Franklin Dean
Bernie Sanders, the former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, travelled to the Soviet Union with his wife, Jane, shortly after their wedding in 1988. Sanders, who was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, at the time, has described the trip as a very strange honeymoon. The trip was a government excursion to establish a sister-city relationship with the Soviet city of Yaroslavl, 160 miles northwest of Moscow.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
| Honeymoon Location | Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Trip Purpose | Government trip to establish a sister-city relationship between Burlington, Vermont, and Yaroslavl |
| Honeymoon Duration | 10 days |
| Honeymoon Activities | Walked through Red Square, visited Lenin's tomb, toured factories, hospitals, and schools in Yaroslavl, took a boat ride down the Volga River, visited Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) |
| Sanders' Remarks | Sanders described the trip as a "very strange honeymoon" and a "romantic honeymoon" |
| Criticism | Critics claimed that Sanders had a "soft spot" for Russia and implied that he had nefarious ties |
| Sanders' Response | Sanders criticized the United States' intervention in other countries but did not mention Soviet interventions |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- The trip was a government initiative to establish a sister-city relationship with Yaroslavl
- Sanders called it a very strange honeymoon
- Critics claimed Sanders had a soft spot for Russia
- Sanders praised Soviet housing and healthcare, but criticised the US
- Sanders did not experience the everyday life of the average Russian
The trip was a government initiative to establish a sister-city relationship with Yaroslavl
Bernie Sanders, the self-proclaimed socialist, and his wife, Jane, travelled to the Soviet Union in 1988, shortly after their wedding. This trip was a government initiative to establish a sister-city relationship between Burlington, Vermont, and Yaroslavl, a city in the Soviet Union.
Sanders himself has described the trip as a "very strange honeymoon". A spokesperson for Sanders' campaign clarified that the senator had joked for years that the trip was a strange honeymoon. The spokesperson also stated that the trip was pre-scheduled before Sanders' marriage proposal, and the wedding date was set to coincide with the trip to avoid taking more time off.
During their time in the Soviet Union, the couple combined business and pleasure. They met with "ordinary people" from everyday walks of life, carefully selected by the Communist Party. They walked through Red Square and saw Lenin's tomb. They also visited Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and took a boat ride down the Volga River. In Yaroslavl, they toured factories, hospitals, and schools, which had been spruced up for the American visitors.
Sanders found aspects of Soviet life that he liked, such as the housing, which cost only 5% of a Russian's income, compared to 40% in the United States. He praised Soviet housing and healthcare and criticised the United States' intervention in other countries. However, he failed to acknowledge the systematic Soviet repression of dissidents and the countless Soviet interventions since World War II, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the invasion of Afghanistan.
Honeymoon Perks: How to Subtly Alert Your Hotel
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Sanders called it a very strange honeymoon
Bernie Sanders, the former mayor of Burlington, Vermont, travelled to the Soviet Union with his wife, Jane, shortly after their wedding in 1988. The trip was a government trip to establish a sister-city relationship between Burlington and Yaroslavl, a city in the Soviet Union. Sanders himself has described the trip as a "very strange honeymoon", and joked about it for years.
The trip was not a traditional honeymoon, but it did combine business and pleasure. Sanders met "ordinary people" from everyday walks of life (although these people were likely carefully selected by the Communist Party), walked through Red Square, saw Lenin's tomb, and visited Leningrad (now St Petersburg). He also took a boat ride down the Volga River. In Yaroslavl, he toured factories, hospitals, and schools, which had been spruced up for the American visitors.
Sanders found things he liked during his trip, including the housing, which cost only 5% of a Russian's income, compared to 40% in the United States. He also praised the Soviet healthcare system, noting that the quality of both housing and healthcare in America was "significantly better" than in the communist state, but that the cost of both was much higher in the United States. However, he failed to mention the systematic Soviet repression of dissidents, such as Natan Sharansky. At a banquet, he criticised the way the United States had "intervened" in other countries but made no mention of Soviet interventions since World War II, including the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
Honeymoon Rain: Embracing the Unexpected on Your Special Trip
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Critics claimed Sanders had a soft spot for Russia
Critics of Bernie Sanders have claimed that the politician has a soft spot for Russia, citing his decision to honeymoon in Moscow in 1988, shortly after his wedding, as evidence of potentially "nefarious ties" to the country. The trip was not a honeymoon in the traditional sense but a government trip to establish a sister-city relationship between Burlington, Vermont, and Yaroslavl. Sanders himself has described the trip as a “very strange honeymoon”, joking that the wedding date was set to "coincide with that trip because they didn't want to take more time off".
Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist, was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, at the time of the trip and took a 12-person delegation of city representatives and officials, including his new wife, Jane Sanders. While in Moscow, Sanders combined business and pleasure, meeting "ordinary people" from everyday walks of life (carefully selected by the Communist Party) and visiting Yaroslavl, touring factories, hospitals, and schools. He also walked through Red Square and saw Lenin's tomb, visited Leningrad (now St Petersburg), and took a boat ride down the Volga River.
During the trip, Sanders praised the quality of Soviet housing, noting that, while the quality of both was "significantly better" than in the US, the cost of both services was "much, much higher" in the United States. He also criticised the way the US had "intervened" in other countries but failed to mention Soviet interventions since World War II, including the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the suppression of the Czech rebellion of 1968, and the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
Choosing a Honeymoon Hotel: What to Consider
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$14.15 $18.99
Sanders praised Soviet housing and healthcare, but criticised the US
In 1988, Bernie Sanders, the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and his wife, Jane, travelled to the Soviet Union, shortly after their wedding. The trip was a government trip to establish a sister-city relationship between Burlington and Yaroslavl, a city in the Soviet Union. Sanders himself has described the trip as a "'very strange honeymoon".
During his trip, Sanders praised Soviet housing and healthcare while criticising the US. He noted that the quality of housing and healthcare in America was "significantly better" than in the communist state. However, he added that the cost of both services was much higher in the United States. For example, housing in the Soviet Union cost only 5% of a Russian's income, compared to 40% in the US.
Sanders also criticised the way the United States had "intervened" in other countries. However, he made no mention of Soviet interventions since World War II, such as the erection of the Iron Curtain, the crushing of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, and the suppression of the Czech rebellion in 1968.
Upon his return to Vermont, Sanders held a news conference in which he eulogised Soviet housing and healthcare while openly criticising America. He failed to acknowledge the systematic Soviet repression of dissidents, such as Natan Sharansky, who may have remained in a gulag if President Ronald Reagan had not worked to end the Cold War.
Honeymoon Movie: A Newlywed Couple's Dark Secrets
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Sanders did not experience the everyday life of the average Russian
Bernie Sanders, the former mayor of Burlington, Vermont, travelled to Moscow, Russia, with his wife Jane in 1988. The trip was a government trip to establish a sister-city relationship with the Soviet city of Yaroslavl. Although Sanders himself described this trip as a "very strange honeymoon", it was not a honeymoon in the traditional sense. The trip was not a romantic getaway, but rather a diplomatic trip that Sanders made in his capacity as mayor.
Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist, had a wonderful time combining business and pleasure. He met "ordinary people" from everyday walks of life (who were carefully selected by the Communist Party), walked through Red Square, saw Lenin's tomb, and visited Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). He also took a boat ride down the Volga River.
However, it is clear that Sanders did not experience the everyday life of the average Russian. He did not visit the cramped Moscow apartments that housed families in just two small rooms. He did not see the empty government grocery stores with their unlabelled cans and withered chickens. He did not witness the desperate shoppers roaming the aisles of GUM, the gigantic department store fronting Red Square, in search of basic goods.
Instead, Sanders returned with praise for Soviet housing and healthcare, noting that the cost of these services was much lower in the Soviet Union than in the United States. He failed to mention the systematic Soviet repression of dissidents, the countless Soviet interventions since World War II, or the deficiencies in human rights.
Honeymoon Horrors: Our Trip's Twisted Turns
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Bernie Sanders and his wife Jane travelled to the Soviet Union shortly after their wedding as part of a government trip to establish a sister-city relationship between Burlington, Vermont, and Yaroslavl. Sanders himself has described this trip as a "very strange honeymoon".
Although visiting for only 10 days, Sanders found things that he liked, including the housing, which cost only 5% of a Russian’s income instead of the 40% cost in the United States. He also praised Soviet healthcare.
No, Bernie and Jane Sanders took their real honeymoon in St. Lucia in the Caribbean the following year.
