So I hear back in Minnesota, we are having record breaking highs. Well, here in Russia we were having record breaking lows. Of course. But the past few days have begun to thaw the ice palace that is St. Petersburg and I can officially say that Spring has made its way to Russia. And it is about time.
I actually had to go out and buy a pair of sunglasses, something I never thought would happen in a country that has less that 30 sunny days a year. But the weather has been gorgeous. My roommate and I decided that every day the temperature reaches 4 degrees we are going for a run. So far it has been pretty entertaining, dodging babushkas, black ice and Militsia. And I have come to the realization that if I don't fall on my backside at least once, it is a pretty good day.
This new bout of gorgeous weather has made us all more excited to explore the city. Earlier, we could stand for maybe a 15 minute walk through the ice water that drowns St. Petersburg. Now, being outside is a pleasure. Yesterday, a group of us ventured to Kunstkamera, the museum started by Peter the Great as a personal collection. This museum is know for the collection of "natural and human curiosities and rarities."
Needless to say, this was by far the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. I really cannot even describe what was kept in this museum. If you really want to see it, you can google it, but I would rather not disgust everyone reading this. But on our way to the museum we walked along the impressive banks of the Neva River, one of the most beautiful sights in the city if you ask me.
We are more than halfway through our Russian studies and I feel as though I have just been reintroduced to the city. We have so little time left I already know I will miss Russia. In three weeks we are going to spend a long weekend in Finland and Estonia. People tell us that for countries that are merely separated by a small gulf, they could not be any more different.
And after our trip to Finland, we have a mere three weeks left. Everything is speeding by and we are trying to take advantage of every museum and historical site the city has to offer.
One main realization I have come to is that I much tougher than I previously believed. I officially lived through the worst winter in St. Petersburg in over 100 years. Not even the communists had to put up with this crap.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Love in Moscow
I apologize to my 8 devoted readers that it has been over a week. We had our spring break these past few days. My roommate, Allison, and I decided to spend that week frolicking in Moscow. From recounts of students that had been there before, I was prepared for a gray, cold and unfriendly city. What we found was really quite different.
From the first day, I was impressed by the city. It managed to have the big city feel of New York, yet retain the history that captivates thousands of tourists every year. Our first stop, naturally, was Red Square. It truly is a wonderful sight. The square is surrounded by the Kremlin, Saint Basil's, Gum Department Store, and the State History Museum. All 4 buildings I spent quite a bit of time exploring. We headed back to the square at least once a day, just wandering around and falling in love once again.
Another sight on Red Square is Lenin's tomb. This was more bizarre than anything else. To see the man himself, who is preserved in a glass case, you much enter the building and maneuver these dark hallways until you see his face, literally glowing. You are not allowed to stand and look at him, but need to keep moving, shuffling slowly to let the eerie vision finally sink in. It is by far, the oddest thing I have ever seen. However, I can say, that I came face to face with the legend himself.
We stayed in a hostel about 20 minutes from Red Square that ended up being the perfect location. The two of us were however, sleeping in a bunk house with 8 other guys. They ended up being great travel company, even though they smelled pretty awful.
Before leaving for Moscow, many of the students who had already been warned us that we would not be impressed. After being there, they are completely wrong. I am in love with Moscow.
Everything about the city was perfect and without a doubt, I will visit it again. I could even see myself living there for some time, but don't worry mom, not forever. Behind London and Tokyo, Moscow is the 3rd most expensive city in the world. It is hard to imagine that less than 20 years ago, this was the hub of Communism.
As of right now, there are two Starbucks in Russia. They both happen to be in Moscow and both happen to be on the same street. We ventured into one, only to find coffee mugs in the shape of Matrushka dolls. Quite entertaining.
Before getting to Moscow I was worried about how Allison and I would do, venturing around the city on our own. That, and the fact that neither of us is very good at speaking Russian. Not good at all actually. But now, having traveled in Moscow by train, bus and metro, we can say we dominated their public transportation. It almost felt like the city wanted us to like it. Getting around was effortless. And we had the added bonus of gazing at the amazingly beautiful metro stations built by Stalin during the communist area. Just google "Moscow Metro" to see a few pictures.
