Ella’s Pусский Россия блог

When we arrived in Russia, we exchanged the use of the name ‘Aba’ with not being allowed to hug or kiss Troy because of anti-gay-ism(?). Harumph… We drove to the airport in a taxi in the morning for an hour before realizing that the driver had taken us to the wrong airport, then drove another two hours the other way to our airport. At security, I finally met a reasonable security guard! He found my scissors (the ones the Ethiopian lady missed) but, after realizing they were for a 14-year-old’s crafts and some pleading, let me keep them. How nice! I read on the plane and everything went smoothly until immigration in Moscow. There, Aba, Asher, and I got detained for an hour for who knows why. We seriously sat on the floor in an enclosure until they took pictures of us, we waited some more, and then left. Oh, and I want to mention that we were treated to the best luxury upon arrival; an airplane sleeve! We’ve been on so many flights with buses to the terminal that I can’t even believe it happened! Our cab driver was nice and even bought us ice cream (side note; gas station Russian ice cream is delish. It is dark chocolate flavored and is filled in all the way to the bottom of the cone!) That is, he was nice until we realized at the hotel that he’d scammed us for $70 USD. Merrill arrived in the evening and we went out to a Georgian restaurant with Russian food. There, I ate (heavenly) Borsch! It drizzled a bit on the way back to the hotel. The next day, we did quite a bit! We started off walking the streets of Moscow and seeing the GUM mall and Saint Basil’s Cathedral in the Red Square.

We also passed by Lenin’s Mausoleum, the State Historical Museum, and the Spasskaya Tower there.

After lunch and some more walking, we had a tour inside the Kremlin of the Palace. This was very special and rare, truly exceptional, as very few people are allowed to go inside of the palace (which is still in operation). It was magnificent. There were many ornate rooms, and because we weren’t allowed many photographs I’ve attached some from the web.

Aba doesn’t think everything was authentic and real (such as the supposed gold-leaf), but I try to imagine how the palace was in the time of the Tzars. While we had waited to enter, we talked with a French lady who was looking for her group. I felt bad because we couldn’t help (and I was the only one who could converse with her), so I hope she found them. Another small note is that the people in our tour group were so annoying! They just irked me… Upon exiting we saw the Ivan the Great Bell Tower with the heaviest bell in the world! We ate dinner at the same place and I had Borsch and Beef Stroganoff. Ням-ням! The next day I had the same thing for dinner (though at a different restaurant) but had a very fun day. It started off with us standing in the surprisingly short line to see the embalmed body of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, or Lenin, in his mausoleum. Normally we might not have done this as all of us except Merrill had seen the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, but there is a huge controversy about whether or not to bury Lenin and we decided to see him before they did; the rumors say they will try to persuade Putin by April 22, Lenin’s birthday. His body did not look as real as Ho Chi Minh’s, actually, but in fact looked quite waxy. We spent the rest of the long morning trying to locate Izmailovsky Market; walking, using the subway, and braving filthy public toilets. After lunch in a local restaurant (see how far away we got from the heart of Moscow?) in the late afternoon, we finally took a cab to the market, the Flea Market! Now, you may know how much I love antiques and thrifting, so I was quite excited. I wish we could’ve stayed there longer, but there was only one booth that really caught my eye. The items for sale actually weren’t vintage, but they were beautiful. They were little carvings of figures made from mammoth ivory (don’t judge!). One that was especially intriguing was a little skull with bright bright blue eyes, but they were all expensive. Aba, Troy, and Merrill all bought stuff at this extensive market and we wanted to go to another Flea Market or the same one the next day. My wish was fulfilled! In the morning, we returned to the Izmailovsky Market and spent a lot of time there. There were a few things that Aba wanted t get, but we only bought photographs for Troy’s collections. Still, I had a lot of fun just browsing. The driver of our cab ride to the next destination was very funny. He asked where we were from and when we said the USA he laughed and shook hands with Aba with a large grin! All the people here have been so sweet. Afterward, we went to Gorky Park! We picnicked on the benches and walked for hours along the river.

