I am aware that I've been awful at updating this recently, I was snowed under with work, and then I was ill, and then my parents were here, so all in all updates haven't been happening! But they're leaving tomorrow so I do promise an update either tomorrow night or Monday, with details of my trip to Moscow!!
Anyway, the main purpose of this entry was to let you know that I've had an article published by The Bubble, Durham's new on-line magazine, about my trip to the Mariinsky a couple of weeks back. Obviously it's unpaid, but it's still very exciting!! So if you'd like to have a peruse of that, here's the link:
http://www.thebubble.org.uk/drama/a-beginner-s-guide-to-russian-ballet
Saturday 30 October 2010
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Commenting
You'll notice the lack of alliteration in the post title, this is because this is not an entry per se. (You may get one tomorrow though, as I'm going to see a mummified woolly mammoth in the Museum of Zoology!) This is just a quick note to say that, as some people have mentioned that they've tried to comment but it hasn't worked, I've just been fiddling with the settings. Turns out, I had it set so that only followers could comment!! I've now changed it, so anyone should be able to leave me a comment if they so desire. Is this a hint? I leave that for you to decide.
Sunday 10 October 2010
Freebies, Frescos and Frivolity - An Adventure in Novgorod
After five weeks of big city life, what we needed was a break. So Rachel and I decided to get out of the city for the weekend. We had read in the guidebook that the small town of Veliky Novgorod, the seat of the kingdom of Ancient Rus, was only four hours away by bus, so on Saturday morning we set off. With no accommodation or bus tickets booked, we were taking a gamble (Vera certainly thought so!) but it paid off!!
The bus journey was relatively easy, although I did have an encounter with an arch-enemy - the wasp! This taught me that my mother had lied to me as a child when she told me that wasps "only hurt you if you hurt them". While this may be true of some wasps, this particular wasp was pure evil and attacked me viciously without any provocation, and I was pleased when the woman opposite exacted revenge with her Hello magazine. (Yes, it does exist in Russia too!) Farewell wasp, you will be mourned by.....absolutely no-one!!
We couldn't believe our luck when the bus arrived in Novgorod precisely four hours later. What's this? We used public transport and actually arrived on time at our intended destination?! But perhaps we allowed ourselves to feel smug a little too soon, as the next task (after purchasing return tickets) was to find somewhere to sleep. And this didn't look very likely at first - the first hostel on the map appeared not to exist, the second was full. Slightly panicky, we trudged on, and it was third time lucky - the Hotel Akron had a free room, and despite me having made the colossal error of forgetting my migration card , they were prepared to let us stay there. Result!!
Once the shock and relief at not being homeless had worn off, we were ready to explore the town. In the rather rushed (i.e. non-existent) planning of our trip, we had failed to read very much about Novgorod, and thus we were unprepared for how beautiful it would be. Set on the Volkhov River, with the magnificent red-brick Kremlin on one bank and dozens of onion-domed churches on the other, it is stunning. And all of this was made better by the fact that autumn has well and truly arrived (although it's a flying visit, as snow is forecast for next week) and the leaves seemed to turn golden and drop to the ground even as we looked at them. Rachel described it as being like France in the autumn, and I thought that it looked like I imagine New England to be like, but whatever your simile, it was pretty!
One thing that we did discover about Novgorod is that it's best not to eat there! In the restaurant which we chose for dinner (Хорошие люди or 'Good People') we encountered that Russian textbook classic - nothing on the menu being available!! Even better, the alternative which they brought us was salmon, which was what Rachel had ordered (and been denied) in the first place!! For dessert, we moved on to a little cafe opposite our hotel, where we opted for the one thing we could decipher from the menu 'Strawberry Dessert'. This was the little-known delicacy, whipped cream with strawberry sauce. An entire sundae dish full of whipped cream with strawberry sauce! I also wanted a beer, and after much motioning towards the beers on the shelf, managed to procure one, although not the one which I was pointing to. The joys of eating out in Novgorod! It did cost about a fiver altogether though so we had money left over to try some supermarket beer - Siberian Corona and Mojito beer. I will let you imagine how these particular delicacies tasted....
