A Few of our Favorite Things
As of today, it's been exactly three months since we arrived. We've definitely adapted. For instance, we now remember not to swallow the tap water after we brush our teeth, we can navigate rolling suitcases over snow, and we think that anything over 0ºC is warm. There are plenty of things that we dislike about living in Russia -- smoking, pollution, high-fat everything, the weather, few to no social services -- but for the sake of staying optimistic, here's a list of some of our favorite things:
Blini and Sirki: The high-fat Russian diet does have a few perks. Alyson loves the ubiquitous blini that you can find on every corner. Basically, they are paper-thin pancakes stuffed with whatever you'd like: cheese and mushrooms or chocolate and banana or even sweetened condensed milk (yum). Matt prefers sirki (singular: sirok), which are miniature rolled cheesecakes, sometimes stuffed with caramel or some other treat, then covered in chocolate. Vendors sell them on the street for a ridiculously cheap 5 rubles (about 20 cents).
The Metro: We used to think that the metro in Washington was awesome. But then we rode the metro here and we've come to love the fact that we never have to wait more than 3 minutes for the next train. More often than not, a train arrives in under a minute and a half! It's simply astonishing.
Snow Removal Devices: Even though the snow season is just getting underway, we've already seen a handful of snow removal devices. And the best part is that they actually work! We've been incredibly impressed by these machines -- we find ourselves staring like small children at the big monsters that gobble up piles and piles of snow!
Opera, Ballet and Performances of All Kinds: We were told that this is the best part of living in St. Petersburg, but it wasn't until we actually saw an opera at the Mariinsky (for about $15 a ticket, mind you) that we really understood what all the hype was about. These productions are amazing -- from the costumes to the choreography to the music. And they never last less than 3 hours! Matt's "entertainment cost/benefit" equation (he hates paying for anything that costs more than $10 per hour) is never, ever called into question. For example, when we went to the classical guitar concert this past weekend, our tickets were $2 each!
The Hermitage: This list would be glaringly incomplete without mentioning the Hermitage, which is a comfortable one-hour walk from our apartment. The art is among the most famous in the world and the palace itself is among the most beautiful in the world. (Think: Versailles with all the treasures of the Louvre inside!) We hope to visit many, many times while we're here, especially since it's free for students, like us. Yes, that's right, we don't have to pay even one cent to spend countless Saturday afternoons roaming around the galleries, taking in all of the Monets, Rembrandts and Picassos that we can stand!
Blini and Sirki: The high-fat Russian diet does have a few perks. Alyson loves the ubiquitous blini that you can find on every corner. Basically, they are paper-thin pancakes stuffed with whatever you'd like: cheese and mushrooms or chocolate and banana or even sweetened condensed milk (yum). Matt prefers sirki (singular: sirok), which are miniature rolled cheesecakes, sometimes stuffed with caramel or some other treat, then covered in chocolate. Vendors sell them on the street for a ridiculously cheap 5 rubles (about 20 cents).
The Metro: We used to think that the metro in Washington was awesome. But then we rode the metro here and we've come to love the fact that we never have to wait more than 3 minutes for the next train. More often than not, a train arrives in under a minute and a half! It's simply astonishing.
Snow Removal Devices: Even though the snow season is just getting underway, we've already seen a handful of snow removal devices. And the best part is that they actually work! We've been incredibly impressed by these machines -- we find ourselves staring like small children at the big monsters that gobble up piles and piles of snow!
Opera, Ballet and Performances of All Kinds: We were told that this is the best part of living in St. Petersburg, but it wasn't until we actually saw an opera at the Mariinsky (for about $15 a ticket, mind you) that we really understood what all the hype was about. These productions are amazing -- from the costumes to the choreography to the music. And they never last less than 3 hours! Matt's "entertainment cost/benefit" equation (he hates paying for anything that costs more than $10 per hour) is never, ever called into question. For example, when we went to the classical guitar concert this past weekend, our tickets were $2 each!
The Hermitage: This list would be glaringly incomplete without mentioning the Hermitage, which is a comfortable one-hour walk from our apartment. The art is among the most famous in the world and the palace itself is among the most beautiful in the world. (Think: Versailles with all the treasures of the Louvre inside!) We hope to visit many, many times while we're here, especially since it's free for students, like us. Yes, that's right, we don't have to pay even one cent to spend countless Saturday afternoons roaming around the galleries, taking in all of the Monets, Rembrandts and Picassos that we can stand!
posted by Alyson Fieldman at 2:10 PM
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