I have wandered around St Petersburg today for 7 hours; with an hours break back at my 3000 ruble a night (ouch) hotel for black tea and a shower.
Amazing! Amazing! Everywhere I look there is awesome architecture. Nevsky Prospekt is a miles long wide avenue and I've been up and down it, and keep looking up, nearly got run over once.
I've been in Kazan Cathedral and the 'Church of the Saviour on the Blood' which is a Russian Orthodox and has wall to ceiling mosaics the most colourful I have ever seen. Fantastic.
It's all so different here. Hardly anybody speaks English. Even the Church had about 6 guides and none of them spoke English, I seemed to be the only English person on the ferry last night. Everywhere there is English up-to-date pop music and rap; everywhere there are people wearing English and US designer labels but hardly anybody in the streets speaks English. Even the vendor selling souvenirs asked me if I wanted the beautiful faberge-type mini-egg for my knickerless lady.. "why you smile?".. so I then had to embarassingly explain necklace..
I struggle eating alone in restaurant and admit I would rather go without; but I did eventually go in Macdonalds... but it was packed so I went into a Subway and had a put-everything-in-it sub and a Danish pastry - all with pointing and lots of 'da's'
Thank you is saseba - but I keep forgetting and want to say placebo.
Tomorrow we all go out for our first meal and I can't wait to try the meat soup with dumplings.
But hooray!! No Harry Potter... Helsinki had it on every billboard.
I'm three hours ahead of you now, that means when I get up tomorrow at 730 it'll be 430 in England.
The water is dodgy. The river Neva is badly polluted and literally stinks. Apparently if I'm not careful withthe tap water I could get giardia lamblia... and I dont want that! But come to think of it - I had salad in my subway... oops!
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