I've now been at home for almost exactly two weeks, and that time is about to come to end. Tomorrow I'll be returning to Colby College, a place I have missed dearly, and to say I am merely excited would be grossly understating the fact.
These two weeks at home have given me a chance to reflect upon my time in Russia, absorb (and forget) many of the lessons from those four months. It's given me a chance to remember how much I enjoy being at home in Bedford, but also a chance to realize that I truly miss those friends I made in Saint Petersburg. I can only hope we can all meet again in the not-too-distant future. It's given me a chance to do what I love, namely doing 911 fire/EMS response again, but also given me a chance to long for a blini or a simple walk by the river or canals in Saint Petersburg.
It was an unforgettable four months in Russia, a truly life changing experience. I have a greater appreciation for the way Russians (and many others outside the US) live, if not a true understanding. My perspective has broadened, my eyes have opened...lalalala, this is all cliché, but like most such things, there is indeed an element of truth.
I do not understand the Russian soul, the Russian mind, or really anything about Russia (to be entirely honest, I'm not sure Russians understand themselves either), and nor did I expect to. Four months is a long time, but not THAT long, and to understand Russia, to truly understand her, would require years. There's something intangibly beautiful and awe-inspiring about the Russian people. The pesky grandmother on the street shoves you out of the way for no good reason has probably survived worse times than most in American can comprehend - and despite her street-shoving ways, she'll welcome you into her home with the proverbial red carpet.
Russians talk about themselves in terms of душа (dyusha), or the soul, which strikes me as entirely appropriate. The soul is something intangible, something impossible to truly grasp and understand, much like Russia herself.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Heavy Lies the Crown
I have gawked at the Coliseum in Rome. I have stood in Place de la Concorde in Paris, stunned by the expanse of the spectacular city unfolding before me. I have stood on the Grand Canal in Venice, listening to the swish of gondolas as they sail by. I have even (surprise surprise!) stood at the top of the Grand Cascade at Peterhof, surveying the Gulf of Finland as Peter the Great himself once surely did.
These are all spectacular places, all worthy of a vacation, or at least, a brief stop. But no city has instantly captured my heart the way Vienna did. Vienna is the jack of all trades, master of none. Sprawling imperial palace? Check. World class art museum? Uh-huh. Good food and drinks? Absolutely. Friendly people? You bet.
Vienna is not nearly as large as Paris, but it does feel similar to the French capital. It is a compact city of under 2 million with a historical section (the Innere Stadt) studded with beautiful buildings, expensive shopping, and some of the best street food I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. It's skyline is dominated by the Gothic spires of the Rathaus (city hall) and Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral). Much like Paris there is a new, spectacular building to be found around the corner. No matter how much one sees in Vienna, there's always the feeling that there's more to do and more to see.
The Hofburg Palace dominates much of the Stadt, and it's facade is appropriately impressive for a city that was once the heart of a vast, multi-ethnic capital. Inside is the Schatzkammer, the museum housing the crown jewels of the Hapsburg dynasty. The collection is simply stunning, including everything from the Holy Lance which was allegedly used by a Roman soldier to pierce Jesus in the side to the crown that Charlemagne himself was crowned with at the birth of the Holy Roman Empire (the Austrian Hungarian Empire was in some ways a continuation of the Holy Roman Empire, much the way the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Rome after Rome itself fell to the barbarians).
A stone's throw away from the Hofburg is the Kunsthistoriches Museum, one of the world's great art collections. It is smaller than the Louvre and the Hermitage, but no less impressive, housing masterpieces such as Breughel's "Hunters in the Snow" and Durher's "Adoration of the Trinity." The building itself does the collection justice, it's neo-classical facade imposing, and the grand foyer is sumptuously decorated with a stunning array of marble and jade.
One of the pleasures of Vienna is simply wandering the Innere Stadt and the Ringstrasse, finding something new on each street, wandering into any one of the many churches to admire the ornate interiors. Bratwurst is the street food of choice here. It is both cheap and delectable; a particular sandwich called the "bosner" won my heart. It consists of a sweet bratwurst in a toasted submarine roll with copious amounts of mustard, onions, and curry. Simply delicious.
If you become tired, stop at any one of the many coffee houses and enjoy a drink and a piece of cake. The coffee houses in Vienna all have table service (the American "to-go" style is largely shunned here), the waiters are usually dressed in tuxedos, and your coffee is served on a silver tray along with a complementary glass of water. Starbucks, I hope you are taking notes.
After finishing your einspanner (double shotted espresso with whipped cream) and sacher torte, wander over towards the opera house and purchase a standing room ticket for under 5 euros and enjoy one of the finest opera companies in the world. Vienna was the cultural capital of Europe for much of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the Viennese are clearly proud of this heritage. Homages to Viennese icons such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Hayden can be found everywhere, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is arguably the best in Europe.
