Personal accounts of community-based tourism

Ode Editors | April 2009 issue

Traveling with the locals in Russian

By Aimee Gertsch, Ode reader

"There is nothing quiet like getting to know a city from the perspective of those who know it best."

Photo: Aimee Gertsch

Just two short years after the people of Russia voted out communism, a group of friends and I packed our bags and headed to the newly formed Russian Republic. It was such an exciting time in the country. It was also an exciting time for us, since it was the first time traveling out of the United States for most of us, but we didn’t travel like tourists. We traveled like locals!

Forget about fancy hotels, we spent our time with the families of those who were going to be traveling with us through Kazan, Moscow, and Saint Petersburg, for the next two months. Not only did we stay with families, but we also stayed in two orphanages and a youth camp. We got to see the real Russia, the parts that tourists don’t get to see.

Sure, we visited Red Square in Moscow and the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. Of course we watched the changing of the guard at Lenin’s tomb, went to Peter’s Summer Palace, and marveled at the amazing architecture of the mosques. But we did so much more than just see things, we got to know the people, the places that they hang out and the things that they do. The little known areas that fast became our favorite memories of the whole trip.

I even got to drive a car out to our family’s dacha (summer house) in the country. We spent a wonderful evening there, with fresh-caught fish grilled for dinner, and the promise of a fishing trip in the morning. We hunted wild mushrooms, took a swim in the river, and spent a relaxing time in the banya (bath house). Had we not been staying with our family, I would probably never known about dachas or banyas!

On another evening our family took us to an area in the city of Kazan where you could look out over the entire city. It was so gorgeous. We were also told that this was a popular spot for young lovers, it was easy to see why, with such a romantic view of the city. Our host even told me that he could easily find me a husband.

We also got to hang out in “the frying pan”, eat ice cream in a bar that is made to look like a cave complete with stalactites and stalagmites, and even do our own grocery shopping. Grocery shopping in Russia is an experience in and of itself, with trips to many different shops to get all that you need. Milk from the dairy shop, bread from the bread shop, sugar from the candy shop, and the most amazing fresh flowers and produce from the markets.

Being invited into the homes and hearts of the people was amazing. It changed the way I look at traveling; there is nothing quiet like getting to know a city from the perspective of those who know it best.

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