Right about the time that the weather starts getting warm, it seems to bring with it an influx of folks from the other side of the Kerch Strait. In our part of the country they stand out with their Range Rovers, BMWs and Porsche Cayennes or maybe their big CC Japanese sport bikes... of course their Russian plates are also dead giveaways. They drive at least 20 kph faster than the rest of us (which is really saying something in my case) and seem oblivious to general orderliness on the road.
They come down here (either on the fairy across the Straits or straight down via mainland Ukraine) to throw money around like important people in the Russian-speaking world have been doing for centuries. They dress like wanna-be (or actual) mafiosi, flaunt trophy wives and pay exorbitant prices at tourist traps. They speak in that funny, drawn-out, nasally Moscow way - something akin to a slavic version of a Boston accent - all the while firmly believing that Vladimir Putin is the world's greatest ever leader.
Honestly I don't have anything against Russians specifically but there is certainly a subset of them who make nuisances of themselves down here in the summer. There's a similar group of Ukrainians - presumably from Kiev - who do the same but since it's their own country it chafes a bit less.
Either way, with a trip to uber-expensive Yalta in the works, I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot more of our rich friends.
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No matter where you live, there is always some group of obnoxious tourists. I grew up in Wyoming, where used to lament the roads turning "green" in spring/summer--when all the Coloradoans would head north.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to hurt feelings here Amanda but you do realize that those people were driving THROUGH not TO Wyoming, right?
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in CO almost my whole life, I think I've heard of about 5 people who when to WY on purpose and 4 of those were to Yellowstone.
I've been to Wyoming! And I stayed for four days!
ReplyDelete(Sounds like a t-shirt)
Stayed in Cheyenne for Frontier Days. It was...different.
And I've been to Yellowstone, too. On a separate occasion.
To join the digression about travelling through vs. traveling to Wyoming - unless you are heading to Montana or Canada (which many do), the only real reason to be driving in Wyoming to be be in Wyoming.
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in Colorado for the past 25 years, most people are driving to Wyoming for Frontier days, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Chugwater Chili Cookoff, Devils Tower - which by the way three of those are National Parks. Not to mention the various sizely bodies of water that dot the landscape.
It is true that I'm married to a Wyoming Native, but if my memories serves me...Matt, weren't you in Wyoming last year for some Hunting? What color was your license plate?
Anyway - arrogant tourists aren't just an American Invention - it's true the Russians were doing it long before the States were United.
Please tell me that you are not going to Yalta without me. I think you should at least wait for 5 weeks until I get there!
ReplyDeleteSay hi to Abromovich for me.
ReplyDelete