I was lucky enough to be present for the opening of Vienna's famed Christmas markets. I wandered over to the Rathausplatz on my last night in the city, and found it bustling with locals enjoying a night on the town. I purchased a mug of hot spiced wine and wandered around, admiring the stalls and munching on pastries. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday night.
Before coming to Vienna, I would have said Paris was my favorite city in Europe. No longer. Vienna has displaced the City of Lights, and I am anointing it as Europe's best city (at least of the ones I have been to). Heavy lies the crown indeed, but Vienna will not disappoint.
These are all spectacular places, all worthy of a vacation, or at least, a brief stop. But no city has instantly captured my heart the way Vienna did. Vienna is the jack of all trades, master of none. Sprawling imperial palace? Check. World class art museum? Uh-huh. Good food and drinks? Absolutely. Friendly people? You bet.
Vienna is not nearly as large as Paris, but it does feel similar to the French capital. It is a compact city of under 2 million with a historical section (the Innere Stadt) studded with beautiful buildings, expensive shopping, and some of the best street food I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. It's skyline is dominated by the Gothic spires of the Rathaus (city hall) and Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral). Much like Paris there is a new, spectacular building to be found around the corner. No matter how much one sees in Vienna, there's always the feeling that there's more to do and more to see.
The Hofburg Palace dominates much of the Stadt, and it's facade is appropriately impressive for a city that was once the heart of a vast, multi-ethnic capital. Inside is the Schatzkammer, the museum housing the crown jewels of the Hapsburg dynasty. The collection is simply stunning, including everything from the Holy Lance which was allegedly used by a Roman soldier to pierce Jesus in the side to the crown that Charlemagne himself was crowned with at the birth of the Holy Roman Empire (the Austrian Hungarian Empire was in some ways a continuation of the Holy Roman Empire, much the way the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Rome after Rome itself fell to the barbarians).
A stone's throw away from the Hofburg is the Kunsthistoriches Museum, one of the world's great art collections. It is smaller than the Louvre and the Hermitage, but no less impressive, housing masterpieces such as Breughel's "Hunters in the Snow" and Durher's "Adoration of the Trinity." The building itself does the collection justice, it's neo-classical facade imposing, and the grand foyer is sumptuously decorated with a stunning array of marble and jade.
One of the pleasures of Vienna is simply wandering the Innere Stadt and the Ringstrasse, finding something new on each street, wandering into any one of the many churches to admire the ornate interiors. Bratwurst is the street food of choice here. It is both cheap and delectable; a particular sandwich called the "bosner" won my heart. It consists of a sweet bratwurst in a toasted submarine roll with copious amounts of mustard, onions, and curry. Simply delicious.
If you become tired, stop at any one of the many coffee houses and enjoy a drink and a piece of cake. The coffee houses in Vienna all have table service (the American "to-go" style is largely shunned here), the waiters are usually dressed in tuxedos, and your coffee is served on a silver tray along with a complementary glass of water. Starbucks, I hope you are taking notes.
After finishing your einspanner (double shotted espresso with whipped cream) and sacher torte, wander over towards the opera house and purchase a standing room ticket for under 5 euros and enjoy one of the finest opera companies in the world. Vienna was the cultural capital of Europe for much of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the Viennese are clearly proud of this heritage. Homages to Viennese icons such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Hayden can be found everywhere, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is arguably the best in Europe.
I was lucky enough to be present for the opening of Vienna's famed Christmas markets. I wandered over to the Rathausplatz on my last night in the city, and found it bustling with locals enjoying a night on the town. I purchased a mug of hot spiced wine and wandered around, admiring the stalls and munching on pastries. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday night.
Before coming to Vienna, I would have said Paris was my favorite city in Europe. No longer. Vienna has displaced the City of Lights, and I am anointing it as Europe's best city (at least of the ones I have been to). Heavy lies the crown indeed, but Vienna will not disappoint.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
A City Reborn
I left Moscow early on the morning of November 7th, boarding an Aeroflot flight for Warsaw. Two hours later we touched down in the Polish capital, quickly made our way to the hostel, and set off to explore the city.
