After staying in hostel after hostel I am finding myself getting cutoff from civilization. The night before I checked into my cruise tour I actually watched CNN and watched a show about Russia rising. After my grumpy posts about the lacking customer service/friendliness in Russia it was hard for me to watch the show but I had to admit it made me re-think Russia. The apartment/house I stayed at in Moscow was beyond lovely and Anna was very kind and hospitable. The cuisine was not my favorite but was pretty typical northern/nordic cuisine. The public transportation system in Moscow and St. Petersburg definitely was an interesting experience and it worked well despite being poorly designed in terms of spatial graphics/way finding. Going into the Kremlin and walking around the red square was awe-inspiring. The Hermitage museum was full of artistic gems, the rooms were covered in gold, marble and art by the masters. Where there is money in Moscow and St. Petersburg, there is LOTS of it and you can see many many expensive stores around the red square. Supposedly Russia is more optimistic than ever and life under Valdimir Putin has been much better than any other time. In some ways I can see it... but after hearing from people in hostels about the life in the rural areas you can also see that life on the outskirts of the major cities isn't so sweet. Never the less, I am very glad I went... perhaps someday I will return when I actually get some Russian under my belt... who knows. My one regret is that I missed seeing the ballet at the Marijnsky theater, darn cold.
In St. Petersburg, the church of spilt blood? (I forgot the official name) Traditional Russian architecture. Inside you can you see amazing mozaic tiles that cover every wall and column and look almost cartoonish in their crisp definition of lines. With the Russian revolution and communism in both China and Russia, organized religion was banned and frowned upon. As a result, during war times this beautiful church was turned into a storage space. (As were many other places, I keep thinking one of them was a morgue at one point but I don't remember which one)
White night image of St. Petersburg again. Apparently Peter the Great designed St. Petersburg with the intention of creating a Venice of the north. He was the founder of Russia's presence in Russia as a European power and Peter the Great and Catherine the Great was the reason why the city is so westernized/european. Before their influence the artwork and architectural styles of Russia was more exotic and an interesting mix of mongoloid/almost Islamic style. Unlike Venice or Amsterdam the scale of St. Petersburg is much bigger and its not as quick walking from one point to another. I believe the combination of June and the Western architecture may be the reason but I also saw many many MANY brides in St. Petersburg getting married and it was interesting to see them celebrate across the winter palace, drinking champaign and releasing doves into the air.
In Moscow, near the New Tretyakov art gallery there is a park where many abandoned statues could be found. I saw Lenin's head and several others in random cages that contained old worn down statues. In the park you could also see old soviet signs, statues and "important" people covered in bird droppings and just rolling around.
Red square and the Kremlin. I still can't believe I got in there. When I was in Turkey I met another Asian girl who was traveling alone and who had just returned from Russia. Apparently I wasn't the only one fighting my way into the major tourist attractions as she broke into a mild rampage about trying to get around in Russia before I even started. As I travel around I am bumping into many women who are about my age who are in the "what the hell am I doing" mode in life. Backpacking seems to collect a few sort of women. The young partying group and the older, mid to late 20s and early 30s group who are looking for themselves. I fortunately have plans with what I am going to do for the next two years but I have met many girls who have just quit their jobs and are unsure of what they will do and where they will go next. Conversations with them are very interesting but we all seem to come down with one conclusion. You can travel as far and long as you want but in the end you are stuck with yourself. If you are traveling to get away don't backpack alone because you will simply be forced to stare at yourself long and hard. Some of the girls had confessed to me that there were days when they would simply sit down and cry for a while. Then the following day they walk out of their rooms and then have amazing experiences and meet inspiring people. If you are looking for personal growth and insight it is probably the best experience to travel alone. If you aren't ready for it, I suggest you join a tour with a friend and sun on the beach.
In St. Petersburg, the church of spilt blood? (I forgot the official name) Traditional Russian architecture. Inside you can you see amazing mozaic tiles that cover every wall and column and look almost cartoonish in their crisp definition of lines. With the Russian revolution and communism in both China and Russia, organized religion was banned and frowned upon. As a result, during war times this beautiful church was turned into a storage space. (As were many other places, I keep thinking one of them was a morgue at one point but I don't remember which one)
White night image of St. Petersburg again. Apparently Peter the Great designed St. Petersburg with the intention of creating a Venice of the north. He was the founder of Russia's presence in Russia as a European power and Peter the Great and Catherine the Great was the reason why the city is so westernized/european. Before their influence the artwork and architectural styles of Russia was more exotic and an interesting mix of mongoloid/almost Islamic style. Unlike Venice or Amsterdam the scale of St. Petersburg is much bigger and its not as quick walking from one point to another. I believe the combination of June and the Western architecture may be the reason but I also saw many many MANY brides in St. Petersburg getting married and it was interesting to see them celebrate across the winter palace, drinking champaign and releasing doves into the air.
In Moscow, near the New Tretyakov art gallery there is a park where many abandoned statues could be found. I saw Lenin's head and several others in random cages that contained old worn down statues. In the park you could also see old soviet signs, statues and "important" people covered in bird droppings and just rolling around.
Red square and the Kremlin. I still can't believe I got in there. When I was in Turkey I met another Asian girl who was traveling alone and who had just returned from Russia. Apparently I wasn't the only one fighting my way into the major tourist attractions as she broke into a mild rampage about trying to get around in Russia before I even started. As I travel around I am bumping into many women who are about my age who are in the "what the hell am I doing" mode in life. Backpacking seems to collect a few sort of women. The young partying group and the older, mid to late 20s and early 30s group who are looking for themselves. I fortunately have plans with what I am going to do for the next two years but I have met many girls who have just quit their jobs and are unsure of what they will do and where they will go next. Conversations with them are very interesting but we all seem to come down with one conclusion. You can travel as far and long as you want but in the end you are stuck with yourself. If you are traveling to get away don't backpack alone because you will simply be forced to stare at yourself long and hard. Some of the girls had confessed to me that there were days when they would simply sit down and cry for a while. Then the following day they walk out of their rooms and then have amazing experiences and meet inspiring people. If you are looking for personal growth and insight it is probably the best experience to travel alone. If you aren't ready for it, I suggest you join a tour with a friend and sun on the beach.
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