Four months, five hostels, six countries, seven trains, and 11 flights later – I’m home! It’s great to be back, and of course a little strange to understand everything on the streets and sleep in a bed.
That’s probably it for this travel blog, even though I was advised to continue writing in order to battle “reverse culture shock.” I think some good Mexican food will fix me up, though.
Today was our last day of classes and tomorrow afternoon I’m flying out of Russia! I’m heading to Budapest, Hungary and spending three nights there, then flying to Los Angeles on May 25. I’ve come up with a list of things, with the help of some friends, that I’ll be missing about Russia:
So you may think that these are all sarcastic and cynical, which is partly true, but there’s still a lot of truth to all these things I’ll miss. I’ve had a great time in Russia, and I’ve become so used to all its quirks. None of us came here to be in our comfort zones, in fact this country doesn’t even effect anything close to a comfort zone. I came to Russia – not Britain, not Spain, not Australia – and maybe I didn’t really know exactly what I was getting into, but it’s all been worth it.
I’ve already had to say goodbye to my host dad, and I know saying bye to my host mom tomorrow will be even harder! They essentially MADE my stay in Russia, and I knew it wouldn’t have been the same without a caring host family. Here are a couple photos with my host parents Andrey and Svetlana and one with the cat/queen Yassa:
The first week we were here CIEE staff told us “nothing goes according to plan in Russia,” and now I know exactly what they meant. It’s been real, Russia, and I hope to be back sometime in the future.
(Moscow: The Second Chapter) This past weekend was my final weekend in Russia, and I decided I didn’t want to spend it wondering aroudn Petersburg as usual. So, I went to Moscow! Nobody really wanted to join so I was having second thoughts about going, but in the end I didn’t let it stop me and just went by myself. Although I got bored from traveling alone at times, I got to do everything on my own schedule and I’m really glad I went.
Last time I was in Moscow most of the two days were spent on tours (I spent our third “free day” in Warsaw instead), so there was still a lot I wanted to see. When I arrived, the first thing I did was go to Red Square. I don’t think going there can ever get old – it’s just an amazing place to be, and this weekend I spent a good several hours just sitting at the gates.
I spent the rest of Friday exploring with no real concrete place to go. In the afternoon I made it to Moscow University, which is probably my favorite building ever. The view from up there is gerat too, and it allowed me to “take in” Moscow again. I got horribly lost trying to find my way back from the university – the closest metro station is literally in a forest with no paved street leading up to it, and it’s suspended over a river. Sure you get a nice view from the station… but come on, it’s the Moscow metro.
At the end of the day I went back to my hostel, which was actually quite bad. At least the other people in my room were interesting – two guys from Greece on vacation, one guy from Irkutsk (in Siberia) getting an American visa so he can work in Cleveland this summer, and a couple from Ireland backpacking around the world (I caught them at the very start of their trip, which is going to last 2 years, ending in South America… brave or crazy?)
After little to no sleep in the noisy hostel (I got to brush up on my Spanish listening to my neighbor on his webcam) I spent Saturday completing several tasks. The first mission to complete was the most important thing anybody visiting Russia must do: see Lenin! I walked over to the mausoleum on Red Square early and waited in line for 30 minutes before being let in. My host mom said in the Soviet days it was impossible to get in without waiting a couple hours – now his body’s more of a novelty. I’ll admit, I was creeped out. When you first see his body you want to think it’s a wax figure (and after years of restorations, it might already be one), but you know that it’s a preserved version of an actual person… this man that died 86 years ago is lying down in front of you. In ten years half of Russia’s communist party will probably have died out and they’ll eventually bury Lenin, so this was definitely a must-see.
I followed up my spooky encounter with a trip inside St. Basil’s Cathedral (you know, the building with the colorful swirly tops). There’s not much inside besides really old paintings of icons, and I didn’t take the time to read all the descriptions, but I enjoyed the views of Red Square from the top floor.
After I somehow managed to blow $20 for lunch at Sbarro, I went souvenir shopping, which is considerably cheaper in Moscow than in Petersburg. I got a bunch of small things for myself and gifts for some of you dearest readers. I got some pretty cool Soviet pins from this old man for about $2, including one of Lenin that says “Always ready!” and another of Yerevan from the Armenian SSR. The rest of the souvenirs are surprises for those who shall receive them…
Later on I decided to go to Park Pobedy (Victory Park). In Petersburg, this is literally a park so I wasn’t sure what to expect in the Moscow version. Essentially, it’s not a park at all – it’s a long strip of fountains that lead up to a massive monument to Soviet victory in World War II. The monument is one of the nicest I’ve seen in Russia, there is highly detailed artwork carved on all sides naming off the twelve “hero cities” of the USSR and depicting scenes from the war. Behind the monument is the Museum of the Great Patriotic War, which is one of the interesting museums I’ve visited. The exhibitions are filled with anything WWII – propaganda posters, flags, uniforms, pins, and weapons from Soviet, Nazi, British, and American troops. There was a special exhibit going on for the 65th anniversary of the end of the war, which was mostly just art glorifying Stalin. The sheer amount of memorabilia in this museum kept in tact from the war is amazing, and there’s an entire room dedicated to a list of names of the USSR citizens that died in the war.
I went to the area behind the museum, which was mostly just a haven for roller skaters – the glorious smell of shashlik (shish kebab) was beckoning me, though. Some nice outdoor-grilled lamb shashlik went well with the windy weather that was concluding the ridiculously hot day.
Saturday night was known as Night of Museums for most of Europe, and Russia was participating. I went to a couple museums, which were open for free from 7:00PM til 2:00AM, but the lines were ridiculously long. No matter how obscure the museum was, a good number of the 12 million people in Moscow had the same idea. I wasn’t too upset that I couldn’t partake though, I’ve been visiting museums for the past four months and I think I’ve had my fill. Instead I sat around Red Square until midnight, it’s a really great sight when the sun sets and the lights go on.
I flew back to Petersburg first thing the next morning and spent Sunday watching soccer with my host dad – club Zenit from Petersburg won the Russian Cup! This week I’ve got final exams, a CIEE closing ceremony, a boat tour, and a flight to Budapest…
“Happy Victory Day!” This weekend Russia celebrated one of its biggest holidays – Victory Day, May 9, the commemoration of the end of World War II on the Eastern Front (May 9, 1945) and victory for the Soviet Union. For weeks the city had been slowly transforming into a celebration on the streets – every lamp post sported the Russian flag and the “Victory Banner” the Red Army planted in Berlin. The roads were also lined with orange and black banners, hammer and sickle emblems, and anything else you could stick the number 65 on.
Unfortunately you need to be invited to watch the main celebration in Palace Square and I’m apparently not important enough in this country yet to get one of those invitations. Instead I walked around the crowded streets of the city, getting stuck at every corner where a line of trucks and cops stopped people from going any further. From the looks of it on the street, Victory Day is an opportunity for veterans to display their honors proudly and get praises of gratitude from other elders, and it’s an opportunity for young people to get absolutely drunk at 11am.
After lunch I was too tired from walking to continue the celebration, but there was a veteran march down the main road in Petersburg and of course a communist rally (portraits of Stalin being toted down the street included). The day ended with a fireworks display at night, which I went to go watch. Our spots were pretty much directly under the fireworks so I don’t have any exciting photos to share, but it was nice watching the “salut” over the river in the slightly dim 10pm sky.
I’m pretty amazed how little time I have left in Russia – just 12 more days. I’m going to try and make the most out of these days, so forgive me if I fall behind on blog posts!