Round Two: Saint Petersburg

[dogspot]

Sure it is easy to buy the cheaper tickets at the kasa . . . but it is the later 'ticket taker' at the entrance that can make the call to turn away the foreigner with the cheaper Russian ticket.

Nowadays, the 'ticket taker' at most of these places is a machine with a turnstile that reads a bar code on the ticket, similar to those at metro stations. I don't think these machines are adept at determining whether the guest is a foreigner or resident.

[dogspot]

Really Lily?  Someone needs to inform the management of The Hermitage, The Russian Museum, The Museum of Artillery, Enginering and Signal Corps, The museums at the Peter and Paul Fortress, The Marinsky Theater, The Little Hermitage Theater, The Science Museum, Kuntskamera, The Church on Spilled Blood and a few others that slip my mind right now....

Perhaps it's against the law everywhere except for Moscow and St. Pete. These price differences are clearly posted at every museum I have been to in either city.

[dogspot]

Day 9

After falling asleep rather late last night, and the rain falling outside, today was a good day to sleep in. We rose around 11 and got ready for our day. We had no plans for the day so we decided to just go with the flow and see where our feet take us.

While walking alone the night before I noticed a little bistro on the corner of Nevsky and Vladimirovskaya that had a line out the door. I entered to see if there was a place for me to sit and read but all the tables were full. I decided to wait until the next morning and visit this little place with Elena in the morning.

So morning came and we headed over to this little place, which is located just a block from my apartment. I ordered some sweet baked goods, meat pie and a cup of coffee. Elena did the same. We were very impressed and discovered why this place is so popular.

We walked down Nevsky toward The Winter Palace and I got carried away telling stories about my youth. Elena just loves when I start spinning yarns so I try my best to keep her entertained while on these long walks. We reached the end of Nevsky, at the edge of the Neva, and decided to visit both the museum and colonnade at Saint Isaac’s Cathedral.

The inside of the cathedral, the museum part, was absolutely gorgeous. Elena had been there on a prior visit and was able to give me my own personal tour.

The colonnade was very impressive, as well. It was so cool to be atop one of the larger structures in Piter with the ability to see the entire city for miles in every direction. We snapped many photos from up there and stayed for quite a while, despite the cold wind that was blowing that afternoon. The chilly temperatures also provided us the opportunity to snuggle close for much of our time up there.

We made our way down the spiral staircase from the colonnade to the street below and walked around the courtyard a bit. It was cold and my ankle was aching but pleasant to be in the company of such a fabulous young lady. I didn’t complain but she could see from my limp that I was ailing. Her idea was to go see a film and rest in the warmth of her favorite theater.

Unfortunately, there were no good films showing in English so or walk to the theater was for naught. She apologized to me for making me walk while in pain for no reason. I explained to her that there was no reason to apologize. I was having the time of my life, regardless of the pain I was experiencing.

We made it back to my apartment and had a good rest together. We snuggled up and “rested” for a couple hours. After this we decided to walk down Vladimirskaya to an Azerbaijani restaurant that I noticed on the way home from the Philharmonic a few nights ago. Alas, the restaurant was gone. It disappeared like so many other places of interest in this great city; So much for my great memory and sense of direction.

We elected to instead dine in a Ukrainian restaurant that was in the same area as the supposed Azerbaijani restaurant. The atmosphere in this place was old, traditional Ukrainian with servers wearing traditional attire and décor to fit the mood of another time and place. The restaurant was located below ground and had the feel of being in some sort of old dwelling for dwarves or hobbits. I was further impressed when, after our cold piva was served by our very polite waiter, a group of musicians: a guy on an accordion, a guy playing a balalaika, and two lovely young ladies singing traditional Russian folk songs, began performing throughout the restaurant. Elena remarked that when she was a child she belonged to an after school program in Novosib where they learned many of these songs and dressed up in similar garb. These stories made me smile.

For dinner I enjoyed a very tasty pork sausage dish (that I knew I would later regret) and Elena had something like Pelmini. It was a delightful dinner as we were both in good spirits, having a great time together, laughing and enjoying the great atmosphere and service at this charming little restaurant.

