Thursday, July 07, 2005
What a trip. I am officially back from Russia, and once again I have fallen in love all over again with the culture, the people, and the way of life- even though it is so drastically different. Second, Moscow, the best city in the world is now in a tie for first place with St. Petersburg. Moscow is fast, modern, and has a sense of rawness to it. St. Petersburg is classial, calm, and in general more European. The city was named after Peter, the Apostle, but interchangeably it is thought to be named for Peter the Great.Peter the Great wanted the city's buildings to seem as if they were lined up for a parade, and upon initially arriving and walking around the city the buildings were slightly intimidating. You feel so small because they are all about 50 ft. high and all in a row. Second, all of the buildings are in classical European/Russian architecture of the 16th, 17th century. The city is magical.Hello World!
Before I take off talking about St.Petersburg, I want to mention a few things about Russian culture. Russian is very loud and European- but there is no uniform fashion. Everybody wear bright colors, jeans with different embellished designs, and outfits that are really unique. Another thing, is that in Russia you walk EVERYWHERE. It's insane, because you could end up walking like 6 hours in one day, and your feet are just falling off by the end of the day. So naturally, everybody is really in shape, and when girls where short shirts to show off their stomachs it looks really good because most of them have flat stomachs or even stomach muscles. I didn't see almost any fat people, except only old grandmas (but hey, you can't expect much from them at that age...). The people here are really attractive too ( i don't think it's just because i'm Russian that i'm saying that, but who knows...)In St. Petersburg, since it's a HUGE city, it's starting to have visible influences of the West reflect in its culture. For example, I saw Subway, KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut. When I looked at their menus they were slightly different though. Russian style cafes or deli's aren't that good, because they only sell Russian food that they heat up in a microwave for you. For example, they would sell beet salad or cabbage salad in a quick cafe type place. I don't know about you, but i would have to be in the mood to eat that, even though i love Russian food. The restaurants were good, but in general food in America is MUCH more appetizing...but then again that's why everybody is so fat. It's better to go to the market place and buy fresh vegetables, bread, and cheese which are SO fresh and SO good.Another difference from America, is that the youth are ery open with their public affection towards each other. In America it seems people are more reserved to kiss in public or be affectionate. In Russia, it's actually really refreshing to see that, because it's so natural and genuine; seeing people hold each other affectionately sitting in a park or walking through the city fosters a sense of freeness and uninhibitedness. Another thing, is that Americans have this thing about personal space, where if a person gets too close to their face they start to feel uncomfortable. In Russia, people always hug and when greeting a friend you are expected to kiss them on the cheek.The sad thing about Russia though, is that a majority of the youth drink heavily and smoke excessively. We would be walking around the city, and we would see 11 year olds smoking. Most of the youth have a very bleak future, and even a college education won't necessarily get them a good job.
Okay, on to St.Petersburg...
The Winter Palace is where the Emperor's used to reside. In front of the palace is a huge square where people can walk, rollerblade, and even ride a carriage for fun. The finest gold, jewels and architecture embellish the buildings.
After the Winter Palace, we went to Petergof; this is where Peter loved to stay the most. One can only reach Petergof by boat, crossing Finland's Bay. It's hard to describe these places because the beauty is incredible, and everything had to be fit for an Emperor so you can imagine how the gold sparkles and how beautiful the parks are.
The next day we went to the Hermitage which is inside the Winter Palace. We had a personal tour guide to direct us to important paintings, exhibits and sculptures. The inside of the Hermitage was astounding! Gargantuan crystal chandliers hung from the ceilings, equisite architecture was carved out of different minerals and everythings was covered in gold ( i guess you can start getting the drift of this city...practically everything is embellished in gold). The guide said that the Hermitage was not an interior museum, meaning that it didn't hold royal furniture, but they still had some things like the emperor's throne and other furnishings. (I have no idea who this kid is trying to pose in my picture)
Later that evening we went to an awesome Ballet. I just wanted to mention one thing about the theaters. Almost every theater has a huge seating area for the Emperor. So if you can just imagine, you bought a seat to watch a ballet or performance, and not too far away from you is sitting the Emperor. Naturally, now those seats are the most expensive in the house since there is no more emperors/czars in Russia, but that seat is considered the best viewing position in the theater.
I think one of the most astounding places that we visited was the Isakovsky Cathedral. I think one of the most amazing things about Russia is that the cathedrals are magnificent! They are great tributes of architecture to the city. In general, Russian are pretty spiritually aware; just about everyone wears a cross (now whether its genuine or not is up to the person...) The majority of the Russian population claim to be Orthodox, and there is a great reverence to spiritual things. If you go into a monastery a woman has to wear a head covering and a skirt to show respect and not be a distraction.
So this is a short synopsis of my time spent in St.Petersburg. It's nice being back home in America, although I really still want to be in Moscow or St.Petersburg. Who knows? Maybe i'll move out there in the near future. I love the culture, the people, the life of a Russian. The only thing is that regardless of Russia's beauty, you don't feel safe there. With the increasing uncertainty in the world, such as terrorist attacks, you want to be secure and live in a place that you won't be harmed. I hope you guys saw a glimpse of the beauty in Russia, and next I will post about Sochi, Russia!
NOTE** my computer is being really retarded right now, so I will have to post pictures later. I would never deprive you guys of that!3:48 PM 1 Falling Stars
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