Farewell, St. Pete!

Hey everyone! Sorry that it has taken me a bit to blog since my last entry my first day in St. Petersburg. It was an absolute whirlwind of events, and an amazing time. I am currently on my way to Copenhagen, Denmark, and we are due to dock on Tuesday morning at 8 AM.. I hope that everyone had a great Fourth of July and were able to celebrate outside with friends and family. It was very surreal to be spending the Fourth of July in Russia, but had a great time.

Last Wednesday, July 2nd, my friends Megan, Zuri and I met up on the 5th deck to go out and explore the city. None of us had ever been to Russia before, but Zuri, who was born in the Ukraine, speaks fluent Russian, so it was great that we had him with us. We briskly walked the 30 minutes it takes to cross over the Neva River and into the heart of St. Petersburg. We met up with Megan’s friend Steve, who is studying in St. Petersburg over the summer, in front of the Hermitage. After meeting up, Steve took us to a wonderful hole-in-the-wall place, the Teapot, for traditional Russian blinys and blintzs. Blinys are a lot like crepes, only thinner, and blintzs are blinys, only stuffed with a sweet or savory filling. Let me tell you, we about polished off the entire menu. We ordered sweet and savory blinys and blintzs, ranging from butter blinys with red caviar to blintzs stuffed with a sweet (almost marscapone cheese). My first go around with caviar was interesting….I don’t think I would ever list it in my top 10 favorite foods, but it was interesting to try…the caviar eggs burst into your mouth when you bite into them and they release a very strong, fishy and salty flavor. While not a huge fan, at least I gave it a whirl and tried a local delicacy. We ordered eight different kinds and rounded out our meal with a pot of tea.

After leaving the Teapot, we ventured through Nevsky-Prospekt, which is the main thoroughfare in the city. We crisscrossed back over to the Hermitage and took a hydrofoil to Peterhof, an island off of St. Petersburg in the Gulf of Finland. Pererhof is also the summer residence of former Russian czars, dating back from Peter the Great. It takes about an hour and a half by bus to get to Peterhof , but only 20 minutes by hydrofoil. It was fantastic. The weather was sunny and gorgeous and was perfect for people watching (my observations about Russian men, women and fashion to come later in the blog).

Peterhof was absolutely fantastic. After leaving the hydrofoil, you immediately see a looming palace in the distance, aligned with stunning fountains, over 40 total, all gold leaf sculptures dotting the walkway up to the palace. It was just spectacular. It made me think that architects who design Vegas megat hotels must gain some inspiration from Peterhof, although this is the real deal. I can’t describe the beauty and majesty of the palace grounds. It was told to us that back in the day, guests of the czars would dock on the Gulf of Finland and servants of the palace would carry the guests on gold guilded beds all the way to the palace so their feet would never touch the ground. Unbelieveable! The beauty of the palace has been restored over the years and it was rumored that had the Nazis invaded and seiged the city of St. Petersburg, Stalin had plans to bomb Peterhof so the Nazis would never be able to use the grounds or the palace.

While at Peterhof, I was making some casual (and some not so casual) observations about Russian men, women and fashion. Here’s just a few tidbits of my musings:


Mullets are not just for men; they are a equal opportunity hair style in Russia
Russian women wear high heels everywhere! Even at Peterhof, while strolling the grounds, these women were transversing cobblestone AND gravel roads in 3-4 inch heels. And the tackier the better. Some of them could barely walk, but in Russia, particularly in Moscow and St. Petersburg, it’s all about the fashion and looking hot—after all, there are 11 million more women than men who currently live in Russia.
Russian women=hot
Russian men=not
Russians smoke. A lot.
It’s okay not to wear a bra in Russia
Russian fashion is this odd mix of skater punk, 80s, Sex in the City, and well, mullets. And surprisingly, it all comes together in a very dysfunctionally chic way. Polka dots are HUGE here, as well anything tight….and can be worn with high heels.
Russian women love to have their pictures taken and they love to strike Vogue-esque looks, but they will never smile. I made a feable attempt to fit in by doing this and it was just awkward. I smile too much.

After a lovely afternoon at Peterhof, basking in the sun and touring the grounds a bit more extensively, we returned to St. Petersburg, where we agreed to meet Steve for dinner at a Georgian restaurant in Nevsky-Prospekt. After cleaning up, we opted to take the Metro back into downtown. The Metro system is amazing! Let me set the seen. For .77 cents, you can get a Metro token and then you take a very steep escalator ride for about 2-3 minutes down to the subway. The best thing about riding the Metro is not the ride itself, but the escalator ride. As you are going down, there are two escalators that are going in the opposite direction and we were told by our friend John, it’s okay to stare because they will stare back. And they sure did. Boy, to get a cross section of Ruskies in the Metro was amazing! I mean, I saw it all—gypsies, homeless, ubre rich, young hippies, Rustafarians, students, businessmen, etc. It was pretty damn cool. It’s also okay to push and be pushed as everyone is in a hurry to get to a destination.

