Hello again!
St. Petersburg, for those who may not be aware, is way freakin' north. And I have only been here right around the solstice, so keep in mind that any of these photos could have been taken at noon or at midnight, it's so weird. Though I think most of them were probably taken closer to noon, as I don't often take my camera out to boogie, though I'm sure those would produce some marvellous pictures.
Anyways, St. Petersburg is a beautiful place, with its own church that is nothing to sneeze at, even compared to Moscow's epic St. Basil.
What it does have is an epic museum, called the Hermitage, which has super famous paintings by super famous people that I didn't take pictures of but did look at for extended periods of time. Museums have not been a focus of this trip, but the Hermitage was definitely worth the time, and is one of the many aspects of St. Petersburg that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
In my last post I didn't give Moscow the most glowing review, though I definitely enjoyed myself. With St. Petersburg, I want to be clear that I love this place. It's just great. The people are really nice and very often stoked to speak english, they have funky bars with ping pong and kiddie pools, they have the best karaoke this side of Japan, they've got sights, a walkable city, canals and rivers, and the sun NEVER sets (this could be different if you visit in December, but I wouldn't really know from experience).
What have I done here in addition to seeing the museum, church, kiddie pools and amateur singers? Well, after Jake left on Sunday, Andre and I took a very touristy tour of the canals on a boat where we had a great Russian woman speaking English to describe the sites we were passing. Her speech made very little sense and everyone took a lot of pictures. I loved it.
In addition to soaking up some Swan Lake and seeing some world class sites, we've met some great people during our stay here. I say woe to anyone trying to espouse the view that Russians are unfriendly or don't smile. Especially in St. Petersburg, but also in Irkustk and on the train (alright, less so in Moscow, but they still weren't unfriendly and it's a giant city), the people have been wonderful to us. We went to a Couchsurfing meet up, which landed us at an apartment with a sweet view for our last night with the three of us together
So now I'm alone in St. Petersburg, without my Aussie posse. And so the next chapter in the adventure begins (I don't know what chapter I'm up to at this point since leaving Portland. Six?). My Russian visa runs out on the second, so I'll be leaving this Monday. I think I'm going to Estonia, which I know very little about but have heard very nice things. From there I have places to go and people to see, but with the specifics yet unclear.
I miss you, feel free to drop me a line, long or short, if the feeling strikes you.
St. Petersburg, for those who may not be aware, is way freakin' north. And I have only been here right around the solstice, so keep in mind that any of these photos could have been taken at noon or at midnight, it's so weird. Though I think most of them were probably taken closer to noon, as I don't often take my camera out to boogie, though I'm sure those would produce some marvellous pictures.
Anyways, St. Petersburg is a beautiful place, with its own church that is nothing to sneeze at, even compared to Moscow's epic St. Basil.
What it does have is an epic museum, called the Hermitage, which has super famous paintings by super famous people that I didn't take pictures of but did look at for extended periods of time. Museums have not been a focus of this trip, but the Hermitage was definitely worth the time, and is one of the many aspects of St. Petersburg that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
In my last post I didn't give Moscow the most glowing review, though I definitely enjoyed myself. With St. Petersburg, I want to be clear that I love this place. It's just great. The people are really nice and very often stoked to speak english, they have funky bars with ping pong and kiddie pools, they have the best karaoke this side of Japan, they've got sights, a walkable city, canals and rivers, and the sun NEVER sets (this could be different if you visit in December, but I wouldn't really know from experience).
What have I done here in addition to seeing the museum, church, kiddie pools and amateur singers? Well, after Jake left on Sunday, Andre and I took a very touristy tour of the canals on a boat where we had a great Russian woman speaking English to describe the sites we were passing. Her speech made very little sense and everyone took a lot of pictures. I loved it.
Andre less so.
When we first arrived we decided to see the world famous ballet. We attempted this, but ended up seeing the second (or maybe third) rate ballet accidentally, as we apparently had some miscommunication during our ticket purchasing. Oh well, it happens. At least we got to get dressed up for an evening of culture.
In addition to soaking up some Swan Lake and seeing some world class sites, we've met some great people during our stay here. I say woe to anyone trying to espouse the view that Russians are unfriendly or don't smile. Especially in St. Petersburg, but also in Irkustk and on the train (alright, less so in Moscow, but they still weren't unfriendly and it's a giant city), the people have been wonderful to us. We went to a Couchsurfing meet up, which landed us at an apartment with a sweet view for our last night with the three of us together
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| Couchsurfer Natasha, beer and cookies! Not pictured, pickles and vodka, Russia's specialty. |
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| Aforementioned View |
So now I'm alone in St. Petersburg, without my Aussie posse. And so the next chapter in the adventure begins (I don't know what chapter I'm up to at this point since leaving Portland. Six?). My Russian visa runs out on the second, so I'll be leaving this Monday. I think I'm going to Estonia, which I know very little about but have heard very nice things. From there I have places to go and people to see, but with the specifics yet unclear.
I miss you, feel free to drop me a line, long or short, if the feeling strikes you.
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