Would you know the difference between a hotel and a guest house? One may think the size, the price, the room service. Well, that too, though you would know it the moment you set your foot in the building.
In a hotel you are greeted by a concierge, by a reception clerk, anyways, by a person trained to welcome guests. In a guest house you can skip all that. Depending on the hour of your arrival you find the guest house owner somewhere around the premises. After 7pm, most likely - having dinner, sharing the meal with friends and some guests already "checked-in". All men around the table, so no shirts required :). Just by your first name (no ID checked) the owner, Garik, is ready to show you your room. He somewhat covers his torso, grabs your suitcases and heads upstairs. You only need to follow. Having realized both suitcases are heavy Garik has an immediate solution - he pulls one of the guests from the table, gives him one of the cases, and you are all taking off, marching stairs to the fourth floor. How Garik convinces your helper is beyond understanding - with zero English vocabulary he appeals to everyone being Canadian (Bryan is from Vancouver) hence having to help each other. Two more minutes and you are all set in your room under the very roof, in a quiet corner, with a sky view over Adler.
Russian version
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Up in the air...
Taking off. Dreams ought to come true.
So many words said about the dual sensation the plan to go to Sochi creates. Today I know for sure that I am willing and will avoid expressing my views on the politics in Russia while speaking of the Winter Olympic Games 2014. Here is why. Sitting comfortably in a chair, thinking that Russia is no place for the Olympics, being concerned by misuse of budget, corruption, by the impact on the ecology and on the region's future is an easy thing to do. Had the citizen society been strong enough to rise against the very application of Sochi as he host city for the Games back in 2007, we wouldn't end up in an awkward situation having the population pay a huge price for the event and not being able to afford or not willing to attend it and support their fellow athletes. Lesson learnt: raising one's voice is key before things become irreversible. Flooding social media with opinions now, weeks or days before the opening ceremony is easy, while does not lead anywhere.
I've been dreaming of going to Winter Olympic games for some time now, no matter the host place. 2014 turned out to be the perfect time to make this dream of mine come true. So here we are on the plane taking us to Europe. We will be landing in Sochi International airport in 12 hours or so. Safety and security concerns pulsing in Canada go overboard. Some hockey players' families supposedly refused to travel to Sochi. Nevertheless, some journalists, volunteers, athletes' parents are on the same flight as us. I want to be in the Olympic park for the same reasons they are going. Except my cheek will be painted three colors :) and long months of the voyage planning are totally worth it. And one more reason... I've never been to Sochi before, only traveled to the other side of the Caucasus. The view of the seashore and the white mountain tops must be marvelous.
Russian version
So many words said about the dual sensation the plan to go to Sochi creates. Today I know for sure that I am willing and will avoid expressing my views on the politics in Russia while speaking of the Winter Olympic Games 2014. Here is why. Sitting comfortably in a chair, thinking that Russia is no place for the Olympics, being concerned by misuse of budget, corruption, by the impact on the ecology and on the region's future is an easy thing to do. Had the citizen society been strong enough to rise against the very application of Sochi as he host city for the Games back in 2007, we wouldn't end up in an awkward situation having the population pay a huge price for the event and not being able to afford or not willing to attend it and support their fellow athletes. Lesson learnt: raising one's voice is key before things become irreversible. Flooding social media with opinions now, weeks or days before the opening ceremony is easy, while does not lead anywhere.
I've been dreaming of going to Winter Olympic games for some time now, no matter the host place. 2014 turned out to be the perfect time to make this dream of mine come true. So here we are on the plane taking us to Europe. We will be landing in Sochi International airport in 12 hours or so. Safety and security concerns pulsing in Canada go overboard. Some hockey players' families supposedly refused to travel to Sochi. Nevertheless, some journalists, volunteers, athletes' parents are on the same flight as us. I want to be in the Olympic park for the same reasons they are going. Except my cheek will be painted three colors :) and long months of the voyage planning are totally worth it. And one more reason... I've never been to Sochi before, only traveled to the other side of the Caucasus. The view of the seashore and the white mountain tops must be marvelous.
Russian version
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