Memories

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Phew, have had a quick nap. That whole waking up at 4am in Nevada on a Friday and ending up in a Russian grocery store Saturday night is rough on a woman!

Wow = memories of traveling in the Peace Corps have just flooded my mind since I got here. In addition to being cool points of reference, they also help me to fee like a more capable traveler; maybe I did learn something afterall.

St. Petersburg is amazing so far. As expected the frenetic tempo, the chaos, is something this rule follower loves. People drive like crap, walk where they want, see you standing there waiting for you to move and don't give a #@$, and people have also been incredibly kind; pointing out our way when needed, telling us how to pay the bus driver (not when you get on the bus, during the ride, but not too far into the ride, just the right amount of time) and warning us their full-size bad ass dachsund will bite your face off!

The architecture is well, Soviet, and that is really the best way to describe it. Huge cement complexes dot the landscape as you fly in, and in town there are just buildings as far as you can see. Very few street signs, so this compulsive map-reader goes a bit ape-shit, but whatever, we are on vacation and will do as we please!

The hostel is amazing! WC, showers, bunk-beds, free internet, close to the metro; a beautiful arrangement. You would never know it though by looking at the outside of the place.

Well, fam and friends, am going to head back to bed. Tomorrow we'll do a bike tour through the city and some other stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to upload pics when we get to Helsinki.
<3 Amber

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