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Published: October 31st 2010
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Privyet Comrades!
I had intended to write only about a day trip we took on Saturday to the nearby city of Vyborg, but Sunday turned out to be so interesting that I decided to make this a 2-parter!
Part I - Daytrippers
Poor Dmitry! I woke up to a loud crash outside my door yesterday morning and found Dmitry (wearing only underwear and a t-shirt) sitting on the floor with Irina's (now broken) wall clock laying in front of him. It was quite plain to see that he had had a relapse. I had noticed that he was behaving a bit oddly throughout Friday evening but I thought it due to the pain medication he was now taking. However there was the no mistaking the glazed look in his eyes and, upon closer investigation, the distinct odor of vodka from his person. He looked so sad and pathetic sitting there looking up at me. He stretched out his hand and said, "Friend", as I helped him up and back into his bed. He thanked me and, as I closed the door he kept repeating, "Ohio rules!" and "Cincinnati rules!" Although I tried my best to look stern and
Vyborg's Red Square
Same square but from the other end disapproving I could not repress a smile at this. He really is a kind soul and it is unfortunate that he should be in such a situation, unhelped by his very hypocritical government (they make a big show of being patriotic and honoring soldiers, but, like so much else about Putin's rule, it is all show and no substance). This all happened about 6:20 in the morning. I had to get up at 6:30 anyway to be at the train station in time so I didn't bother going back to sleep. By now, Irina was awake too and I could hear her yelling at Dmitry as I ate breakfast. She was quite angry with him because he had kept her up all night with his antics and she was supposed to teach that day (Russian students have class on Saturdays). She apologized to me and told me that she was going to send him back to his mother to take care of him because she didn't know what to do about his behavior. I should mention that, when he is not sleeping on the couch-bed here at Irina's, Dmitry lives with his mother and grandmother at their home in the
Vyborg Castle
I think it dates from the 12th or 13th century country around Petersburg (about 20 min by train from our northern suburb, it actually used to be Finland). A few weeks ago, he got drunk and his mother threw him in jail to sober up and threatened to have him kept there (Russians have a saying that goes something like "Just bring us the person and we'll find the law"). So Irina has had him under a house arrest of sorts, but she let him go out by himself for 20 min Friday after dinner and he ended up getting sauced.
Anyway, all this happened before my day even really began! We planned on meeting at Finland station (where Lenin arrived during the October Revolution) at 8:30 and taking the 9:00 slow train to Vyborg (96 rubles ($3) and 2 1/2 hrs). I got there about 8:40 to find Djib and his girlfriend Doriane waiting, but the other 2 members of our group (John and Shauna) had not arrived yet. Maybe I should take a moment and describe my travel buddies. Djib (Jean-Brieuc) is a Belgian from the French speaking Wallonia part of the country. He is taking classes with us and lives in the dorms, but is not
Bullseye!
Ok, maybe not, but what a tight shot group! part of the AIFS program. His girlfriend, Doriane, is in town visiting him for the week. They are both really cool and fun to be around. They've been together for 3 years and I think they work really well as a couple. Djib is 22 and I think Doriane is 23. John was my roommate in London and for the month that I lived in the dorm. He is in the advanced Russian group although his speaking skills aren't great (he has a very extensive vocab though and is really good at grammar). He is a very smart guy, but I would probably describe him as book smart rather than street smart. He's from a small Pennsylvania town and goes to Mercyhurst, a small private university. This is his first time travelling abroad and it is really funny to see his reactions to everything. He was absolutely baffled and amazed by London! He's a good person to have with you when travelling. Shauna is from LA and her parents are Ukrainian immigrants so she speaks Russian rather well already. She's young, I think 19 or 20, along with John but I've gotten used to the age gap by now so
I get on rather well with these young people. She had stayed with parents of a friend visiting St. Petersburg and had returned to the dorms to find herself locked out of her room. So the 2 Belgians and I took the earlier train and they took a later bus meeting us in Vyborg about 45 min after we had arrived. That was ok though since it gave us a chance to get a beer under our belts before sightseeing! I've found that Belgians like beer almost as much as I do!
Vyborg is a really interesting and beautiful city. Originally built as a fortress city by the Swedes (13th or 14th cent.), it was taken from them by Peter the Great, then by Finland, then by the Soviet Union, then by the Finns again, then by Stalin and he had it ethnically cleansed of the Finnish population and replaced then with Russians. Today it is a very Russian city, but the architecture is definitely Scandinavian. It's rather small but I like that because you can walk everywhere and it is a nice change of pace from the tempo of life in St. Petersburg. It is a bit sad
Clock Tower
It kind of looks like it might fall over from the outside, but we went up anyway. It's solid enough inside. though because it is quite evident that the city hasn't been maintained well over the years. The sidewalks are infested with potholes and the buildings are crumbling. The main square of the town consists of a large cobblestone area with a huge statue of Lenin at one end and absolutely nothing else. I really like it. It is surrounded by a road and then shops and offices, but is has a sort of barren appeal to it. It would be a great place for a concert. We waited for John and Shauna in a nearby sports bar and had a liter of Russia's finest, Baltika 7. After we met up with them we walked along the Gulf of Finland to the main attraction of Vyborg, its medieval castle. Situated on an island in an inlet of the Gulf I can imagine that it was very intimidating to those contemplating a non-tourist assault on the place. We climbed to the top of the main tower (St. Olaf's Tower) and were treated to a wonderful view of the city and surrounding area. Quite beautiful! I also got to take part in a bit of medieval target practice. For 50 rubles (about $1.50)
I got to shoot both a crossbow and a bow. I hit 2/4 with the crossbow (a notoriously inaccurate weapon) and 4/5 with the bow (the guy in charge said I did very well). After this we ate lunch at a nearby restaurant (nothing special really) and then climbed up the city's clock tower for another spectacular view before walking back toward the train station. We caught the 7:00 train back to St. Pete and I got back home around 9:45. We were all VERY exhausted.
Upon walking through the door to the apartment I smelled something freshly baked. Irina had taken the day off to think about what to do with Dmitry and had baked some apple torts. She had decided to place him back on house arrest and not let him go anywhere by himself, she would even accompany him to his doctor appointments. She said that she was very angry with him that morning, but after she took the day to calm down she realized that he would probably be worse off with his mother because that's where all his alcoholic friends lived and he had easier access to alcohol and more temptation there. I listened
Courtyard of ruined building
We wandered through this building, there were actually quite a few other people there. Vyborg is a bit depressing because it has many really interesting buildings but they haven't been taken care of like they should. Sort of reminds me of Detroit... to her explanation while devouring 2 apple torts and gulping down the rest of my bottle of water. By the time I finally lay down I only had to wait a few minutes for sleep to come.
Pictures to follow!!! This has taken me much longer than I thought and I'm REALLY tired now (it is midnite as I write this) so I think I'll write the next part tomorrow...
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Nate Wichard
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Poor Dmitry
Nice post. I feel sorry for Dmitry, the man has been shot in the head and just wants a drink! He is lucky to have a nice woman to take care of him. How is this Baltika 7? Is it comparable to any beers we have stateside? Your bow shooting is quite poor! I'm certain I would have been 3/4 with the crossbow and 5/5 with the bow. Miss you man, can't wait until you come back in May, but definitely glad you are having a great once in a lifetime experience in Russia!