There has been a city of Warsaw for approximately 800 years, but the current Warsaw is by every definition a new city. Perhaps no country suffered as badly as Poland did during World War II, as it was abused by both the Nazis and the Soviets, and Warsaw is a perfect microcosm of this destruction. Warsaw was destroyed by the Germans four separate times: once at the outset of the war during the infamous invasion in 1939, once during the Jewish Ghetto Uprising in 1943, once during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, and was leveled purely out of spite as the Red Army drew closer and closer to the city. Following the war Poland was firmly behind the Iron Curtain, its citizens subjected to 45 years of communist rule. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Poland was finally free, and Warsaw was able to be rebuilt the way her citizens wanted. The entrance of Poland to the European Union in 2004 has only accelerated the growth of this new, young city as money comes pouring into the nation. The EU has established two schools, two colleges of leadership to educate future leaders of the continent. One is in Brussels, just around the corner from the EU headquarters, and the other is in Warsaw. This gives a sense of where this city is heading.
Walking through Warsaw one gets the feeling of place that is slowly but steadily peeling off layers of communist grime. There are many of the same housing blocks that are found in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, but the ones in Poland look better maintained, cleaner, and in many cases, renovated. The streets don't have potholes, and gourmet coffee shops can be found on every corner. New, sleek skyscrapers are rising with remarkable rapidity, and the city has a new metro system that is being rapidly expanded. Comfortable buses and trams are everywhere, making transportation quick and easy, and the city has a general feeling of friendliness. The biggest reminder of communist rule is the city's tallest building, the massive Palace of Culture and Science. The building houses museums of natural history (the science) and movie theaters (the culture) as well as an observation deck. Built in the Stalinist-Gothic style, it was Stalin's "gift" to the residents of Warsaw, and in gratitude, the people now refer to it as "Stalin's penis." Apparently the Soviet secret police is no longer as fearsome as it used to be.
There are two distinct halves to Warsaw. There is the ultramodern business district, described above, and the painstakingly reconstructed Old Town. In the 1930s, the Old Town was one of the most happening places in Europe, but, as with the rest of the city, the Nazis reduced it to rubble. It has now been meticulously reconstructed, brick by brick, and is now a charming place, filled with people, its winding cobblestone streets lined with stores and restaurants. Everywhere are signs commemorating Frederic Chopin, the great Polish composer, who seems to be regarded as nothing less than a saint in his native country. Tourists amble about, but the area is mostly occupied by Poles, simply enjoying their lives for the first time in what must seem an eternity.
A visit to Warsaw is not complete without paying one's respects to the millions who died there at the hands of the Nazis (Jewish and others alike). The remarkable story of the tragic Warsaw Uprising is documented extensively at a brand new museum on the west side of the city, and is doubtlessly worth the price of admission. Nearby is the enormous Jewish Cemetery, which contains countless graves as well as some touching reminders of the Holocaust. To the northeast of the cemetery is what is left of the old Jewish Ghetto. Nothing, really is left, but a massive memorial next to the construction site of a new Jewish Museum which promises to be open in 2011. Leaving the monument, one can follow the half-meter high black stones, each inscribed in Hebrew, several blocks north and a block over to the simple monument at the Umschlagplatz, where the Nazis used to load the Jews onto cattle cars for the one way trip to Auschwitz. It's a staggering and humbling site, one that nearly reduced me to tears upon reading the inscriptions. Perhaps not the best material for a vacation, but sites that everybody, everybody in the world, needs to see regardless.
In my mind, Warsaw invites inevitable comparisons to Saint Petersburg. Although Warsaw suffered worse, both cities suffered a devastation during the war that is difficult for Americans to imagine. Yet today, they are cities headed in seemingly opposite directions. Warsaw is a vibrant city of the future, a capital of the new Europe and a focal point of the European Union. Saint Petersburg has also progressed beyond the war and its communist days, but that progress seems far more deliberate, as the city (and indeed, all of Russia) seems somewhat trapped in its own past. Warsaw celebrates its past and honors its tragedy, but it nevertheless continues to stride forwards, embracing the future.
There has been a city of Warsaw for approximately 800 years, but the current Warsaw is by every definition a new city. Perhaps no country suffered as badly as Poland did during World War II, as it was abused by both the Nazis and the Soviets, and Warsaw is a perfect microcosm of this destruction. Warsaw was destroyed by the Germans four separate times: once at the outset of the war during the infamous invasion in 1939, once during the Jewish Ghetto Uprising in 1943, once during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, and was leveled purely out of spite as the Red Army drew closer and closer to the city. Following the war Poland was firmly behind the Iron Curtain, its citizens subjected to 45 years of communist rule. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Poland was finally free, and Warsaw was able to be rebuilt the way her citizens wanted. The entrance of Poland to the European Union in 2004 has only accelerated the growth of this new, young city as money comes pouring into the nation. The EU has established two schools, two colleges of leadership to educate future leaders of the continent. One is in Brussels, just around the corner from the EU headquarters, and the other is in Warsaw. This gives a sense of where this city is heading.