We walked home in the rain (I would like to say we were skipping but due to my injured ankle, skipping was out of the question). Regardless, it felt like we were skipping as we continued to laugh and carry our good spirits home from the restaurant.

Arriving back to “our” flat, we both washed up and changed into our pajamas. We snuggled up on the sofa and began to watch another favorite film of mine “The Maltese Falcon”. I fell asleep during the first 20 minutes but Elena continued to watch. About half way through she woke me with a shower of kisses and said “let’s go to bed.”

I will spare the details of our night of sleep except to say that the Ukrainian sausage did not agree with me, as I knew it wouldn’t, and I was awakened a couple times during the night. But it was still one of the more pleasant nights of sleep I have had in a long time. It’s amazing what snuggling with the warmth of a beautiful young Siberian lady can do for a man’s soul. I sleep so well these days.

[Mars]

But it was still one of the more pleasant nights of sleep I have had in a long time. It’s amazing what snuggling with the warmth of a beautiful young Siberian lady can do for a man’s soul. I sleep so well these days.

Actually a beautiful and new woman in my bed has just the opposite effect on me.  I can hardly sleep at all, even after satiation.

[Taz]

Sounds like things are going great. I hope the trend continues.

As for Siberian women, I'll have always have a soft spot for them. My first true RW love was with a lovely woman from Siberia... We spent a lot of time in Piter as well. Heck, we spent a lot of time everywhere together.  

How can you keep the days straight? After about the first few days I totally lose track of time and the next thing I know my trip is over and I am coming home. Even when I was working in Russia it seemed like just a few minutes and I was on a plane leaving SVO.

[RussianWind]

It is against the law to charge different prices for the same service for locals and foreigners. Perhaps visitors can file a complaint.

I have to disappoint you. This is not illegal. They do not set prices as different, they say it is a reduction for Russian citizens, like children also have a reduction. They mean that the State pays the rest part for us. Actually this is the truth, they get support with the State money.

Ukrainians for example would be also foreigners but how can they find it out when they speak purely buying tickets  But I saw a kassier didn't want to accept an Ukrainian student card saying it was a foreign country.

Believe or not but I also paid higher price as a foreigner to visit a castle in Scotland.

Phil dAmore what do you do in St. Petersburg? Don't you write for the St. Petersburg Times by any chance? 

[OlgaH]

We finally arrived at the museum and had only one hour to spend inside. Elena tried to purchase two tickets for Russian citizens but the lady charged her for one foreigner. I am convinced that these ticket agents are trained to spot tourists by simply looking at them.

When Robert and I were in St. Petersburg in 2006 we went to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. There were two ticket kiosks near the church: one for Russians and other for foreigners. I bought two Russian tickets and asked Robert not to talk. Robert was dressed as any Russian man would be dressed. When I gave our tickets to a woman at the church entrance she looked at Robert and said "He is not a Russian"... and we had to exchange one of the tickets of course with additional payment.   

[Phil dAmore]

Phil dAmore what do you do in St. Petersburg? Don't you write for the St. Petersburg Times by any chance?

Not do. Did.  I was an English teacher and owned a small flower and gift delivery service.

No, never wrote for the St. Pete Times.   Read it plenty, though!!!

[Faux Pas]

When Robert and I were in St. Petersburg in 2006 we went to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. There were two ticket kiosks near the church: one for Russians and other for foreigners. I bought two Russian tickets and asked Robert not to talk. Robert was dressed as any Russian man would be dressed. When I gave our tickets to a woman at the church entrance she looked at Robert and said "He is not a Russian"... and we had to exchange one of the tickets of course with additional payment.   

I had the exact same thing in the same manner happen to me at the Church. She bought the ticket at the kiosk as I stayed away not opening my mouth and the lady the entrance said something I didn't understand and pointed back to the kiosk and I had to get a foreigner ticket. That was the one and only time we tried that. I told my friend it wasn't worth the hassle. I do think I should have gotten some kind of bulk discount. I must have tranced through every museum in Piter paying the foreigner price

[OlgaH]

I must have tranced through every museum in Piter paying the foreigner price

As I remember we were lucky only at the Russian Museum with our Russian tickets, nobody say nothing, and we had free tickets at the Central Navy Museum as Robert knew a guide from his previous travel to Russia with his uncles and she was very glad to see us. Ah, sweet memories of our St. Petersburg romance  Thanks dogspot.  Hello Phil      

