European Vacation 2005

Goodbye Pete!!

St. Petersburg is an old friend, and so when I arrived I was excited to see him again; and now as I sit in the airport, I wish I could stay and visit just a little bit longer.

Some of you may not know that this is my third visit in St. Petersburg. I came in the summer of 2002 to attend a 6 week language seminar. While nearly all the American college students were extremely homesick, I was sorry to leave. And of course my trip to Pete last year was extended by a little thief, who stole my documents and credit cards. Regardless, it was a bittersweet goodbye last year.

I've got a plan
This trip to Russia was a little more planned out than last year. I had reserved an apartment, and I had scheduled a definite departure date - I bought airfare ahead of time. Not as exciting as last year, but a hell of a lot safer.

Of course reserving an apartment in Russia or Ukraine is not like doing so in the states. You don't just give them a credit card number. You wire them a deposit via Western Union - oh and have faith you will have a place to stay when you get there.

I took the train from Helsinki - Joen droped me off. About 6 hours later I got out in Russia. Larissa, the lady from whom I rented the aparment, met me at the train. She was a little late, but I didn't sweat it. She and a guy drove me to the city center, where she showed me my spacious apartment and informed me where the nearest food store was.



Nice Apartment
As you can see, the apartment is pretty big, especially by Russian standards. I have the equivelant of a queen size bed, extra lumpy, and a pretty nice bathroom, complete with washing machine - a real lifesaver. And after a little grocery shopping, I felt completely at home.

First Night - Dacha
So I'm all settled in at the apartment - Can't sleep now. I got to Pete on a Tuesday, so I figured none of the clubs would be busy.I opted to wander around the city to get reacquainted. Then around 10pm I ran into a little happening spot. I had a few beers and launched into bullshitting with some people. Eventually the music picked up, and the dancefloor filled. It was pretty good. At some point I met a group of students from abroad, headed by this pretty funny Danish girl. She was pierced and tattooed from one way to the other. I got tired around 4 and went home.

Not Again
So a few days pass - I went to a few cool spots, and on Friday I decided to go to one of my favorite places - Gribayedov. It's this really cool underground club. I'm not kidding - the thing is this old Soviet bomb shelter, and to get in you filter down this long staircase. Down there you find a cool atmosphere and great music. It always fills up with fun people.

So who do I find down there? The Danes. And a group of Russians from Kalinningrad adopted me. It seems that they were on their way to Pennsylvania, and they were excited to hang out with any


American. Anyway, one of the Russian guys started hooking up with Danish girl - pretty funny. I took off around 5 or so.

Last Night
My last night I went back to Dacha. It was a Sunday, and I figured that bar would be fun. So who is sitting there - you guessed it. I never asked if she took home that guy. Anyway - the bar was crazier than on Tuesday. I spent the better part of the night sandwiched between some stinky Russians on the dancefloor gyrating and singing American pop and rock music. Good thing there are no pictures of that.

Clubs, Clubs & more Clubs
My stay in St. Peterburg can be summed up this way: I went to a different club every night at around midnight or 1. I danced and drank until the sky was light, and I slept until noon. I spent my days hanging out in cafes and talking with the locals.

Lake Ladoga
The only real departure from this schedule was my trip to Ladoga Lake. I met a few locals, and they invited me to hang out with them for the day. One of them had a car, and they asked if I had ever been to see the russian forest or Ladoga lake. I knew from my gepgraphy class that Ladoga was a huge body of water. I said I would love to see it. Well - its big, it looked cold, and we headed back to the city. To be fair, I bet it is really beautiful and amazing when its not freezing and raining outside.

Kiev Bound
Right now I am on my way to Kiev, Ukraine. Larissa picked me up this morning after I slept just 2 hours. On the way to the airport we had to pull over because our car had a flat. With extreme russian efficiency the driver ran around to the trunk and grabbed a foot pump. After 15 minutes of heavy breathing we were back on the road again, and I caught my flight with plenty of time to spare.

Oh how he's changed
St. Pete is a different city each time I visit. Today much of the center is more european than ever before. The cafe's are beautiful, and the prices are going up. It is no longer this very inexpensive place to visit it once was. Of course there are distinctly russian aspects too. I have never seen so much mafia in my life. This trip they were everywhere. Bodyguards and the russian version of Guido could be seen in cafes and restaurants all around the city. So the other day I see Guido with his girlfriend. She has a jeans skirt with what looks like iron-on letters on her butt. Her ass literally said "RICH". And as if that wasn't enough, she had the same thing written across her forehead on a knit cap and on her belt buckle.

Next Stop Kiev
I should be in Kiev in about an hour. This is the first truly foreign country I will be visiting, so I expect to put on my tourist hat over the next few days. I don't know if there is a lot worth photographing, but I will give it a try. Paka.

posted by Adam Stern @ 10:00 AM