It was the summer of 1975. I was standing in a GUM department store in Moscow, Russia, wondering why these people were standing patiently in a long line. I walked to the front of the line to see what was going on. A supply of disposable ballpoint pens had recently arrived. The people were lining… Continue reading Living in a Time of Shortages
Category: Europe
The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
Posted The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague.
The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
August 1972. My brother and I stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. We had just arrived from London on our first flight ever. The flight was cheap by 1972 standards: just £14. In 2018 pounds that’s £181 (US$230), a lot of money for us: I was an undergraduate, and my brother… Continue reading The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
Russia in Minneapolis
A strange thing happened as I was jogging around a lake a few days before the 2016 US presidential election. In my November 1, 2016 post I wrote: A diminutive older woman was trying to catch my attention. She announced proudly in a Russian accent that she was voting for the Republican candidate for President. “Very… Continue reading Russia in Minneapolis
The Time I Was Summoned to “The Kremlin”
It’s 1960. My maternal grandfather, my Aunt Madge, my brother, and I had been summoned to “the Kremlin.” Madge consistently referred to her brother’s Glasgow home as “the Kremlin.” This reflected her disconnect with her brother, Malcolm. He was clearly keeping his distance from the rest of the family, possibly for good reasons. The backstory… Continue reading The Time I Was Summoned to “The Kremlin”
Jamie on a Bed in Leningrad
Posted Jamie on a Bed in Leningrad.
Jamie on a Bed in Leningrad
August 1975. Four young women sit on a bed in a budget hotel in Leningrad (today’s St. Petersburg). Three of the women appear to be intent on listening to someone in the room, off-camera. But one is staring straight at me, mugging, as I snap a Kodachrome. This is Jamie, the embodiment of all my… Continue reading Jamie on a Bed in Leningrad
Portnoy’s Complaint in Moscow
Posted Portnoy’s Complaint in Moscow.
Portnoy’s Complaint in Moscow
It’s the summer of 1975. My brother and I are wandering around Moscow. A young Russian man comes up to us and starts a conversation. Once a certain level of trust is achieved, he brings up the subject of books banned in the USSR. “Would you mail me a copy of Portnoy’s Complaint?” he asks.… Continue reading Portnoy’s Complaint in Moscow
Newcastle NCL
Au revoir Hadrian’s Wall, airside at NCL, Newcastle upon Tyne. Today: NCL-AMS-MSP.