[dogspot]

Day 10

I slept almost 11 hours last night. I guess I was tired. Luckily, my stomach wasn’t bothering me and I woke up refreshed and ready to enjoy another day in Piter.
After our usual routine of getting ready (10 minutes for me, 1 hour for her) we made our way over to eat in the same little café as yesterday. This time I ordered an éclair instead of meat pie, as well as another boysenberry cake to go along with my cocoa. Elena ordered some kind of layered potato and cream cheese dish that was absolutely delicious.

We again had no plans for the day but Elena needed to go to Lana’s flat to change clothes. I told her I wanted to accompany her and she was glad. We hopped on the metro at Mayakovskaya and rode it out to Akademcheskaya. I was having a difficult time walking again but didn’t mention it much to Elena. I did ask to walk slower and she began to show me sympathy. I wanted none of this and joked about it instead. We walked slowly and laughed about me being an “old man” of 37 who needed assistance walking around the city (I just love this gal).

We stopped off at a hardware store by the metro station at Akademcheskaya to purchase a new electrical outlet to replace the old one at Lana’s that they both felt was ugly. Elena has experience with changing these as she just completed, with the help of a few friends, restoring a flat she bought in Novosibirsk earlier in the year.

We arrived at Lana’s flat and Elena asked me if we were in a hurry. I said “no way, as long as I am with you I am happy”. It was the truth. She wanted to change the outlet for Lana and asked for enough time to do this. I offered my assistance but she declined. This project was hers and she wasn’t about to accept any help from a man. I simply sat and drank my tea and admired her as she completed what she set out to accomplish. I was very proud of her and complimented her on her work.

We sat and enjoyed an early dinner of homemade borsch and piva. Lana’s borsch was incredible. I think I could eat this every day.

We left Lana’s flat and as we were walking, Elena received a call from Lana. The call ended and Elena told me that Lana was upset that she was not spending enough time with her. I felt bad and told her that she should spend some time with her this evening. She said “No way. I will soon be living in Peter and will see her all the time. I will not see you so much.” I was glad but also concerned with the jealousy that her friend was displaying. The last thing I want is a good friend being jealous of me.

We stopped by the supermarket and purchased some snacks for the evening.
We arrived to our flat and Elena changed into more comfortable clothes. We decided to resume the film from the previous night. After completion of this film we went into the kitchen and made ourselves ice cream sundaes. Elena sliced up a banana and grated at chocolate bar onto vanilla ice cream for both of us. We started another movie, “Donnie Darko” and enjoyed our ice cream together.

I felt this evening we were spending another evening together “at home”. I could definitely get used to this life. Unfortunately, I have to block out the idea that enters my mind every so often that we will soon be 6000 miles apart for who knows how long. It’s the reality of international dating but I can’t say I would have it any other way.

[dogspot]

How can you keep the days straight? After about the first few days I totally lose track of time and the next thing I know my trip is over and I am coming home. Even when I was working in Russia it seemed like just a few minutes and I was on a plane leaving SVO.

That's a good question. I have been jotting down notes every evening and writing the following morning when everything is still fresh. Sometimes I don't have time to write, but just writing down a few key words about our day will usually make everything clear when I find the time to write. Luckily Elena takes very long showers every morning and spends a good amount of time getting ready. This gives me some personal time to catch up on this here report.

I hear you about time flying by. I have less than 24 hours left here and will likely have to finish this report on the plane tomorrow. I hate leaving...

[dogspot]

Day 11

We started out the day by walking around in search of a new café. We walked up and down a few different streets in the center and peaked our heads into a few places but we weren’t able to find a place that had what we were looking for. We both wanted a place that served good coffee and Russian style breakfast. Our search led us back to Nevsky and our “usual” little café.

After breakfast we walked down Nevsky and enjoyed conversation and people watching. There is a cathedral on Nevsky whose name eludes me that we stepped into. Neither of us are religious but the warmth and reverence inside this place was comforting. We didn’t stay long but enough to leave with a happy feeling inside.

