Privet from St. Petersburg and Moscow

Hello Readers!

I finally had some time to sit down and write some blog entries. I arrived back to the ship from Moscow just this morning and I am excited to share my experiences. I hope everything is going okay with all of you! I have learned and seen so much and it is impossible to cover it all in one blog entry. I will do my best to choose the highlights, but know it is a little difficult for me to choose. We just left port and luckily everyone made it back to the ship on time and avoided the dreaded dock time. If you are late to the ship you get dock time, which means that in the next port you have to stay on the ship for the allotted amount of time. It is not a minute by minute thing though. I believe that if you are late 5 minutes that you probably get about an hour of dock time because it costs the ship so much money to stay in port longer than the allotted departure time. I do know of one student who unfortunately lost her passport when her purse got stolen. Otherwise, I believe that our first port was a success!

1) St. Petersburg- A window to Europe
I spent the first day in port in St. Petersburg. The morning we arrived was pretty hectic but I got up early so I could see the ship pull up to the dock. I enjoyed breakfast with my roomie and then went to a diplomatic meeting with a man who works in the consulate in St. Petersburg. Then I grabbed my passport and immigration card and headed downstairs to the gangway. I was scheduled to go on a walking tour of St. Petersburg so I got off the ship earlier than most of the other students. We passed through security on the ship, walked down the gangway and then went through customs before stepping into Russia. I took a moment to soak in the fact that I was in Russia. It was so exciting. The walking tour was a lot of fun. We got to visit the famous Hermitage museum which had tons and tons of artwork from all over the world. Our guide, Elena, said that if you spent an average of one minute at each exhibit in Hermitage, it would take you 8 years to see every single art exhibit! We only had two hours in the museum, so our guide took us to some of the exhibits she thought we would enjoy the most. My favorite rooms in Hermitage were the Chandelier Room and the Gold Room. Their names explain the rooms. Every ceiling and floor in the museum was intricate, ornate and beautiful. I was honestly shocked at how breathtaking the museum was. I also really enjoyed walking through Catherine the Great's favorite corridor. It was covered from floor to ceiling in paintings that depicted flowers, birds and biblical scenes. I had the chance to walk down the grand staircase too. It was made from Italian marble and there were beautiful marble statues scattered throughout. I could go on and on but it would suffice to say that Hermitage is worth a stop if you ever get to St. Petersburg. The only sad part about the museum is that it does not showcase Russian art. In order to see that you have to go to the Russian museum. Peter the Great wanted St. Petersburg to be a window to Europe, and it definitely is. When walking along the streets, you see brightly colored buildings and canals. It definitely reminds you of other places in Europe. I loved St. Petersburg because it was so beautiful and I am so glad we stopped there.

2) Cathedrals- The Cathedral of Spilled Blood, The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and St. Basil's Cathedral
While in Russia I had the privilege of seeing countless cathedrals. The ones listed above were the highlights of the ones I saw while in St. Petersburg and while in Moscow. The first cathedral was in St. Petersburg and was one of the locations we walked to on the walking tour right before lunch. Elena said it was the most beautiful cathedral in the entire city and I definitely agree. The outside has a lot of mosaics made from tiny pieces. From far away it looks like the church has paintings on the outside. The characteristic onion shaped domes were also one of my favorite parts of this cathedral. They were blue and green and gold. I really loved this Cathedral and photos do not do it justice. I didn't get a chance to go inside but Elena said that almost the entire church is covered in mosaics. The second cathedral, or Christ the Saviour is also worth mentioning. I visited this cathedral in Moscow and had the chance to enter the church. I covered my hair with a scarf and was informed that we were not allowed to take any photos. Once inside I wish I could have broken the rules. It literally is the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. The ceilings and walls were covered in bright paintings depicting saints. My favorite part was looking up at the central dome to see a depiction of God looking down. The light fixtures were made of pure gold and were so unique. The coolest part of this cathedral was getting the chance to see Russian people performing their ritual. It was really special. The outside of this cathedral is marble and the domes are also made from pure gold. During the war this cathedral was destroyed, so they turned it into a giant swimming pool. Eventually they decided to restore the cathedral, and I am so glad that they did. The final cathedral listed is the one I had been waiting for and the one I was most looking forward to seeing, St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square. I had seen this church on countless travel shows when they discussed Russia. In Moscow it was one of the first places we visited. While on the bus I kept my eyes peeled. We came around a corner and there it was, on top of a small hill. It was so majestic and beautiful. Don't ask me to say which cathedral I liked the best because I liked all of the ones I saw for different reasons. St. Basil's was amazing and I am so glad I got to see it. The colors were really bright and the red color of the bricks was really unique. Every time we passed the church I made sure to stare at it as long as possible so as to ingrain it in my memory. Each cathedral I encountered was unique and special, but these three were my favorite. According to Olga, our guide in Moscow, the cathedrals do not have pews so the Russian people have to stand for up to four hours during a service. All Russians are also very very religious. You cannot go to Russia and not appreciate the amazing architecture and beauty of these houses of worship.

