NEVSKY PROSPECTING

The original intent of the late-afternoon expedition was to find a device to make the kind of strong coffee Andrea makes at home. We have finished the Folgers coffee bags (similar to tea bags, but coffee!) that we brought from home, and the chicory bags (yuck) we purchased the other day just won’t cut it.

However, while the weather was cool (55-60 degrees Fahrenheit), rain was not in the offing, and we headed down Nevsky Prospekt to see the renowned Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

Near the monastery is a new-ish Alexander Nevsky shopping center that houses the Moscow Hotel. We checked out several levels of shopping and the movie multiplex (nothing we wanted to see.)

It is a wonder that so many businesses can stay open, because while there were people milling about, the stores were virtually empty, and we saw no one hauling shopping bags. I say the same thing in America: how can so many stores be? How much can people buy? What do we really need?

In the basement of this shopping center is a Prisma Supermarket. We went in to check out prices, which were definitely lower than any previous store we had visited. Prisma seems to be akin to a Wal-Mart or Meijer, by the looks of their shopping flyer, with multiple locations.

The Alexander Nevsky Commercial Center (from the Tekhvin Cemetery) that houses the Moscow Hotel and which sits across from the Nevsky Monastery on Nevsky Square.

However, this particular store in the pricey city center had limited goods; all types of groceries, beer/wine, toiletries and some kitchen supplies. We purchased the long-awaited vegetable peeler (39 rubles at Prisma vs. the cheapest 175 rubles at Stockmann’s), some pepper and tissues. And I am glad to say I was wrong yesterday when I wrote I didn’t see any pet supplies. Prisma had at least 40 feet of shelves with dog and cat food and other items.

We then crossed Alexander Nevsky Plaza and headed to the monastery.

Alexander Nevsky Plaza. Nevsky is often heralded as uniting the Russian people when he pushed the Swedes back to the Baltic Sea in 1240. 

But before you actually get to the walled monastery, on the grounds are two famous cemeteries: Tikhvin and Lazarev. We paid the 200 ruble per person entrance fee. On one side are laid to rest famous Russian artists, actors, singers, poets, sculptors, and writers. This is called the Necropolis of the Masters of Art.

The grave of Fyodor Dostoyevsky - author of "Crime and Punishment."

The grave of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - composer of the "Nutcracker," "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty."

Mussorgsky's Grave – opera composer.

Vladimir Stasov's grave - cultural critic of the late 19th century.

Rimsky-Korsakov's grave - composer of "Flight of the Bumblebee."

 In the other, much older and much more crowded necropolis are famous Russian families, aristocrats, scientists (like Lomonosov who, among many accomplishments in the sciences and arts, co-founded Moscow State University) and dignitaries. While the grave markers here may be older and less inventive, there were some interesting characteristics.

Entrance to the Lazarev Cemetery.

People place coins inside these skulls.

Interesting grave marker in front of what I believe may be a Sheremetev mausoleum, one of the famous families from early Petersburg.

Stroganoff graves side by side. You can see how crowded it is in this cemetery.

The cold and dampness began to rattle our bones, so we crossed over the little canal and entered one of Russian Orthodoxy’s most important monasteries.

Entrance to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

Cupola of Church of Annunciation (now known as the State Museum of Urban Sculpture) as seen from the Necropolis.  Peter the Great put Alexander Nevsky's relics here after Peter also defeated his own contemporary Swedes, but Nevsky’s remains are now in the Hermitage.

Trinity Cathedral at the monastery.

Entrance to Trinity Cathedral. Almost as grand as the Roman Catholic churches we saw in Italy and France, but not quite. And no photography is allowed inside.

Soviet war hero grave site. There are many grave sites on the monastery grounds from men who died during the Great Patriotic War (WW II.)

Dogs living on the monastery grounds. These dogs were eating a dead pigeon, almost visible between them.

After attending part of the enchanting evening service at Trinity Cathedral, at which the women must cover their heads and men cannot wear hats, we took the metro back to our part of Nevsky Prospekt and entered the sparkling new Galeria shopping center that sits astride the Moscow Train Station.

