Dr. Pamela Kachurin is an art historian specializing in Russian and Soviet art and architecture. Having first traveled to the Soviet Union before 1991, Dr. Kachurin has been able to witness the remarkable metamorphosis since then. She has traveled and worked in Uzbekistan, Belarus, and the major cities of Russia. Here, she shares her reflections on how Russia has changed since her first visit, based on her most recent travel to Russia as Study Leader with Smithsonian Journeys.

Smithsonian Travelers at the Yaroslavl Chapel of St. Alexander Nevsky. Photo: Pamela Kachurin.

I made my first trip to Russia in the 1980s, and have returned multiple times over the last four decades. I have been able to witness the dramatic changes that have taken place, especially in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

One need not look any further than simple transactions to track the changes since the end of the Soviet Union. In summer of 1994, barely three years after the Soviet Union collapsed, I wanted to buy a cake to bring to a party I was attending. The bakery door was open, but when I went inside and asked for a particular cake, the woman behind the counter refused to sell it to me. The reason? She was on her break. So she sat there, refusing to sell the cake to me, and explained to me that I would have to wait the 15 minutes until her break was over. Neither of us budged. I waited, and she waited. Finally, 15 minutes later, she sold me the cake.

But in summer 2011, I decided to purchase a watch in St. Petersburg. I found a lovely watch shop in St. Petersburg’s oldest mall, and the saleswoman was cheerfully helpful. “I need a watch, but something less expensive than what is on display” I said in Russian. She shooed away her friends that were blocking the case, and showed me several options, explained their pros and cons, and even gave me a discount. Then she wrapped up the watch, told me about the year guarantee (!) and sent me on my way. The whole transaction took 10 minutes. Progress…

Change in the countryside is harder to notice. Young people still search for mushrooms with their grandmothers; kitchen gardens still grow outside dachas, most of which have no electricity. Poverty is the norm, and human services are practically non-existent.

However, village children will learn English in secondary school, and carry cell phones by the time they reach 14. Churches, once abandoned or destroyed have been reclaimed and restored, and cater to young and old alike.

Traditional Russian homes, with their brightly painted yellow, red, and blue wooden trim, contrast with monochromatic newer homes. Cranes and bulldozers are as common as cars in this country that is most definitely “under construction.”

Russia is a nation on the move, a fact that becomes clear even after one visit. This massive country is dynamic, and its resilient population constantly strives to improve its own lives and the lives of others. Although most Russians hold their country’s history closely, their eyes are not on the past, but decidedly on the future.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Kachurin and here for our Russian adventures.

Set in France’s pictureque Dordogne region, Black Diamond is the third book in Martin Walker’s acclaimed series featuring Bruno, Chief of Police. Trouble is afoot in the normally sleepy village of St. Denis – attacks, arson, and smuggling begin to threaten the region’s truffle trade. Thankfully, Bruno is not only Chief of Police, he’s a master chef uniquely qualified to crack the case.

Would you like to experience the food, wine, and history of the Dordogne region for yourself? Join us for our Sojourn in Dordogne, with departures in April and September, 2012.

Study Leader Kim Munholland is Professor Emeritus from the University of Minnesota. A specialist on modern France, Dr. Munholland has published several books on French history, with an emphasis upon French-American relations in the twentieth century. Munholland has served as Study Leader on our France Through the Ages tour. Here, Journeys Education Manager Sadie McVicker sits down with him for some insight on his long career in historic preservation.

 
Sadie McVicker: You have extensively researched and written on the subject of French-American relations in the twentieth century. Which aspect or historical turning point of French-American relations do you find most fascinating and why?

Kim Munholland: There are several moments in French-American relations that have caught my attention. Recently I have been working on the past two hundred years of this relationship, beginning with the French assistance during the American War for Independence, producing a “Lafayette syndrome” in which Americans often define a special relationship that has existed since Lafayette fought beside George Washington—and came to regard our first president as a father figure. Yet this positive image has often been challenged when American and French interests have diverged or been marked by tension. On the positive side, there is an American fascination with French culture from the country’s intellectual life to its enjoyment of everyday pleasures. This is seen in the lives of American exiles, who have sought a second home in France, particularly Paris. At the same time there have been official, more political differences between the two countries that too often behave as “hostile allies.” In this latter area there are several moments that can be seen as turning points over more than two centuries, but the most important was the relationship that developed after the French defeat of 1940 and wartime relations, particularly differences between Charles de Gaulle and Franklin Roosevelt. This conflict was a central concern of my book, Rock of Contention: Free French and Americans at War in New Caledonia, 1940-1945. These wartime differences established a pattern that has marked French-American disagreements and misunderstandings since then.

The fortified walls of medieval Carcassonne

SM: Another of your areas of expertise is how the wine industry was impacted by the Vichy regime. Can you please give a brief overview of how much the Vichy regime did effect the evolution of the French wine industry?

KM: Vichy’s policy of collaboration with Germany during WWII created serious problems for the French wine industry when the Germans insisted that a large amount of the great French wines, particularly Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy, be reserved for the German market, including the German armed forces. The French realized that they would have to sell their wines to the Germans, but to protect their most valuable wines French winemakers began hiding some of their best vintages so that they would have a supply to rebuild their trade after the war. German taste for French wines also meant that the great wine cellars, such as at the Tour d’Argent in Paris, were in danger of depletion. Demands of high-ranking German officials (Hitler was a teetotaler) such as Herman Goering, could have had disastrous consequences for these great cellars. Again, a process of hiding occurred in self-defense. Another impact was that German demands for copper for their war industries meant that French vintners lacked copper sulfate, which was used to protect the vines from mildew and other diseases. This meant a drop in wine production, making it even more difficult to meet German demands. Finally, to increase agricultural production, Vichy issued regulations requiring larger vineyards to tear up ten percent of their land planted in grapes in order to increase supplies of vegetables and fruits. Since the war, French wine industry has recovered, and we will be traveling through some of the great, if less well-known, wine regions from Languedoc to the Loire valley.