Walking through Warsaw one gets the feeling of place that is slowly but steadily peeling off layers of communist grime. There are many of the same housing blocks that are found in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, but the ones in Poland look better maintained, cleaner, and in many cases, renovated. The streets don't have potholes, and gourmet coffee shops can be found on every corner. New, sleek skyscrapers are rising with remarkable rapidity, and the city has a new metro system that is being rapidly expanded. Comfortable buses and trams are everywhere, making transportation quick and easy, and the city has a general feeling of friendliness. The biggest reminder of communist rule is the city's tallest building, the massive Palace of Culture and Science. The building houses museums of natural history (the science) and movie theaters (the culture) as well as an observation deck. Built in the Stalinist-Gothic style, it was Stalin's "gift" to the residents of Warsaw, and in gratitude, the people now refer to it as "Stalin's penis." Apparently the Soviet secret police is no longer as fearsome as it used to be.
There are two distinct halves to Warsaw. There is the ultramodern business district, described above, and the painstakingly reconstructed Old Town. In the 1930s, the Old Town was one of the most happening places in Europe, but, as with the rest of the city, the Nazis reduced it to rubble. It has now been meticulously reconstructed, brick by brick, and is now a charming place, filled with people, its winding cobblestone streets lined with stores and restaurants. Everywhere are signs commemorating Frederic Chopin, the great Polish composer, who seems to be regarded as nothing less than a saint in his native country. Tourists amble about, but the area is mostly occupied by Poles, simply enjoying their lives for the first time in what must seem an eternity.
A visit to Warsaw is not complete without paying one's respects to the millions who died there at the hands of the Nazis (Jewish and others alike). The remarkable story of the tragic Warsaw Uprising is documented extensively at a brand new museum on the west side of the city, and is doubtlessly worth the price of admission. Nearby is the enormous Jewish Cemetery, which contains countless graves as well as some touching reminders of the Holocaust. To the northeast of the cemetery is what is left of the old Jewish Ghetto. Nothing, really is left, but a massive memorial next to the construction site of a new Jewish Museum which promises to be open in 2011. Leaving the monument, one can follow the half-meter high black stones, each inscribed in Hebrew, several blocks north and a block over to the simple monument at the Umschlagplatz, where the Nazis used to load the Jews onto cattle cars for the one way trip to Auschwitz. It's a staggering and humbling site, one that nearly reduced me to tears upon reading the inscriptions. Perhaps not the best material for a vacation, but sites that everybody, everybody in the world, needs to see regardless.
In my mind, Warsaw invites inevitable comparisons to Saint Petersburg. Although Warsaw suffered worse, both cities suffered a devastation during the war that is difficult for Americans to imagine. Yet today, they are cities headed in seemingly opposite directions. Warsaw is a vibrant city of the future, a capital of the new Europe and a focal point of the European Union. Saint Petersburg has also progressed beyond the war and its communist days, but that progress seems far more deliberate, as the city (and indeed, all of Russia) seems somewhat trapped in its own past. Warsaw celebrates its past and honors its tragedy, but it nevertheless continues to stride forwards, embracing the future.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Heart of Russia
Myself and my fellow CIEE students were granted a much needed week off this past week, and our vacation started with a group trip to Moscow, the historic Russian capital. We left Saint Petersburg on the midnight train to Moscow (there has to be a blues song in there somewhere) on Thursday night, arriving in Moscow early Wednesday morning. After a quick breakfast, it was off on a bus tour to explore the city.
I have come to know Saint Petersburg quite well in the past few months, and it is a fairly user-friendly city (user-friendly for Russia, anyways). Most of the action is concentrated in a fairly narrow strip of the city, and one can walk to and from most of the major landmarks in a reasonable amount of time. It does sprawl somewhat, but nevertheless remains a manageable city, one quickly learned and mastered.
Moscow is no Saint Petersburg. Moscow is defined by its sprawl. I am a New York native, yet Moscow felt far larger than any city I have ever been to before. Everything in Moscow is BIG. The metro system is enormous (and lavishly decorated), the roads are all about 8 lanes wide, and the population is north of 10 million. It is officially the largest city in continental Europe, and it certainly looks and feels the part.
Despite the vast scale of the city, it feels somewhat empty. To be sure, it covers an enormous area, but much of that seems to be empty space. Pedestrian friendly areas (aside from Red Square) are difficult-to-impossible to find, and after 48 hours in the city - admittedly a very short time - I still have no real sense of the place. To be sure it has its fair share of cultural attractions: the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum, Moscow State Historical Museum, Lenin's Tomb, St. Basil's, the Kremlin...the list goes on. But everything is spread out over such a huge distance that Moscow feels less like a city and more like a series of connected neighborhoods, somewhat like Los Angeles. Indeed Hollywood kept coming back into my mind as I toured the city. Everything in Moscow is a facade, meant to impress. Moscow is home to the largest cannon in the world (but it was too big to actually be fired) and the largest bell in the world (too big to mount and be rung). Glitzy cars and billboards are everywhere - there is a Ferrari and Maserati dealership just across the street from the Douma (Parliament) building.
