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Once I was sent on a
business trip to the sea terminal in Yalta and Simferopol airport. It
was the summer of 1984. In the glorious Brezhnev-Andropov times. In
July, border guards call and say that in the first half of August it is
necessary to go to install equipment in Yalta and Simferopol. Great!
Imagine a week trip to Yalta and Simferopol in August! My workmate
Zhenka, just at the end of July, left with his wife to rest in Sudak,
on the southern coast of the Crimea. Well, we agreed that I would visit
him there when I arrived on a business trip to Yalta. He left the
address of the hostess, where he will live, and at the end of July left
for Sudak.
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At the very end of
July, a team from border guards arrived from August 5 to go to
Simferopol and Yalta for the installation of equipment. I made a
business trip, received an advance at the ticket office and on August 4
in the morning I went to Sheremetyevo-1 airport. Of course, there were
no tickets for the plane to Simferopol for the next few days at the
ticket office. Well, I think I'll leave Sheremetyevo someday. I
collected a small backpack (my boss at meetings always said that when
Bolgov goes on a business trip, then a backpack first appears from the
plane, then skis, and then Bolgov himself) and went to Sheremetyevo-1
airport. I'm going to the operative here. I'm showing you my travel ID
and XIV. And I ask you to assist with a plane ticket to Simferopol.
Comrade Major looked at me like an idiot, saying that generals were
sitting in line in his corridor on chairs. And you (i.e., I) without a
title, demand that I send you to Simferopol. August!
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Okay, I think we're
going to take a different approach to this problem. I went to the
airport building, found warrant officer Seryoga and said, "Serezha, I
have to fly to Simferopol today!" Ensign Seryozha replies, "What a
problem!" "Give me the passport, the money and go buy a chocolate bar,
and I'll go get the ticket. We'll meet at the same place in 20 minutes".
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After 20 minutes, the
warrant officer Seryozh handed me a ticket for flight 1641 on the route
Moscow Sheremetyevo-1 - Simferopol. I give him a candy bar for the
cashier. A Soviet ensign is higher than a general.
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After 20 minutes, the
warrant officer Seryozh handed me a ticket for flight 1641 on the route
Moscow Sheremetyevo-1 - Simferopol. I give him a candy bar for the
cashier. A Soviet ensign is higher than a general. I'm going to land.
There's always a slight delay. Then board the bus. And the bus leaves
the airport and goes on the road around the airport. People started to
worry. Someone started a rumor that we were going to the forest for
mushrooms, berries. Finally, we arrive at the Sheremetyevo-2 airport
and the bus enters the airport and stops at the plane. Our plane is
still refueling. Waiting again. It's hot. It turns out that our plane
is flying on the route Moscow - Simferopol - Helsinki. But they only
take us to Simferopol. Here we go. Some comrades lack space. By the
way, under the Soviet regime, I always tried to get on the plane first,
otherwise there were chances, not to get a seat and wait for the next
flight. I learned this rule long ago on my own skin. He was flying from
Riga once. I got a ticket before I left. I'm taking my time to land.
And I and a few other people, before entering the plane, are told: All,
comrades, there are no more free seats. See you tomorrow.
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| After
an hour and a half of summer landing at the airport of Simferopol. No
one meets you at the airport. Going to the border guards. There's not
much joy on their faces. August month. Everyone should be welcomed,
bosses, generals. The operative on duty gives his look at us - Says I'm
the fifteenth in the last two days. That they were in Moscow, going
crazy, sending people and sending people. But, the truth instructed the
hotel to take another person. The hotel at the airport went well. The
administrator was a little indignant when I came to extend my stay the
next day. Said the hotel had been turned into a border outpost. There's
no one from the office on Sunday morning. We promised. Well, today will
be a day of rest. |
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| I took a bus ticket to Alushta for 10:20. I will go to
Zhenka in Sudak, where he rests. The road together with the boat took
the period from 10.20 to 17.00. Take the bus. It started raining in the
mountains. First it's small and then it rains. There are no buses from
Alushta to Sudak. I'm going to the terminal. The ship leaves for Sudak
at 13:40. I got a ticket, it's good enough for the cashier. It's an
hour and a half before the boat leaves. The city is full of people. The
rain drove everyone off the beach. And here's the landing. A crowd of
people is rushing to the ship. At last, everyone settled down, the ship
left and ticket checks began. I understand that if anyone does not have
a ticket, the ship will not return. It's raining and winding. All the
mountains are covered with dark clouds. The ship goes along the route
Alushta - Fisherman - Marine - Sudak. I like the view from the ship,
the mountains are really forestless and break right into the sea. In
many places, tourist tents are visible at the edge of the sea. Almost
nobody. The further away, the colder it becomes and the coast is more
beautiful. |
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| When approaching Sudak, the rain stopped, the sun
looked out and even became hot. On a high rock stands a fortress like a
toy. It was like it was built specifically for tourists. Here's the
dock. I'm going to the beach and I'm going to look for Zhenka. A short
walk around Sudak, and after much questioning, I find the house where
Zhenka stopped for rest. The landlady was very unhappy. The room where
he lives with his wife is tiny. All the rooms are reserved for
vacationers. We had lunch with dry wine and went to the beach after
lunch. Yeah. This is not Liepaja or Riga seaside. A crowd of people and
a small piece of pebbles. First dip in seawater this year. Even the
salt tastes good. Just a little memory shot. Somewhere in the archives.