In my opinion, this certainly rivals any urban, high-rise shopping mall with which I am acquainted from either Chicago or Washington, D.C. And the stores here make evident my claim of the Russian love affair with, in order: 1) Shoe stores; 2) Coffee houses; 3) Sushi bars; 4) Lingerie shops; 5) Blue jean stores.

On the four vast levels there is also a multitude of other stores, such as department stores (H&M, Marks & Spencer and some well-known Russian clothing stores), sporting apparel stores (Nike, Champion, Adidas, Puma, Reebok…), electronics, and even a LensMaster’s and a grocery store.

Costa Coffee, Chocolate coffee house, and our favorite Kofye Chauz stacked on top of each other inside the Galeria entrance. There are others here, too!

Multiple levels of shopping at Galeria.

Countless shoe stores! Here are four right next to one another and there were at least three more on this same corridor alone!

For Greg - keep your pants on! Russians no longer want to buy blue jeans right off of us! Again, too many stores selling jeans to count in this one shopping mall.

At the Galeria food court. Incredibly (and proudly?) there were huge, long lines to the KFC, McDonald's, and Burger King (located just to the right). All the other restaurants (from Russian to Chinese to Italian, to Polish, to Japanese, to Middle Eastern…) had no lines at all!

…And we never did find a Melita coffee funnel or filters!

NO DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

While July set records for heat in the USA and parts of America are still burning up, it is only 55 degrees right now at 2:00 p.m. in Petersburg, and the high may only reach 60 degrees later this afternoon.

And speaking of dogs, while we have seen some dogs here in Petersburg, we certainly have not seen as many as we did in the large cities of Rome and Paris. The Animal Planet is on our satellite TV, but in the stores, cats and dogs don't seem to be catered to as they do in the states with a multitude of products.

Here is a link to handsome hund that Alexi inquired about. I have not yet seen any of these East Siberian Laikas, for sure.

And here is how I have been getting around town. Click here.

READINGS

Alexi just commented on my posting today. She asked, rather incredulously, if I had actually read a phone catalog.

Yes, indeed I did read a MTC mobile phone catalog to learn some current words (of course I had to look up quite a few, which is a good exercise in itself) and to see if it is worth it to buy a phone. I just don't think it is worth it to make the purchase at this time.

We have been here for exactly one week as of two hours ago (it's not quite 12 noon on the East Coast), and there really has not been a need for a phone. We have a house phone for which local calls can be made at no charge. 

And I do have my EuroBuzz mobile phone in case of emergency. Even at $3.95 per minute, I would have to make 20 minutes worth of phone calls on my EuroBuzz to justify buying a phone here.

I also read a lot of other junk, and by that I mean the pamphlets and giveaways you so often see in restaurants, train stations... By browsing these free, throw-away publications, it helps me learn new words as well as getting a feel for what Russians might be interested in. The other night I read a travel excursion brochure I picked up in the Yolki-Palki restaurant. Cruises, deals to Bulgaria, and the coast of Italy seem to be very popular right now!

RAIN DAY-LAY

It rained today. I did a little bit of work, practiced some Russian, watched some news. Spent the afternoon at кофе хауз (Coffee House.) There I read the NY Times and a MTC mobile phone catalog. In the evening, I watched some of the Olypics. All quitet on the Eastern Front.

FIRST MONDAY

So begins a new week in a new land.

Andrea spent the day in the Russian National Library.

As for me, I spent the entire day in the apartment working on my Russian workbook and some work projects with which I am currently engaged.

A person from the apartment service came over to check out our toilet, because it was backing up into the shower tub yesterday. It resolved itself yesterday, though. I showed her some minor problems, like a burned out light bulb and a loose floor strip.

In my meager and broken Russian, I asked her a few questions about conjugating some verbs, because the workbook didn't have examples. She corrected me. I think she may be Oksana's mom, who I know from the website was once a teacher. I presume that made her feel good to instruct me. She suggested I watch television to learn.

Andrea did not get home until well after 9:00 p.m. Of course, she was exhausted, so we went to the Russian restaurant outside our arch on Nevsky Prospekt. It's called (in English) Olki-Palki.  Since Alexi seems very interested in the food here, I will tell you what we had.

Hot borscht and lamb kebabs for me. Andrea had a Greek salad and roasted potatoes with mushrooms and mustard on the side. She said it was good, and what she often made for herself in her previous trips here. So how much did this seemingly simple dinner cost? $45! Sorry, but I am still not used to these big city prices!

