Russia Trip Diary - Part 1

Russia Trip Diary - Part 1

After the Indigenous People exam I felt like I really needed a break from Copenhagen and studying for a while, so my trip to Russia was timed well. I submitted my exam at 2am Thursday morning and was due at Copenhagen Airport for 7am Friday. This gave me enough time to relax after the exam and prepare my bag for the next day. Full of excitement about the trip I packed happily getting ready for what was ahead of me. I didn’t have a full programme for the trip, I had something for each day but I also had a lot of free time to explore two major cities of a country I’ve heard so much about and at one point studied.

Day One – 9th October 2009

The beginning of the trip had its own stories. Because I am not used to waking up early on Erasmus, I decided to stay awake Thursday night and get to the Airport early. I live in a place called Emdrup in Copenhagen which is about 8km from the centre of the City and the Airport is located on the other side of the city completely which meant that I would have to leave earlier than many of the others.

I decided to leave my room at 5am and walked the short journey to the S-train station (part of the City’s internal transport network). I was way too early! The first train of the day arrived at my stop at about 5:45am. Rather than going back to my room that I had already said farewell to for a week and a bit, I decided to wait at the station. I was wrapped up well in my multiple jumpers and trench coat so the cold did not bother me. The only thing that did bother me was the question of whether my crinkled kilpperkort (a card that you get a machine to stamp to get on the train legally) would work.

The train arrived on time and so I began my journey to Russia. I stayed on the train until the Central Station. I didn’t want to risk the Metro system not working at this time to get off at Norreport. As soon as I got off the train I checked the board and found the next train to Kastrup Airport which was to leave in 5 minutes. I quickly moved to the platform and sat amongst the tourists on the train to the airport.

I reached the airport at 6:30am, half an hour before we were due to meet outside the Metro entrance of the airport. So I waited there and took on the role of the welcoming committee for the other soon-to-be travellers. This is when I met E who I would continue to bug for the whole trip. We chatted about the lack of student societies in Copenhagen and our own involvement at our home universities. By 7:15am everyone was accounted for and we were distributed our travel papers and told to meet outside our gate for 9:30am.

The plane journey wasn’t too bad. I don’t get anxiety from flying so I was fine. I chatted to the people around me and read the International Herald Tribune.

As soon as we arrived in St. Petersburg we were greeted by the passport control people. I remember the encounter quite vividly due to the difference in approach the Russians have. We queued and when it got to my turn to enter the country I smiled and said hello to the passport control officer. I didn’t even get a hint of a smile from the lovely lady (I found out later that not smiling was part of Russian culture). I was surprised at this lack of greeting due to the warm welcome I received from the staff in Copenhagen.

After passing security we were put on a coach and taken to the Hotel, which later would be remembered as a paradise compared to Moscow. On the coach Mie and Anna, our guides, talked to us about Russian culture and some history which would put the Russian mindset into context. When we got to the hotel I was pleasantly surprised. The Hotel looked quite western in design; there was a bar, the reception desk and even a tourist information booth. We were allocated rooms in pairs and I shared a room with W who seemed a nice guy from the start. The room we were allocated was on the fifteenth floor so we took the elevator and unpacked.

A group of us then went exploring the surrounding area. After wandering around for a bit a few of us decided to go hunt for a supermarket so that we could get supplies. On the coach to the hotel we were told about one of the problems that St. Petersburg has, namely its water had some sort of bacteria living in it called the ‘St Petersburg Amoeba’. This aptly named thing would basically cause diarrhea and vomiting to anyone who drank tap water in St. Petersburg. This spurred many of us in getting a supply of bottled water as soon as we could.

At the supermarket I found something else that I missed since being in Copenhagen, Red Bull!! Red Bull is illegal in Denmark because they are worried about its negative effects. The negative effects on the body is no concern of mine though and I missed it :( So it was worth going to St. Petersburg just for that.)

At 7pm we had to meet in the lobby of the hotel so that we could go for a welcome dinner at a Danish owned restaurant in the centre of St. Petersburg called Cafe Jam. In order to get to the restaurant we had to use the Metro system for the first time, which used fairground-like coins. These coins gave you access to the metro system and after you got into the system you did not pay anything extra unlike in Copenhagen where the system is divided into zones. The Metro coins cost 20 roubles each (less than 50 pence).

The underground stations were well decorated, making it look like going into a lobby of a nice hotel rather than an underground rail network. The escalators were quite long going down in St. Petersburg, mostly due to the fact that the city was built on a swamp and so constructing the Metro required the builders to go underneath the swamp to build the metro system. Despite the nice surroundings of the stations the trains were like tins. At this point we saw the extent to which the non-smiling rule in Russian culture operates with all the natives looking as grumpy as each other.

