Super-Duper Wacky n' Tacky Euro Adventure

Ok, just have to put in a quick entry for a short, but amusing story. So I was at SportMaster Diskont, currently my favorite place in Moscow, and I was trying to quickly purchase some snow boots and make it to a class downtown in less than an hour. So they go up to size 11.5 and not 12, but after fitting into the biggest available boots with my thickest socks, I decide they should be good enough and I reluctantly buy the biggest shoes I have ever seen in my life. I may have also bought some other wintry fun items. But they were so cheap! But I digress. So I’m trying to make it back to my apartment, a ten minute walk if done briskly, to drop off my purchases and backpack and make it to my class. As soon as I get outside it decides to start raining on me. Meanwhile my colon is pleading with me to find a golden commode with silk toilet paper. And then I got lost. After 30 minutes I finally found a landmark I recognized and called someone to let them know that I wouldn’t be able to make the class. Then it started to sleet; you know, when it is falling like rain, but it is all frozen and doesn’t stick; basically the weather cruelly teasing you to think that it might snow. Plus it is windy. Then five minutes from my door, some snow begins to mix with the sleet and the car-tops and my coat are starting to accumulate a white layer. Great. I finally get into the front entrance of my apartment where our door lady/babushka is calmly reading her gossip newspaper and sipping on tea.
“It’s snowing again,” I relate to her as I’m shedding layers of clothing.
“Yeah. But what are you gonna do?” she responded, barely lifting her head to acknowledge me.
“Uh, I don’t know.”
“Nothing. The weather is always like this,” and she gave me a half-smile and went back to reading.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is quite possibly the best and only way to explain the general Russian attitude. After all my bad luck in the previous hour, I could do nothing but smile and wait for the elevator to reach the first floor where it would take me to my refuge.

How many inches would you say fell?
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Walking home from class: the aftermath.
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Everyone's bundled up.
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View from inside.
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The beautiful view from the pedestrian bridge.
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The entrance to the pedestrian bridge over the river.
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Gorky Park
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Despite the snow, the sidewalk is still the best place to park in Moscow.
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The view from outside my apt. window.
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Congratulations! For some reason, every Russian says congratulations when the first snow of the season happens. Happy days! I was honestly waiting for Wed. ever since I saw the first forecasts a week earlier saying that there was even a chance of the first snow. And it did not dissapoint. As soon as I exited the metro at 9:30 AM. it began and did not stop until 5:00 PM. 2-4 inches was forecast, but I think it exceeded that total. I would say 5-6 inches for sure. But as soon as it stopped it all started to melt. Sadness. Today you can barely tell the streets were covered in ice less than 24 hours ago. Hopefully it won't be that long before the next snow, but for now, just ugly rain. If there is anything I learned from yesterday is that a) I have to live in more cold weather climates before I die and b) Tennis shoes are not good for snow. Today I'm going to address one of these situations at my local SportMaster Diskont. Yay excuses to shop!

Oh my god! Stupid blogger.com wasn’t working today so I’m currently REWRITING what I remember of my St. Petersburg entry that I wrote earlier. Oh yeah, If all goes well, we will get our first snow in the next couple of days. Who’s psyched? I am!

