ST. PETERSBURG AND PHOTOS

[BillyB]

The women in St. Petersburg are ripe for romance.

Unfortunately for them, I was already spoken for. Lots of single beautiful ladies walking around during good weather and holiday festivities. Lots of single women walking down the street holding hands or alone. They looked very approachable and just waiting for the right man to come along.

My sixth time in the FSU and I don't care what anybody says, beautiful women are not distributed equally in every nation. The ladies here dress better and look better. They are more feminine and on average, look and act like women.

Men were dressed more casual. Most were well behaved but I seen a few guys pissing on walls and two drunks destroying everything in their path. Natalia, my fiancee, asked me why one man was dressed as Santa Claus. I told her probably for the same reason we saw one man walking down the street wearing a plastic set of tits, because they want attention.

I was lucky to get an apartment in St. Pete at this time of year in late May because the city is celebrating it's birthday. For over a month, no travel agency in America or Russia contacted me pertaining to my inquiry about getting reservations in a hotel. I asked them why they haven't gotten back to me and their excuse is the hotels are not getting back to them. I've come to realize during good weather, there are not enough hotels in this city because lots of people want to come here. During bad weather(Winter), there are too many hotels in this city because nobody wants to come here.

A special thanks to Phil and his partner, Nina for getting me an apartment quickly. Phil also is very knowledgable of the people and life in Russia. Natalia says he has a bad accent when he speaks Russian! Practice Phil, practice. I remembered another poster mentioning Phil helping him so I PM'd him and he responded within hours with an available apartment. Nina seems to be a sweet lady and she also has her own business at this site.
http://www.flowersbynina.com/

Phil is a regular poster here and many of you have seen his posts. http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1287

I invited Natalia's mom to go with us on our trip. She's been such a good hostess during my 3 trips to Tashkent and I give her credit for Natalia's good upbringing. I'd thought I do something nice for her.

I accomplished a lot of my goals on this trip and concluded that the bond between Natalia and I is stronger than ever although time and distance has separated us. In the two years we've known each other, we've never been in an argument. But there was a time when things weren't going smooth. Last year Natalia's boss forbid employees from using the internet since some fool had a bad habit of downloading viruses crashing all computers. Our daily communication through letters diminished. Then the phone system took a dump for 4 months restricting our communication totally except when she gets to an internet cafe. Natalia had lots of stress from work since she was doing the work of two when an employee got fired and not replaced. She got high blood pressure, migraines and broke down and was hospitalized for two weeks. I began to blame myself wondering what I could've done to prevent this but was helpless. She was in no condition to maintain a relationship and I thought our relationship was going to end but I did my best to cheer her up and be content with whatever the results would be if she had a change of heart with me or moving to America or if life's difficulties in Tashkent was too much of a burden to maintain a positive relationship with me. Fortunately things turned out for the best and I over reacted to what she was going through.

For those who haven't read how I got to this point could read here.
http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=1303.0

Here's a pic of my Natalia on a boat ride.

[IAmZon]

BillyB!  You probably don't remember, but you were the first to welcome me here.  I have always remarked to myself how consistent and level headed your comments are.  Never really new much under the surface.  Happy that you stuck with it and you and yours are having a GREAT time.

Your a champ.

Do you have plans for her to come to America?

Please continue and thanks for keeping us informed

[groovlstk]

Billy,

Glad to hear things are going well for you and your girl. I hope you've managed to make some headway in getting her over here!

[Admin]

Billy,

She is a gorgeous lady and WOW, what a smile! You are, indeed, a lucky fellow.

I hope everything is working out for you guys.

- Dan

[Simoni]

She is beautiful, BB.

Have a great trip, and good luck on that visa!

Enjoy

~Simoni

[Daveman]

Beautiful lady for a great guy BillyB... wish you the best on the trip and life together... glad you stuck by her when she was down and out.  Maybe you say over reacted, but you stuck by her and created something wonderful. Good Luck.

Dave

[Jazzyclassy]

Good luck to you Billy B

she  seems to be nice and pretty good -looking girl:)

but I still do not agree with you on a lot of subjects:) but well the main thing your perception of things lead you to a success that is what important:)

all the best:)

[Phil dAmore]

Billy!

Thanks so much for the kind words.   We do what we can!

It was good to meet you, Natalia and Svetlana.

A bad accent?  Everyone's a critic.....

Seriously, glad you had a good time.  She's a great woman!