To be sure, Red Square is an awesome sight. As with everything else in Moscow, it is enormous and thoroughly intimidating, especially when one considers the history of the place. Touring the Kremlin was also a special experience, but due to time constraints the weekend felt more like a blur than anything else. Getting to know Moscow, getting to really know Moscow, is something that would take considerable amounts of time. Unlike other cities, I'm not sure I would be willing to devote such time to it.
If you are going to Russia, go to Saint Petersburg.
I have come to know Saint Petersburg quite well in the past few months, and it is a fairly user-friendly city (user-friendly for Russia, anyways). Most of the action is concentrated in a fairly narrow strip of the city, and one can walk to and from most of the major landmarks in a reasonable amount of time. It does sprawl somewhat, but nevertheless remains a manageable city, one quickly learned and mastered.
Moscow is no Saint Petersburg. Moscow is defined by its sprawl. I am a New York native, yet Moscow felt far larger than any city I have ever been to before. Everything in Moscow is BIG. The metro system is enormous (and lavishly decorated), the roads are all about 8 lanes wide, and the population is north of 10 million. It is officially the largest city in continental Europe, and it certainly looks and feels the part.
Despite the vast scale of the city, it feels somewhat empty. To be sure, it covers an enormous area, but much of that seems to be empty space. Pedestrian friendly areas (aside from Red Square) are difficult-to-impossible to find, and after 48 hours in the city - admittedly a very short time - I still have no real sense of the place. To be sure it has its fair share of cultural attractions: the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum, Moscow State Historical Museum, Lenin's Tomb, St. Basil's, the Kremlin...the list goes on. But everything is spread out over such a huge distance that Moscow feels less like a city and more like a series of connected neighborhoods, somewhat like Los Angeles. Indeed Hollywood kept coming back into my mind as I toured the city. Everything in Moscow is a facade, meant to impress. Moscow is home to the largest cannon in the world (but it was too big to actually be fired) and the largest bell in the world (too big to mount and be rung). Glitzy cars and billboards are everywhere - there is a Ferrari and Maserati dealership just across the street from the Douma (Parliament) building.
To be sure, Red Square is an awesome sight. As with everything else in Moscow, it is enormous and thoroughly intimidating, especially when one considers the history of the place. Touring the Kremlin was also a special experience, but due to time constraints the weekend felt more like a blur than anything else. Getting to know Moscow, getting to really know Moscow, is something that would take considerable amounts of time. Unlike other cities, I'm not sure I would be willing to devote such time to it.
If you are going to Russia, go to Saint Petersburg.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Amusing Encounter
Recently, when walking on Bolshoi Prospekt, the main avenue on Petrogradskaya (my home island), I was stopped by a middle-aged British tourist asking for directions. He didn't know any Russian, but he didn't know that I am an American - he merely assumed that I was any other Russian walking down the street. Proud that I had been mistaken as a Russian, I played along. Our conversation went something like this.
Him: "Hello there, can I ask you a question?"
Me (speaking in Russian): "Yes."
Him: "Wonderful! I'm looking for the nearest metro stop, do you know where it is?"
Me (continuing to speak in Russian and increasingly amused): "Yes."
Him: "Can you speak English?"
Me (replying first in Russian, then in English): "Of course (Russian)......of course (English)."
I went on to inform the gentleman as to how to get to Sportivnaya metro station, deliberately using simple words in an attempt not to show my true colors. Didn't work.
Him: "You speak very well...your accent..."
Me: "Thank you very much..." (and at this point trying my best not to crack up)
Him: "Are you from New York?"
He had me. I acknowledged that I was indeed from New York, and we spoke briefly about why we were respectively in Saint Petersburg. I wish now that I had asked for his name and email address so that I might send him the link for this blog. 20/20 hindsight is a bliss, but in lieu of having neglected to obtain his contact information, I'll have to settle for hoping he somehow stumbles across this website. Impressed as I might have been with myself for being mistaken for a Russian, I was even more impressed with him so quickly identifying me as from New York. For while I am from a New York suburb, I don't believe I speak with a truly distinct New York accent, but rather with a fairly stereotypical northeastern accent. Do I?
At any rate, Sir, whoever you are, I hope you enjoy your time in Saint Petersburg!
Him: "Hello there, can I ask you a question?"
Me (speaking in Russian): "Yes."
Him: "Wonderful! I'm looking for the nearest metro stop, do you know where it is?"