The only hitch and probably the funniest point on our trip happened on our 8 hour train journey home. We decided to forgo our nice, 2nd class seats for the 3rd class cheap tickets. We walked into our car on the train to find about 50 plus beds lined up. Allison and I were both assigned top bunks which should really not have happened. I stuck out the end about 6 inches. But the real difficulty came when it was time to get into bed. Because of the layout of the beds and my general luck, I fell off my bed when I first attempted to get in. That was pretty embarrassing. The only thing more embarrassing was when I tried it again, the exact same thing happened.I was crying because I was laughing so hard but also because I was going to have nowhere to sleep for the next eight hours if I could not get into bed. Eventually, I managed to contort my body and finagle my way into bed. At this point I decided that for the next eight hours, I was not going to move. I spooned my backpack the entire eight hours on this dirty Russian mattress with no sheets. Needless to say, the shower I took when I got home was needed.
But overall, I am obsessed with Moscow. I enjoyed every moment I spent there and I know that one day, I will be back. It is a city with so much to offer and seeping in history that to this day effects the lives of each individual in Russia.
From the first day, I was impressed by the city. It managed to have the big city feel of New York, yet retain the history that captivates thousands of tourists every year. Our first stop, naturally, was Red Square. It truly is a wonderful sight. The square is surrounded by the Kremlin, Saint Basil's, Gum Department Store, and the State History Museum. All 4 buildings I spent quite a bit of time exploring. We headed back to the square at least once a day, just wandering around and falling in love once again.
Another sight on Red Square is Lenin's tomb. This was more bizarre than anything else. To see the man himself, who is preserved in a glass case, you much enter the building and maneuver these dark hallways until you see his face, literally glowing. You are not allowed to stand and look at him, but need to keep moving, shuffling slowly to let the eerie vision finally sink in. It is by far, the oddest thing I have ever seen. However, I can say, that I came face to face with the legend himself.
We stayed in a hostel about 20 minutes from Red Square that ended up being the perfect location. The two of us were however, sleeping in a bunk house with 8 other guys. They ended up being great travel company, even though they smelled pretty awful.
Before leaving for Moscow, many of the students who had already been warned us that we would not be impressed. After being there, they are completely wrong. I am in love with Moscow.
Everything about the city was perfect and without a doubt, I will visit it again. I could even see myself living there for some time, but don't worry mom, not forever. Behind London and Tokyo, Moscow is the 3rd most expensive city in the world. It is hard to imagine that less than 20 years ago, this was the hub of Communism.
As of right now, there are two Starbucks in Russia. They both happen to be in Moscow and both happen to be on the same street. We ventured into one, only to find coffee mugs in the shape of Matrushka dolls. Quite entertaining.
Before getting to Moscow I was worried about how Allison and I would do, venturing around the city on our own. That, and the fact that neither of us is very good at speaking Russian. Not good at all actually. But now, having traveled in Moscow by train, bus and metro, we can say we dominated their public transportation. It almost felt like the city wanted us to like it. Getting around was effortless. And we had the added bonus of gazing at the amazingly beautiful metro stations built by Stalin during the communist area. Just google "Moscow Metro" to see a few pictures.
The only hitch and probably the funniest point on our trip happened on our 8 hour train journey home. We decided to forgo our nice, 2nd class seats for the 3rd class cheap tickets. We walked into our car on the train to find about 50 plus beds lined up. Allison and I were both assigned top bunks which should really not have happened. I stuck out the end about 6 inches. But the real difficulty came when it was time to get into bed. Because of the layout of the beds and my general luck, I fell off my bed when I first attempted to get in. That was pretty embarrassing. The only thing more embarrassing was when I tried it again, the exact same thing happened.I was crying because I was laughing so hard but also because I was going to have nowhere to sleep for the next eight hours if I could not get into bed. Eventually, I managed to contort my body and finagle my way into bed. At this point I decided that for the next eight hours, I was not going to move. I spooned my backpack the entire eight hours on this dirty Russian mattress with no sheets. Needless to say, the shower I took when I got home was needed.
