Wrapping it up as best as possible here! I have been so busy and going non-stop, but I am determined to finish what I have started and share my last few experiences abroad with you! I will do my best, from memory, to wrap up my trip to Russia, then post my final entry (which is already written actually...). So, here it goes, the end of my story.
Last time I told you about my trips to the museums, Savior on Spilled Blood Cathedral, gypsy market, and not-ballet. We resume this story on the Monday after the not-ballet. That day Cyrus had school, so I decided to be a big girl and take on scary Russia- alone! Hey, I figured I'd have to do it in Moscow, so a day trip through St. Petersburg should be a good warm-up. I am proud to say that I successfully conquered an hour metro ride, another hour on a bus (after going the wrong way for a few stops the first time), all without my парен bodyguard! And using what little Russian I had, I found my way to Царское Село (pron. Tsarskoye Selo, Tsar's Palace) and Catherine's Palace! What a site! A huge beautifully blue palace perched among the dilapidated town, surrounded by lakes and lots of green space! It was a beautiful day to visit as well, which further magnified the wonder of the area. I went inside and took the tour through the palace, took pictures I wasn't supposed to take, and got lost once or twice while milling through various tour groups. It was a good day, and gave me the confidence I needed to take on Moscow!
However, I had yet to buy my train tickets to Moscow. I tried online, but (we found out later) they didn't accept my American card over the interwebs. So, I was forced to have that complicated, intimidating interaction with the ticket lady at the train station- a challenge I was convinced I wold fail. I waited in line for 40 nail-biting minutes before getting to the front. It wasn't a long line or anything, it just took FOREVER!!! Gotta love Russia, confirming all of my stereotypes. Anyway, I was next up, but the man in front of me gave me pause. He wasn't fluent in Russian, obviously, but instead of politely apologizing and going about his business the best he could, he was defensive and forward and rude even by Russian standards. What's more, he was trying to get a ticket for his friend using his friend's passport- a doomed effort that only succeeded in angering both the man and ticket woman. So, when he left in a fluster, leaving a flustered ticket woman behind, I was naturally wary of rushing up, as a fellow foreigner, to try and negotiate with her. Luckily, Cyrus gave me the best advice of my life, and I had saved the screen shot of the ticket I wanted to my phone- date, time and all! This made the transaction go exceptionally smoother than expected. After a lot of apologizing over the state of my Russian, one mis-understandings, and several hand-wavy motions later, I walked out proud with my tickets to Moscow in hand!
Later that day I met Cyrus in front of his school to visit the Smolney Cathedral and climb the bell tower. The next day I went to class with him and participated in Russian discussion well enough! The next day, that Thursday, was my the day I was to leave for my overnight train ride to Moscow. Cyrus and I packed up our stuff from the hostel and lugged my TON of stuff to Smolney while he went to class and I did a few small sight-seeing adventures. We then lugged all of it back on the metro and rode an hour away to where he lived with his host family. Funny thing about being a girl in Russia- you never get stopped at the metro gates. Even though I was carrying more stuff, Cyrus was the one who got stopped and questioned! This was a first for him since I had been there, however. I guess the cops assume that if you have a девушка (girlfriend) with you, you're not a terrorist. XD Once we arrived at his host family's flat, I stored my large suitcase in his room (not wanting to carry more than was necessary to Moscow) and we went to one more Crossfit before catching my train.
Cyrus dropped me off, but couldn't stay since my train would leave late enough that staying would have stranded him in the city for the night till the metro re-opened and the bridge lowered (they raise the bridge at night- the only public exit from the city at that hour). We said our goodbyes (I was coming back in a few days, so they weren't that dramatic) and I walked through the low-level security gates into the St. Petersburg night air to find my compartment. I found my wagon well enough, but ended up in the wrong compartment and had to be moved later... oops. The norms of the Russian trains were so different to the ones in Germany though. No one was getting ready for bed though it was past 11:30, the compartments were much nicer with free food boxes for each person, and (on the trip there) most everyone kept to themselves. The beds were really comfy too and I had no problems sleeping the night away.
Well, that ends my time in St. Petersburg! The pictures below are of the last two sights I saw before I left- St. Isacc's Cathedral and a statue that is NOT the bronze horseman... Next stop, Moscow!!! I figured I'd post two medium sized blogs rather than one HUGE one. So, you have one more to wait before my final post about England! Eventually I may also do a 're-entry' blog. So... Just keep posted! Thanks for reading and keeping up with me as I slowly finish this blog. But hey, at least I'm finishing this!
No comments:
Post a Comment