"Don't drink the water, there seems to be something in it everyone!"
and that something is jaundice.
Oh, St. Petersburg! What can I say? well...
if the water burns your eyes when you shower- it is not safe to drink.
We stayed in the puppet theater hostel- and if we were there during the weekend, we would have gotten to see a puppet play for free, but alas, we had to pass that up.
First- a 12 hour train ride- it was fun, we had a 4 person compartment. The novelty of a Russian train made it exciting.
On our first day, we browsed Nevsky Prospect- the big street of shops and other interesting things. Visited the Kazanskii Cathedral, Church on Spilt Blood, and St. Isaac's cathedral. Ate dinner at Mexican Restaurant. I mention restaurants because it was wonderful to eat food that did not consist entirely of potatoes and that actually had flavor.
Second day at 10am we went by the wax museum, but it didn't open until 12. went to the Russian Museum, but Tuesday was it's holiday. So we went to the Kunstkammer- the museum of stuff that Peter I collected. Apparently Pete had an affinity for babies- there were cyclopic babies and other freak babies in jars- including limbs. There was a skeleton of a two headed baby with 3 hands, and the skeleton of a large man with a large rib cage. The museum had normal things as well. It was mainly a ethnography museum- and it have very stereotypical displays of costumes of different cultures. Then we saw the Bronze Horseman- which is Peter I on a horse on a rock. I asked a Catherine the Great impersonator for directions. Ate dinner at an Indian restaurant- would not leave the table until most of the curry was gone. aaah, spices!
Spent Wednesday from 1030 til 530 in the Hermitage- the Winter Palace turned art museum. That place has everything from Matisse, Picasso, to French, Flemish, Russian, German art. It is also very confusing. I spent the last twenty minutes of my visit there trying to find the exit- it was difficult because they had begun closing some of the exhibits, and so the path that I was used to no longer existed. Went to Korean Restaurant for dinner, and ate lots of Kimchi. Then went to an Irish Pub- yes, an Irish pub in Russia.
On the last day I went to the Anna Akhmatova museum. Visiting the house of a Slightly-promiscuous, Very Talented, Independent Female Russian Poet is a wonderful way to start off the day. Rode the Metro- the kind that would close the doors on lagging limbs if you are not careful- to buy the best China in Russia. later bought subway and made it to the train station with only 10 minutes to spare.
Oh, St. Petersburg! What can I say? well...
if the water burns your eyes when you shower- it is not safe to drink.
We stayed in the puppet theater hostel- and if we were there during the weekend, we would have gotten to see a puppet play for free, but alas, we had to pass that up.
First- a 12 hour train ride- it was fun, we had a 4 person compartment. The novelty of a Russian train made it exciting.
On our first day, we browsed Nevsky Prospect- the big street of shops and other interesting things. Visited the Kazanskii Cathedral, Church on Spilt Blood, and St. Isaac's cathedral. Ate dinner at Mexican Restaurant. I mention restaurants because it was wonderful to eat food that did not consist entirely of potatoes and that actually had flavor.
Second day at 10am we went by the wax museum, but it didn't open until 12. went to the Russian Museum, but Tuesday was it's holiday. So we went to the Kunstkammer- the museum of stuff that Peter I collected. Apparently Pete had an affinity for babies- there were cyclopic babies and other freak babies in jars- including limbs. There was a skeleton of a two headed baby with 3 hands, and the skeleton of a large man with a large rib cage. The museum had normal things as well. It was mainly a ethnography museum- and it have very stereotypical displays of costumes of different cultures. Then we saw the Bronze Horseman- which is Peter I on a horse on a rock. I asked a Catherine the Great impersonator for directions. Ate dinner at an Indian restaurant- would not leave the table until most of the curry was gone. aaah, spices!
Spent Wednesday from 1030 til 530 in the Hermitage- the Winter Palace turned art museum. That place has everything from Matisse, Picasso, to French, Flemish, Russian, German art. It is also very confusing. I spent the last twenty minutes of my visit there trying to find the exit- it was difficult because they had begun closing some of the exhibits, and so the path that I was used to no longer existed. Went to Korean Restaurant for dinner, and ate lots of Kimchi. Then went to an Irish Pub- yes, an Irish pub in Russia.
On the last day I went to the Anna Akhmatova museum. Visiting the house of a Slightly-promiscuous, Very Talented, Independent Female Russian Poet is a wonderful way to start off the day. Rode the Metro- the kind that would close the doors on lagging limbs if you are not careful- to buy the best China in Russia. later bought subway and made it to the train station with only 10 minutes to spare.