St. Petersburg

In hindsight, our trip to St. Petersburg a couple weeks ago had all the makings of a horror movie.  Instead of "Snakes on a Plane" it would have been "Baby on a Train". But before I get into that, let me offer those who want to skip to the pictures to do so, by clicking here.  There is another link as well at the bottom. 

I don't know why, but despite a number of people telling us how 'brave' we were to take an overnight train with a 1-year-old, it didn't really strike me as crazy until we were getting on the train.  Getting to the train station was easy by metro. Printing our tickets and finding the train wasn't simple, but we figured it out.  And then we found ourselves in a small four-person berth with Aiden.  With some creative problem solving, we got our bags and Aiden's stroller stowed before the train started rolling.  Stephanie apparently hadn't realized that we were sharing a room with other people and was worried that either Aiden would keep them up all night or vice versa.  Luckily, it didn't turn out to be the horrific experience it could have been. With relatively little fuss, Aiden went to sleep next to me on the top bunk and stayed asleep until we reached St. Petersburg.  I was amazed to discover how much room he takes up when sprawled out, and had to make do with being perched precariously on the edge of the bunk for the 8 hour journey. Luckily, the excitement of seeing a new place counteracted the lack of sleep and we had a fantastic time. 

We arrived in St. Petersburg around 5:15 am and the sun was already well above the horizon.  This was part of the attraction of visiting at this time of year.  We arrived just at the beginning of White Nights, which is a two-week period where the sky never gets dark.  Arriving so early in the morning was great because it seems that everyone stays out so late celebrating the White Nights that nobody wakes up until around 10 am.  Our hotel wasn't too far from the train station, so we decided to walk.  That didn't really work out, however, because two people we asked to point us in the right direction both pointed us in the wrong direction. So we took the metro back across town and continued to enjoy the early morning quiet and beautiful city.

We made our way along the winding canals and, just as I planned it, turned a corner to see St. Isaac's Cathedral gleaming in the morning sun.  It was a little chilly, but we decided to sit in the park by the church and have breakfast. What a great introduction to a great city!

After breakfast, it was about 8am so we figured we'd stop by the hotel to see if we could get into our room early and let Aiden take a nap (a nap wouldn't have hurt me either at that point).  However, when we got to the hotel, which was just around the corner from St. Isaac's, no one answered the bell.  We ended up buzzing some of the other numbers until someone let us in, and then we carried our bags and Aiden in his stroller up four flights of stairs (this is also when we decided it was time to invest in an umbrella stroller for travelling).  There was still no answer at the hotel.  Minor kink in the plans.

Luckily, while I was downstairs at another hotel (there were three in the building, each on different floors) trying to get in touch with someone from our hotel, an employee arrived and helped Aiden and Stephanie get inside.  They completely made up for the initial confusion, getting us quickly into a room where we could rest.  A few hours later we emerged, rested and ready to take on the city.

We started by walking to the Neva river and taking a series of bridges over to Rabbit Island, home of Peter and Paul Fortress, dating back to the early 1700s.  Inside, we visited Peter and Paul Cathedral, which is visible from just about anywhere along the city's waterfront.

The cathedral's relatively plain exterior belies a very ornate interior, but what was really impressive is that it contains the remains of every tsar from Peter the Great (who founded St. Petersburg) to the final tsar, Nicholas II and his family, who were killed during the Soviet revolution.

After the fortress, we crossed back over the river and started to look around for dinner.  On the way, we spotted the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, so named because it was built on the sight where tsar Alexander II was assassinated.

From the outside, the church is reminiscent of St. Basil's in Moscow, but done in bright pastels.  Inside, it's simply incredible (I won't compare it to the inside of St. Basil's since we haven't seen it yet). Every inch of the interior is covered in mosaics, mostly depicting scenes from The Bible.  We spent a good long time just trying to take it in.  Aiden was not particularly impressed with the decor, but he enjoyed trying out his walking shoes on the marble floors.