Me (continuing to speak in Russian and increasingly amused): "Yes."
Him: "Can you speak English?"
Me (replying first in Russian, then in English): "Of course (Russian)......of course (English)."
I went on to inform the gentleman as to how to get to Sportivnaya metro station, deliberately using simple words in an attempt not to show my true colors. Didn't work.
Him: "You speak very well...your accent..."
Me: "Thank you very much..." (and at this point trying my best not to crack up)
Him: "Are you from New York?"
He had me. I acknowledged that I was indeed from New York, and we spoke briefly about why we were respectively in Saint Petersburg. I wish now that I had asked for his name and email address so that I might send him the link for this blog. 20/20 hindsight is a bliss, but in lieu of having neglected to obtain his contact information, I'll have to settle for hoping he somehow stumbles across this website. Impressed as I might have been with myself for being mistaken for a Russian, I was even more impressed with him so quickly identifying me as from New York. For while I am from a New York suburb, I don't believe I speak with a truly distinct New York accent, but rather with a fairly stereotypical northeastern accent. Do I?
At any rate, Sir, whoever you are, I hope you enjoy your time in Saint Petersburg!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
48 Hours in Estonia
This past weekend was one of the three big trips that CIEE has planned for this semester, and may in fact be the most interesting of the three. The plan: leave Saint Petersburg on a bus early Friday morning and make for the Russian - Estonian border, and from there on to Tallinn, capital of Estonia, where we would spend two nights before returning to Saint Petersburg late on Sunday night.
Estonia has been under Russian/Soviet control for much of the past several hundred years. The country was one of the primary battlegrounds between Sweden and Russia during the Great Northern War for Baltic supremacy (Peter the Great's time), and was swallowed up by the Soviet Union leading up to World War II. As such, Estonia has only been independent for a short time. It is now a member of the European Union and is a progressive, rapidly modernizing nation that is a delightful mix of the old and the new.
Tallinn is not a big city. It covers an area that feels to be roughly the same size as White Plains, New York - though with a larger population (400,000). The skyline is nothing if not eclectic, with an intriguing mix of ancient church spires and modern skyscrapers. While Tallinn does possess a modest public transportation system, it's necessity - at least for tourists - seems lacking at best. The heart of the city can be crossed by foot in under fifteen minutes, and wide sidewalks, bright street lights, and friendly drivers make walking in Tallinn an attractive proposition.
Indeed, everything about Tallinn is friendly, which is especially jarring after several months in Russia. The Estonians, or at least the ones we interacted with, were all smiling and cheerful, happy to help in any way possible. Virtually everybody spoke English, and nearly every sign had English, Russian, Estonian, and often other languages as well. Not to imply the Russians are not a happy people, because that's just not true. The Russians are a wonderful people, but they can often seem aloof or cold in the initial encounter. Estonians are openly friendly, and this was like a breath of fresh air.
Tallinn's Old Town is the historical, cultural, and social heart of the city. It's a charming collection of cobblestone streets situated around a large central square. Closed to motorized vehicles, the Old Town has a storybook charm common in many European towns and cities. Although there's not a huge amount to do in Tallinn from a traditional tourist standpoint, it is the perfect place to turn a large number of 20-something year olds loose for a weekend. Bars and restaurants line the streets, many offering discounts. Hundreds of like-minded people can be found roaming the streets even at 2am, and the city - or at least Old Town - never feels unsafe. Although the weekend in Tallinn included tours of the historical heart and some of the points of interest outside the city center, the highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly simply enjoying the city's social life with a group of friends. At the end of our second and final night in Tallinn, we bought cups of hot, spiced wine from a street vendor and toasted the city and its people from an excellent vantage point overlooking Old Town.
Despite the marvelous time on the town, perhaps the most sticking part of the weekend was a line delivered by one of our Estonian tour guides. When asked what the average income was for an Estonian, she answered it was approximately $1,000 per month. She paused briefly, then continued: "No, it's not much money. Life can be tough sometimes, but that's okay, we are just happy to be independent, to be free."
Amen.
Estonia has been under Russian/Soviet control for much of the past several hundred years. The country was one of the primary battlegrounds between Sweden and Russia during the Great Northern War for Baltic supremacy (Peter the Great's time), and was swallowed up by the Soviet Union leading up to World War II. As such, Estonia has only been independent for a short time. It is now a member of the European Union and is a progressive, rapidly modernizing nation that is a delightful mix of the old and the new.
Tallinn is not a big city. It covers an area that feels to be roughly the same size as White Plains, New York - though with a larger population (400,000). The skyline is nothing if not eclectic, with an intriguing mix of ancient church spires and modern skyscrapers. While Tallinn does possess a modest public transportation system, it's necessity - at least for tourists - seems lacking at best. The heart of the city can be crossed by foot in under fifteen minutes, and wide sidewalks, bright street lights, and friendly drivers make walking in Tallinn an attractive proposition.
