where's wolmut?: russia w/love

laurel as a matryoshka doll

just another military submarine cruising thru town

many parks and green spaces

the fabulous hermitage

the famous jordan staircase in the hermitage

more art than walls

hallways of the hermitage

emil says:

there are only 2 things that haven't changed in russia since i spent many a frigid night in moscow on a 6 month study abroad program: 1) most russians continue to be maniacally obsessed with all things that are gold-plated or ostentatious in any manner whatsoever, 2) most russians continue to disregard the commonly known benefits to oneself, and those around you, of deodorant. but that's about all that remains unchanged. a robust decade of growth has really reshaped the attitudes and the overall feeling of russia for the better. i must say st petersburg in the summer is quite a spot, with an emphasis on 'in the summer'. laurel is obsessing over the place and i am trying to remind her that she should come to moscow in january to get a real taste of russian pain and duress. there is a reason the world's greatest literature comes from this part of the world, and it's not because of the warm happy summer days that laurel and i experienced. summer in st petersburg is an explosively celebratory time of year. everyone is out enjoying the 20+ hours of daylight, the abundant public parks are teeming with folks, the grande nesky prospekt boulevard is about as close to the champs elysees and park avenue as one can hope for in russia, and there is just a brimming confidence and excitement that comes with economic prosperity which they have experienced in recent times. the soviet union may have been tough on the masses with a lack of creature comforts for so long but the state did provide culture to one and all and nowhere is that more obvious than at the bountiful, and cheap to enter, museums, ballets, symphonies, etc. they take their art seriously in russia. ballet is closer to religion than dance. but it's the accessibility that is so breathtaking. try taking a family of 4 to the ballet in nyc or sf and one quickly recognizes art is not accessible when tickets are $100+ a head. in russia the ticket prices start at $3. the arts are just a glorious part of the culture here. it was fun to be here and see the changes and even more fun to be here with my wife who just could not get enough of it.

palace square

kazan cathedral along nevsky prospekt

canals of st pete

our box at the ballet

laurel's dream job

no black swans in this group

final bow

post ballet stroll

laurel says:

even though i had to drag emil back to russia, kicking and screaming, (i guess after living in moscow for 6 months and having a run in with the russian maffia, i can see why he was opposed to being 'back in the ussr') saint petersburg was an absolutely a-mazing stop and one of the top highlights of the entire trip. the hermitage alone would be worth the journey. it is hard to tell what is more dazzling- the art or the glorious palace within which it is displayed. from gorgeous marble staircases to striking gold chandeliers, oppulence abounds- those czars really knew how to live (until that whole commie thing). and the collection of art that catherine the great amassed rivals that of anywhere in the world. a top 5 museum on earth. and the culture-fest continued that night when we attended the famed mikhailovsky ballet to see the season finale performance of don quitoxe. we were fortunate to scalp some tickets outside from a 300 pound woman named svetlana. (i can only hope she used the proceeds from the ticket sale to buy some deodorant). the ballet was beyond anything i have ever experienced. the male lead from the bolshoi was guest starring that night and i am pretty sure his quads were the size of my torso. they danced their tutus off for 3 hours! and then performed an encore for the raving crowd that would not let them leave the stage even after their 7th standing ovation curtain call! it was a deeply moving and powerful performance. afterwards we strolled to dinner at 11pm in the glow of the white night. the other big highlight was the church of the spilled blood, which had been painstakingly restored for 27 years and recently re-opened. floor to ceiling mosiacs in a kaliedescope of colors- it is like candyland with a jc theme. i was blown away by the beauty of saint petersburg and am already plotting a return trip to russia to hit moscow one day. from russia, with love!