We walked Elena to the metro station so she could travel back to Lana’s flat to retrieve the opera tickets for the evening’s performance at Mariinsky. I went back to my flat to relax a bit. I sat and drank piva and emailed friends. The next thing I knew, Elena was calling me to meet her back at the metro station.

We had 1 ½ hours to get to the theater from Mayakovsky station. We could have taken the metro or a bus or a taxi, but Elena always prefers to walk. I enjoy our walks so I agreed to walk the long distance to the theater. As we walked, Elena was happy to inform me that she spoke with Lana and she was not mad about her spending all her time with me. I was relieved. She said that Lana is quick to forget about such emotions and that is one of the reasons she loves her so much. She is not a woman to stay angry or hold a grudge.

Our walk was pleasant as we followed the canal through that part of the city where the Mariinsky Theater resides. We arrived with about 10 minutes to spare and had just enough time to check our coats and find our seats.

We had excellent seats for the performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The acoustics in The Mariinsky are perfect and the sound amazing. I was quite impressed by the performances by all the characters and musicians, particularly the role of Papageno. It was my first visit to the opera but certainly not my last.

After the performance we stuck around and had some photos taken around the theater. This was Elena’s idea and I was delighted that she wanted to have so many photos taken with me. As we posed for photos, she held her body so close to mine as if to show the camera that are truly one.

On the way home we stopped off at Il Patio for dinner, as we didn’t have time to eat before the show. The food was not that great, but we still enjoyed sitting together and talking about the performance we had just witnessed and everything else that makes us happy. I feel there is never a dull moment with this wonderful woman.

We arrived back at the flat and both cleaned up for bed. We were both exhausted. While snuggling up close for the evening, I felt that Elena’s temperature was extremely hot. I could barely touch her. She said she did not feel sick at all so I ignored it. I told her I have some medicine to bring down her temperature but she declined my offer. A few hours later she woke me and asked me for the medicine. I got up and fetched her a tall glass of water and two Aleve. An hour later she had cooled down considerably and we both slept the rest of the night in peace.

[dogspot]

Day 12

We woke up early again today because we wanted to make the most of the remaining time we have together. We ate a quick breakfast in a familiar café and made our way to Avtovo to catch a Marshrutka out to Peterhoff.

It was another chilly day but not too cold as we arrived at Peterhoff. Since it is now autumn, and the tourist season is long over, this is the time of year for maintenance on the fountains at Peterhoff. This meant that all the water was drained from every fountain and we were unable to see this amazing aspect of Peter the Great’s Palace.

My initial feelings when entering the grounds of Peterhoff were of loneliness. Without the water flowing and the amazing fountains, the place seemed to be only half living. I felt slightly bothered by this. But as we walked through the vast gardens and experienced the peace of the falling leaves and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, I felt a great comfort.

Elena and I walked and walked for over an hour, admiring the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the gorgeous colors of the leaves on the trees and covering the ground everywhere, and the sculptures the were scattered throughout the entire area of Peterhoff. My impression of Peterhoff changed as I found that there is so much more to this place than fountains.

We felt the first drops of rain and decided we better start heading back. As we boarded the Marshrutka back to the metro station, the rain began to fall at a more rapid rate. I snuggled up with Elena at the back of the minibus and dozed off for a few minutes. I was so comfortable in the warmth of her arms with the cold rain falling outside.

We arrived at the metro station and headed over to a nearby outdoor market. This was one of those places where there are a bunch of shops with items in the windows and shop keepers who open the windows to sell you what you need. We made stops at a few different windows to buy milk, eggs, meat, flour, and vegetables to make blini.

We took the metro back to the flat and Elena immediately took to the kitchen to prepare dinner for us. I told her I would join her in there in a few minutes to keep her company but she told me she wanted to work alone. I was starting to feel a cold coming on and laid down for a nap. When Elena came in to wake me to eat I was running a high temperature. She fed me some blini with tea and I took some pills for the fever. Within an hour I was feeling fine again.

This evening we drank a bottle of white wine and watched the film “Moloch” by Andrei Sukorov. After the film was over we listened to some music and laid silently next to each other on the sofa. It was another fantastic day with an amazing woman. I just can’t get enough of this life.