When we finally got to the restaurant we handed in our coats and sat down. Whilst we ate the Danish owners told us about their experience in Russia and the problems of corruption with the authorities. After many free vodka shots and a few sips of cognac I was feeling sleepy so didn’t go to the jazz club later. We were two hours ahead of Copenhagen (three hours ahead of the UK) so I think I had a valid excuse to collapse as soon as I saw my bed.

Day Two – 10th October 2009

I got up at about 8am and had my shower fearful of the St. Petersburg Amoeba. The split second a drop touched my lips caused me to think of what was living inside the water. As time went by and with the realisation I haven’t died from showering yet I stopped thinking of the little living things in the water and enjoyed my shower.

After getting dressed I went down to breakfast. The hotel had a huge range of things on offer for breakfast. It was a buffet type continental breakfast in the normal European way. They even had scrambled eggs and bacon. I am not much of a breakfast eater so I was satisfied with my porridge and green teas for the time we stayed there, although in hindsight to the helpings in Moscow I should have pigged out whilst I had the chance!

At 9:45am we met up in the lobby for the day ahead and by 10am we were on the coach ready to do some sightseeing. We first went to see St. Isaac’s Cathedral which was huge in design and a magnificent building. Then we went to see the statue of Peter the Great, the Russian tsar that not only enjoyed collecting deformed foetuses but also built the city. The statue depicted him on a horse whose hoof was on the body of a snake which represented the church. It was built by another tsar who had the same ideas as Peter and who wished to continue the modernisation of Russia.

After seeing the Statue, we went to the Peter and Paul Fortress which was built to defend the City from attack. The Fortress was used to imprison political prisoners rather than defend the City as the army was situated around the area anyway due to the fact the City was then the capital of Russia. In the Fortress we saw Russian troops and I bought my Russian hat for 350 roubles (£7).

The tour finished at 2pm and I decided to go back to the hotel to rest because I was still recovering from the Indigenous exam. In the evening I made up for it by going out to the Russian club, Achtung Baby which was a really good night. I got to know more people in the group, spoke to a few Russians and danced the night away.

Day Three – 11th October 2009

Woke up at about 8:30am and had breakfast (still not taking advantage of the variety on offer). The Russians do not really know that much about working in the service industry. I asked a waitress where I could get a cup and I got the reply “What?! Over there”. I thought that was funny seeing as in most hotels in Western Europe would have had a different response to the one I just received.

We had the morning free to do as we wished so a few of us headed to the centre using the Metro. We had a closer look at St. Isaacs Cathedral and then we moved on to the Souvenir Fair where I bought a few presents and souvenirs for myself. Whilst at the Souvenir Fair I really enjoyed the bargaining with the stall owners I was able to get one price 100 roubles less than the asking price which I felt proud of myself for.

After the Souvenir Fair we went to a nearby cafe that served Russian food. The Cafe was called Cafe St. Petersburg so we knew it would be good. The interior design of the Cafe was really modern and compensated to some extent the small portions you get there.

At 2pm we all met outside the Hermitage Museum and had a tour of the museum and its exhibits which was really good. After the tour ended I walked around myself to have a closer look at a few paintings that took my interest such as one from Leonardo Da Vinci known as Madonna and the Child.

In the evening we went to the bar on the 18th floor of the hotel and enjoyed a few drinks with great company and a fantastic view of the City below.

Day Four – 12th October 2009

At 10am my group went on the walking tour “behind the facade” with a journalist called Paulina which aimed to show the group the other side of St. Petersburg that tourists do not see. We met Paulina at the Metro station and split into two groups for the tour. One group was with Paulina and the other group was led by Paulina’s sister. I was in Paulina’s group for the tour and she was full of knowledge about the history of the place in addition to the contemporary situation. She was fun to talk to and always willing to answer questions.

As the tour began we first walked nearby the Finnish embassy where we saw a long queue of people waiting. Paulina told us why these people were waiting for such a long time in the cold – for a visa to get into Finland (a member of the EU). The Finnish and Russian governments have an agreement that provides Russian citizens with the opportunity to easily get a Finnish visa which subsequently acts as a gateway to any of the EU countries due to free movement of peoples. For Russian citizens other EU countries, such as the UK, make it almost impossible for them to get a visa so Finland is used as a means to gain access to these countries.

