More Pictures

First off, I want to say thanks to all of those of you who have been commenting. It is really nice being able to read your comments and thoughts. Doesn't make me feel quite so lonely. :-)

I thought it was quite funny how everyone mentioned the peanut butter. So here's the deal on the peanut butter... there are several student assistants on the trip (they won scholarships) and they were told to bring jars of peanut butter because they knew we might get tired of Russia food. And this is true. On Sunday we went to the Peter and Paul Fortress and were given bag lunches. The sandwhiches were nasty. It was like they were trying to make a hamburger, and it didn't work. It had some kind of spread on it that no one could figure out. Very nasty.

It is getting hard to remember everything we've done so far... I know it sounds kinda crazy, but things start to run together. Lets see, Sunday...

Sunday was a tour of the Peter and Paul Fortress. It was built by Peter the Great. Inside is the Cathedral where all the Tzars are burried, including Nicholas and Alexandra.
Here are some of the pictures:




Burial place of the last Romanov Family:

I almost felt bad her for taking pictures. I've studied the Romanovs for so long, and to see where they were finally burried, was so sad. And to think that wasn't all of them. That Alexi and Anastasia are missing, and no one know where they are. They weren't laid to rest her until 1998 when they were sure that it was actually the Romanovs. Another sad thing was realizing that I was probably one of the only ones of the group to really feel so sad and to really understand the impact of their death and how sad it was.

This is the Hermitage from the opposite side of the Neva at the Fortress


Me, the Neva behind me at the Fortress. It was actually much to hot for the sweater, but the day before it had been really cold and windy and we were doing a canal tour after that and weren't sure what the weather would be.


Me and suite mates on top of the Fortress


During the Canal tour we went around the Fortress. So I got some good pictures of the outside as well as what people do on Sunny days... They see the sun so little, that every single chance they get, they spend it sunning. Every spare piece of grass her seems to have a person on it. And their swimsuits.... whoa.


So Sunday was the Fortress and Canal tour that was a lot of fun. We got to see a lot of the city from different angles etc. We also had a good tour guide, which helped! After all that, we went to a gem and jewlery show that was going on downtown. I found some very nice things. (handmade!) After that a group of us walked down to Nevsky Prospect ("main drag") to a type of fast food blini restaurant. Blini is a type of pancake. I had a chicken and cream blini and and apple blini. Both very, very good. And only about $4. After dinner we came back to the dorms and all went to bed pretty early.

Monday was the Baltica Brewery tour. This was interesting but required a lot of standing and it was kind of hot in the building. So by the end my feet were killing me and I was very ready to leave. Plus the whole place smelled like yeast. Ick. After the tour you could try some beer. I did. I was nasty. I shall never touch the stuff again. I fyou want to know what it taste like, just go sniff some warm yeast.

After that we came back from the dorms and had lunch. Then everyone split into groups to do their own thing. Meg, George, Tim, Daniel, April, Brady and myself all went to Nevsky Prospect to a book store (Dom Kinigy). George thought they had Soviet memrobilia. They didn't. But they did have some books. I bought the first Harry Potter and 101 Dalmations... in Russia. :-) They weren't that expensive ethier.

After that we went to the Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral. It is really beautiful and had many people inside praying etc. I'm not sure if they have services, but it still serves as a place for Orthodox Christians to pray. They Cathedrals here are really amazing and something I have been enjoying seeing. Stephaine is Orthodox, so we plan to visit several Cathedrals around here. And you can appreciate them even more with some one who is Orthodox. Here is Kazan, however I couldn't take pictures inside:


The boys: Daniel, George, Brady and Tim


Meg, George, Brady and Tim


Then we went to a flea market across from the Church on Spilt Blood. It was nice, I found a nice gift for Mum. ;-) But it was a long walk and it took a long time and my feet hurt. No fun. After that we walked back and ate dinner again at the blini place. This time without a Russian guide. However Meg is pretty up on her Russian and since we'd been there before, it worked out. Also the people behind the counter knew a little English. In the end we got what we wanted.

Then we got back on the Metro (you have to take the metro to get anywhere) and met Tracey to go out to a little Irish place called Mollies. Then we all came back by ten.

It is really strange here because it is White Nights. This means that even though it is 10pm, it is still bright day light. But this is nice because it doesn't get really dark until after midnight. And since my "group" doesn't stay out that late, we never get home and dark. Its great.

I'm starting to get a lot more confident speaking a little Russian to people and getting used to the Metro. I can now get two places without any trouble (downtown and another spot across town). It is very cool. Still trying to figure things out though. But its fun.

Two people where pickpocketed yesterday. No one I was with though. One guy lost his wallet and the other girl had her passport taken. So thats a bummer. Stephanie and I were talking about it and wondering just how safe they had been with their items. Whenever you get on the Metro you have to know where your passport is and where your bag is. I keep my passport, money, etc, all on my belt and feel pretty good about it. I wear my bag accross my chest and always keep it in front of me. You have to always be aware of your surroundings when in large crowds. Not saying they weren't... but, who knows.

Today was the first day of classes. Class went well. There are 8 people in my class. Nice size. Tomorrow we are spending all day at Pavlovsk park. So you can expect a lot of pictures from there!! I'm excited about that trip.

On the 19, Stephanie, April and myself (at least) are going to see Evanesance in concert. It's really exciting because we can get good seats for a good price. I think it is so cool I get to see them here in Russia!!! April and I are huges fans and can't wait. But its going to be a long night because right after that is my all night outing for the photography class!

Well I think I'm going to stop there. I've been on the computer awhile. Every one is at their afternoon classes so I really didn't have a lot to do. But I enjoyed the break. I've been doing a lot lately!
I've posted a lot of pics and you can see them all here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/lils_photos/

Lots of Love to you all....