3) The Kremlin
Another highlight of Moscow was visiting the Kremlin, or fortress. When we entered the Kremlin I was greeted by more amazing architecture and more cathedrals. Our first stop on our tour was to the armory. By chance we were able to visit the Diamond Fund before entering the armory portion of the museum. I was not allowed to take any photographs. I will do my best to describe what I saw. Upon entering the Diamond room I was greeted by darkness and silence. We were not allowed to talk or whisper. There were cases covered by thick glass and filled with Russian treasures. There was gold and other precious metals as well as countless jewels and gems. My favorite tiara was one that had a ton of diamonds and pearls hanging down from it. There was also a rose hair piece covered in diamonds. The jewelry was truly breathtaking. In the second room was all of the royal pieces. There was a stunning crown that had over 2,000 diamonds and that weighed about 2 kilos. There was also a staff that had emeralds and other stones on it. It was so amazing and I had no idea of the treasures inside. After viewing the diamond area we went into the armory. This portion of the museum had the crown jewels, clothing, carriages and other relics. Some of them dated back to the 14th century! There were also amazing Faberge eggs and goblets of all kinds. I really enjoyed this museum! Olga had a ton of great stories to tell. Before becoming a tour guide she was a teacher... and boy did she teach us! After the museum we walked to different areas of the Kremlin and spent some time in Cathedral square. These cathedrals all had golden domes. We got to go inside one of them and it was really cool because the paintings inside told a story. The Kremlin also had a secret garden where officials would go to speak about private matters because it was impossible to intercept anything there. The views from the Kremlin were also really cool.

4) Russian Folklore
Unfortunately we were unable to attend a Russian Ballet performance because of timing and because of some miscommunication. However, I say now that is is a very happy accident that we missed the ballet. Instead of seeing that we got to see a fantastic Russian Folklore show. The first half took you through the history of Russia and the second half featured traditional Russian dance and folk songs. The costumes were all handmade and it took a whole year to make them all. They were spectacular! The dancing was also super amazing. The men definitely pulled me in the most. They were doing some difficult kicks from a squatting position and leaping in the air doing kicks. They also jumped, turned and landed on their knees. They spun on their knees and flew across the floor. It was so cool. Even though it was in Russian it was fairly easy to follow. All of us ended up having a great time seeing the show. An added bonus was receiving a refund for the miscommunication. So, it was all a really happy accident and I am actually really glad we went to see that show instead of the ballet because it was a true Russian show. It was a really unique cultural experience and I would go again if I could just to watch the dancing.

5) Cultural Differences and Food
My time in Russia truly flew by. While visiting I did pick up on some interesting differences between their culture and US culture. One of the main things that was different was the toilet situation. I know this is a random topic but we were asked to focus on differences in eating, sleeping, drinking and eliminating for my anthropology class. In Russia they ask you to put your used toilet paper in a waste bin rather than flushing it. I mentioned this to my older sister and she said it is common in developing countries. It was surprising to find it in Russia. Because the water pressure isn't as strong, the pipes get clogged easily from the toilet paper. That was a fun experience. Another thing I noticed was that in Russia you can park wherever you please. I don't know if that is entirely true but it would seem that way as people would just pull up on the sidewalk and park. I saw cars parked beside the curb and on the sidewalk. I also witnessed some crazy driving and it was quite terrifying. Our bus almost collided with another bus. It was inches away from hitting it. I also realized that the Russian people are in general really nice people, especially if you make an effort to speak to them in Russian. A lot of people were as interested in us as we were interested in them. Another big difference between the Russians and the US is that the Russian people are religious individuals. There are religious Americans but I have not been to a city with such a high concentration of churches and strong beliefs as in Russia. There is also a lot of discipline in Russia and they have suffered in the past. Olga often said in passing that we don't really understand what it means to have nothing or what it feels like to have restricted access to goods. This adventure in Russia really opened my eyes to my own stereotypes and feelings of ethnocentrism, even though they never surfaced. I was aware of them but when I stepped off the ship I checked them at the gangway and allowed myself to be taken in. I tried my best to see the world through their eyes and I believe this allowed me to make a good impression. Of course I do not understand all that it means to be Russian but my goal is to try and understand and learn as much as I can throughout the voyage in every port.
Another fun thing I experienced in Russia was the cuisine. While in Moscow I was able to dine at different types of restaurants. My favorite was a little restaurant that served very authentic Russian food. We started with a tomato and cheese salad and rolls. Then I got to enjoy a hot bowl of borscht and it was amazing! I loved it! Then we had a chicken cutlet with potatoes. For dessert we had the option of coffee or tea and enjoyed a lemon jello type dessert with a raspberry sauce. It was a great meal and I was stuffed by the end of it. I also dined at a restaurant that fused Russian cuisine and Asian cuisine. Unfortunately I do not know what type of Asian food was influencing the cuisine but I do know that it does have a strong influence on Russian culture. Did you know that the national drink of Russia is NOT vodka but tea? I was surprised to hear that. A lot of the restaurants we visited were buffet style. I wish I had had more time to visit a market and see what else is characteristic of the Russian diet. I do know that fresh vegetables and dill are commonly used in salads. I also had some steamed vegetables seasoned with parsley. I did not set out with the goal to have Russian vodka but I ended up tasting it by chance. After our second tour day Olga took us to a Russian gift shop that was not for tourists. When we walked inside we were greeted by the owners and offered shots of vodka as a sign of hospitality. I couldn't really say no so I tried it. Lets just say it was very strong. haha.

So that is just a glimpse into my experience and adventure in Russia. I hope that you enjoyed reading this and know I am sending my love and best wishes! I will be arriving in my next port, Hamburg, on Thursday! BTW I took over 1000 photos in Russia but I will try and just choose a few. They will be posted as a separate entry. More will be on Facebook at the end of my voyage! Enjoy! Paka (Bye in Russian)!

-Jessica