But overall, I am obsessed with Moscow. I enjoyed every moment I spent there and I know that one day, I will be back. It is a city with so much to offer and seeping in history that to this day effects the lives of each individual in Russia.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Women's Day
Today, March 8, is Women's Day. The joke surrounding this day is that women get one day out of the year, while men get 364. We woke up this morning and the boys on the floor had given each girl a rose. Pretty sweet of them. And while the joke may seem to be a bit of an exaggeration, I really do not think it is.
When my Russian professor asked what I was studying in the states, I replied "international business." She looked confused and explained that there is no word for "business woman" in Russian. They do not exist. While more and more women join the workforce here, hopefully much of this will change. Right now, St. Petersburg has made an enormous step and elected a woman Mayor, but there is still a vivid gap between the rights of men and the rights of women.
Onto a lighter subject, I attended a hockey game featuring St. Petersburg's professional team, CKA, and some relatively unknown town from Siberia. The game was a blast and CKA is considered the best hockey team in Russia at the moment. They even had the riot police in the stands surrounding the opposing team's fans.
We also had an excursion to Pavlovsk, the palace of Paul I. The palace itself is classically beautiful, very simple and elegant. But the amazing part of the estate is the garden. An enormous garden stands behind the palace, covering many many acres. The garden has many treasures hidden in the garden, you might be walking an suprisingly come across a clearing containing numerous statues, randomly spewed about. The more you explore the more small buildings, temples and statues you find all hidden in the woods. The students who saw the garden last semester (when it was not covered in snow) say that it was much more beautiful when it was green. I can imagine. Don;t get me wrong, the snow is beautiful, but this is a garden and supposed to be green. I am pretty excited for everything to not be covered in snow.
It is actually warming up a bit. We have even seen a bit of green grass poking through the snow. When I saw that, it really was the highlight of my day. We decided to go back to Pavlovsk on one of our last days here. I would love to see it in the spring.
Next week is already semester break, everything goes by so fast here. We will be heading to Moscow with the program for 3 days and after that my roommate and I will be spending the remainder of the week in the city on our own. I am not only excited to travel around the city on our own, but it will also be a great test of our Russian.
When my Russian professor asked what I was studying in the states, I replied "international business." She looked confused and explained that there is no word for "business woman" in Russian. They do not exist. While more and more women join the workforce here, hopefully much of this will change. Right now, St. Petersburg has made an enormous step and elected a woman Mayor, but there is still a vivid gap between the rights of men and the rights of women.
Onto a lighter subject, I attended a hockey game featuring St. Petersburg's professional team, CKA, and some relatively unknown town from Siberia. The game was a blast and CKA is considered the best hockey team in Russia at the moment. They even had the riot police in the stands surrounding the opposing team's fans.
We also had an excursion to Pavlovsk, the palace of Paul I. The palace itself is classically beautiful, very simple and elegant. But the amazing part of the estate is the garden. An enormous garden stands behind the palace, covering many many acres. The garden has many treasures hidden in the garden, you might be walking an suprisingly come across a clearing containing numerous statues, randomly spewed about. The more you explore the more small buildings, temples and statues you find all hidden in the woods. The students who saw the garden last semester (when it was not covered in snow) say that it was much more beautiful when it was green. I can imagine. Don;t get me wrong, the snow is beautiful, but this is a garden and supposed to be green. I am pretty excited for everything to not be covered in snow.
It is actually warming up a bit. We have even seen a bit of green grass poking through the snow. When I saw that, it really was the highlight of my day. We decided to go back to Pavlovsk on one of our last days here. I would love to see it in the spring.
Next week is already semester break, everything goes by so fast here. We will be heading to Moscow with the program for 3 days and after that my roommate and I will be spending the remainder of the week in the city on our own. I am not only excited to travel around the city on our own, but it will also be a great test of our Russian.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)