Finally Time to Relax

So my Russian experience will be cut short because I have decided to go to Latvia before going to Denmark and Dublin and spend some quality time with my family. At first, I wanted to experience Russia to the fullest by going on Siberian railroad trip, but unfortunately due to the time and financial limits this had to be canceled. My last exam is on June 9, and initially, it would mean I have only two weeks left, and, therefore, the Siberian trip would be very intense, and there would be nobody who could join me. Moreover, it is not as exciting in its start, and it could take up to 12 hours to get from one destination to another. And finally, it is so expensive that I could invest the same money in more exciting adventures.

Night boat tour with "Bridges Opening"

Moreover, Raphalle has planned to go back home on June 16, and that would mean I would be all alone for one more week. Most of the exchange students won’t be in St. Petersburg by that time anymore. Also, my gym membership would be over, and long story short – I decided to take the opportunity of cheap bus tickets and come to Latvia and be with my lovely family instead. I am sure that is the best choice, especially because I have planned to have quite an intense schedule for the following weeks anyways. 

Speaking of intensive schedules, we definitely had one when Jonas was visiting me from May 12 to May 16. I had planned everything hour by hour and surprisingly we did manage everything except Faberge Museum. That is something I have to put on my list to visit before leaving.

So when Jonas arrived, we first went to our hotel, which was not as magnificent as the one before. Well, it was a hotel, we could have a good night sleep there, but that's about it. It was located quite far from the city, and we had to take the metro every time we wanted to go somewhere. Also, the hotel room itself was a bit annoying due to different “technical” challenges. But I guess, the most important here was that we were together. So we celebrated our reunion at one fantastic restaurant “Gogol” suggested by the guide from the Free Walking tour which we did with my mom and sister. It was such a great experience because service, food and the whole atmosphere were outstanding. There was a live-performing pianist, and every time we wished something from the waiter, we had to ring a golden bell placed on our table. 

The Peterhof Palace

After the dinner, which we finished around the midnight, we went on a private boat tour. It was my birthday gift to Jonas. Unfortunately, it was not as good, as I imagined. Our guide was not very energetic, and it was a bit difficult to hear her. We took a boat that all the other tourists were taking anyways, and she was speaking to us over the automatic Russian language radio. The evening was nice but cold and we only managed to see two bridges opening. It was beautiful, slightly educational, but maybe not completely worth it. The tour ended at 02:30 in the night, so of course, we were exhausted and ready to go back to the hotel.

The next day was very slow for us. We walked a lot to find the perfect place for breakfast. Unfortunately, there were not that many options nearby our hotel. Around 13:00 we took the speedboat to The Peterhof Palace, which is mostly famous for its large gardens full of astonishing fountains. We did not go into the palace, as it was one of the warmest days so far and we wanted to be outside as much as possible. This tour plus the long search for some places to eat, took us the entire day. We finished it up with a cozy evening at the hotel watching the Eurovision. Since Russia was not participating this year, they did not broadcast it, and we had to stream it on my phone, as the wifi went down for the entire time while we were staying at the hotel. 

Staying in, was a smart choice as we had a busy day ahead of us. We begin it with a fine breakfast in a small café that we discovered close by our hotel. And then we went on a Free Walking Tour, which was the second time for me. I was ready to hear exactly the same stories and visit,  places, which by the way would be alright as I sincerely enjoyed the tour last time. But fortunately there was another guide, and she was doing the tour completely differently, so for me it was just another great experience. I am now planning to do the tour again with Raphaelle.

The Mosaic Yard

After the walking tour, we went to the Summer Gardens which surrounds the Summer residence of Peter I. The residence is so tiny compared to what everyone else in the royal family had, but the gardens were magnificent. I could not believe that I didn’t know about this place before, as it is so central. The only thing that is missing in all those beautiful locations are leaves on the trees. It is almost the end of the May, and the trees are still without leaves. Consequently, such gardens do not look as amazing as they could. 

The final thing on my schedule for that day was the Mosaic Yard. We discovered this cute little yard hidden between the resident buildings. It is something that my friend suggested to me, and I am thankful to him for reviling such a treasure that St. Petersburg has. I am definitely in love with this city and its history, but honestly – I am sick and tired of the pollution. It is not tolerable anymore.

Our Sunday we finalized at the Mariinsky Theater attending the ballet performance based on the famous Pushkin's poem “The Bronze Horseman”. I did not have any expectations, but I was in a complete shock of how amazing this performance turned out to be. It is the best ballet performance I have ever seen. We met several of my girlfriends, and they all agreed that “The Bronze Horseman” is the best ballet they have ever seen as well. Since it was somewhat built around the story of Peter I, we could see few links to the stories that we had heard earlier that day on the Free Walking Tour. 

Grand Maket Rossiya

On Monday I brought Jonas to the Grand Maket Rossiya, where we could see a huge model layout designed on a scale to cover images of regions of the Russian Federation. Since we had an audio guide, we tried to listen to every single story, ending up there for 3 three full hours. After that, we went to the museum of Soviet arcade machines, where we could not only see but also play old Soviet arcade machines. It was a place with a weird vibe. At first, we were very excited, but then after using our coins on machines that simply did not work (one even started to burn), our excitement vanished. It was an experience, but I would not recommend it to others. 

Next day, after Jonas left, I went to a small town called Gatchina, where four Tsars used to live in. We left home at 7:15 to manage to catch the first train to this sweet little town. It was such a beautiful day, and we really could relax. We visited the Grand Palace, which as I mentioned before was the family home of several generations of Romanovs. Finally, I could see and hear more about periods and historical figures after Peter I and Catherine the Great, the two most important emperors in St. Petersburg before the revolution). After that, we visited two smaller churches and walked around the palace garden. It was amazing how many sweet, kind, polite people we met at this town. Every single lady at the Palace was so kind and helpful, even people on the streets took their time and effort to help out when we asked for something. I really enjoyed this day, so I hope we can have more such small trips before I leave. 

Gatchina Palace and us :)

Finally, my last experience that I could share here is my recent doctor’s appointment. I have been experiencing occasional stomach pain since the beginning of April, and up to now, I ignored it. When Jonas was visiting, my pain became much more frequent and stronger, so after my buddy’s recommendation, I went to this particular specialist. She was a very fine doctor, and it was a neat clinic, but the price that I ended up paying was astronomic. Yet, it seems that it was worth it as now I have some answers and I hopefully will soon learn how to treat my "discomfort" (I have another “expensive” visit next week). 

That’s it for now :) Next blog will probably come after my time in Moscow!