Photo: Typical street tram
April 4, 1996 In the morning I jogged down to the stadium and around some of the nearby streets. A hard mixture of snow, ice, and dirt covered much of the sidewalks. Even at 7 AM many people are up, riding the trams to work. The trams were always full of people. On most mornings Yuri would give me a ride to work. The company had moved in recent months to a few offices on the 2nd floor of an old factory building on the northwest side of the city. There were only about 10 employees in the office.
Photo: Yuri & Konstantin
It was decided I would have review the company operations, administration, financials, and make recommendations. In addition, they were interested in developing a life endowment product. I spent time talking to Konstantin, the surveyer (claims adjuster). Later I was to find out that my interpreter was the nephew of Konstantin, the surveyer. So there were two Konstantin s, (1) my interpreter, and (2) his uncle, hereafter Uncle Konstantin . Late in the day an older couple came in and bought a cargo insurance policy. Alexander, the #2 man at KR arranged for me to get lunches at a restaurant. The restaurant, formerly a hangout for local Communists, was located in a theatre.
A typical lunch or dinner in a restaurant may begin with dark bread, soup and a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, salami, or smoked fish. The main plate might be grilled meat or fish with a few vegetables and potatoes. People usually drink mineral water, tea, beer, or vodka.
Photo: Cafe Morozhenoe on Prospect Marx
Later I had informal discussions with Valery. He questioned my background, my intentions, and compensation source for my activities with his company. We had a great salmon lunch at a lakeside restaurant. Lake Onega, the 2nd largest European lake, was frozen and covered with snow.
Photo: Older small bus