We could not find the restaurant we were looking for, but instead enjoyed a delicious sushi bar that was recommended by the locals. Today was a highlight in defining my taste palette because not only did I try caviar in the morning, but I tried eel at the sushi bar and it was absolutely delicious. I don’t know what’s wrong with me….I go to Norway and get Indian food, and then I eat sushi in Russia…..but it was damn good!

After dinner, we met up with some other RDs, some of the Teachers at Sea, and our friend John Lyles, who actually lived in St. Petersburg for a year. John recommended a couple of local dive bars for us to try and we met the group at one of them, affectionately known at Belgrade. By this point in the trip, I was feeling pretty good about my Russian because not only was I able to order a drink, I was able to pay for it as well with Rubles. Kudos me! Well done :)

While at Belgrade, Megan and I tried a delightful unknown beer called Eidelweiss, which was delicious and tasted a lot like Bud Light with Lime. Maybe it was Bud Light with Lime, only a different label. After we finished our beer, it was time to be the full-blown foreign tourist and have a shot of Russian vodka. While I am not a huge fan of taking shots, I was actually pretty excited to try this one….it was a little more than I bargained for as I am pretty sure I have no hair left in my nose and it killed the lining of my stomach. Russian vodka is extremely pungent and strong, and as a result, is always served with a lemon or an orange slice. Some people squeeze the fruit slices into their shot before drinking it, while others use it as a chaser. I opted for the latter.

After my first Russian shot, we moved along to another dive bar, two doors down from Belgrade, where it was American 80s dance music night. My kind of bar! I took one last shot (my last shot of the trip) of vodka and was good to go for the rest of the evening

We took one last trip to another bar, which was a block away from the Church on Spilled Blood. To see the church at night was just spectacular. I promise that I am posting pictures in the very near future! Well, at this third bar, things got interesting….we were having a great time chatting it up that we lost track of time and missed making the bridge back over to the ship. Now to explain, all of the bridges in St. Petersburg go up between the hours of 1:30 and 4:30 AM to allow ships to pass through the city on the Neva River. Basically, we were stuck. So we waited it out, some people in our group decided that 4 AM is a great time to partake in some Russian Kentucky Fried Chicken (yes, I have been to it). Walking the city in a large group at 5 AM was pretty interesting, as the city was very still, not at all like the hustle and bustle I had been accustomed to seeing over the last two days. The White Nights in Russia are still going on, so even at 5 AM, the sun never really set into a sea of black sky; it was a gray dusky night with slivers of pink cutting through the sky. To quote one of my favorite rappers (not really), Ice Cube, “Today was a good day.” Today was a great day.

Is everyone still with me? Sorry that this has eclipsed a blog and could be a full-on novel, but I just want to capture the experience for everyone reading. It is fantastic.

Thursday was definitely a lot less hustle and bustle and a lot more low key. After a late breakfast, Zuri, Aaron, Marco (fresh back from his 1 day trip to Moscow), Megan and I went to visit the famous Church on Spilled Blood. It is one of the most iconic images of Russia, a resplendent church with elaborately painted Biblical scenes and it’s large pastel and gold leaf onion domes and spires….it’s really something to see. Church on Spilled Blood in St. Pete and St. Basil’s in Moscow are two of the most photographed churches in the world, and if you have ever picked up a Russian travel book or think about a Russian image, you will no doubt recollect an image of Church on Spilled Blood or St. Basil’s. After our photo shoot outside the church on another gloriously sunny day, we went inside. The ConSB is no longer a functioning church, but a museum. It was originally built at the end of the 19th century, to memorialize Czar Alexander II, who was assassinated on the spot where the church was erected. Inside was incredible. The entire inside of the museum depicts scenes from the New Testament, all hand painted on mosaic tile. Gold leaf, of course, adorns all sacramental ornaments. The most amazing thing was to look directly up into the onion domes and spires, for there on the ceilings were hand painted images of Jesus, Peter and Paul and the Virgin Mary. Absolutely incredible and astonishingly beautiful. As I didn’t want to pay $10 or 250 Rubles, my friend Marco did, so I am hoping to steal some of his shots of the inside of the church.

Megan and I ran home to get ready for our field trip, which was billed as “White Nights in Russia.” We went to the house of great Russian opera composer Raminsky-Khorsokov, which has since been turned into a museum. After touring the museum, we were taken to a performance space in the house, where two opera students at the St. Petersburg conservatory performed a medley of opera songs for us. Many I did not know, but some of the music was composed by George Gershwin, a famous musician and composer who built his fortune and reputation in America. The students were absolutely incredible and while I have never been to an opera nor had a distinct appreciation for it, they were wonderful. After the opera performance, we boarded city boats, which took us on a tour of St. Petersburg by water. We transversed all of the waterways that cut through the heart of St. Petersburg and had a lovely time. Our tour started at about 10 PM, but it was still completely light out. We sailed through canals, saw the city scapes and three weddings!