The next day we decided to play the little-known game of "Let's see how many attractions we can get into for free." It had started out as a game of "Let's see if we can find the church that Vera recommended", but when we found it and discovered that we could get in for free with our student cards, a new game was born. Altogether we managed to get into the Cathedral of Our Lady on the Sign (which had amazing seventeenth-century frescos), the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Saviour (which had slightly less intact, but still amazing, fourteenth-century frescos), the Bell Tower of St. Sophia, another tower of indeterminate name and similarly indeterminate number of steps, a photo exhibition and the Museum of Novgorod - not bad for a morning's work! And then it was time to grab a bite to eat (once again not getting what I ordered), buy a few souvenirs, and catch the bus back to St. Petersburg!
The bus journey was relatively easy, although I did have an encounter with an arch-enemy - the wasp! This taught me that my mother had lied to me as a child when she told me that wasps "only hurt you if you hurt them". While this may be true of some wasps, this particular wasp was pure evil and attacked me viciously without any provocation, and I was pleased when the woman opposite exacted revenge with her Hello magazine. (Yes, it does exist in Russia too!) Farewell wasp, you will be mourned by.....absolutely no-one!!
We couldn't believe our luck when the bus arrived in Novgorod precisely four hours later. What's this? We used public transport and actually arrived on time at our intended destination?! But perhaps we allowed ourselves to feel smug a little too soon, as the next task (after purchasing return tickets) was to find somewhere to sleep. And this didn't look very likely at first - the first hostel on the map appeared not to exist, the second was full. Slightly panicky, we trudged on, and it was third time lucky - the Hotel Akron had a free room, and despite me having made the colossal error of forgetting my migration card , they were prepared to let us stay there. Result!!
Once the shock and relief at not being homeless had worn off, we were ready to explore the town. In the rather rushed (i.e. non-existent) planning of our trip, we had failed to read very much about Novgorod, and thus we were unprepared for how beautiful it would be. Set on the Volkhov River, with the magnificent red-brick Kremlin on one bank and dozens of onion-domed churches on the other, it is stunning. And all of this was made better by the fact that autumn has well and truly arrived (although it's a flying visit, as snow is forecast for next week) and the leaves seemed to turn golden and drop to the ground even as we looked at them. Rachel described it as being like France in the autumn, and I thought that it looked like I imagine New England to be like, but whatever your simile, it was pretty!
One thing that we did discover about Novgorod is that it's best not to eat there! In the restaurant which we chose for dinner (Хорошие люди or 'Good People') we encountered that Russian textbook classic - nothing on the menu being available!! Even better, the alternative which they brought us was salmon, which was what Rachel had ordered (and been denied) in the first place!! For dessert, we moved on to a little cafe opposite our hotel, where we opted for the one thing we could decipher from the menu 'Strawberry Dessert'. This was the little-known delicacy, whipped cream with strawberry sauce. An entire sundae dish full of whipped cream with strawberry sauce! I also wanted a beer, and after much motioning towards the beers on the shelf, managed to procure one, although not the one which I was pointing to. The joys of eating out in Novgorod! It did cost about a fiver altogether though so we had money left over to try some supermarket beer - Siberian Corona and Mojito beer. I will let you imagine how these particular delicacies tasted....
The next day we decided to play the little-known game of "Let's see how many attractions we can get into for free." It had started out as a game of "Let's see if we can find the church that Vera recommended", but when we found it and discovered that we could get in for free with our student cards, a new game was born. Altogether we managed to get into the Cathedral of Our Lady on the Sign (which had amazing seventeenth-century frescos), the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Saviour (which had slightly less intact, but still amazing, fourteenth-century frescos), the Bell Tower of St. Sophia, another tower of indeterminate name and similarly indeterminate number of steps, a photo exhibition and the Museum of Novgorod - not bad for a morning's work! And then it was time to grab a bite to eat (once again not getting what I ordered), buy a few souvenirs, and catch the bus back to St. Petersburg!
Thursday 7 October 2010
Bridges, Blini and (Not Going To) Bed - The End of the First Month
Vera chirpily informed me at dinner on Monday night that I have now been in Russia a month - is she counting down the days until I leave or does she just have a scarily good memory? Either way, I didn't know until she told me - it's gone incredibly fast!! Still, it seems to have had a positive effect on my Russian so far, in oral class on Tuesday, Nadia asked if I'd done my oral homework "without ANY help?" (because clearly I need it...) and then went on to tell me that I've really improved since arriving here! I might forgive her for turning up at the flat last night and frightening the life out of me then, honestly, sometimes living with a teacher really isn't cool....