I guess I will have to start carrying my camera with me to document the dishes we consume. Oh, and like many of the restaurants we have been to there was music and dancing by the wait staff. Maybe that's why it costs so much?

GETTING THE FEEL

We may not like to acknowledge it, but the jet lag has hit harder than we expected. That in itself should not be a surprise, because unlike our earlier trip to Western Europe, we made no special preparations to combat jet lag and tiredness. Plus, we are three hours farther east.

Friday, we explored our little compound. It is much as I described earlier: it's own little neighborhood.  In addition to the Annabel Hotel across the way from us, there are numerous other businesses. There is a copy shop, another small hotel, some professional offices, a striptease bar, a beauty salon, a place called Zuma (no idea what goes on in there) and an erotic fashion boutique. At the back of our compound, there is a little "park" with the focus on a maypole structure for little kids. However, there is no grass, and I doubt children have played there in ages. It is used primarily for people to hang out and to smoke and drink.  What I did not know until Fridy is that there appear to be passageways that lead from one compound to another. We explored the passageway to our south, and it lead into a real playground, which then spilled into another commercial compound with restaurnts, shops, hotel, spa... and that is accessible back onto Nevsky Prospekt.

Saturday, we walked down to the Maltsevsky Rynok (market). This is similar to the South Bend Farmers' Market. However, this is a single large building with steps that lead up to the entrance with a second level mezzanine with small retail shops run by individuals overlooking a central floor with the meat and fruit stalls.

According to Andrea, this is more representative of what shopping was like during Soviet times. You walk in, and since the fish monger and meat monger are nearest the entrance, you are hit by the powerful aromas of dead fish and warm meat. The produce on the first floor looked excellent, and we bought an onion, some strawberries, some cherries, some tomatoes and a few pickle-szied cucumbers. At the farmers' market, we may have paid $15. Our total was closer to $30! Andrea suspects we may have been overcharged.

We walked around a little and settled on lunch at a place called coffee house (spelled differently in Russian than the joint actully called Coffee House - Home in Vienna where we had coffee the other day for $16). While much less expensive than the Coffee House, a soup, salad, small pepsi, blini and coffee cost $30 (the magic number!)

From there, we stopped at the bakery on Nevsky Prospekt for a loaf of bread and went home, as it was starting to rain.

However, we had high hopes of actually doing some thing; seeing some thing. So we ventured out. Our plan was to ride one of the double-decker tourist buses to get a feel for St. Petersburg.

At Gostiny Dvor (a large, indoor  retail market) it began to rain very hard, so we walked both its levels. While each stall may be owned and operated by individuals, there were certainly no bargains to be had.

After it stoped raining, we went into the very grand Grand Hotel Europe, hoping to watch the women's Olympic tennis final between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, but it was not to be. We tried Mollie's Pub, an Irish pub we spotted earlier, but they were not showing tennis, ony boxing. Maria may be Russian, but she does not appear to draw a crowd.

Thus we began looking for the City Tour bus, and we eventually found it. We climbed aboard and began our two-hour tour of the streets of St. Petersburg. Below is a sampling of photos from our Saturday travels. Admittedly, many are of dubious quality, as we were on a moving bus. However, in all likelihood, some of these images will appear again in later blogs when we really have the time to spend at each place.

The Anichkov Bridge over the Fontanka River with the famous four statues of horses on each point

The Burger King on Nevsky Prospekt - one of many to be found in St. Petersburg. McDonald's is here, too, but Burger King appears to reign as be the monarch of this royal city.

88 Nevsky Prospekt. Our residence is through the arched gate where the car is entering.

The KFC on Nevsky Prospekt. The rainstorm apparently knocked down the awning .

Our Macy's - Ctokmahh (Stockmann's)

The Moscow train station from Vosstaniya Square

Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace - the Pink Palace! 

Gostiny Dvor - a merchant's palace even in the day of the tsars.

Kazan Cathedral - the temple of religions and atheism during Soviet days

The Stroganov Palace (guess what famous beef dish originated here?)

What is with all the sushi bars all over this city?

