Professional Sociologists and Non-Professional Travelers or Trip to Pskov
On October, 9 -10 two sociological laboratories of the Higher School of Economics at St. Petersburg went to a trip to Pskov and its suburbs.
On October, 9 -10 two sociological laboratories of the Higher School of Economics at St. Petersburg went to a trip to Pskov and its suburbs.
When guests come to your place, it’s hard to resist the temptation to guide a short tour through the city – to show others your city in a way you percept it. When guests come from faraway places, it is really important to show them the cultural heritage of your ancestors. In such a way there appeared an idea to invite American professors from the Higher School of Economics to Pskov. That’s how the idea to organize an informal trip of members of two laboratories of Saint-Petersburg Higher School of Economics – the “Sociology of Education and Science Laboratory” and the “Laboratory for Comparative Social Research” evolved. Two young researchers of LCSRand SESL, Irina Khvan and Ekaterina Kuldina are originally from Pskov and this was one of the reasons to organize the trip.
For reference: Pskov is a town and the center of an area with the same name, located 4 hours away from St. Petersburg. Small according to the standards of contemporary Russia, Pskov used to be a major trade city in the Middle Ages and was famous for its architects. Its rich history dates back to 903 when it was first mentioned in the "The Tale of Bygone Years” which is associated with the Maid of Pskov Olga, well-known from the history books as revengeful widow of Prince Igor and the first Christian among the rulers of ancient Russia.
Bus from St. Petersburg departed at about 7 am. Our delegation has been dining in Pskov restaurant that looks from the outside as a knight’s mansion and from the inside as the looking glass to the times of Peter the Great. The schedule was tight, because during those two days of weekend we wanted to show not only the city itself, but also two of its suburbs: Pechora and Izborsk.
The trip to Pechora was quite long, but nobody left dissatisfied with it. Pechora is famous for its Saint - Uspensky monastery that was founded in the XV century. Like all the ancient monasteries, Pskov-Pechora monastery is walled with towers, which are intricately combined with rolling hills and temples situated in an enviable ingenuity. One part of the monastery is located underground in natural caves that are inhabited and transformed into churches by the monks of the Middle Ages. Unfortunately we had no opportunity to get into the cave, but we visited several working churches and walked around the city wall. At territory of the monastery there is a strict dress code: men should be dressed in the trousers and to be bare-headed, women should wear skirts and scarves. For the forgetful secular tourists, among whom we were, at the entrance there was a small place where it was possible to rent clothes: skirts and scarves of the very extravagant colors. Looking at the colors and styles of clothes, foreign colleagues could not hide a smile.
After the monastery we set out towards Izborsk - a place that earned (for its 1150-year history of battles) the second name of "Iron City." Now, of course, this is not a big city but a small village, but the second name is still remembered, and every summer a festival of historical reconstruction is held there, so that and only tower called "Onion" that is restored at the moment the walls are still staying witnesses of violent battles, but this time not real. One more attraction of Izborsk is a group of Slovenian fountains located on the slope of the Izborsk-Malsk valley. They are believed to be curative, they are associated with a lot of legends; the most famous is that every fountain has its miraculous power, but nobody knows what kind of power which of them has, so one needs to drink and wash from each to become happy and healthy, wealthy and beloved.
It happened so that on the same day a ceremony awarding the Russian national awards "Watchmen of heritage" was held in Izborsk. It turned out that we saw at a glimpse the Minister of Culture of Russia, the governor of the Pskov region, eminent archaeologists, historians, restorers and patrons. They caught a glimpse the Ronald Inglehart, laureate of Skytte award (the analog of Nobel Prize in Political Science), and two of a hundred of the most influential people in Russia in 2011, according to "Russian Reporter" magazine, as not only Ronald Inglehart, but also Fedor Gorozhanko, social activist from St. Petersburg and sociologist by education joined the trip.
While we were travelling through towns and villages, Ira Khvan and her family were waiting for us for dinner in Pskov. In order to dilute the flavor of ancient Russia, which was quite enough for that day, and just to please guests with traditional national cuisine, a family of Khvan made a really wide range of Korean food. We had traditional salads, and the mysterious lyamlyams, are quite similar to stuffed cabbage rolls, there was pilaf, as well. And, everything ended with a very traditional Russian tea-party with a long talk. It should be mentioned that everyone was talking to each other, but not all of those who were present knew English, so almost every one of us has worked for a couple of days as a translator. By the way, Ira has a wonderful cat.