[BillyB]

Do you have plans for her to come to America?

Sure do.

glad you stuck by her when she was down and out.  Maybe you say over reacted, but you stuck by her and created something wonderful.

It was tough because I couldn't be by her side at the hospital. One concern of mine was making sure she was mentally ready for life with me and that delayed our plans a little longer. Although she's a wonderful woman and there's nothing I could say bad about her, if I felt she couldn't live with me or in America comfortably, I would've have broke it up if it was in her best interest.

Thanks to the rest of you for your kind comments. There are great people at this forum and some sent my Natalia a letter to cheer her up when she was down. Natalia is ready for a big change in her life with me in America but she's scaring me. She once told me she wants 2 babies, now she wants 4 babies from me!

I met an interesting Italian couple when flying to St. Pete. The man was in his 60's and his wife in the 50's and quite talkative and cheerful during the whole flight. They asked me why I was going there. I told them I'm a tourist. After talking with them for a while and realizing these people were alright, I pulled out a photo of Natalia to show them the main reason I was going to St. Pete. They thought is was romantic and said Natalia was beautiful. Then they told me she was lucky to have me in which I took as a great compliment as they had already evaluated my character. They then proceeded to give me parental advice and told me don't marry so quickly and meet often before making a decision to marry. I thanked them for the advice and told them I've already done all they've said.

For our first complete day in St. Pete, I hired Nina's daughter, Ira, to be our tour guide so we could see some of the finest attractions St. Pete has to offer. She's a freelance tour guide and does most of her work with real tourist, not men seeking wives. Natalia and I enjoyed our time with her and we both agreed that she is very knowledgable about the history of St. Pete and the Czars of Russia. There was one incident that was interesting. We had stopped to buy something to drink and the vendor handed Natalia a cold can of Coca Cola which she said "this is very cold!" (not really in my opinion). Ira told me I'm going to get sick with the flu. I told her I like cold drinks on a hot day. She said cold drinks on a hot day are to be avoided. I explained to her that most Americans have their drinks cold and they aren't sick. Based on the look on her face, she wasn't buying it so I stopped trying to change her mind.

I'm not an expert in preserving art and artifacts but I'm sure heat and humidity is not good. At the Hermitage and Russian museum, there was lots of heat and humidity there since St. Pete is built on a swamp. I don't know why they don't turn on those air conditioners I saw sit idle to help preserve the treasures. Whoever is in charge needs to be fired.

Here's a pic of Natalia and I at the Hermitage. Hot and stuffy in there so we were a little uncomfortable. You're probably wondering why I have a coat with me. Although I didn't want to take it, Natalia made me bring it because she didn't want me getting cold. I was sweating all day!

[Simoni]

There was one incident that was interesting. We had stopped to buy something to drink and the vendor handed Natalia a cold can of Coca Cola which she said "this is very cold!" (not really in my opinion). Ira told me I'm going to get sick with the flu. I told her I like cold drinks on a hot day. She said cold drinks on a hot day are to be avoided. I explained to her that most Americans have their drinks cold and they aren't sick. Based on the look on her face, she wasn't buying it so I stopped trying to change her mind.\

I've given up on that, too.  Can't tell you how many lectures Marina has given me about cold drinks on hot days!  She cuts the ice in her ice tea, believe it or not!  But she is still up for a cold beer (I never mention the discrepancy)  LOL

Billy-- nice TR...keep it coming!

~Simoni

[jj]

nice photos BillyB. glad all is going well. She is very pretty lady. wish you much happiness.   The time with our ladies is never long enough it seems when we visit.

[BillyB]

Sooner or later, you'll eventually get phucked in the FSU.

Phil had warned me about the amount of thieves(pickpockets) in St. Pete. I've heard all the warnings before on forums but I took more precautions than the norm this time based on what Phil said. I ditched my wallet and left my credit cards in the apartment. I carried $1000 in my belt with a zipper on the inside that I bought off e-bay. I kept my passport in my back pocket that I could button. I had three visable bulges protruding from my pants. One was from my camera and another was from a wad of rubles I was carrying but they were in my front pockets which were deep and difficult for a pickpocket to steal from.

Natalia wanted to ride the metro and I noticed a lot of men loitering and suspected they were thieves. Most people in the metro are walking fast and going somewhere but these guys were just watching people walk by.

