Fancy Bar
It’s a good thing they had a sign up - I never would’ve guessed this was a fancy bar! Btw, isn’t that nice to know? I hate when I go to a fancy bar unprepared…
Happy Friday!
For Russians, Free
So, as I was saying, the thing that topped off my experience at the “Bagatitsa” Cossack Concert was this:
It was the second time in my trip I got ‘the Russian discount’ on something. (The first time, you may remember, was at Peterhof.) We came out of the concert and a few of the dancers were taking pictures with tourists. I might add that pretty much everyone in attendance was a tourist, which was kind of disappointing.
They had a sign up that said “Photos: $2 or €2” (I think that’s about how much they were - I don’t remember exactly.) Obviously, the thrill of the discount isn’t saving the $2, it’s passing for Russian.
So I asked (in Russian) how many rubles it was and they said, “For Russians, Free”. Okay! So I got mistaken for a being Russian and got this cool picture! My only regret in this situation was that I held back from speaking very much because I didn’t want to give myself away as a non-Russian. In hindsight, I should have just risked it - it would have been worth a nice chat with a couple Cossacks.
What do you think - do I pass for a Cossack?
Багатица!
I think I have been putting this post off because it was such a wonderful experience, I just don’t know how I can do it justice. This was, by far, the highlight of our trip.
First of all, I faced my fear of going into one of the various ticket booths, and actually arranged plans with someone in Russian. (It’s not that I was so afraid of the ticket booths in particular, but any ‘customer service’ transaction (and I use the phrase ‘customer service’ very loosely) in Russia can be quite the challenge - especially if you’re Russian’s not perfect.
Actually, it ended up that the scariest part wasn’t talking to the lady, but was when an armored truck driver dressed in camo and carrying a machine gun stopped by to pick up a deposit. (I really wanted to take a picture…but thought better of it.)
But anyway, we stopped by the ticket booth, not knowing what we were looking for, but right away I saw 2 Cossack Concerts and chose Багатица. (I have no idea what Багатица means, by the way - I think it is just the name of their ensemble. Anyone know otherwise?)
So, we attended the concert, and it was just wonderful. I don’t know how to describe it. They obviously love what they do and put a lot of energy and spirit into it. Plus, if you’ve ever seen a Cossack concert, how can you not love it? And if you haven’t, please do as soon as possible!
The one thing that topped it all off was…well, this post is getting a little long, you’ll have to check back tomorrow.
По Газонам Не Ходить!
This is a beautiful garden, Таврический Сад, that we happened upon on the way to an awesome concert! You’ll have to check back next week to get the story on the concert.
I love the “Keep off the grass” sign: По Газонам Не Ходить
Замок Любви - Love Locks
Here are some love locks on the bridge near the Church of Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg. (Yes, another New Year’s Resolution is to finish blogging about my Russia trip before it’s 2 years old!)
The tradition, possibly Italian in origin, is for a young married couple to write their names on the lock (замок), lock it on a bridge in a beautiful location, throw the key into the river and their love is safe forever.
In some places, the tradition can be a controversial: the locks begin to overtake public structures, but the public doesn’t want their symbols of everlasting love removed and discarded. Here are some funny pics of workers removing locks right next to the couples who are attaching them. That’s gotta be a bad omen, no?
They apparently cut them off in St. Petersburg, as well, because there were only a handful there, and they were all from the previous several days. Муж and I were there right near our anniversary (August 11th) but couldn’t find any with our wedding date. Why the heck didn’t we think to put one on ourselves? Oh well - next time!
I think this is a really cute tradition and I love how people personalize their locks. They range from the professionally engraved, to do-it-yourself with puffy paint (which would definitely be the way I’d go).
Have you locked a love lock on a bridge anywhere? (And did it work?)
Subway - take it with you!
And here’s a better shot of the Subway Trailor you can just catch a glimpse of in the ‘Watermelon Cage’ post.
Yet another thing in Russia I found odd: a pull-behind trailer that they sell Subway out of it. I guess it makes sense. It’s the kind of thing they might sell hotdogs or ice cream out of here.
And don’t forget! Today is your last chance to enter to win “First 1000 Words in Russian”. Don’t forget to enter. And I’ve already got an exciting prize picked out for next month’s giveaway, so stay tuned for that!
Peterhof/Петергоф
There’s not really a lot to add to this. It’s beautiful. I highly recommend it. (Try to get the citizens’ discount.)
Raise your hand if you’ve been there!
Word of the day: citizen
This is my ticket to get into Peterhof and it’s one of my favorite souvenirs from this last Russia trip! Can you guess why? It’s not because of the pretty image of Peterhof on the front of the ticket, it’s because of that special word on the back of the ticket: граждане. (See the red arrow?)
As I mentioned in the last post about Peterhof, муж and I are cheap, right? And it is not uncommon in Russia to find two sets of prices: 1 for Russian citizens and 1 for tourists. Now is it just me, or is this completely unfair?!
So when I saw this was the case at Peterhof, I decided that I would like to pay the Russian citizen price. So, I got exact change ready for 2 tickets at the citizen price (which was 260 rubles total, as you can see on my ticket. I really wish I could remember what the tourist price was) and when I got to the window, I said as assertively as possible, and in my very best Russian, “2 tickets, please.” (and avoided eye contact).
I know I almost ruined it with the “please”! Believe me I was very nervous. I don’t normally do things that are this dishonest and rebellious. ; ) So the lady took my money and gave me the tickets. I was so excited! Best 260 rubles I ever spent.
Have you ever faked being Russian to get the cheaper ‘citizens’ price?
By the way, граждане is one of those irregular plurals, so I guess the word of the day is actually citizenS. The singular form is гражданин.
Getting to Peterhof
Peterhof is one of the unmissable attractions in St. Petersburg. Муж and I are cheap, so we opted out of the 500-ruble tickets on the hydrofoil, and decided, instead to brave the more complicated and much cheaper option of the suburban train at 87 rubles a ticket. This is one of those bargains. I’ll be bragging about to my grandchildren someday. (Note $1 today is worth about 30 rubles.)
Above is a huge map of the system. I actually I hate taking pictures like this because it really calls attention to the fact that I am a dreaded tourist, but it was too cool to pass up.
As much as I love the train and ours was a great experience, I do not recommend the Suburban train unless you are pretty confident in your Russian or you really want that “Russian experience”. But if you do, depart from the Baltic Station and get off at Novyy Petergof. Then take one of the following buses to the palace: 348, 350, 351, 352, 356.
I’m sure most of you reading this who’ve been to Peterhof took the hydrofoil. What was that experience like?
(Stay tuned for more on Peterhof!)
Муж and I were lucky enough to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary in St. Pete last year. He took me to this nice restaurant across from our hotel called ‘Ферм A’, and then on a ночная прогулка по рекам и каналам (midnight river cruise). We opted for the ночная прогулка (midnight cruise), where they played Russian pop music, and you got to see the raising of the bridges, as opposed to the дневная (daytime one) where a Russian lady yells interesting facts at you through a megaphone.
This little stand of goodies was between our hotel and the metro station, so it quickly became our morning tradition. I would get a tiny little cup of coffee (= instant cappuccino) and 1 or 2 пышки - which are like donuts, but smaller, a little greasier, covered in powdered sugar, and in my opinion much better! Oh, this picture brings back fond memories!
