http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Bobsie/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Bobsie en-us Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:08:59 BST Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:08:59 BST Well I drank away the cold. Or as a Russian would put it lsquoI lost my problems in vodkarsquo an excellent solution Firmin my neighbour came round and we had a few bevies and watched some English TV which I brought with me on my laptop. Excellent cure.Today we had a test no I wasnrsquot hungover and I think I did OK. After school we took a mashrutka to Nevsky Prospekt the main str http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-93566.html Ekatarina goes away at the weekend to her Dacha or summerhouse where her husband Volodya is currently working chilling out. This does give me the run of the flat for the weekend which is very welcome indeed. Russian babushkii insist upon a made bed and an absolutely pristine room everything in its place. So this weekend I wandered around the flat in my boxers left everything all over the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-92560.html Today I had to make the trip to school with Firmin but without Ekaterina which we accomplished perfectly successfully. I am beginning to perfect my ldquoRussian frownrdquo for the metro. Everyone frowns here. Apparently theyrsquore not pissed off just feeling indifferent. To a Russian we all look a bit mad smiling to ourselves the whole time. Maybe they have a point Irsquom also feeling http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-92558.html This morning was just not going right. Despite getting up on time and having had a decent nightrsquos sleep my head just wasnrsquot on straight today. I left the flat ten minutes late and got to the metro. My oyster card equivalent was empty and I queued to get a new one. I had been told it was cheaper to buy a monthrsquos card as opposed to the weekrsquos I have been buying. I spent a go http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-92555.html This morning was foggy and rainy and the metro was more rammed than usual. Luckily I was squashed between two fitties which made for cheap thrills. Not sure if they saw it the same way. Still everyone was in the same boat. Or train so to speak. Another horrific queue for the mashrutka has put me in mind to arrive ten minutes earlier and walk tomorrow weather and organisation depending. Today we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-92554.html It was freezing last night and I think Irsquom coming down with a cold although it has yet to show itself fully. I was also in a bit of a post drinking bad mood today. Anyway it was very productive. I stayed after lessons for an extra lesson by lsquolaughing Tatianarsquo our speaking teacher about Russian geography. Afterwards we Nathan Leanne and I were invited by the school to apply f http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-92552.html This morning I was up at 8 to get ready for a meeting at the school. I had a really good shower and a shave while Ekatarina made blini sort of small pancakes. These ones looked like spring rolls but werenrsquot as crunchy and had a ground meat inside. Suited me fine. She insisted that I also eat a yoghurt and drink copious amounts of tea while she chatted with me about students who had stayed i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-91106.html Tallinn central bus station or busjammi which is the very cool Estonian name for a bus station is becoming a familiar sight The bus left really early and I managed to get myself two seats upstairs. The coach was a Eurolinesrsquo one and as such was relatively modern although it appeared to have had a few years service in France under its belt The bus made its way through Tallinn and out o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-91074.html I was up bright and early this morning for our expedition around northern Estonia. I was greeted at the front desk with some good news my bag was in the country and being sent my way WooThe Dutch guy who owns the hostel wrote a guide book THE guidebook in the Dutch speaking world apparently to the Baltics and was going to be showing us some cool places around the north in his funky old blue http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Estonia/Tallinn/blog-91037.html Once again up at 8 It has certainly dropped a few degrees. Even the locals are wearing thicker coats now and my breath was steaming this morning. Today was the first day of our new timetable which meant that we had different teachers for different subjects and were given our syllabi. They have certainly cranked the pressure up a bit now the lessons today were much harderAfter school we went http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-91035.html Today was our mission to Peterhof or 'Petergof' as it's called in Russian. This was Peter the Great's summer residence. Here are some pics for now I'll upload my thoughts soon BTW there are loads more pics on Facebook. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-90806.html Last night was very pleasant even if I was completely knackered due to my exploits the previous night. Maarit was very understanding and pointed out that it was Sunday and that her friends werenrsquot around for going out anyhowToday we walked through Tartu on the way to the bus station. We visited Barclay square where the Soviets rounded up all their political prisoners and transported them http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Estonia/blog-89518.html Today began with a hangoverhellip Again. This seems to be becoming a pattern here in Tallinn. I was aiming to meet the Aussie girls at the bus station at about quarter to nine but by the time I had been on an antihangover mission to Mc Donald's for a ldquoBig Tastyrdquo and made it back to the hostel to get a cab the 10 o clock bus we had agreed to catch had already left. Never mindI cau http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Estonia/Tartu/blog-88156.html So the adventure really beginsI was up at 5.30 this morning to catch the plane from plymouth to Gatwick and then onto Tallinn here in Estonia. I made the trip fine however my baggage obviously wasn' t so fortunate and hasn't made it as far as Tallinn... After filing my lost baggage report at the airport I attempted to find my way to the hostel. I took a bus that looked important and hoped http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Estonia/Tallinn/blog-86045.html Long time no write I guess I've been caught up in the high season here. Well that is quite definatley over now and the weather is too. We've been having positivley crappy English weather here for a few weeks now and that has only served to shorten the season as I write the heavens have opened again. A lot of sitting around is being done hence I have the will once again to write in my blog http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Luxembourg/La-Rochette/Nommern/Europacamping-Nommerlayen/blog-84068.html Well here we go the High season is upon us and the madness has already begun. The site is set to go from a pretty meagre 250 people upto around 3000 within a week that means a 1200 increase in workload for us Pass op mijne damen en heeren de Nederlanders komenI manage a bar on the campsite and in general the customers are pretty well behaved save for the odd drunken scuffle or genera http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Luxembourg/La-Rochette/Nommern/blog-71754.html OioiI ventured into town today with my mate Erik who is over from Holland for two days. His mother agreed to drive me to the Russian embassy. This became a bit of a mission as the embassy is actually an old country manor hidden away in a wooded area right on the edge of town. When we got there it was closed. A brief conversation with the embassy staff in a sort of francorussian via the gatepho http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Luxembourg/Luxembourg-City/blog-69768.html So here I am finally out of the UK I had a very pleasant week in Devon and managed to meet up with Seb a housemate from uni in Slapton for some drinking by a fire on the beach. Very chilled despite staying in the student bunkhouse overnight and trying not to get noticed...Life here on the campsite is still quiet as the tourists won't be arriving for a few weeks yet. The weather isn't exactly http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Luxembourg/La-Rochette/Nommern/blog-68222.html This morning I awoke in my usual state of stilldrunkardness. However this time it was 7am and my Mum was on the phone to say she and Dad would be arriving at my Halls to clear my gear out shortly. Through the haze I somehow had a shower without killing myself and packed the remainder of my stuff into Sainsbury's bags.The past week has been an odd one. Last two exams out the way on Monday and Tue http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-Manchester/Fallowfield/blog-65815.html Auch auf Deutsch geschrieben unterWell it is the start of my mission to master Russian and have a good time along the way. I'm currently in the middle of exam period at the end of my second year at Manchester University and I've come home for a week. OK so the travelling hasn't started for real yet but I'm getting excited and the real travel will begin soon.... So here's the plan I'm flying http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Devon/Shaugh-Prior/blog-63009.html