*Overnight train rides are ridiculously fun. Especially when they are combined with a couple of fine bottles of wheat-distilled beverage and various mixers. A seven hour train ride of rest and sleep turned into two and half hours of sleep BOTH ways! What a way to start and end a trip!
*To Lena our tour guide: thank you for being so knowledgeable and having a firm grasp on the English language. However, please stop talking after awhile. I do not care how many drawers the desk has.
*A couple of lunches, courtesy of Mrs. Bing, at a strip club. Not joking at all. So there weren’t any strippers when we were eating there, but we did indeed have lunch in the champagne room.
*The Hermitage: what a true cultural gem. During our very brief stay I got to see a lot of French impressionist paintings that I recognized right away. Plus I got to see Picasso from very close up, the individual brush strokes are spectacular.
*A pleasant dinner with a vegetarian and a cooky sophomore, a.k.a. Becca and Chloe. I’m glad I got to know you ladies better over the trip.
*Being utterly rejected by the bleenie stand. How can you run out of chocolate AND strawberry!
*A wild night with Irish Sean and Estonian Casper whom I met last weekend when they were down in Moscow. I also got to meet Irish Dave and their roommate St. Louis Drew who went to the same high school as Stephen. Small world!
*St. Pete bar scene. The good: cheap drinks. International crowd. No “feiz kontrol.” The Bad: people passed out on couches. People making out in the corner. Constant fights. The overall verdict: very good! The deciding factor: foosball.
*Oops, I seemed to have missed all of Saturday’s activities because I came home at seven in the morning. Looks like the exploring will be solo today.
*The bad man seems to have followed me north, forced me to buy a new coat and then run away like he always does. Damn him!
*SAT review. Nevski Propekt : St. Pete :: ??? : Moscow. Correct answer? Tverskaya! I love these streets! Lively at all times of the night. Good bars. Good shopping. Good times.
*Chinese food in St. Pete: Not so yummy. Damn.
*Warning: If you haven’t seen it already, do not see Bewitched. Even if it is the only DVD available in English. What a terrible movie!
*The town of Pushkin (great Russian poet!) where the lovely Catherine’s winter palace lies. Mostly this place reminds me of a smaller Versailles with a lot more tacky Russian bling. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t cool. Amber room: woah!
*Whoa, but probably not the eighth wonder of the world, Lena.
*OMG. Who was the genius who thought of putting all the best selling Russian souvenirs in a huge three story complex with price tags, indoor heating, and even a water fountain! What a sucker for American amenities we are! Iris, don’t feel guilty. Items I may or may not have purchased: a flask, a matrushka, amber jewelry (apparently this is a N. Western Russian thing as the entire bottom floor was dedicated to amber!), and other goodies.
*Winding down, preparing for the train ride home with a couple of purchases: a movie, some Maldovian wine, and the leftovers from the last train ride.
*Eh, might have slept through my alarm for my first class this morning. Hey. I was tired from a full weekend!
*Muchos thank yous to Mrs. Bing whose philanthropic personality we should thank for the trip. You milady, are a bad ass! If you weren’t eighty years old and 5000 miles away, I’d give you a hive five. Date pyat!

OK. That should be about it. World bank should start soon. Now to get on all these books that Dr. Trenin assigned!

Stupid blogger.com just lost my entry about St. Petersburg and I am way too tired to write it again! Maybe tomorrow.

The only comfort I have is knowing that we will likely get our first snow in the next few days. Fun!

Getting back today was a little tough.
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A classic Russian dish in the most European Russian city: Bleen and Kvas.
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This is my pinky in the picture. Wow, these matrushkas can get really small!
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Art imitates life and I imitate cheesy statues.
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Outside Catherine's palace in the town of Pushkin...great Russian poet.
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Bundled up from the cold.
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Outside the palace at the lake in the gardens. Russian kids are so cute!
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Haha, imitating the Asian tourists is fun.
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An 18th century gold-plated speaker.
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80's hair day at Catherine's palace!
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Lonely travelling of the picturesque city. The weather wasn't cooperating very much.
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Getting Russian practice in at 4am is the best time to practice the skills learned in the classroom.
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Bathroom decoration.
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Foosball at a bar called Dacha. Stephen and I won a total of 0 games when either of us was playing.
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Irish Dave isn't quite as shy.
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A sneak attack pic of the shy Estonian.
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Sambuka: A great Russian tradition, no matter what city you're in.
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Wait a minute. I've seen you before!
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the Stanford group.
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The phallic monuments of Russia seem to pre-date the Soviet era.
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This conversation is getting intense.
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This is Steven's hand. On my leg. It was there for a very long time.
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Hmmm, Armenian man.
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Would you like any...oh, I see you already have snacks and drinks. Nevermind then.
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And these people were not having any vodka...
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The train ride: half the fun.
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