Indeed, everything about Tallinn is friendly, which is especially jarring after several months in Russia. The Estonians, or at least the ones we interacted with, were all smiling and cheerful, happy to help in any way possible. Virtually everybody spoke English, and nearly every sign had English, Russian, Estonian, and often other languages as well. Not to imply the Russians are not a happy people, because that's just not true. The Russians are a wonderful people, but they can often seem aloof or cold in the initial encounter. Estonians are openly friendly, and this was like a breath of fresh air.
Tallinn's Old Town is the historical, cultural, and social heart of the city. It's a charming collection of cobblestone streets situated around a large central square. Closed to motorized vehicles, the Old Town has a storybook charm common in many European towns and cities. Although there's not a huge amount to do in Tallinn from a traditional tourist standpoint, it is the perfect place to turn a large number of 20-something year olds loose for a weekend. Bars and restaurants line the streets, many offering discounts. Hundreds of like-minded people can be found roaming the streets even at 2am, and the city - or at least Old Town - never feels unsafe. Although the weekend in Tallinn included tours of the historical heart and some of the points of interest outside the city center, the highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly simply enjoying the city's social life with a group of friends. At the end of our second and final night in Tallinn, we bought cups of hot, spiced wine from a street vendor and toasted the city and its people from an excellent vantage point overlooking Old Town.
Despite the marvelous time on the town, perhaps the most sticking part of the weekend was a line delivered by one of our Estonian tour guides. When asked what the average income was for an Estonian, she answered it was approximately $1,000 per month. She paused briefly, then continued: "No, it's not much money. Life can be tough sometimes, but that's okay, we are just happy to be independent, to be free."
Amen.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Half-Mile Marker
It has been some time since my last post, and for this I apologize. My family visited me in Saint Petersburg last week, and the experience was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the semester so far - even if they monopolized my time and kept me from writing. Tut tut tut. But if you're reading - and I know you are - it was truly a pleasure to see you, and it's always wonderful to experience things through new eyes. I regret to say that having walked past the Winter Palace countless times it has started to blend in to the landscape a little bit. That all changes when with a first-time visitor to the city.
Today marks exactly two months before I board the plane to New York by way of Helsinki, and while I am actually slightly more than halfway through the program, this seemed like an appropriate time to reflect on the last two months.
Where to start? Any discussion of my time here has to begin and end with my host family, and they have simply been wonderful. Welcoming since Day 1, they have done nothing but make me feel like a member of the family. Elena, Andrei, and Nastia are simply some of the kindest people I have ever met - in any country. And to them I am truly grateful.
Russia itself remains something of a mystery to me. This should not be surprising, given how Russia herself doesn't really know how to define itself, and it has a 1,200 year head start on me. But I'll catch up. Maybe. As I've written before, Russians are cold and aloof on the street, yet warm, cheerful, and welcoming in their homes. The very same little old lady who berates you for the color of your shoes (yes, this has happened to me) can be seen just a few minutes later offering some candy to a child (I stuck around to watch - the candy was not poison, at least not the fast acting kind). Russians love their country, yet they know and understand its flaws. They want change, change for the better, but many are unwilling to sacrifice to achieve that change. It is a country, that I fear, could face significant upheaval in the years to come. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and the middle class shrinks everyday. Something will have to give sooner or later, especially as the generation born since the end of the Cold War matures and begins to take its place among the leaders of the nation. In 30 years, I would be shocked if Russia looks anything like it does today.
Saint Petersburg is as much a mystery as the country. Stunning vistas come naturally to the city, it's uniquely colored buildings giving the impression of a festive atmosphere. Saint Petersburg parties as hard as any city in the world, but the city largely shuts down after midnight, driving most of the parties indoors and out of sight. It's a city that wants very much to be like Paris or any number of other great European capitals, but as my brother stated, it feels closer to New York with it's long wide boulevards and spread out landmarks. The one-time playground of the Tsars is now home to fabulously expensive shopping and luxurious restaurants, but just a few minutes away beggars sit on the street holding their hands out for change. Of course this can be found in many cities, but in Saint Petersburg the difference seems even more jarring, perhaps due to the high standard of fashion many Russians adhere to.
This is not to make Saint Petersburg or Russia seem like bad places; on the contrary I have loved my time here (though not unequivocally). Saint Petersburg is a wonderful city to study in, full of culture, music, and places to have fun. It's a very student-friendly city, with a plethora of cheap restaurants, bars, and attractions. But, as with every other place in the world, it is not flawless.