It was crowded and people were pushy trying to get on the metro. I was one of the last guys on but a man pushed around me to get on but then he turned around to get off and got caught in the doors as they were closing. I watched this happen but thought something isn't right because these people usually know where they're going. Facing the doors I turn around to Natalia to look at her but I see her reaching for the man's arm. I thought she was trying to help him from the doors that closed on him but he then squeezed through. She told me the man stole her cell phone. I told her she should have said something or screamed. I had two opportunities to get him while he was jammed in the doors. I could've grabbed his arm and broke it or wrapped my arm around his neck and throw him to the ground and pulverize him severely enough to jeopardize his career as a thief.

Natalia felt violated but after a few hours she was back to normal. She had just bought that cell phone from her brother recently since her home phone wasn't working properly.

Never have I experienced such picky people at the money exchange. Phil warned me on this too. I had $1700 of my money rejected. Based on 5 other trips to the FSU, I would guess $500 of my money would be rejected in the condition it was in. In St. Pete, definitely bring crisp virgin dollars with no tears or markings on it. I had one bill rejected because the printing wasn't centered properly.

Here's a photo of Natalia and I. Notice below my hand the small chain sticking out of Natalia's pocket. That chain is connected to Natalia's cell phone and that's all the thief saw and grabbed when going after it. Keep valuables secure on out of sight when visiting St. Pete!

[DKMM]

That's a scary story Billy.  I've had that same scenario happen to me in Rome.  In this situaion though, I would think its probably best to just let that go rather than attack a thief in Russia.  It could cause many more problems than its worth.

[Gator]

Billy,

You are in a beautiful city with a beautiful woman and in love - it does not get any better.  Natalia is gorgeous.  And I am so pleased to know that the two of you are progressing your relationship so well.

Too bad you did not catch the thief.  They are very clever, but this time he almost got caught.  I magine he had a Plan B, that could have been trouble if not dangerous.  Thieves got me on the Moscow metro and I never felt anything. 

[SANDRO43]

I've had that same scenario happen to me in Rome.

Not trying to downplay local "enterprise", but recently we've been experiencing an increasing amount of that in subways and train stations at the hand of gypsy kids who, being minors, cannot be arrested and much less prosecuted.

[Muj]

Billy,
Sorry for the thief. 
But good pics and good visit.  A separate flat for the mom?

[Zhena]

BillyB,
Natalya looks great but a bit tired,she works too hard and that brought her to a hospital-could you make her life a little easier maybe? Its not my business for sure-but I doubt you want her to end up with a stroke at her 30s. She seems a nice girl and she deserves some help from her man.
Also I feel sorry for that cell phone,I hope you will help her to replace it

[BillyB]

Muj, I was lucky to get any flat in St. Pete at this time of year. Beggars can't be choosers. It was one flat and it did have separate rooms.

Zhena, Natalia was indeed tired during our vacation. Partly due to the fact that we walked everywhere and walked until our feet hurt. I was even more tired and refuse to post the photos of myself in the tired look I was in. The only taxi rides we had was to and from the airport. I do help Natalia as best I can. After I trusted her and we became committed to each other, I gave her $1000 to hold and I told her she could use it for emergencies, medical needs, buy necessities and entertainment. She did not spend a dime of it and used that money to buy her tickets to Moscow and St. Pete when we met. Of course I replaced it and I feel fortunate she does not use me and is financially responsible. After she was in the hospital, I forced her to accept more money from me to buy a computer to improve our communications since her phone doesn't always work. But of course the internet works off the phone lines. She had just bought her cell phone recently before it was stolen. She bought it used from her brother. Although she likes to talk on the phone, she never owned a cell phone thinking the cost does not justify it's usefulness.

Every cafe/restaurant in St. Pete we ate at served good food. The best one I thought was a restaurant that specialized in Australian steak. Last year in Moscow, half the establishments we ate at did not serve good food. We also went to St. Pete's most abundant and quite possibly most popular restaurant called McDonald's. Natalia and her mom was curious to eat American food so we went there and to Kentucky Fried Chicken(KFC). Natalia noted the differences in how the restaurant is operated compared to others she's seen. She said everybody seems busy, and the food is served fast and cheap.

Both Natalia and I thought the people of St. Pete were happier than the people of Moscow. The atmosphere seemed friendlier.

We went on a number of boat rides this trip. We took an hydroplane boat to Peterhoff and did a couple of boat rides in the canals that run through St.Pete. 

