Mountain Cluster Village Bustles With Activity

On what was a sunny, albeit breezy, Sunday afternoon in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains, the colorful Rosa Khutor village seemed to be the place to be.

Families, athletes, Olympic fans, and other curious visitors strolled casually along the village’s two pedestrian streets separated by the Mzymta River. Shops, restaurants, hotels, and outdoor vendors bustled with activity.

The central gathering spot in the village is the live site adjacent to Romanov Bridge and the clock tower. Smiling faces were busy snapping photos with one another, the Sochi 2014 mascots, and on a few occasions, with the serious Russian Cossacks patrolling the area.

Projected on the giant screen was the Russia and Slovakia hockey game as many Russian fans watched nervously, hoping their team could rebound from the heartbreaking loss to the U.S.

Finn and Anniken Gulliksen, a couple from Kongsberg, Norway, were receiving plenty of attention while toting their nation’s flag.

"I was skeptical when I came here, but all the Russians are very happy and friendly people and they seem glad that we are here," said Finn.

"We are almost like famous people. Everyone wants to take pictures with us crazy Norwegians," said Anniken. "It has been a very good experience for us here."

Russian Evegeny Mikhailovich, 38, a visitor from Rostov-on-Don was another popular figure carrying a Russian flag on a long fishing pole.

"I’ve take photos with visitors from Canada, Sweden, and Slovakia today," said Mikhailovich. "Everyone is very friendly and with a good attitude."

"As a Russian, I like being here, and I don’t know about everyone else, but I hope they like it here too," he said.

At nearby Modus Pizzeria, diners watched also watched the hockey game while relaxing in the restaurant’s stylish décor. Iren Tedeeva, 23, a resident of Vladikavkaz, a city in the North Caucasus region, was busy tending to her waitressing duty.

"I’m excited to see so many people from all over the world," said Tedeeva, who studies in St. Petersburg. "It has been very interesting and fun. Everybody has been so nice and I’m happy to be here.

Tedeeva’s friendly manager advised, "We don’t all speak great English, but we are doing our best to make people feel welcome here."

He advised that he hadn’t had a day off in two months and Tedeeva joked that her party will begin when the Olympics are over.

It was nearly impossible to find a seat at the two-level Irish sports bar on the promenade with its multiple TV screens and wide array of draught beers.

Diners sat outside at Cippolino restaurant, soaking up the last hours of the afternoon sun.

Street food options include Russian "shashlik" (a type of shish kebab) and a variety of grilled sausages, served by outdoor vendors near Peshkov Bridge.

Not surprisingly, McDonald's was a hot ticket among the numerous volunteers and Russian "pelmeni" (dumplings) were served at a traditional restaurant near the ski gondola to the Rosa Khutor slopes.

Stores in the walking village include North Face, Columbia, Baskin Robbins Ice Cream, Bosco, a trendy Russian t-shirt place, as well as a shop selling specialties from the Krasnodar region.

As night fell, the Rosa Khutor mountain village took on a substantially different mood.

One of the happening spots among the party crowd was the little Bosco Café directly adjacent to the super store.

Beats played loudly, and the party-goers danced wildly until the DJ announced that he had to shut it down at 11 p.m. due to a Sochi noise ordinance. Despite vehement protests from the over-served crowd, the party had to move elsewhere.

For the late-night crowd, the place to be is Sky Bar, a spacious and elaborately designed club, just down and across the street from the Gorky Media Center.

As beats pumped and an intricate lighting system enhanced the club’s pulsating vibe, scantily-clad dancers and acrobats on swings dazzled the crowd.

A 22-year old scenester described the scene, "In St. Petersburg, it’s a little more fashion and fancy, but here you can be yourself.

"It’s crowded. There is good music. Everybody is having fun and I like it here."

Although this reporter can promise that he didn’t witness firsthand, suffice to say, the DJ and high-energy party likely continued well into Sochi’s morning hours.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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