After visiting the church, we went out for a delicious authentic Russian dinner.  Aiden even had some borscht.  That night, we discovered one of the difficulties of White Nights - namely that the sun was still shining brightly after 10pm.  As the hotel didn't have blackout curtains, Aiden was still shining brightly at 10pm too.  We finally got him settled down close to 11pm.  Both Stephanie and I wanted to go out later to see what it was like out in the middle of the night, but we didn't want to wake Aiden so we had to take turns.

As I mentioned, we got there at the very beginning of the season, so the night wasn't exactly 'white', but there was plenty of light to see, and plenty of people out enjoying the experience.  There was a very festive mood along the riverfront and it was strange to think that the sky was still light at 2am and only getting lighter.  Also, in St. Petersburg, the bridges are put up from about 1am to 5am so that larger boats can pass through.  The upside is that there is very little car traffic at this time, which only improves the atmosphere.

It's hard to capture the mood in still photos, so I've uploaded a video as well.  In the background you can hear a band playing in the background.  It was really a great scene.  Our only disappointment was that  my alarm didn't go off the next night so we only were able to make our late-night excursion once.

The next morning we were up around 7am, but breakfast wasn't served until 9am, so we went out to do some more sightseeing.  We went to Palace Square, home of the Winter Palace, which now houses the Hermitage museum.

The palace is beautiful, but we opted not to go into the museum.  We already had a fairly busy schedule and weren't sure how much we'd get to enjoy the museum with Aiden.  Not to mention, the weather was gorgeous and we weren't anxious to spend a lot of time indoors. Perhaps we'll return in the off season when it's nicer to be inside.

We planned to head out to Peterhof Palace in the afternoon, so we picked up some picnicking items for later and went back to the hotel for breakfast, which was enormous.  I have to say, the hotel was fairly minimalist, but the service was fantastic.  That, combined with the fantastic location made it a great deal.

After our morning nap, we headed to the river and got tickets for the hydrofoil to Peterhof.  It's possible to get there by train or bus, but it's much farther.  Plus the hydrofoils are pretty cool, seeing how they raise up on skids for the half-hour ride.  And of course, it was a great excuse to take Aiden on his first boat ride, which at the ripe age of 13 months, means he has traveled by just about every form of transportation except for bicycle and space shuttle.

When we arrived, I was fairly tickled to discover that we could use our diplomatic cards to pay the local price of admission, which was about half the price for foreigners.  It's a good thing I could read the sign in Russian, because the signs in English didn't say anything about it.

Yet another reason for taking the hydrofoil is that Peterhof is meant to be entered from the sea.  There is a long canal lined by fountains that leads from the docks all the way to the palace, and it makes for quite an initial impression.

The palace itself is even more impressive, with a series of amazing fountains leading down from the terrace to the gardens. Apparently, the fountains are all powered without the use of pumps, from a reservoir in the upper gardens.  It's truly spellbinding.  Each of the fountains is it's own work of art, covered in gold.

The centerpiece of the fountains features Samson ripping open a lion's jaws, which is also supposed to represent Russia's victory over Sweden.  Interestingly, when we visited the armory in The Kremlin, we learned that the loss to Russia marked Sweden's last external military adventure.  The Swedes supposedly credit their modern success and high standard of living to this defeat as it convinced them to focus on internal affairs instead of foreign conquest.

We also climbed up to the terrace for great views of the fountains from above and the canal carrying the water out to sea.

From there, we enjoyed our picnic and explored the grounds, which includes a number of other impressive fountains, beautiful natural scenery, and a statue of Peter the Great where people try to toss coins into the openings at the top of his boots.

On the return hydrofoil trip, we relaxed and enjoyed some impressive maritime scenery.

