visited Hthe Soviet Union on a conducted tour. “We caused a mild sensation when we walked down the streets,” Miss Blow says in s letter describing to. her parents Hher stay in Leningrad, “as they hadn’t seen anything like the clothes we wore.” Miss Blow says that the style Fof Russian clothing could' have been the 1920’s or any year thereafter, for all the coats and frocks were the same—a collar, one or two buttons,- loose fitting and L belted, “Their shoes are ordinary, i heavy-heeled, and generally hideous in appearance,” she says. “Ankle socks are worn quite F commonly by the women, and those who wear stockings usually have a very dark brown shade. “Men’s suits are baggy and trousers full; many wear sandals k and no tie. “The shops themselves are not imaginative, the goods being generally of a low standard, and L at our rate of exchange, dear. Shopping Dull “Shopping lacks the excitement i of the Western world, where one ” goes from one store to the next comparing prices and finally end- _ ing up congratulating oneself with a bargain, for in Russia all the prices are fixed by the State, so one may as well buy the article at the first shop, for nothing will be gained by comparing. “There is little in the shops to attract the tourist, except for one or two items such as long-playing gramophone records or Russian Cossack hats, but the latter are very expensive. There are no coffee bars as we know them, but one can go into a restaurant and get coffee or Russian tea. “The people everywhere are very generous and extremely honest Hordes of small boys followed our progress wherever we went, with the one cry of English coins, badges, pencils, stamps, or, in fact anything with English writing. We even parted with tins of adhesive plaster and empty aspirin packets. For every article given the boys Insisted on giving us Russian badges or coins in exchange, and even after our supply of coins had been exhausted, several of them came and made presents of badges. In Leningrad a couple of youths stopped one of our party and inquired if anyone wanted to sell sterling pounds, for an exceptionally good price in roubles. It appears that Russians travelling to Finland, or even to England, are restricted in the atndunt they are allowed to take o|rt of the country, and so they try 6 to obtain a few more pounds on the black market” I Visit to Opera Miss Blow spent her first evening in Russia at the opera. “We

saw a touring Lithuanian company perform ‘La Traviata,’ which I thoroughly enjoyed, though 1 couldn’t understand a word oi the language," she says. “Between each act nearly everyone leaves the auditorium and walks at the back of the theatre, and when I say walk, I don’t mean ambling along, but at a quick steady pace.” Miss Blow comments ruefully that a bar of chocolate at the opera cost, on the rate of exchange for tourists, 13s. Of her visit to Moscow Miss Blow says:— “Of course we had to see the Mausoleum with the bodies oi Lenin and Stalin. Fortunately we didn’t have to quei e so long as the Russian people, for being visitors, we just more cr less walked | straight In. However, the queue stretches almost miles every day, and everyone spends practically the whole day waiting to get in. Impressive Buildings “One afternoon we went for a coach tour, and were taken to lots of impressive buildings, including Moscow University, which is a colossal building. At the moment Russia is in the throes of a fiveyear plan, and in Moscow alone we saw rows and rows of flats under erection, and in fact learned that there are some 300 blocks of flats under construction, each to house 400 families. They certainly do everything on a grand scale, and round the university itself they are building huge blocks of flats and schools, where everyone connected with the university is going to live and work—not a very inspiring idea, for it means that one is born in the neighbourhood, educated, and then, go to the university, without having ever been in any other area.” A -visit to the Kremlin was very interesting. Miss Blow says, the different building housing much of the State treasures. “A museum follows Russian culture for several hundred years, several of the churches being retained in their original condition. They are very beautiful. Of course, the people of the Soviet do not believe in God, and so just about all of their churches have been converted into museums. I heard that there were only about eight churches in Leningrad which were used for worship these days. “From outward appearances the Kremlin doesn’t appear to be very heavily guarded, there being only the usual number of policemen keeping post here and there,” Miss Blow says. “In fact, we saw very few policemen, and I can’t imagine that there is a terrific amount of crime, though, of course, I could be wrong. “Red square is very impressive, surrounded on one side by the wall of the Kremlin, at either end by huge churches, and on the fourth side by the department store GUM. At the store we had fun trying to get some gramophone records, for the assistant couldn't speak English, and it was no help writing down the composers we wanted, as the Russian alphabet is completely different from the English. I finally managed to get a popular Russian song, and a long-player of music from the Moscow circus. Metro Underground “We ventured down the Metro Underground, and the station guard, on learning that we were tourists, allowed us to pass through the barrier free of Charge, and we were able ft look over it at our leisure,” says

Miss Blow. "They certainly are spotless stations with, of course, no advertisements. There are no advertisements anywhere in Russia, and over every shop is not the name of the shopkeeper but the name of the commodity they

“In one underground station there are lavish chandeliers, and in another there were a lot of bronze figures lining each entrance to the trains. There were bigger than life-size figures of a schoolgirl and boy, a soldier and his dog, a farmer, etc., and the lights in this station were very modern. The escalator is very fast and very steep. The fare is the same to any destination in Moscow, and therefore the tickets are collected as the people go Into the station.

“Another outstanding sight in • Moscow was the Agriculture and 1 Scientific Exhibition, which has ' to be seen to be believed. Set : in hundreds of acres of ground 1 are buildings representing the ■ States of the Soviet, and what beautiful buildings they are. Each one is like a huge embassy or similar type, and inside are -displayed the agricultural and scientific achievements of that particular State. I “It was here that I saw re- > plicas of the three sputniks, and ; very interesting it was, too, as the construction was explained to ■ us in English by a guide who l offered to take us round,” Miss - Blow says. “We spent a whole ! afternoon here, but to appreciate everything one could easily spend several days. Moscow by Night "One night in Moscow we ’ wandered to the square adjoining : Red square and joined the thous- , ands of Muscovites who were there to watch an outdoor concert There were juggling acts and an orchestra and choir, as well as singers, and of course the searchlights were circling the sky all the time. “Afterwards we wandered about looking for a coffee house, and after finding one which was full, we struck upon another which was situated in a building not yet completed. It was on the fifteenth floor, and from the balcony we had a marvellous view of Moscow by night and it is very beautiful. Eight cups of coffee, five cakes, and two icecreams cost us the equivalent of £2 English money, so it wasn’t exactly cheap, but the view was worth the money alone.” --