Trip Report, St. Petersburg

[Sohkay]

Al,
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Hope all is well.

Sohkay (And I'm sure, many others out here, too.)

[al-c]

I finally heard from Olga today.  She said that she was too busy partying to write to me.

Wow!  What a rough life!

Needless to say, this was the last straw with her.

As for my promised trip report, St Petersburg is an eclectic mix of the old and the new.  The old is generally unkept and dilapidated, with some notable exceptions such as the Hermitage and the Marinsky.  Most of the old is tenement buildings, where the non-monied people live.  Then literally, on the other side of the tracks (trolley tracks, that is) are gleaming new red brick or steel and glass high rise condominium projects for the "New Russians", those who have learned to take advantage of the business opportunities capitalism has brought the Russian economy.  These well monied Russians wear the Armani suits and drive the Mercedes and BMWs, while the non-monied take public transport.

The Marinsky Theater was fabulous, and I recommend it to anybody who goes there.  My ticket cost 1260 rubles, and Olga's was 800 rubles, a fraction of the cost of similar theater in New York.  For those of you who remember our earlier discussion on whether I should try to sneak in on a Russian citizen ticket, I could have.  Nobody ever looked at the ticket to determine if I had the right one.

The Hermitage is great if you like Russian art, but it has only that:  Russian art.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has art from the Roman, the Greeeks, the Aztecs, the Polynesians, the Africans, and from many other cultures.  The Hermitage has art from their own culture only.  I suppose this is a reflection of the two societies, New York being the most multicultured city in the world, and St. Petersburg being one of the most homogenous.

My stay at the Andersen Hotel was excellent.  Although it was only rated as 3 stars, the rooms were comfortable, the beds had nice firm mattresses, the place was clean, and the service was second to none.  My only complaint is that the air conditioning blew air, but not cold air.  We did not really need it since the weather was cool, but still the hotel should not advertise air conditioning when there is none.

Speaking about the weather, it was pristine every day, with temperatures of 60 to 65 by day and 45 to 50 by night.  Twice it topped 70, once going as high as 75.  The sky was deep blue, with not one drop of rain ever.

I flew there on Finnair, an excellent airline with new comfortable planes and pretty decent food.  I would not hesitate to recommend Finnair to anybody.  Security at the St. Pete airport was tight, as expected, with pat down searches of passengers and x-ray screening of all baggage, although no hand searching of baggage like I saw last year in Moscow.  It was not perfect though.  I mistakenly had a screwdriver in my hand luggage which they missed but which security in Helsinki found.

Another attraction I recommend is the Circus on the Water, a nicely done knock-off of Circus Ole from Las Vegas.

The city is not one to be attempted alone withouta guide if you don't speak Russian.  I found English at the souvenir shop, not surprisingly since their customer base is foreigners, and I also found it at the airport and at the hotel check in desk.  But elsewhere, it is non existent, such that you couild not order a meal at a restaurant without knowledge of the Russian language.  I felt like an illiterate having to order lunch from McDonalds off of a picture menu.

Thank you all for keeping me grounded with Olga.  Although the final decision was mine, you made it easier for me to get there with your help.

Until next year . . . . . . . . .


Curtain call at the Marinsky:

[Muj]

Al-C,

AJ states many valid points.  I think you should progress a few steps to create a more successful trip.  Your previous trips have been successful as you met interesting women, learn more of the culture, and travel to interesting parts of the world.  First, you may consider to continue writing Olga.  You may also discuss some of your differences with her.  This may never result in a marriage, but you may learn more of yourself and maybe why she reacts as you say.  Possibly you may have a clearer idea or she will also.  Maybe she becomes a friend in St. Petersburg who can help you further.  If she refuses to discuss or even act friendly, well, then, obvious.  Also if you plan to write prior and meet then write to more then one woman and be honest on it.  Contact a reputable agency, i used afa, if you find your meetings unsatisfactory to meet further prospects.  Many good woman may find meeting in person preferable to months of writing.

[Sohkay]

Whew!!!

[wiz]

Al-c

With due respect but in my view I would put this trip down to experience and forget about OLGA and start with a new clean Slade.

Personally I always have a plan B in my pocket whenever I travel there and if things don't go well with my first meeting then I move on to second one.

In my view, a woman who does not make the effort to spend as much time she can, while you are there and have travelled 1000's miles to meet her, is not worth going for her anymore and I drop her like a tone of bricks.

I noticed from your report that nothing much has changed in the city of ST. Petersburg since I was there in 2004.

The woman I met there she was with me all the time from meeting at the airport on arrival till my return flight home. We did not match, because she wanted to have children and I didn't, but she was a good billingual guide and good entertainer..........

Good luck

[jb]

Hotdamn~!  I was afraid we might have another Photoguy thingy going on here.

Good move on your part Al, sometimes you just have to cut your losses and move on.  I know you had a tremendous emotional investment in this woman, Olga, however it seems she was not meant for you.  In the long run you are much better off without her.  Believe me when I say this, there is a match out there somewhere, and with due diligence you will find her, and she may or may not be Russian, but she will be right for you.  The important thing is, you cannot try to force a round peg into the square hole.

I'm glad you recognize that

[Shadow]

Al, even if it did not work out with Olga, good to have you back with both feet on the ground. Remeber that September trip you might be able to sneak in ? Keep it in the back of your mind. And don't forget to stay around here, it will help you know what to do on the next occasion.

[Captmonk1]

The Hermitage is great if you like Russian art, but it has only that:  Russian art.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has art from the Roman, the Greeeks, the Aztecs, the Polynesians, the Africans, and from many other cultures.  The Hermitage has art from their own culture only.  I suppose this is a reflection of the two societies, New York being the most multicultured city in the world, and St. Petersburg being one of the most homogenous.

The city is not one to be attempted alone withouta guide if you don't speak Russian.  I found English at the souvenir shop, not surprisingly since their customer base is foreigners, and I also found it at the airport and at the hotel check in desk.  But elsewhere, it is non existent, such that you couild not order a meal at a restaurant without knowledge of the Russian language.  I felt like an illiterate having to order lunch from McDonalds off of a picture menu.

Nice report AL. Sorry it didn't work out! I did find the above a little strange though. The Hermitage I went to had a ton of Art from outside the Russian culture including a lot of the most famous stuff in the world.

Also, every single place I went to eat on Nevsky had an English Menu...in fact...I looked so Non-Russian apparently...that they would hand it to me without me saying a word!    I didn't get much out of the downtown area though.

Brad

[al-c]

I guess that means two things:  First, maybe I didn't see much of the Hermitage, which is not surprising since it is so damn huge, and second, I didn't spend too much of my time on Nevsky Prospect, whcih appears to be the more tourist friendly area.  My hotel was by the Petrograskia Metro station, where English is about as familiar to the people as Martian.

Should I ever return to SPB, I will be certain to look for accomodations on Nevsky Prospoect.  The Andersen Hotel was Olga's recommendation.

I have already returned to the drawing board and have begun writing to other women.