Здесь можно прочитать краткое содержание текста «Русский в Европах» на английском языке. Написано в качестве работы под названием «статья о путешествиях» в рамках курса о стереотипах. Жаль, что по-английски название книги Хемингуэя звучит не так романтично…

Here you can read the English "summary" of the previous Russian text about my travelling around Europe during the travel period. The text was originally written as the "travel article" for the Stereotypes course.

by Alexander Smotrov
aleksmot@yandex.ru



For a very long time a lot of people in the Soviet Union were separated from the rest of Europe by the so called "iron curtain". We could only hear from the TV-news that there are strikes, race discrimination and permanent financial crisis in the Western countries which were described as the "countries of capital" or even more: "countries of rotting capitalism". Despite all the propaganda, the possibility of going to the “rotting West” just to see it with their own eyes was an unrealizable dream of common Soviet people.
But now the borders are open and the Russians can go abroad if they want and have enough money to do it. The Schengen agreement opened internal borders in Europe for the Russians as well and made it easy to visit several countries during one trip.


To see Paris and then to die

…If you ask people in Russia about the place abroad they want to visit most of all, 8 of 10 persons will say: "Paris". It is symbol of the beautiful and luxurious life for many Russian people, the place where the dreams become true… "To see Paris and then to die", we say meaning that there is nothing more perfect than Paris in the whole world.

The Russian people, especially those who have never been to Paris, think that people in this city spend a lot of time sitting in the small boulevard cafés and drinking coffee. This stereotype was confirmed very soon: the first café I found (it was in Boulevard Diderot) was full of people though it was Thursday afternoon – time when common people usually work. But they could be tourists from the great number of tourists who flood the city. There are a lot of things made or set up especially for foreigners: you can buy a tin box with the "air from Paris" and only at home you find the note on the backside saying that it is "made in China".

Almost all the waiters and street painters can speak several languages, among them Russian, but the notes in the Louvre are only in French. It is one of the most wide-spread stereotypes about the French that they don’t speak foreign languages (i.e. English) or don’t want to. And this stereotype was confirmed just after my arrival in Paris. Having wasted a lot of time in the line to the bus booking-office, I asked the man in the window for a ticket to Amsterdam but he only said in answer: "Je ne parle anglais"…

The thing I hadn’t expected from Paris was the strikes around the city. Even the Louvre was on strike at the moment. And all the visitors could enter the galleries absolutely free of charge. It was beyond my mind!

But the major Russian stereotype about Paris as the paradise on the Earth was completely confirmed. Life is life and you can face problems even in this city, but I can only follow Ernest Hemingway who said in one of his books that "for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast"…


An interesting place without places of interest

Before my trip to Holland it was for me the country of tulips, cheese, mills, canals and bicycles. It is also supposed to be a very rainy place as I heard. I also was told a lot of bad things about Amsterdam the most neutral of which was that Amsterdam is VERY free city.

The rain-stereotype was contradicted immediately upon my arrival in Amsterdam. The sun was shining brightly and there was no one cloud in the sky. Of course, weather is changeable, but in any case my impression of Holland will be as of sunny and warm country.

The Dutch people are also seemed to me warm and hospitable. They don’t hid their private life behind the curtains. On the contrary, they look like a little bit show-off when they let people passing by to watch everything going on inside their homes.

Maybe in this custom we should find roots of the famous red light districts which are so popular in Holland especially among tourists. It was rather interesting to observe different people not in the windows but in the streets. The funniest thing is the Japanese tourists who are always stuck to their groups, even in such place like red light district.

In comparison with Paris Amsterdam seemed to me very quiet and cosy place. There are no special attractions and places of interest there but there is something magnificent in the city itself. You want to see it more and more. But beware of bicycles – they are ready to bring you down every minute!


Something is rotten in the state of Europe

The only bad experience I faced during my trip was the change in the bus time-table. I can admit that it is possible in Russia, but I didn’t expect to have one time in my ticket and the bus left one and half hour earlier this time. But Denmark, good old Denmark, saved the reputation of whole Europe when I was given a refund for non-used ticket and given a lot of apologies. In any case I had to spend one extra day in the nice town of Utrecht.

And I was quite surprised when I was asked by Western people, who didn’t believe that the Russians are allowed to go wherever they want. The stereotypes connected with the Soviet era are still alive in their minds and we should do a lot to eradicate them.


…Every trip has its end, but impressions and reminiscences about it are endless. This is your moveable feast, the holiday which is always with you…

Комментарии преподавателя:

• Actually, in Western Europe, it is another stereotype about the French: they go on strikes all the time.
• Fine and entertaining article.