Back in St. Petersburg, we ducked out of a passing rainstorm for dinner.  We enjoyed the place we ate the previous night so much we went back again.  We even sat at the same table, which is overseen by a stuffed chicken.  Unfortunately, we were disappointed as the restaurant said they were out of everything we wanted.  No sorrel soup, no blinis...just when we were thinking how un-Russian St. Petersburg seemed, we had a very typical Russian dining experience.  Still, however, St. Petersburg has a very different atmosphere from Moscow.  I'm not sure how to describe it exactly, but Peter the Great built it to be a European capital, and it definitely has more of that feel than does Moscow.

By the time we finished dinner, the rain had passed, so we headed back past the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood to enjoy the architecture some more.

From there we explored the Summer Gardens, which were the grounds of the Summer Palace, which was Peter the Great's personal palace. It's a beautiful place to walk on a summer's evening.

The park is just across from Mikhailovsky castle, and provides some great views as it overlooks the pond.

From the Summer Garden, we walked along the Fontanka river, which is named because it supplies the water for the fountains in the garden.  The river is great for walking because it is lined with the homes and palaces of former Russian nobility.

We finished up our evening walk outside of Mikhailovsky palace (not to be confused with Mikhailovsky castle), which now houses the city's symphony, philharmonic, and opera.  It sits overlooking the square of the arts, which features a great statue of Pushkin. 

Keep in mind these pictures were taken around 10:30pm.  Our only disappointment after such a nice walk was that we were unable to find Magnat Pistachio ice cream bars.  They are delicious pistachio ice cream with real pistachios, covered in dark chocolate and they are fabulous.  We couldn't walk 50 feet in St. Petersburg without seeing an ad for them, but no one had any for sale.  It was maddening.  So we turned in for the night, and as I mentioned, my alarm didn't go off of us to see the White Nights.

Although we were staying around the corner from it, we had yet to see the inside of St. Isaac's.  Apparently, they had special hours for White Nights, allowing visitors to see the church all night long, for an extra price, of course.  However, this meant that the regular cashier kept closing early to force people to go up to the vestibule to buy the more expensive tickets.

Well, I showed them.  On our last morning while Aiden was napping, I went out and bought tickets.  As soon as he woke up and after breakfast, we headed out to see the church.  I'm glad we did, because it was another amazing sight.

Earlier in our visit, while walking along the river bank, Stephanie spotted another interesting church on the other side of the river.  It turned out to be the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary, which was shuttered under the Soviet Union and is only now being restored. We had some time before our return train, so we decided to go. I'm glad she spotted it, because it was another beautiful church, but of a very different style and well off the beaten path.

It was a bit of a hike to get there, but luckily they were selling something akin to a soft gingerbread cookie with icing, which did a great job of restoring me.

We spent our remaining time in the park behind St. Isaac's where Aiden worked out some of his energy while practicing his walking.  It was a good thing considering we had another train ride ahead of us.

We got to the train station nice and early, which was great because most of the ticket windows were closed for the "Russia Day" holiday.  It took me about 20 minutes to find the place with the automated ticket machines, which were in a completely separate building.  I was standing in line for about 15 minutes before I realized that the girl at the machine I was waiting for was repeatedly hitting the number 4, which appeared to be unresponsive.  I kid you not, she stood there for another few minutes hitting the number 4 before I decided to try another line.  She was still there when I got my ticket and I would not be surprised if she is still there now, two weeks later.

Stephanie and I were both pleased with our decision to take the high-speed train back to Moscow, which makes the trip in half the time and is very modern and features comfortable seats.  We got some great views of the Russian countryside and small villages where people live in small wooden houses with tin roofs.  Unfortunately it was raining too hard to get any good pictures, but hope we will see more of that on future trips.

The only downside was that the train was very hot and stuffy. I don't know why, maybe the cold winters force people here to cherish every drop of heat they can get, but air conditioning is vastly undervalued - or even just moving air.  By the time we got to Moscow, we were both sweaty and uncomfortable. Luckily, Moscow was cool and drizzly, which was very refreshing as we made our way to the metro to head home.

