The Old Man and the Hill

Yekaterina Kravtsova / MT

One particularly picturesque hill incentral Sochi is being transformed intothe new Svetlana district, anarea being built up with prestigious apartment buildings that offer aspectacular view ofthe sea.

But most ofthe buildings still remain uninhabited, while those who live there are woken up bythe sounds ofdrills every morning.

Alocal pensioner, Sergei Ivanovich, said he had lived inthis part ofSochi his whole life andthings have changed drastically.

"I remember when this hill was blooming with aparadise ofgardens, where huge oranges andsweet-smelling mandarins grew," he said.

I met Sergei Ivanovich, who gave only his first name andpatronymic but declined tosay his last name, when I was going home one dark Sochi evening andgot lost. He said he would help me find my way and, despite his old age, he climbed up thehill with buoyant steps. Forthe rest ofour journey, he regaled me with incredible andmaybe tall tales.

He cast aglance atthe road that had been blocked forPresident Vladimir Putin's arrival intown, Kurortny Prospect, forcing both traffic andpedestrians towait forthe Russian leader's cortege topass.

"We have seen everyone here: Stalin, Brezhnev, Andropov, Yeltsin, everyone spent their vacation inSochi," Sergei Ivanovich said, adding that security forthe Soviet leaders was not as strict as it later became forRussia's leaders.

When former Russian President Boris Yeltsin came toSochi, he said, there were six lines ofsecurity along thestreet, andarmed officers sat inthe bushes.

"All pedestrians were prohibited fromwalking along thestreet, andwhen anold woman continued towalk down thestreet anyway, anofficer ran out andtold her that he would use his gun if she did not stop. I remember, I looked ather hands, which she was using tohold onto her cane, andthey were white because she was clutching thecane so tightly infear ofmaking asingle move," Sergei Ivanovich said.

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The Old Man and the Hill