Way to Russia Talk Lounge

Bender · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2003 11:41 am Post subject: holy shit

i would just like to say thank you to the whole way to russia crew for such a great website. you have made my trip to russia a great one.

might i point out a bar to visit for americans in the st peter area. its called "The City Cafe" its owned and managed by a scottish woman. if you have the pleasure to meet her, her name is vikki. its a great little pub with well priced food and tall beers. its close to the hermitage, around the corner from the university.
i think its Millionnaya street.

anyway i met a womderful woman on the internet and she was even more wonderful when i got there. by the way , im 28 and shes 23. we had been talking for 6 months proir to my visit. web cam and all. so there were no big physical anythings. i lived with her the whole month i was there , it was amazing.

we took a long trian ride to yoshker-ola and stopped in moscow along the way. it just so happened that paul mcartney was playing in red square that night. truly great. other than that , i'd pick st peter over moscow anytime. st peter just has more to offer as far as beauty and friendliness.

oshker-ola seemed like the land that time forgot. i bought 4 pints of baltica and a bottle of cheap vodka for around 4 or 5 bucks. just to let you know how far the dollar goes there. at no time was the food lacking. natasha's parents cook incredibly well and the food in the town was great. we visited some small lake and her parents dacha(summer home). this is land given to people during communist times . her father cut down all the trees and built the house with the help of his two daughters. they also have a banya(steam room) . its tradition to drink lots of tea and then cook yourself followed by being beaten with the steaming branches of a birch tree(an old russian tradition). it wasnt a beating but a pleasure. very relieving. but not for the light of heart. i was elated. we then grilled pork and drank vodka. i guess... as common as wine with dinner as in america.
the vodka was much better than anyhting i have had here(u.s.) . very sweet and smooth. drinkable.

back in st peter , we went the the symphony 3 times at about 3 or 4 bucks a ticket and , the ballet once for 3 bucks per ticket. swan lake too. damnded amazing.
i say this because i live in a small southern cultural town in america, savannah, georga. its almost as old as st peter and one of the oldest in the u.s.. its the south though, and there are rednecks here. so its pittiful when we can sell out a monster truck show in this town but the symphny is going bankrupt. says alot about why the north won the war back in the day. for those of you who dont know what red necks are or monster trucks ... i emplore you to looks these things up so you can see what kind of silliness goes on here. i mean its fun and cool to see once but come on .. really...

to make along story short, i was spoiled with the rich culture, polite people, and great food. i cant wait to come again. when i got back to the u.s i was in shock of the tightness. people seemed to live more with their heart on their sleave in st peter. if you know what i mean..

by the way, for any american wondering if people are still standing in bread lines in st peter, the answer is no! there is nothing they dont have that we dont have. a very safe place. i didnt feel theatened at anytime. infact, i feel more worried about crime where i live, in this small town, in the u.s. than in st peter.

a very safe and beautiful city.

truly an amazing place. incredibly romantic.

michael

Natasha · Guest

dear, you're so nice to post it here Razz