The Kunstkammer

Millionaires' Street 

Mrs. Putin's Academy of Needle Works (she is now the primary benefactress of this school originally started by the Empress Alexandra for girls from the countryside)

Over the River Moika

Suvorovsky Place before you go over the Troitsky Bridge to the north side of St. Petersburg

The Tsar's Cruiser "Aurora"

An old ship and current restaurant. St. Petersburg is an important port and home to the Russian Navy

Saints Peter and Paul Fortress - an island fortress unto itself

Vasilevsky Island. On the mid right is the old St. Petersburg stock exchange. On the left are "spits" - light beacons  fired by pitch to warn boats of land in the old days.

The Winter Palace, aka The Hermitage

The Bronze Horseman statue on the Admiralty park grounds with St. Isaac's cathedral in  background

St. Isaac's Cathedral

Tsar Nicholas I - the gendarme of Europe. This statue sits on St. Isaac's square in front of the church and the Hotel Astoria.

Slightly better view of the Hermitage

Going over the Griboedov Canal. On the left is the Literary Cafe (yellow building) where we had dinner Saturday night.

Turbow and Pushkin - together at last!

Staircase up to the Literary Cafe, also known as the Kotomin House where Pushkin  had a shot before he was shot. Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Gogol and Lermontov.

The piano player at the Literary Cafe.

Music and dancing at the Literary Cafe!

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood from a distance.

St. Petersburg's newest show place - the Pepsi Palace! (not really)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - 36 HOURS AND FADING FAST

Light - The sun comes up very early and sets very late. While the much celebrated White Nights have ended, there is still plenty of daylight. So much so, that at 5:30 a.m. today (after only four hours of sleep) the sun was high enough in the sky to flood our little bedroom with a strong, yellowish/green glow. And last night, it was 10:15 p.m. before twilight was finally upon us. It was somewhat unnerving for this old father to see small children playing in a public park at such an hour. And while I have not yet put my finger on it, there is something different about the quality of the light here, probably due to our point on the  compass and being farther north than I am accustomed.

Buildings - As we descended through a thick cloud cover into the St. Petersburg "oblast" (region) on Wednesday afternoon, I was first struck by how "normal" things appeared: there were single family homes along streets. However, as we drew closer to what I can now assume is the metropolitan area, I began to see the construction of massive apartment complexes on the outskirts of the city. These are much more in keeping with my vision from the West of what Soviet-era buildings are. However, I must assume that these are not state financed and constructed mini-cities, but are privately financed and built "co-ops" or condos that individuals and families will purchase based upon demand for affordable housing.

    Furthermore, here in the city center,  a street address is not like I am accustomed to in the States. There, a street address is assigned to a specific building, such as 3815 Nall Court or 900 N. Michigan Avenue. Here, however, a street address is only a portal to what at this point in time I must assume are "compounds." Compound is a term I am using, based on a Russian word I have seen to denote these "mini" neighborhoods behind the street address. 

    For instance, our street address is 88 Nevsky Prospekt. Walk through the portal and enter not a neat courtyard of a building centered around a nicely landscaped area of similar structures but a jumble of disparate buildings. The main portal is more of an alley, and there are side streets and parking areas within this space. On Google maps, 88 Nevsky Prospekt appears to be what we might call a city block. I have yet to discover all there is at 88 NP, but there is the building that faces the main street. Then, there are separate retail and office buildings. Our building is six stories high and sits across the internal street from the Annabel Hotel. 

     I was a tad apprehensive when Dimitri (our driver from the airport) dropped us in front of our building. There were no visible signs stating this as an apartment building. There is only a huge, brown metal door. My heart sunk when I pushed our luggage through from the gloomy rain into a gloomier foyer. We were told there is an elevator, but after ascending the half dozen or so worn concrete steps, the lift is nothing more than a closet on pulley strings. No more than two people can fit in it at one  time. Three trips were required to get us and our bags up. Each floor has an equally squalid appearance; badly lit, unkempt, half finished and dirty. Here again was a large metal door with no signage. Julia from the apartment rental company accompanied us through this door to reveal a brighly lit, modern corridor. On the immediate right is Anna and Rosa's station: the laundry room, cleaning room, electrical hub and Internet box. Our apartment is right next to that. I believe there are five more units on this corridor owned and operated by Chuck Rodgers (formerly of Chicago?)  and his beautiful, out-front schill and Russian wife, Oksana of Oksana's Ltd. I will write more about our one bedroom apartment later.