[dogspot]

Day 13

It was my final day in Piter and I managed to fight off any feelings of sadness and enjoy every minute with my new found love. The truth is, I am so happy that everything on this trip went so much better than I ever imagined, that I was glowing inside, and I knew that I we would be parting soon as a couple. This trip was a huge success. Today I savored the remainder of our time together and smiled constantly.

Morning arrived and Elena made her way to the kitchen to fix us breakfast. She cooked us a delicious omelet to share and we heated up the rest of last night’s blini. Tea was also served and we sat and enjoyed our morning together in the kitchen, in no hurry to go anywhere, as we were both content to just be together.

We slowly got around to getting ready to get outside and walked to The Palace Bridge and over to the other side of The Neva. We stopped for some photos on the bridge and asked a stranger to snap a photo of the two of us together with the river and Winter Palace behind us. The guy took 3 photos and they all turned out excellent. We walked around the park on the other side of the Neva and admired the view of the city. We were now on Vasilievsky Island for the first time during our two weeks in Piter.

We made our way down one of the streets and walked past one of the campuses of St. Petersburg University as students were coming and going from one of the buildings. We walked back toward the river and along the river for a mile or so. We took photos of a submarine and other vessels docked on the banks of the Neva.

We headed back toward The Palace Bridge but cut up one of the streets that looked interesting. We found our way to a beautiful street where St. Andrew’s Cathedral is located. This area of the city is another historic district that has been restored and is now somewhat of a shopping district. This street (the name escapes me) has no cars, only crowds of beautiful people walking along it. I just love the look and feel of this area. It is quite western but still holds the same appeal of Russian culture. We stopped for coffee at the Kofe Haus, talked and watched people.

We continued to walk around and enjoyed more stimulating conversation about life in Russia. Elena taught me a lot today about her life and life of young adults in Russia. My main question to her was about men in the military and who must join and who is exempt. She also told me of a good friend who is a doctor and how most of the money she earns is from forging documents for men to stay out of the military. Interesting.

We walked and walked and walked. It was a wonderful day. I didn’t want it to end. We finally made it back to our flat and rested for a short rest. I really wanted to find the Azerbaijani restaurant that eluded us the other night. I found it on the internet and the map told us that it was nowhere near where we were looking the other night. Hmmm. How could that be? So we cleaned up, changed clothes and walked to “Baku”, the Azerbaijani restaurant.

The restaurant was dark but cozy. We found a little table of in the corner and shared one side of it. We both ordered piva and a loaf of bread. The bread was served with an amazing cream spread and garlic. I ordered a soup dish that was essentially lamb fat in oil with no flavor. It was not good but we were experimenting. My main course was a chicken and rice dish that was divine. Elena ordered lamb bowels. Hmmm. I was hesitant to try it but I did and it wasn’t too bad. All in all, it was a good experience and we had a great time.

We arrived back at the flat and enjoyed a film and a bottle of California red wine. After the film we stayed up and talked and listened to music for hours. One of the questions she asked me was one of the most important of the entire trip. She asked me in a very shy manner if I would consider coming to visit her in Novosibirsk this winter. I was overjoyed. This meant so much to me. “Of course” I said “Just tell me when you want me to be there and I’ll come”. “New Years” she said.

At one point in the evening we made our way to bed but didn’t sleep the entire night. We stayed up, doing things that lovers do, and enjoying every last second together. It was magical.

[dogspot]

Going home

With no sleep, we rose from bed, showered and cleaned the flat. The husband of our apartment owner arrived to take the keys and give us our deposit. He was very kind, even at 600 in the morning on a Saturday.

Elena assisted me in rolling one of my suitcases to the metro and accompanied me all the way to the airport. We laughed and smiled with each other all morning. We arrived at the airport early and held each other in our arms. We found time to shoot a few photos together, self portraits, if you will. We laughed and deleted most of them. But our last minutes together were filled with joy, laughter and love.

To summarize everything, I fell in love during these two weeks. So did Elena. We joined as friends, became good friends, and fell in love. I wasn’t expecting this to happen but I hoped it would. I feel we allowed our relationship to develop slowly and naturally. Nothing was forced and there were no expectations.