The day was long, but we were sure that the fun is just beginning, although not all the members of the trip had the same opinion, so the evening continued only for the most persistent members of our research team. And we were exploring the night-life of Pskov and music and dance preferences of each other.
On the second day our research continued. It happened that at first we have shown the city at night and only then at a daytime. So, the meeting place was Pskov Kremlin, Rybnitsa Gate Tower. In Pskov there is a Kremlin of their own, its other name is Krom or Detinets. This is the heart of the Pskov fortress, with the Trinity Cathedral, the veche area and kromski cages – this place was the center of the entire Pskov land. Now the cathedral, museums, shops, antique and souvenir shops are located here. Not that long ago the Kremlin played the role of a historical decoration to the "Maid of Pskov", opera by Rimsky-Korsakov, performed in 2010 by Yuri Laptev.
After walking around the main attractions of the city, the time came for smaller monuments. The very essence of the cultural heritage of Pskov is a number of ancient churches in the typical style of Pskov, whitewashed for the most part, with impressive domed bell towers. But the most special thing in them is not only their style but also their historical authenticity, because these are very rare authentic ancient buildings that were not affected by the Mongol invasions and civil wars. The oldest cathedral of the city is protected by UNESCO as the world’s cultural legacy; it dates back to XII century and now works as a museum, where there are a lot of unique frescoes.
Pedestrian excursion was over, and some time remained before the departure to St. Petersburg. After lunch everyone was invited to the tea party to Katya Kuldina’s place. The mystical atmosphere of the apartment gave a ground for a nice conversation, especially due to the fact that was more than one social scientist for one square meter of flat there, to which added Katya's father, Sergei Kuldin, Professor at the University of Pskov. Parallel with murmuring of a cat, that found its place on the knees of Roberto Foa and with the help of an interpreting talent of Xenia Tenisheva religious and cultural differences in various countries were discussed... and then the bus came and it was time to say goodbye.
Some impressions of participants:
Ronald Inglehart: «Many thanks for helping arrange the visit to Pskov! It was a lovely and unforgettable experience and I think that everyone enjoyed it - I certainly did. The town of Pskov was charming and we had the good luck to have wonderful autumn weather as we visited the incredibly striking monastery, with beautiful buildings and churches. I enjoyed seeing the women of our group dressed in head scarves and skirts, just as I always imagined Russian women would look (but rarely do in St Petersburg). Dinner at your home was delicious and it was full of fun and warm hospitality. The next day's tour of Pskov was fascinating and I learned a lot about ancient Russian society - and having tea at Katya's home was also a delightful and unforgettable experience. Thanks to Ira and Katya - you are both invited to visit me in Ann Arbor!»
Daria Khodorenko: “This trip left lotsof positive impressions. There are so many beautifulhistorical places, nature is asinRussian folk tales, and one of the most important things is an interestingcompany. Thanksto Ira Khvan andKatyaKuldina, who organizedthis trip so well.Specialthanks toIra’sparents whometusso warmlyand deliciouslyprepared forusKoreandinner.In general, everythingwas great!”
Ekaterina Shishova: ”A lot of impressions:fromextraordinarily beautifulgolden autumn and a lot of communication togoodwillof all the participants.The tripwas helpfulin all aspects:academic,humanand spiritual.”
Serban Tanasa: «It was a cold morning, long before sunrise, and the breaths of the people in the marshrutka (*taxi) quickly fogged up the windows. Between bouts of sleep, I would occasionally wipe a small portion clean, and each time I looked out a bit more of St. Petersburg would be wiped away too: first the tall buildings, then the colorful signs, until at some point there was naught but a sea of trees and slow, smoky trucks on a two-lane road. <…> The trip was capped off by a very slow lunch at the Frigate restaurant overlooking Pskov river and a group tea at Katya's dad, with whom Ron and I discussed sociology and more esoteric topics, while a gorgeous white cat was shedding all its hair on Roberto's black coat. All in all, a great experience, not diminished in the slightest by the two hours I spent in the trunk-seat of the private car that we took on our way back to Sankt Petersburg».