HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! Ryan and I wanted to send you our love and hope you have a wonderful and relaxing birthday!
Today is the start of our third week in Russia. Ryan and I have officially been in St. Petersburg for 18 days and have made it to June! Like all the other weeks, this last week was extremely busy for us! Last Wednesday we spent the entire day walking around the grounds at Pavlovsk. Catherine II gave roughly a 1000 acres of land to her son, Paul, as a gift for the birth of his first son. We spent some time touring the palace and then spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the gardens and forest surrounding it. It was beautiful to say the least! We then spent that evening taking in the elegant musical talent of Tchaikovsky from the Philharmonic Symphony.
Saturday we took a three hour bus ride to the city of Novgorod, one of the oldest cities in Russia. The bus ride was interesting for us as the Russians do not seem to have the same ridged rules of the road as we do in the states, or at least they don't follow them. Our driver was swerving in and out of his lane for a good portion of the three hour bus ride to try to avoid hitting the pot holes. On any other day I would have thanked him for trying to make our ride more comfortable, however I happened to already have a really weak and nauseous stomach. The day before we ate at an Italian restaurant for lunch and I got sick from the food, not a pleasant experience. Upon arriving we went to the Yuriev Monastery, Sophia Cathedral, Museum of Wooden Architecture and then had a catered lunch in the Novgorod Kremlin. Novgorod is particularly special as it is one of the only remaining cities from the ancient Russian time before the Mongol invasion. At the Museum of Wooden Architecture, there were many different local vendors selling speciality souvenirs made from birch bark. Ryan and I bought a unique painting of the Sophia Cathedral that was done on a piece of birch bark, very cool!
Sunday was one of my favorite days here! We spent almost two hours on a private canal tour of St. Peterburg. Much of the city is best viewed from the water. We then spent the after non watching an Operetta, a comedic opera. Ryan and I had front row seats which were great for the view but made us a little nervous. Some of the actors were sitting in the seats next to us and at times would start to join the performance...we were afraid they would pull us up on stage and ask us to participate, and with having little experience with the language we did not want our only line to be "I speak very little Russian." Had we understood everything they were saying, I bet it would have been a lot funnier, but we still got a few good laughs out of it.
Today is the start of our third week in Russia. Ryan and I have officially been in St. Petersburg for 18 days and have made it to June! Like all the other weeks, this last week was extremely busy for us! Last Wednesday we spent the entire day walking around the grounds at Pavlovsk. Catherine II gave roughly a 1000 acres of land to her son, Paul, as a gift for the birth of his first son. We spent some time touring the palace and then spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the gardens and forest surrounding it. It was beautiful to say the least! We then spent that evening taking in the elegant musical talent of Tchaikovsky from the Philharmonic Symphony.
Saturday we took a three hour bus ride to the city of Novgorod, one of the oldest cities in Russia. The bus ride was interesting for us as the Russians do not seem to have the same ridged rules of the road as we do in the states, or at least they don't follow them. Our driver was swerving in and out of his lane for a good portion of the three hour bus ride to try to avoid hitting the pot holes. On any other day I would have thanked him for trying to make our ride more comfortable, however I happened to already have a really weak and nauseous stomach. The day before we ate at an Italian restaurant for lunch and I got sick from the food, not a pleasant experience. Upon arriving we went to the Yuriev Monastery, Sophia Cathedral, Museum of Wooden Architecture and then had a catered lunch in the Novgorod Kremlin. Novgorod is particularly special as it is one of the only remaining cities from the ancient Russian time before the Mongol invasion. At the Museum of Wooden Architecture, there were many different local vendors selling speciality souvenirs made from birch bark. Ryan and I bought a unique painting of the Sophia Cathedral that was done on a piece of birch bark, very cool!
Sunday was one of my favorite days here! We spent almost two hours on a private canal tour of St. Peterburg. Much of the city is best viewed from the water. We then spent the after non watching an Operetta, a comedic opera. Ryan and I had front row seats which were great for the view but made us a little nervous. Some of the actors were sitting in the seats next to us and at times would start to join the performance...we were afraid they would pull us up on stage and ask us to participate, and with having little experience with the language we did not want our only line to be "I speak very little Russian." Had we understood everything they were saying, I bet it would have been a lot funnier, but we still got a few good laughs out of it.
I read your blog everyday, even if there aren't any updates. I am happy you are keeping so busy and seemingly having so much fun. I am sure it's chaotic, and a little bit too hustle-bustle, but it will be well worth it in the end. I miss you so much. I almost don't want you to come back again though cuz I will get spoiled with your presence and then have it taken away again... Sigh. Anyhow, just wanted you to know I read this daily, and think of you daily, and send you positive thoughts and vibes, daily. XOXOXO!!!! Be safe, and learn lots!
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