One boat ride was late at night to watch the bridge opening which seems to be a popular event. I was amazed to seem how many people and boats were out late to watch it. Here's a pic of Natalia on that boat ride. Although it looks dark in the background, it never truly got dark in St. Pete. Phil tells me it's the white nights of St. Pete this time of year.

[BillyB]

Flying to Seattle from St. Pete, I had to pass through Frankfurt, Germany. I sat down next to an slim, tiny old Russian lady visiting her daughter in Atlanta. Showing me her itinerary, she asked where to go to switch planes at the airport. I told her to look for boards and TV screens for info pertaining to her flight on United airlines that would tell her what gate to go to. As we left the plane, she asked for guidance from the Lufthansa personnel and they seemed irritated to help her most likely because they didn't understand her since she had a bad accent speaking English. She looked panicky so I walked up to her and said "We meet again, I'm flying on a different United airlines plane but most likely my flight will be near the gate your flight is located in and we need to find the United airlines counter to check in so do you mind if we could walk together since we both are looking for United airlines?" She had a BIG smile on her face and said "Yes!, let us walk together to find where to go."  I know it can be frightening for first time travellers to figure how to transfer to another flight in foreign countries. I remember the times people have helped me and it's good to pay it forward.

At the Frankfurt airport, the inspector at the x-ray machine picked me for a special inspection after I told him the object he saw in my carry on was a goose egg. As the explosives inspector called in walked towards me, all I could see was two breasts at eye level as the inspector was very tall. As I look up and saw the pink eye shadow and lipstick, I notice that this inspector needed a shave. As I look down past the skirt and hairy legs, I notice high heels. This transvestite was about 7 feet tall in those high heels. Then I turn around and see another transvestite working at the airport. I think to myself "This is not the Germany Hitler envisioned."

 I wanted to buy an expensive souvenir that was made in Russia and decided on a goose egg(forgot the official name). Not a fake but the real thing that cost a few hundred bucks. The egg is laced in tiny pearls, it has a door in the front and back for photos and a door on top to act as storage for jewelry and the pedestal is a music box that can be wound up from the bottom. I plan on putting Natalia's photo in the egg and maybe Natalia could keep her grandmother's wedding ring in the jewelry compartment. Her grandmother gave it to her shortly before she passed away. It could be considered a family heirloom someday. Here are some pics.

[catzenmouse]

Beautiful egg Billy! That will be an extra special souvenir with Natalia's picture in it!

all I could see was two breasts at eye level as the inspector was very tall. As I look up and saw the pink eye shadow and lipstick, I notice that this inspector needed a shave. As I look down past the skirt and hairy legs, I notice high heels. This transvestite was about 7 feet tall in those high heels. Then I turn around and see another transvestite working at the airport. I think to myself "This is not the Germany Hitler envisioned."

AHA! Now we KNOW why Ste likes Germany so much! 

Ken

[Gnom]

Did you inform her that you would post her picture here? If no that is sick.

[I/O]

Did you inform her that you would post her picture here? If no that is sick.

Date Registered:    February 16, 2010, 04:43:24 AM
Posts:     3 (0.019 per day)
Last Active:    Today at 05:11:01 AM

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Local Time:    July 23, 2010, 05:35:57 AM

Why would it take 6 months to decide (3 posts all today) one doesn't like the flavour of some posts? I just can't imagine other than I did notice "sleepers" metioned in another thread a few days ago.

[Gnom]

I am hardly ever here. Problem is that most of men think that women from poorer countries are not human being so they do not have any right so posting their pictures without permition is ok. Learn how to respect, how to show feelings and then start to think about romances.

[SMS60]

I am hardly ever here. Problem is that most of men think that women from poorer countries are not human being so they do not have any right so posting their pictures without permition is ok. Learn how to respect, how to show feelings and then start to think about romances.

You are a woman?? Your profile shows male?

PS Women write certain ways?

[Gnom]

You are a woman?? Your profile shows male?

PS Women write certain ways?

I have been reading many posts in this forum, there are many men who would never post picture of their girlfriend, as it is illegal. There are also men who do not understand how stupid is posting pictures and commenting them.

I know many men who respect women and I do not find it as feminine. Respect is always ok.

There is something unique. Men write each detail of their meeting, each word, each move. I have realized that everyone from time to time says something silly. In my opinion it is not good to analyse so deeply each word.