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Well it is 8:15 in St. Petersburg and I am both bone weary and wide awake. I have been up for just over 29 hours with only about two hours of fitful sleep during that time (I don’t think I ever slept more than 10 minutes at a time). The flights from Cedar Rapids to St. Petersburg were relatively uneventful. We were largely on time, and Lufthansa treats passengers well. Even back in the cattle section where we were seated. We were fed well, offered plenty to drink, and shown several movies and other in-flight features. It passed the time well, although that is still a long time to sit in planes and airports!
I am not really sure what to think of Russia at this point. I am so tired I know that I am not making fair judgements yet. Having said that, it is a very strange culture shock to land in a city where you not only don’t know the language, but you don’t know the alphabet. In my other travels in Germany, Italy, and even Hungary or the Czech Republic, the alphabet is still discernable and you can figure things out. Cyrillic is so different and having (sadly) made no effort to learn anything, I am completely lost.
Despite all of that, St. Petersburg (the little we have seen) is very much like I might have expected. Modern Glass/Steel “mega-marts” sit next to big, drab, and often dirty, stone buildings. There is a clear “feel” to the Eastern European countries that I recall from Hungary and the Czech Republic.
We have several cultural outings scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, and I hope that after a good nights sleep I can better reflect on what I see.
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Doris Cwiakala
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Sleep
Ahh, what a good night's sleep will do for the frame of mind. You certainly see things differently when you are rested. Can't wait to see pictures. - Aunt Doris