Now, with two months left to go, I have made two lists: highlights of the first half, and things to look forward to in the second half.
First-half highlights:
1. Family visiting from New York
2. Пышка - these are small donuts sold in eponymous bars for 10 roubles a pop. Simply delectable.
3. Free/reduced admission to countless museums and attractions
4. Meeting many, many interesting people from across the United States - not to mention many Russians as well
5. Host family. See above.
6. Peterhof and the fountains
7. My father mentioning something about "a few DaVinci's hanging around this room somewhere" in the Hermitage, right after we passed through a room full of Rembrandts (preceded by a rooms full of Rubens' and Van Dycks)
8. Black bread
9. Borscht
10. Blini
Things to look forward to:
1. Upcoming trips to Tallinn (Estonia), Moscow, Warsaw, and Vienna
2. Russian hipster party (there will be future entries on this, I promise)
3. Snow
4. Plenty of live music
5. Possibility of seeing "The Nutcracker" in Russia
6. Wearing my new flat cap everyday
7. KHL games
8. More time with the host family
9. Seeing that guy in the bear suit on Nevsky everyday
10. More time with friends there is a very real chance I will never see again
11. Coming home to New York
Today marks exactly two months before I board the plane to New York by way of Helsinki, and while I am actually slightly more than halfway through the program, this seemed like an appropriate time to reflect on the last two months.
Where to start? Any discussion of my time here has to begin and end with my host family, and they have simply been wonderful. Welcoming since Day 1, they have done nothing but make me feel like a member of the family. Elena, Andrei, and Nastia are simply some of the kindest people I have ever met - in any country. And to them I am truly grateful.
Russia itself remains something of a mystery to me. This should not be surprising, given how Russia herself doesn't really know how to define itself, and it has a 1,200 year head start on me. But I'll catch up. Maybe. As I've written before, Russians are cold and aloof on the street, yet warm, cheerful, and welcoming in their homes. The very same little old lady who berates you for the color of your shoes (yes, this has happened to me) can be seen just a few minutes later offering some candy to a child (I stuck around to watch - the candy was not poison, at least not the fast acting kind). Russians love their country, yet they know and understand its flaws. They want change, change for the better, but many are unwilling to sacrifice to achieve that change. It is a country, that I fear, could face significant upheaval in the years to come. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and the middle class shrinks everyday. Something will have to give sooner or later, especially as the generation born since the end of the Cold War matures and begins to take its place among the leaders of the nation. In 30 years, I would be shocked if Russia looks anything like it does today.
Saint Petersburg is as much a mystery as the country. Stunning vistas come naturally to the city, it's uniquely colored buildings giving the impression of a festive atmosphere. Saint Petersburg parties as hard as any city in the world, but the city largely shuts down after midnight, driving most of the parties indoors and out of sight. It's a city that wants very much to be like Paris or any number of other great European capitals, but as my brother stated, it feels closer to New York with it's long wide boulevards and spread out landmarks. The one-time playground of the Tsars is now home to fabulously expensive shopping and luxurious restaurants, but just a few minutes away beggars sit on the street holding their hands out for change. Of course this can be found in many cities, but in Saint Petersburg the difference seems even more jarring, perhaps due to the high standard of fashion many Russians adhere to.
This is not to make Saint Petersburg or Russia seem like bad places; on the contrary I have loved my time here (though not unequivocally). Saint Petersburg is a wonderful city to study in, full of culture, music, and places to have fun. It's a very student-friendly city, with a plethora of cheap restaurants, bars, and attractions. But, as with every other place in the world, it is not flawless.
Now, with two months left to go, I have made two lists: highlights of the first half, and things to look forward to in the second half.
First-half highlights:
1. Family visiting from New York
2. Пышка - these are small donuts sold in eponymous bars for 10 roubles a pop. Simply delectable.
3. Free/reduced admission to countless museums and attractions
4. Meeting many, many interesting people from across the United States - not to mention many Russians as well
5. Host family. See above.
6. Peterhof and the fountains
7. My father mentioning something about "a few DaVinci's hanging around this room somewhere" in the Hermitage, right after we passed through a room full of Rembrandts (preceded by a rooms full of Rubens' and Van Dycks)
8. Black bread
9. Borscht
10. Blini
Things to look forward to:
1. Upcoming trips to Tallinn (Estonia), Moscow, Warsaw, and Vienna
2. Russian hipster party (there will be future entries on this, I promise)
3. Snow
4. Plenty of live music
5. Possibility of seeing "The Nutcracker" in Russia
6. Wearing my new flat cap everyday
7. KHL games
8. More time with the host family
9. Seeing that guy in the bear suit on Nevsky everyday
10. More time with friends there is a very real chance I will never see again
11. Coming home to New York
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