SM: The France through the Ages itinerary is comprised of one beautiful and historically significant site after another; which site visits are you most looking forward to visiting with Smithsonian travelers and why?

KM: There are many wonderful places to see on this trip, beginning in Carcassonne, but the one that I am looking forward to with great anticipation is Rocamadour. The site is absolutely sensational and made a lasting impression the first time that I visited it many years ago as a graduate student in French history. At that time we could visit the caves at Lascaux, to be closed shortly thereafter. Thus, it will be a visit filled with nostalgia for me. It also will enable me to rediscover an earlier interest in Medieval France since Rocamadour was a pilgrimage site. Equally interesting is the town of Albi. The Cathedral of Saint Cecile is one of the most interesting in all of France, very hard to categorize and should surprise everyone who has not seen it before. Albi has lent its name to one of the most bloody episodes of the Middle Ages, the Albigensian Crusade against the heretical Cathar sect that had its roots in the region and was supported by the powerful counts of Toulouse.

SM: For a city so renowned for its scientific and engineering industries (aerospace and high tech), Toulouse has a rich literary and artistic history as well, personified by Antoine St. Exupéry and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. What led Toulouse to excel in these areas?

KM: The emergence of Toulouse as a center for the aeronautic and high tech industries has its origins in France’s impressive economic recovery after World War II. Successive French governments were determined to modernize France, particularly in the area of aircraft production. Key to this program was government support and encouragement to the aeronautical engineer and entrepreneur, Marcel Dassault, whose company began to produce some of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world. This program successfully sought to reverse an image of France as the technological inferior of Germany, often cited as a cause for the country’s military defeat in 1940. The climate of Toulouse is well suited, perhaps similar to Los Angeles, to the development and testing of aircraft prototypes. The result was a spectacular growth of French aircraft development and production, leading to the location of the main assembly point for the Airbus. An advanced electronics sector developed alongside the aerospace industry of Toulouse. But it has not been all technology and modernity that gives Toulouse its claim to fame. Toulouse has long had a strong cultural tradition dating back to the time of the troubadours and the days of Raymond of Toulouse, who encouraged the arts in his capital city. In addition to its literary and artistic richness, Toulouse is home to a major symphony orchestra.

SM: You spent several years living in various areas of France. What aspects of la vie en France do you miss the most?

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Born and raised in Florence, Smithsonian Study Leader Angela Buriani is an expert on Italian art and all things Italy. Here, she takes time for some engaging Q&A with Travel Planner Emma Impavido.

Q: Why do you enjoy leading people around Italy or to Florence?

A: I am always extremely glad and proud to bring travellers around Italy in general and to Florence in particular. Italy is a special country, special from several points of view. It is beautiful and fascinating but also sometimes difficult and different. An Italian journalist wrote, “To be Italian, it’s a full time job.” I believe that being in contact with a native person helps the travellers to fully enjoy and understand Italy, going deeper than the mere appearance.

Italy expert Angela Buriani.

Q: What does it mean to you to be Italian? Or is it more important to show allegiance to a region?

A: We are a very young nation, so it is no wonder some people still show a low national spirit. I love my region, Tuscany, but I definitely consider myself first of all Italian and to me being an Italian means to be part of the beautiful and immense heritage we have inherited from our ancestors.

Q: What sort of topics will you address in your lectures?

A : During my lectures on tour I discuss the history of the city we are visiting, its art, and its people. I try to give people a sense of why certain things happened in that place and not elsewhere and what makes that place unique.

Q: Your focus is on art and history, what other topics do you cover?

A: Travellers are generally very interested in knowing about our present way of life, the organization of the society and politics. I also love to talk about the food and wine of Italy, I have a special professional interest in these topics. A tour through Italy is naturally also a tour through our traditional foods and local wines, that varies from season to season. At every meal we have the right wine paired with a particular dish and it becomes an occasion to discuss the two and why they work so well together. In this way the travellers gain a better understanding of Italian cuisine, but more importantly they enjoy the ritual of eating together; this is a fundamental part of our everyday life in Italy.

Q: What is the one thing you want any visitor to know when they leave?

A: I would love visitors to know the long history hidden behind the sense of beauty, the pleasure for simple things and the general wish for enjoying life that characterizes Italy and the Italians.

I want them to understand the sense of beauty and of challenge that has always characterized the Italians. I believe that this is clearly visible on any journey through my country.

Packed yet? Click here to learn more about traveling wth Angela Buriani, and here for all of Smithsonian’s tours to Italy.

If you’re planning some travel to Great Britain, a great companion for your trip is Christopher Daniell’s A Traveller’s History of England.  Historian and archeologist Daniell delivers a comprehensive history of the region since the time of the hunter-gatherers in this compact volume. The book takes you through the Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Normans, and Medieval monarchs to the Reformation, Renaissance, the world wars, and the modern state of things. Handy reference tools include a list of rulers, prime ministers, major battles, and important buildings. Take this on your plane ride “across the pond” and you’ll be even more prepared to enjoy England.

England is a wonderful place to go for the winter holidays – enjoy perennially popular Study Leader Rosalind Hutchinson on a uniquely British celebration on our Christmas in Canterbury tour. If you can’t travel this December, we have other tours to England here.