We were welcomed back in style with yet another beautiful metro station. Unfortunately, the train we got on featured a man who had drunk too much and the result of his lack of self control was evident upon the floor. Gladly, we were able to make our escape after only a few stops and got home safely at about 12:30 am.  We had planned well, as the day after was also a holiday and we were able to spend it recuperating.

As always, there are far more pictures than I've included in this post.  Click here to see them all. 

Pick a Peck of Pookh

Since we're getting ready to take our first getaway next weekend, I figured I should  get a quick update in now.  The biggest news this week is in the area of natural phenomena.  First is the arrival of pookh. Apparently, every year the city is beseiged by these 'harmless' white puffs that take to the air and seem to defy gravity and the laws of physics. They also can wreak havoc on allergy sufferers so it's a good thing we have our netty pots.

When the pookh is heavy, it's like being in a warm snow shower, except it doesn't melt and it seems to make a concerted effort to get in your eyes nose and mouth.  Even when it rains, the pookh survives, and continues to float around, which looks really bizarre.  Unfortunately I haven't had my camera on me for any of the good pookh moments and in its lighter form, it doesn't show up well in photos.  I've been told that the pookh comes from cottonwood trees, but I have yet to see any of these trees or their seed pods, which only adds to the mystery of pookh.

Aside from being attacked by floating powder puffs, the weather itself has been all over the place.  Apparently this is normal too.  One day it's 80 degrees, the next it's in the 40's.  One minute it's sunny and the next it's pouring rain, literally, the next minute, and then the sun is shining five minutes later.  The weather forecast is all but worthless, so we've learned to always have an umbrella with us, even on short trips out of the house. While that can be annoying, it does make for some very dramatic scenes when the weather rolls in and out.  Apparently the weather is a bit more stable in autumn and winter, but that remains to be seen.

In other happenings, I had a neat encounter with a local at lunch the other day.  I went to the soup kitchen at the church next to the embassy and it was pretty busy so I ended up sitting with a little old lady, who would most accurately be called a 'babushka' in Russian.  It technically means 'grandmother' but is often used for stereotypical little old ladies here.  I thought she would just ignore me, but instead she struck up a conversation.  She told me that the food there was real, home-cooked Russian food, and that she, herself cooks there from time to time.  From there we discussed American cuisine, whether people in Moscow are nice or not (rest assured my answer was diplomatic), and whether McDonald's constitutes real food or not. It was very pleasant to have a conversation with someone local where I wasn't deciding whether or not they could come to the United States.

On Friday, after work, the Embassy held a Hail and Farewell to welcome newcomers and bid outgoing officers 'so long'.  It was a very nice event complete with hot dogs and a veritable smorgasboard of pasta salads and desserts.  We had a great time and Aiden charmed the pants off of everyone he met.  Luckily, the  weather held up for the cookout.

I can't say the same for the weekend, which was almost entirely rainy.  It was just as well as we all ended up fighting off colds.  But we still got out for a little trip to a nearby mall across the river.  It was actually a pretty nice place, with a lot of stores and some restaurants that we want to go back and try.  Best of all was the giant matryoshka exhibit.  Not that the exhibit was giant, but the martryoshka's were - over 20 feet tall.  It was on the top floor under the glass canopy roof, which made for a very surreal setting.

There were also a bunch of little kiddie moon-bouncers for the kids.  Aiden tried one out but didn't seem too sure about playing on a soft, squishy floor.  Apparently the mall has things to do for kids every weekend, so we'll have to check it out from time to time. 

Now we're getting things together for our upcoming trip to St. Petersburg next weekend. It will be an adventure, that's for sure.  I'll look forward to seeing how it goes. 