After this interesting fact, we walked through the St. Petersburg closed off yards which act like an internal labyrinth of streets usually closed off by residents so that no one else can come in and perhaps cause problems such as burglary. Paulina told us that due to recent terrorist scares the yards have been locked more often than they once were so we were lucky to find an open one. Once in this labyrinth we were told about the housing situation in St. Petersburg which was typical of most Russian cities. As there is a lack of opportunities in rural areas many have moved to the cities causing a huge housing problem. We were also told that during Soviet times, apartments owned by the rich that had multiple rooms would be taken and a family would be put in each room of the ‘noble’ apartment. So a large apartment with 12 rooms, one kitchen and one toilet would be shared by 12 families! Even today the housing problem is so bad that a number of people still live in such conditions. Paulina told us to look at the contrast in the windows in the courtyard as well which highlighted the disparity in wealth that has occurred and the fact that so many people from different backgrounds remain to live in the same buildings. Some windows were double-glazed and modern looking whereas others looked like they have been there since the building was constructed. As it was cold that day this difference would have had a huge impact on the comfort the people living in these flats had.

After this we walked to a nearby doughnut shop which was more typical in Soviet times. As the housing condition was in the condition described above many did not invite others to their homes especially if they have had an argument with a family in another room. Instead males (mostly) met friends at such doughnut shops. One doughnut was 8 roubles (approx 20 pence) and reminded me of those that you get at fairs and theme parks that usually cost you £1 for a few.

When we were warmed up from the doughnuts we braved the snow once again and walked to a nearby indoor market where people could still bargain for their food. Paulina told us about the only Russian food that was original to Russia, namely pickled vegetables! Any vegetable you could think of was pickled and ready for sale. The stall owner gave use some to try and we bought some for later when we got to the bar but before we did that we went to look at a place that was established by Beatles fans which had the sign: “In The Name of JOHN LENNON The Temple of Love, Peace and Music”. The wall just next to the door was full of Beatles memorabilia and messages from fans, which I found quite odd to find in Russia.

After this we moved on to a bar that Paulina took us to where we had vodka shots with the pickled vegetables we bought and warmed up from the snow by having the soup the bar sold. I had the meat soup, which was quite weird as it had a slice of lemon and cheese in it alongside the meat. I still had it and it was really nice when compared to its peculiar look. I still wasn’t warm enough so I had a green tea whilst we waited for the second half of the group led by Paulina’s sister to join us.

After everyone had their vodka shots and soup we braved the snow and cold once again to get to the homeless shelter which was the second part of the tour. As the weather was so bad we took the bus. We said our thanks and goodbyes to Paulina and got on the bus to the nearest stop to the shelter. After we got off the bus we found ourselves in a place that resembled my stereotype of Russia, cold and full of concrete buildings (this was where my Facebook profile photo was taken).

When we got into the shelter we were taken to a classroom where we were given a talk by the shelter’s director who told us about the shelter and the homeless problem that St. Petersburg has. The shelter itself could only house 50 people and the authorities currently had no shelters of their own leaving the thousands of homeless (according to the 2002 census) in the cold of winter that I couldn’t stand for more than a few seconds.

Whilst we were having the talk about the homeless problem we were told about the internal passports that all Russian citizens must have on them all the time. These internal passports have the aim of controlling population movements so that people do not all move to the major cities, such as St. Petersburg and Moscow. These internal passports allow the holders state healthcare and other state benefits within their regions of origin. If a Russian citizen wishes to move to another area they must re-register there in three days of moving there otherwise they lose all state benefits. If you lose your internal passport then you can only get it renewed at your region of origin which could be thousands of miles away. You cannot buy a train ticket because you need your internal passport for this so you would be basically left with no options in the place where you found yourself. This is why there are so many homeless people in the major cities.

After a while of asking questions we finished at the shelter and moved back to the bus stop and subsequently the metro system to get back to the hotel. As soon as I got back to the hotel I took a long hot bath which was interrupted twice. First by E who asked whether I wanted to go to the bar on the 18th floor later – I replied I’ll be there in an hour whilst I was still dripping wet. The second time was randomly by a Russian woman who worked at the hotel and let herself into my room to give us our new towels. She knocked on the door of the bathroom which I replied “Hello. I’m in the bath!” She giggled then left which finally got me out of the Amoeba inhabited water. When I got out of the water I realised it was yellow! I knew that I hadn’t done anything I shouldn’t have in the water lol. So I wondered what the hell was going on. I then noticed a sign on the bathroom wall next to the mirror which stated in both Russian and English that there was a problem with the pipes leading to a discolouration of the water. We were told though that it wasn’t a health risk to which I sighed with relief.

After getting out of my discoloured bath, I got ready and then went upstairs to the bar where we spent most of the night all sure that we did not want to face the cold outside.