Then, we relaxed and Asher and I played a game of Truth or Dare. We went to dinner after that at an amazing restaurant called Mushrooms. It was recommended to Aba and Toy by a Russian they had met here! I liked it so much that after eating my porcini risotto with parmesan mouse I even ordered another one! The number is (+7-495-995-24-77 or +7-495-995-24-78) if anyone visits Moscow. We returned to the Red Square after dinner to see it at night and it retained, and almost amplified, the beauty of its structures. We woke in the morning and went out for breakfast again. I ate three blinis, basically delicious and buttery Russian crepes, which Ria (Oran’s super awesome girlfriend) recommended to us. Merrill went to the airport because Aba accidentally told her the wrong time to buy a ticket while we went to the train station and embarked on a five-hour bullet train. The views were very scenic with vivid wildflowers dispersed along the grass-covered tracks and small villages and towns nearby. Upon arriving for the first time in Saint Petersburg, we settled in the hotel and went out for dinner with Merrill, who we met up with. I had more Borsch and Beef Stroganoff, though the Stroganoff was the first meal I’ve had in Russia that wasn’t sublime. The next morning was started wonderfully, as we ate breakfast at a famous old Pyshka/Ponchik place. They are basically Russian Beignet-donuts and are delicious. No one was in the place and it was pretty bare-boned, so it was a very nice experience.

We took a boat to Peterhof palace where it drizzled and eventually poured so we had to buy cheap umbrellas. Unlike Moscow, Petersburg is swarming with tourists. A bit of a note about that; I usually try not to be racist or generalize about certain peoples, but the Chinese tourists all over the world are just insane! One of my best friends is Chinese, but the ones traveling are loud and obnoxious and pushy and impolite as they travel in packs and hordes. Therefore when some overly dramatic music started playing as the garden fountains were turned on we could hardly see through the mainly Chinese crowd (no offense). The palace and statues surrounding it were surprisingly Greek-looking, as was the fountain structure itself.

After that, we switched around our plans because of the rain and went to The Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, or the Church on Spilled Blood, called so because it was in honor of Alexander II’s fatally successful assassination attempt at the spot. The icons inside were all intricate mosaics, so I thought it looked lovely.

After lunch at an Israeli restaurant, we returned to the hotel. On the way there, we paused while Aba went into a store and I noticed a woman drop a 10 ruble coin. I quickly picked it up and offered it to her but she refused to take it (Troy thinks she thought I was trying to trick her while someone else robs her, as apparently, that is a common Russian scam). Obviously, I wasn’t trying to trick her, so I was confused by her reaction. Then, when a grinning man came and held out his hand for the coin, I gave it to him thinking I had mistaken who had dropped it and being a bit flustered. The woman started screaming at him and took it away from him, kindly giving it back to me with a smile. Later, at a toy store and I bought the coolest paper dolls. ___…____,

then we stopped at a candy store that we thought was another toy store with a self-playing piano. I had never seen one before, so I thought it rocked. After (a better) dinner where everyone may have seen a boy get punched by his dad and have a nosebleed while I was in the bathroom, I didn’t feel well so Asher, Troy, and I left early. There was only one other person in the elevator on the way down, but when I threw up by Borsch and salmon in the lobby he very sweetly told us to continue on and that he would take care of it. I didn’t last very long until I threw up again. And again. And again. And again and again and again and again. Etc. The street became very pink… After that was over with, we went back to the hotel and I slept. I’d like to start the next day’s section with a quote from our guide to the Catherine Palace, who said that the Chinese tourists are like a swarm of bees or wasps. It was much like the Kremlin soI won’t go into detail about it, but I thought that the Amber Room was phenomenal. The entire room was decorated with amber, including the walls, and though pictures weren’t allowed, Merrill got some anyway.

After the tour, we went to St. Isaac’s Cathedral and climbed the roughly 300 stairs for the wonderful panoramic views of the city. We also ate the Russian donuts, but now the place was packed.