From Eating to Exploration

Anyone who knows me knows that food is a very important part of my life, so finding good places to eat near work has been something of a priority. The embassy cafeteria contractor left shortly after we arrived, so I've had to find other options.  Thanks to some good tips from coworkers, I've got a few good resources from which to choose.  One is a little hole-in-the-wall place outside of a nearby church.  It's pretty cramped and there aren't many choices on a given day, but the menu changes daily, the prices are good and the food consists of authentic local cuisine. I often don't even know what I'm ordering until it's set down on the table in front of me - and sometimes I'm still not sure after I've eaten it.  To top it off, there is a very disinterested girl who works as the cashier and takes orders, and I make her tell me what kind of pastries they have so I can bring something home to Stephanie.  No pictures of that location so far as it's too small to be discreet.

Another favorite is an unexpected combination of a cafeteria-style eatery in an upscale setting.  It's located in one of the "Seven Sisters" buildings near the embassy. There are seven of these architecturally similar structures around the city. One close by houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and another hosts the Hotel Radisson Ukraina near where we live.

The interior is no less grand with marble-faced walls and pillars, chandeliers, and molded plaster ceilings.  

Luckily, the prices reflect the quality of the food more than the decoration.  There are more choices here, but  once again it's very authentic local cuisine. They even have plov on hand most of the time, in case I get nostalgic for Central Asia.

The flip side of eating is, of course, exercise, and I've lucked out there as well.  I was able to join the gym at the embassy and go a couple of times a week. But our proximity to the river provides some excellent options for running.  Our northern latitude has meant much longer daylight hours as summer approaches.  It already starts getting light before 4am and doesn't get dark until after 11pm.  So when I get up to run around 6am, it's already full daylight.

I particularly like running up the river, where there is less traffic and I get to enjoy views of the little group of skyscrapers that have cropped up across the way.

In that direction, the path peters out fairly quickly, but in the other direction it's possible to run for miles...

One morning, I was pushing my limits a bit and noticed some golden domes peaking above the trees.  I learned that those are the churches of the Novodevichy Convent, which is within a fortress dating back to the early 16th century.  I marked it in my mind as a place to visit and last weekend we walked over for a tour of the grounds and a picnic. The point where we entered the park was probably the best as you get an impressive view of the fortress over the man-made pond there.

Going inside, was another issue.  Had I listened to Stephanie, it would have been a short walk around the pond, but stubborn as I am, I insisted on going my way and we ended up walking around the entire perimeter, much of which borders a busy road instead of a nice green park.  Anyway, lesson learned, and when we got there it was worth it. The inside of the walls feature several churches and beautiful architecture.

After spending some time sightseeing, we went back out the park for a nice picnic. We brought an assortment of treasures from the outdoor market including fresh string cheese, homemade sausage, various korean pickles (which we topped with an amazing sauce that the Korean lady sells), and a delicious cherry strudel, which was nothing like a strudel.  Oh, and we had some fresh strawberries, which led to a breakthrough for Aiden.  Up to now, he hasn't been into eating anything with texture.  Everything has to be pureed. But he took a great interest in the strawberries, actually climbing all over us to try to get them.  So we let him take a bite and what do you know?  He ate them!  And now he's added cut-up kiwi, pears, and scrambled eggs to his list. The fact that he has four more teeth coming in at once hasn't affected his demeanor, but I guess it's made it much easier to chew.  Even more exciting...Aiden took his first steps this week.  If anything, he seemed even more excited than Stephanie and I.  After he did it, he sat down and clapped his hands and laughed.

After our picnic, we strolled around the park a bit, coming across this family of ducks, before heading back down the river toward home.

Speaking of home, we're finally fully settled in, so I thought I'd share a few pictures of our apartment.  Below is the living room...

...which is combined with the dining room.

Then there is our nice sunny kitchen...

And our library/office...

Our bedroom...

And best of all, Aiden now has his very own room.  We were surprised to see how quickly he learned that it was his room. When he is playing in the living room, he'll frequently go down the hall to his room to play with other toys.

