RUSSIA: Saint Petersburg experience in pictures

---

"Priviet" (hi).

As promised, here are some pictures from St Pete.
I was fortunate to have a true Russian experience, as I stayed with a Russian couple. I got to taste real Russian food (mostly delicious), coffee (nice and strong), and champagne (yeap! I really liked it, and I did even know Russia had anything but vodka).

I got to see a Russian production of the Swan Lake and I got to go to a party, which lasted until 3:3am, on a week day. Talking about politics, people fell much better off since the fall of communism, love ex-president Michael Gorbachev, don't love president Putin but think he is much better than the previous alcoholic Yeltsin, and hate president Bush and the late Stalin.

Sasha is a physician but says the pay is so low that practicing medicine is like a hobby. Andrey makes more as a photographer. Medical care is still free, but the sick might have to wait a while for service. Private insurance is now available thru employment.

Education is free up to high school. At the university, 50% of the vacancies is for the best students who can't pay, thus free. The other 5% is paid, for students who have the hightest scores.

Man has to decide between going to the university, the marine or the army. Tons of Marines on the streets here. Much better option than the army.

The sun shines until 11:30 at night during this time of the year, in contrust to sunset at 4pm during winter. Walking on the streets at 4am to watch the bridges on the Neva river up, for the boats to pass, felt very safe. Passing by a public park, there were about 10 people still drinking in front of a kiosk.

To make up for the last blog, let me have the pictures do some talking.

They say that Russia is 3 countries within one: Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and the rest of the country. Unfortunatelly I won't be able to see the "rest", which hasn't taken the advantage of Perestroika as much, so to the political capital, Moscow, I go.

Patricia

---

Photos

Church on Spilled Blood
Magnific multi-domed colorful church built where Alexander II was murdered. Stalin turned it into a potato storage facility. 24yrs to built, 27yrs to restore.

Russian fashion
High heels and mini-skirts from morning to night on the streets. Not enough men for all the single girls...

View from my room
From the window of the over 200 year old building, one of the inumerous canals.

In Russia as the Russian
Complimentary vodka shot at the ecletic "The Idiot" restaurant with 2 English friends

Colorful souveniers
Unfortunately, the barganing game is big here too. Prices start 50% higher

Ooops! Too much vodka
Alcoholism is the #1 health problem in Russia. Got to see some fellows who had a few too many.

Me & Church on Spilled Blood
Canals are everywhere in St Ptersburg.

With Sasha on the roof
Trhough a window I went to the roof to see aview of St Issac cathedral... at 3am.

Just had to try
Russian Vodka: I committed a sin by making the bartender mix it with a flavored drink. That's offensive here

Just had to try 2
Russian Champange: it was actually very good.

Just had to try 3
Just joking around... the empty "pivo"(beer) bottle was one of many found on the streets. Other the this type of junk, the streets are very clean.

Orthodox Prayer for sale
In front of Russian Orthodox church, this woman carries a box where she collects money with the promise to pray for you. She didn't get my money... particularly with the dollar not going very far here.

Peter the Great being washed
Peter the Great founded the city. He was an "alcohol lover", hung with freskd snd misfits, and was found of eccentricity. He had son tortured for not committing to modernisation./killed

The Hermitage Museum
Built by Catherine the Great.
It was incredible to discover hystory thru the arts in one of the most magnificent museums in the world.

The Hermitage Museum at night
View from bridge, at midnight

The 2 Sisters
Oil by Picasso at the Hermitage

Me & Matisse
The Dance. Also there was The Music, The Nude, and more

Van Gogh's Memory of the Garden at Etten
Happy to see work by my favorite painter. This one was painted during major depression, when Van Gogh painted 200 canvas in 15 months

Saint Issac Cathedral
Stalin turned it into the Museum of Atheism during the communism era. I walked to the dome

Colorful Russian dolls
It was tough to negociate price with street vendors when so many had such a bad alcohol breath ("bafo horrivel!)...

Swan Lake Ballet
The Russian experience wouldn't be complete without going to the theater Cost only 200 roubles.