Word: sochi
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...train from Moscow pulled into Sochi and disgorged passengers exhausted from the 850-mile, 30-hour journey. Waiting for them on the platform were about 100 residents of the lush Black Sea resort, some of them sweetly smiling, grandmotherly women who wanted nothing more than to share the genteel charm of their homes. "I have a nice little room to rent, a short walk to the sea, hot water, next door to a good restaurant," declared one. Two bone-weary women quickly began bidding furiously against each other for the room, even though neither had seen it, driving the price...
...Sochi is the marketplace of dreams for millions of Soviet vacationers trying to exercise their "right to rest." The guarantee is contained in Article 41 of the constitution, and is printed on banners and billboards on the shoreline of the country's holiday heartland along the Russian and Georgian coasts of the Black Sea. As with many aspects of Soviet life, the utopian ideal is often more attractive than socialist reality...
...Sochi, on the Russian side of the Black Sea, is one of the most popular resorts. Last year 4 million visitors walked along its shady lanes and admired its manicured shrubbery. But families do not necessarily share such pleasures. Because the permits for rooms at sanatoriums are distributed at places of employment or through trade unions, Soviet vacationers often take their holidays with their workmates. Said one beach-bound Muscovite: "Why would I miss my husband? I can see him all year...
...Sochi has 200 sanatoriums and dozens of hotels. As in other resort cities, the demand for rooms far outstrips the supply. Those unable to bribe or bluster their way to a place in the sun are forced to find their own lodgings. The Soviets refer to these masses of unfortunates as dikari, literally "savages," but in this sense meaning unofficial holidaymakers. They arrive with nowhere to stay and must try to strike a bargain with locals who have a room to rent. Such private deals are strictly illegal, but they are widely tolerated. Some seaside landladies offer a fair deal...
...announced last week and by America's "other inhuman weapons of mass annihilation." Of course, the Soviet people knew which way the wind was blowing. American High Jumper Teresa Smith, competing in a Soviet-American track meet, felt the chill in the Black Sea town of Sochi: "In Germany, we got applause even on our warmup jumps. Here, nothing." Said an American businessman in Moscow: "I called a good Russian friend the other day and asked to see him. He replied: 'I just can't fit it in this week, my friend. How about November...