One of the best things about Moscow is that there are numerous parks in and around the city that are all accessible by metro. We took advantage of the long weekend and beautiful weather on Saturday and Sunday to get out and about.  On Saturday we took the metro out to Izmoilovo Park, which is the site of a former Tsarist retreat.  Apparently Peter the Great spent a portion of his childhood here.  We started off with a nice walk through the forest...

We eventually made our way to a section of the park which has been developed into an amusement area.  We decided to take Aiden on the teacup ride, but he didn't seem too impressed. 

From there, we made our way to the historic Izmailovo Kremlin (kremlin being the word for fortress), which is next to the souvenir market and now features restaurants and a vodka museum.  It is apparently a great example of medieval Russian architecture.

Also inside the walls is the Church of St. Nicholas, which is the tallest wooden church in Russia at 46 meters tall.

On Sunday, we went on a tour of The Kremlin organized by the Embassy. In this case, the Kremlin refers to the one in Moscow, similar to the way we use "The White House" to refer to the place where our president lives instead of just any white house.  In hindsight, we probably did not need a guide, but it was very informative and a nice way to be introduced to The Kremlin.

We started off in the Armory, which does feature some weapons, but mostly displays the treasures of the Russian empire. It was truly impressive.  From actual clothes, jewels, and thrones used by figures like Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and Katherine the Great, to trophies of war, and diplomatic gifts from European countries, it really is amazing.  I particularly enjoyed hearing the stories that helped connect some of the sights we've seen with the people behind them.  For example, we learned that young Peter the Great actually shared the crown with his half brother at his coronation.  They built a special throne with two seats and made a replica of the crown which had been handed down from the Byzantine Empire because they had to be crowned at the exact same moment.  Their regent, Sophia, was Peter's half sister and when his half brother died, Peter imprisoned her at Novodevichy monastery and had her supporters killed so that he could consolidate his power. 

We spent almost half the tour inside the armory before heading out to tour the grounds, at least the part that is opened to the public.  We passed the Grand Palace (inside tours are rarely available)...

...and went on to the amazing Cathedral Square.  We got to go inside each of the three cathedrals, which give the square its name, although pictures were not allowed.

 Still, the frescoes over the doorways give a good sample of what's inside. It's amazing to think that all of these paintings are original.

Each cathedral dates back to the 15th century, when Russia was just shaking off the remnants of Mongol rule and becoming a unified country. There are also several smaller churches around the square, but apparently, more than 15 ancient churches and monasteries were destroyed after the communist revolution.  Our guide said no one is sure why these churches were spared, but most people think it was based on the need to preserve diplomatic relations and avoid alienating other orthodox countries as these churches represent the center of the church. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful they're still here.

The cannon below was apparently used to shoot shrapnel.  Our guide said this is likely because the bore is not correct for shooting cannon balls and it's unlikely that anyone would have wasted the effort to make such a large cannon for only decorative purposes given the constant warfare that typified the time period when it was made.

As we left the Kremlin, it's even more impressive to consider that the red brick walls, all original, also date back to the 15th century and encompass an area of about 28 acres.

The tour lasted over 4 hours, and the only thing more amazing than the architecture and history is that Aiden made it through the whole thing.  He did sleep for about an hour, but was awake for the rest of the time.  Throughout he was cheerful and quiet.  One of the people in our group told us that we must be the best parents in the world.  It was nice to hear, but I think the credit goes to Aiden for being an amazing little boy.

Memorial Day itself has turned out to be mostly a wash, which is probably just as well since it gives us time to recuperate.  This morning we went to the market and I tried my hand at buying meat.  The cuts are different than what we have at home, but I think I understood what the guy told me about preparing them.  I certainly did not understand when I bought what I thought was osso bucco - it turned out to be big chunks of bone with mostly gristle and fat.  We'll see when we get around to cooking.

Here's the rest of the pictures for anyone interested...