Smells - Body odor, stale air, smoke, urine, sewage. Unlike Western Europe, there is very little perfume I have yet noticed to hide these smells. On a few occassions yesterday, I was pleased to note the refreshing scent of flowers. They served as welcome and light relief to the heavy, sobering scents that pervade the air trafficked by people. 

Sounds - This is a big city. The sounds are not much different than most big cities. Nevsky Prospekt is the equivalent of a Michigan Ave in Chicago or a Broadway in New York - lots of traffic and lots of people. While I should not be, I have been surprised to hear auto alarms sound or the unique noise cars make when their locks are engaged or disengaged. Andrea noted the plethora of cars on the street, even compared to her last trip here in 1996. The police and ambulance sirens are different even from Western Europe. There is just something threatening about them. You don't want to just get out of the way; you want to duck and cover to make yourself invisible.

Sights - Again, I have not been here but maybe 36 hours and have not yet ventured too far, but my impression is that none of the neon can hide the decay. There are beautiful old buildings, and some (like the Singer Building) have been meticulously maintained. However, the majority may have had some bright paint applied within the last 10-15 years, but a dinginess, grunginess remains. 

      From the air and even here on the ground, new construction is confirmed by the big cranes appearing on the horizon. And perhaps I am not the only one to have noticed the rotting buildings, because there are many older structures that have screens over them to prevent dirt and debris from falling on pedestrians.

     The streets are old and uneven, as if the extreme cold this city confronts for months during  long winters and the short-lived sweltering hear of summer have warped them. (Is that a metaphor for this society?) 

     I hope to address the appearance of people later, and while many of the women are pretty and dress provocatively in early August, even a first impression would be unfair to put on paper. 

     I believe I am characterizing Andrea correctly when I write that English is much more widely heard and understood than when she was in Russia last. While her Russian is more than competent, there appear to  be numerous people who speak commendable English, such as our waiters at dinner both nights. Enlish-language menus have been available. Signs on the metro also include English directions. I imagine if I stray too far off the beaten path, I might be in trouble trying to communicate, but here along Nevsky Prospekt, I can manage.

     Again, we are staying in what may be the equivalent of the Gold Coast area of Chicago and have circulated within a 3-mile radius so these are only initial impressions that must be forgiven once more "data" is collected over time.

Prices - Sky high! Again, I must emphasize we are in the center of a major metro area that
caters to the high end. However, we spent at the grocery store the equivalent of $72 for what may have cost $35-40 in South Bend.  We bought a few basic things just to have in the apartment for breakfast: three nectarines, cereal, some cheese, bread, milk, juice, sugar for coffee that we actually brought from home. Before we left the States, Andrea asked if we should take peanut butter. I replied, "no." My thought was that I will be in Russia, and Russians don't eat peanut butter, so why should I? However, when we shopped for groceries at Ctokmahh (pronounced "Stockmann" - a Finnish store that was here when Andrea was last in Petersburg), there displayed was Skippy PB! Andrea wanted some. A 16 oz. jar cost the equivalent of $10.  Doing some comparison shopping yesterday, Ctokmahh prices are not out of line, even though it is a luxurious, high-end store that is the equivalent of the old Marshall Fields: cosmetics on the first floor; men's fashions on the second; women's on the third; kids on the fourth; household/bath/kitchen goods on the fifth; and a grocery in the basement! Eating out is very costly, too. For instance, I had a small "iced" coffee yesterday. (No ice., whch according to Andrea is safer than Petersburg ice.) It was about $6. Andrea had a berry cooler drink, and it cost roughly $9. 

     On the other hand, from what I can tell, gasoline is slightly less expensive than at home. It's about 32 rubles to the litre. You do the calculations, but my feeble math comes up with roughly $2.50 per gallon.

With that, I will conclude my first blog positng in Russia. While I plan on trying to describe things to the best of my ability, there will certainly be days when a post may have nothing more than a sentence or two about the weather. Also, once the "newness" of Petersburg gives way to a mundane daily routine, there may not be anything worth writing at all.