I will need to scan and paste in this text. |
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| The
sun sets over the mountain, the tan ends. Just in time to get
acquainted with the greatest attraction of the city of Sudak - its
fortress This is the greatest building in this area. You can't walk by.
A little lift, buying tickets. Checking the fortress. The sun has set
over the horizon and we are going back. On the way, we had coffee, dry
wine. And the base. I got a place in the shower. Your head and back are
in the shower and your feet are out. And the hostess wanted to charge
me 50 cents for an overnight stay in such conditions. Indeed, the greed
of Crimeans in the summer period has no limits. |
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Of course, I was late for
the first bus to Simferopol, and the second one left at 7:30. The road
goes through the Crimean mountains. At 11 o'clock we enter Simferopol.
I'm finally at the airport. Time for work. Everyone's just here at
work, so it's time for lunch. We decided to work after lunch. The
picture opened before me, alas, does not please the eye. Sensors are
damaged, as if they were hit with a hammer. Two devices don't work. I'm
in the chief's office. Collected all the instruments here, docked,
turned on. We'll have to repair it. I am going to do everything today
and rest tomorrow. Repaired one appliance, had a snack, and there at
19.55 to the TV - detective watch. After watching the detective light
dinner, and sleep at the hotel.
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August 7. In the morning I
decided to go to Sevastopol. I've never been there. I still have
nothing to do today while the installers lay the cables. I went to
Sevastopol by train. From Simferopol, trains rarely go, 3-4 times a
day. Early morning at 6:10, then at 9:50, then afternoon and evening.
The road passes by no big mountains, and the greenery finally appears.
At the station Upper Garden Document Check, because Sevastopol is a
closed city. And without need, ordinary tourists are not allowed into
it. But I'm not just a tourist. I'm a service tourist. The train is
slow. The distance is 70 kilometers, and the train travels almost 2
hours. There's the station. But you can't see the sea. For some reason
it seemed to me that the station was near the sea. As you get off the
train, you pass the station and the sea is in front of you. But it was
the opposite. There are hills with houses around.
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I decided to climb the
nearest mountain, from there I will focus, I will see where the sea is.
After a short climb, I went to the park. In the center is an old
building. This is the famous Sevastopol panorama of the Crimean War. We
need to see. There are a lot of people here. Excursions come every 5 to
10 minutes. The picture is grand. After spiritual food, material food
is necessary, i.e., lunch. There's hardly anyone near the cafe. Pretty
frail lunch for 1 ruble 50 kopecks. Now we have to see the city. It's
actually the only city I've ever been to where there's almost no people
on the main streets at lunchtime. I expected to see more people in
uniform. By the Big Sea reached the sea. But there's nowhere to swim.
And there's a boat and a ferry next to it. The boat goes to the beach
to Uchkuevka pier.
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| We should go get some sun.
It's 20 minutes by sea. It's north of downtown. The people are mostly
grouped around the pier, and there is almost no one farther away. Of
course there is no sand here, one small pebble. Again I remembered the
Riga seaside with magnificent sandy beaches. And the water here is
cool. An hour and a half is enough for the first time. Back the
steamboat is full. When I arrive, I look for Aeroflot cash registers.
We gotta worry about the return ticket. At first I wanted to walk, but
passers-by said it was far away, in the other end of the city, only on
a trolley bus. As it turned out, walking for 20 - 25 minutes. I'm
lucky. The girl in the queue in front of me was booking tickets for
August 11 to Moscow, and I got one ticket. |
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I'm going downtown.
The houses here are already one-storey, with gardens, quiet streets, an
ordinary southern city. I can't believe it's Sevastopol. Came to the
gazebo. It overlooks the harbor, ships, submarines. Time for the
station. The train is at 20:10. There's hardly any back. We pass the
station Inkerman, then cave towns, monasteries. I'll have to come here
next time. Getting to the hotel straight to bed. No power. Tomorrow we
have to go to Yalta, check the instruments there. Fix it. I think we
need some repairs, too.
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