The presentations that I was so concerned about last week went surprisingly well: nobody heckled , they sat silently when asked if they had any questions (which may not be the most positive of reactions but it suited me), and then were enthusiastic when instructed to mingle by the teachers afterwards. In fact, we even made some friends!! The other girls and I were standing by, watching the boys get mobbed by a hoard of adoring Russian girls (Alex in particular seems to have a bit of a fan club!) when two smiling girls (both called Kate) introduced themselves. When we told them that we had no friends in St. Petersburg yet, they exchanged a glance, said "You can be our friends if you like?" and proceeded to take us on an impromptu sightseeing tour with their friend Mary (well, we walked past the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood on our way to Теремок!). Their English puts my Russian to shame, despite their protests to the contrary, and they're very patient with my attempts to communicate in Russian! Since the presentation, we've met up twice more, and the first time they showed us one of ПГУПС's best kept secrets, the canteen, serving tea for 3 roubles a cup - that would be about 8p!! Today, I told Kate about Durham (with much reference to Harry Potter!) and then was invited to choir practice - those of you who've heard me sing will be thankful to learn that I was only observing!! The teacher was absolutely terrifying but the singing was wonderful, even if I couldn't understand most of the words!!
Saturday was, without a doubt, the longest day I have spent here, again thanks to the presentations and the people we met afterwards. Three first-year students (who were only seventeen) took us on a sightseeing tour in the afternoon, and while it started with the best intentions at the Kazansky Sabor (Kazan Cathedral), it quickly descended into childishness. After all, when given a choice between the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood and the zoo, who wouldn't choose the zoo? And if the route to the zoo happened to pass a waxwork museum, who would be able to resist going inside? Certainly not us, and as the two attractions cost less than a fiver altogether, who can blame us? The waxwork museum was, admittedly, limited to two rooms, but it featured an impressive array of models (mostly unrecognisable and all faintly creepy). Some of our personal favourites were Captain Jack Sparrow, Freddie Kruger, Hitler, the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland (who bore more than a passing resemblance to a drag queen), some very strange looking dinosaurs and Harry Potter (who looked more like a girl than a boy, perhaps the sculptors were gender-confused?). The unrivalled favourite at the zoo were the polar bears (because who doesn't love them?), although the stray cat which I got to stroke came in at a close second for me!! Afterwards we introduced Rachel to the delights of raw fish at a nearby sushi bar (the Russians love sushi, and you can't walk down the street without passing a sushi bar) and drank the best fruit tea I have ever tasted - it smelt exactly like melting strawberry jelly cubes!
On the way home, I stopped in at Gostiny Dvor (think Harrods, only more Russian...) to impulse-buy a coat. In my defence, I did have a purpose for the coat, Tom's friend Masha (also from choir) had invited us to watch the bridges opening that night and I was slightly concerned that I might freeze to death in the process... The sales assistant couldn't have been more patronising if she tried (looking me up and down and then saying "It is very beautiful....with trousers or long skirt!!" *cue pointed glance at my miniskirt*) but the coat was beautiful, so I bought it anyway, having to sign the credit card slip for the first time in years!
Our night watching the bridges open was certainly interesting, Masha took us to see some of the city's most famous sights in the dark, culminating in us throwing 10 kopeck pieces at a statue of a cat at 1am - apparantly it brings good luck!! We were having so much fun with that that we missed the actual opening of the bridges, but we did see most of them while they were open as we walked several kilometres along the Neva between 2am and 4am - and they look incredible all lit up!! However, the next two hours walking back into town weren't quite so incredible, exhaustion-induced hysteria set in and we our attempts at conversation became increasingly banal - when I saw a poster for Elton John in concert I turned to Rachel and announced "I LIKE Elton John! Do you think it's REAL Elton John?" (We have since purchased tickets for said concert, so I hope it is real Elton John). Our night ended with cold chips and pizza in an all-night bar until the metro opened, and then somewhat warmer drinks in a nearby Кофе Хаус until we felt that it was safe to actually use the metro. So a good experience, but not necessarily one I'll be repeating!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)