I arrived with a back up plan; five of them actually. But I never contacted any of them (something I feel a little guilty about but so it goes.) I returned home a different man. I no longer have a need to contact other woman, nor a desire. My sole focus is now on my Siberian beauty and being the best man I can possibly be for her.

Now I am planning my trip to Novosibirsk. I will be leaving here 12/28 and staying in Novosib until 1/17. While there, we will enjoy life together in her home city and also take a short trip to Krasnoyarsk to ski and enjoy the beauty of this Siberian city. I look forward to more adventures but more than anything, spending quality time with the woman I love.

[UTRO]

A Most Excellent and Successful Trip Report Dog!!
Very happy it worked out for you both 
Best Wishes for the New Year!!

Dave.

[Mars]

Elena assisted me in rolling one of my suitcases to the metro and accompanied me all the way to the airport.

Are you saying that a metro goes to the airport now? 
It did not exist a few years ago when I was in SPb.

[Mars]

I arrived with a back up plan; five of them actually. But I never contacted any of them (something I feel a little guilty about but so it goes.)

Very interesting that on these boards, a man doing a WMVM trip is viciously attacked by many members.

However, I don't recall vicious attacks against men who do what you did.
i.e.  Do a WMVO which seems very cruel to the women who spent the wasted time corresponding with you.

Anyone have explanations for this seemingly inconsistent attack dog treatment?

[dogspot]

Are you saying that a metro goes to the airport now? 
It did not exist a few years ago when I was in SPb.

No.

Metro > marshrutka > airport

[dogspot]

Very interesting that on these boards, a man doing a WMVM trip is viciously attacked by many members.

However, I don't recall vicious attacks against men who do what you did.
i.e.  Do a WMVO which seems very cruel to the women who spent the wasted time corresponding with you.

Anyone have explanations for this seemingly inconsistent attack dog treatment?

You bring up a very good point, Mars. It's interesting...a man without a backup plan is a fool. A man who decides not to contact his backup plan or hasn't a need to is cruel. Fortunately my correspondence with all other ladies was very light and not too personal. I don't feel as though any of these ladies were waiting by their phones for me to call. All of them are very attractive ladies I met on singles.ru or dating.ru who *I'm sure* are getting plenty of attention from RM and WM.

[RussianWind]

...a man without a backup plan is a fool. A man who decides not to contact his backup plan or hasn't a need to is cruel.

You are such a bad boy, I feel disgust reading these lines. You deceived those women and now as a true gentleman has to marry them!

[Taz]

Very interesting that on these boards, a man doing a WMVM trip is viciously attacked by many members.

However, I don't recall vicious attacks against men who do what you did.
i.e.  Do a WMVO which seems very cruel to the women who spent the wasted time corresponding with you.

Anyone have explanations for this seemingly inconsistent attack dog treatment?

I am definitely not one of the attack dogs. I feel you should always have a backup plan in the early stages. Better a WMVM or WMVO than WOVO in my book. YMMV of course. OTOH, many women have backup plans too so I wouldn't feel too guilty. Many women are "dating" local men until the "right" man comes along or they are actively searching locally and abroad simultaneously.

For me personally I didn't typically do any writing before I went anyway. So I was a WNMV1O2 (write none, maybe visit 1 or 2). 

[Sculpto]

You are such a bad boy, I feel disgust reading these lines. You deceived those women and now as a true gentleman has to marry them!

Oh come on RW.. I hope you are exaggerating. 

I dont know if this is what Jeff did.. but.. what is wrong with sending a note to someone you have not corresponded with to say you MIGHT be available.

A couple of months ago I was contacted by a RW that was clearly coming to the USA on a WMVM trip.  I did not meet with her, but, her intentions were obvious. 

Its just the nature of dating. 

[Gator]

Oh come on RW.. I hope you are exaggerating. 

Have you noticed her signature?

It's your problem if you take my posts too seriously.


Russian Wind does need to use or  although the sarcasm seems obvious. 

I wonder what plan RussianWind would have for the Dog to marry the 5 women in his backup plan.  Marry all 5 simultaneously in St.Piter and have a big orgy reception?  Consecutively marry without divorcing? etc.

And what does he say to Elena?