So I've now survived a week in St. Petersburg, and I definitely feel like I've settled in. Vera is still insane, but I'm no longer scared by her, I'm just learning to go with it. Her favourite word at the moment is "Why?". Why didn't you buy tickets to the Marinsky Theatre? (Because we couldn't get seats together). Why isn't your key on the hook? (Because I forgot and left it in my bag). Why did you go to Oranienbaum? (Well, it wasn't exactly a conscious decision - more on that later...)
But, despite her rather forthright manner we're getting on well. We watch TV together after dinner - a Russian show called 'Let's get married'. It's a bit like Blind Date but (you've guessed it) they get married at the end! Apparently it's perfectly OK to be obsessed with this but not with soaps - only people with no job watch soaps! Mind you, having seen the last ten minutes of a Russian one, in which the main storyline seemed to be an escaped python, I might be inclined to agree.....
I'm also being fed well, with lots of Russian textbook classics, such as kotleti (sort of like meatballs), piroshki (little pies) and blini (pancakes with a variety of fillings from chocolate to meat and smetana, the sour cream that is a staple here). In fact, sometimes I'm fed a little too well! Last night I arrived home to be asked "Do you eat melon?". Yes, I do indeed eat melon, and it's agreed that I will have some after dinner. When the plates are cleared away, Vera gestures to half a melon. I cut myself a slice. Once I've finished, she gestures again. I eat another. She fixes me with a stern gaze. "I vant you to feeneesh it!!" Now I know how Bruce Bogtrotter felt in Matilda - I will not be eating melon again for a very very long time!!
Yesterday, Rachel, Tom and I decided to get out of the city and, in Rachel's guidebook, we found a park called Gatchina 40 kilometres out of the city. After a mild mix-up with stations, we ended up at Baltiskaya, from which the Lonely Planet reliably informed us, we could get a train to Gatchina. Any train to Oranienbaum should do and there was one in the station - excellent! It was only when we'd been on the train half an hour that we realised we were going in entirely the wrong direction - stupid Lonely Planet!! Luckily, Oranienbaum is also home to a nice park with lots of palaces nestled within the greenery and only a 70 rouble entrance fee (that would be about £1.50!!). However, you pull into the station to a view of industrial towns along the Gulf of Finland and a large market. "At least we're not in Siberia." Rachel said, but for a moment we weren't sure. But a very good day was had by all, despite the best efforts of rain and trains to ruin it!!
Today we decided to get the metro out to one of the further-away islands on Petrograd side to see this early music festival which Rachel had read about. We arrived on a different island and the first thing we saw was a mini theme park - it was trying to be Disneyland (it had even stolen the font) but it was definitely not like Disneyland!! Health and safety did not appear to exist - one of the rides looked like those kiddie chairoplanes and indeed the chairs were similarly secure, and attached to the ride with similar lengths of chain, but it was a good 50m off the ground!! Tom and I risked one of the rollercoasters, and we were slightly concerned that we were going to die, but it was good fun and the relief at not being dead only added to the excitement. We also managed to find the festival, which was a bit random. There were just groups of people playing music and dancing dotted all over Yelagin Park, which is also full of gorgeous buildings - they're everywhere in St Petersburg! But the best bit was when, walking along a path, we came across a military brass band. They were playing a waltz and there were lots of old people dancing! Then, as we watch, they started playing the Birdie Song, and all the oldies were dancing to that instead! Made our day!!
Anyway, I'm going to stop writing now, as you're probably all asleep at your computers! Will try to update again soon!
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