My day was complete in the fact that I got to talk to Brian on the phone and hear his voice J I am so sorry to those of you who I have not been able to talk with! But thank you for all of your cards and letters. No mail arrived to the ship in St. Pete, but I was overwhelmed by the mail I received in Bergen. Keep it coming! It’s a little slice of home and it really keeps me going!

Friday, much like Thursday, was a bit more subdued in the fact that I really wanted to take my time and soak in the Hermitage. And I was so thankful that I had that opportunity. After breakfast, Justin, Megan, Marco, David, Zuri and I set to walking to the Hermitage, which opened at 10:30 AM. We had a bit of time before it opened, so we took some pictures of the Bronzed Horseman, which is a statue in memorial of Peter the Great. We also walked through a park, where we noticed, awkwardly enough, a man sitting on a park bench….with a bear. Zuri was able to converse with the man and we were able to learn that the bear was an 11 month old cub who was training for the circus. Not something that you see everyday! I was able to get some shots of the little guy, he was pretty cute.

We were lucky enough to spend three hours at the Hermitage, which was just the tip of what one could see there. I didn’t even make it through certain periods of art history while there and often thought of my friend and art-lover, Katie, thinking that I could appreciate this even more if she was here. It was excellent. I was able to see a good cross section of art, from Pieter Paul Ruebens to marble sculptures by Auguste Rodin, to Impressionist Monets and Van Goghs to Picassos and Mamets. The collection is just so impressive, and the fact that it is housed in a former palace just adds more majesty to its aura.

I was glad to go back as I spend the whole time wondering by myself, at my own pace. I was fortunate enough to spend a few minutes alone with my favorite painting of all, Rembrandt’s, “The Prodigal Son Returns.” It is large, both in canvas size and in heart. The painting just evokes so much emotion, not only as a human being, but as a parent, as a child, as a person asking for forgiveness…it was quite moving. I think that Brian would love it to as it’s scene is drawn from the Bible, in which a son of a rich man, takes his inheritance, leaves his famly and squanders it. The scene depicts the son returning home, many years later, to ask forgiveness from his father. His father, now blind, immediately knows that his son as returned. His son falls to his knees in front of his father, begging his forgiveness. The father immediately forgives his son stating, “You were lost to me, but now you are found again.” Such a moving piece. I would recommend taking a look at it, if you have a chance or visit the Hermitage website. Just stunning.

After a wonderful morning at the Hermitage, we went back to the Teapot, so Justin, Marco and David could experience the splendor. This time, we went through 18 plates of blinys and blintzs, which were just fantastic…I’m telling you for $5 USD, I love this place…the Teapot is up there with Won Ton Palace J The cottage cheese blintzs stole my heart….they had me at hello…..and were just amazingly delicious! You can’t find these in the states! After stuffing ourselves with Russian goodness, we walked through some open air markets and did a little tourist shopping.

At this time, we headed back to the ship, to get ready for the ballet! Yes, I went again, I just could not pass up the opportunity to do so! This time we went to see the Mariinsky perform a contemporary ballet called “The Glass Heart,” this time at the Mariinsky Theater and it was opening night. While the ballet was excellent and very modern in nature, my heart was stolen by Swan Lake. All of the programs were in Russian, and by the time we were able to local an English program, it was almost over and after the principal dancer was gyrating on a table with a life size doll, I was over it. It just didn’t compare to the classical essence of the ‘Lake.

My night was cut short as I had to hurry back for ship duty. Each night that we are in port, an RD is on “ship duty,” which means from 8 PM to 8 AM the next morning, you stay on the ship and assist the crew and staff with issues that arise, mostly dealing with students coming back to the ship intoxicated. I won’t go into too many details, but let’s just say, my five years of experience between grad school and professional job experience did not prepare me for the night I had. Between being urinated on and helping the ship’s doctor hook up IVs to holding a vomit tray for a student that was left at a bar by himself after drinking an entire bottle of vodka, I have a newfound appreciation for my dear friend Beth Read, who is a nurse practitioner. I won’t mention anything further for fear of sullying my Russian experience, but you get the picture.

Saturday was a sleep in day for me, as I had been downstairs in the hospital/clinic until 6 AM. I did some last-minute shopping and then it was time to report back to the ship, where we had a lovely Fourth of July (it was still the 4th in Hawaii) BBQ, which was incredible. Loved the ribs. We sailed off at 9 PM into a pink horizon, at which time, I promptly passed out in my bed.

Overall, my St. Petersburg experience was phenomenal. I don’t think that Copenhagen is going to compare, but I am keeping an open mind J The culture and history of the city was wonderful, as were the people. I found the people to be just wonderful and helpful and while it is not in their nature to smile; you can sense the pride that they have for their heritage and culture and that they really appreciate that although you cannot speak the language perfectly, at least trying will go a long way. I had a wonderful time and would love to go back. I think St. Petersburg has crept into my soul a little bit. I will cherish my time here and all of the wonderful experiences I was able to enjoy—from the ballet, to the museums, to just walking the city and people watching—it was, in a word, incredible.

I’ll talk to everyone when we arrive in Copenhagen!