Gluten-free in Sankt Petersburg.

Greetings from Sankt Petersburg.

So far, Russia has been amazing and exhausting all at the same time. There is so much to see, so much to learn, so much to understand, and so much to love. Sankt Petersburg is apparently the most beautiful city in Russia, even though there are only 60 sunny days in the year. It reminds me of Seattle, to say the least.

After 2 days of traveling, 3 plane rides and 6 hours of sleep, the group arrived in Sankt Petersburg all in one piece. We took our Mercedes bus to our hotel, which is amazingly nice by Russian standards. By an American's standard, this would be a 2 star hotel. Once we got settled, we went to the рынок (market) for some midnight munchies.

This morning, my roommate Alicia and I slept through our alarm and barely made it to breakfast... Oops. My first gluten-free breakfast in Russia consisted of salami, cheese, an egg-like thing, keifer, and кофеий (coffee). Then we travelled into the city via Metro.

The Metro is the underground subway system of Sankt Petersburg, and since Sankt Petersburg was built on marshland... they had to build the Metro deep underground. For example, it takes 1 minute and 60 seconds via escalator to reach the platform. I have never seen an escalator so long. Another note about the metro: the Russians have no concept of personal space. They bump and push, not out of rudeness... that's just the way the Russians are. Also, the Metro is much much much faster than any American subway. If you don't hold on, you're sure to stumble and fall onto your neighbor or a sitting babushka (old lady).

Once we got into the city, we walked to the Church of Spilled Blood where I had the pleasure of being one of the few photographers. The church was actually constructed around the cobblestone where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. To some Russian people, Alexandar II was a saint. To other Russian people, he was nothing more than a hooligan and a terrible ruler. The entire interior was covered in beautiful mosaic depictions of Jesus and His posse. I've seen a lot of amazing sights in my life, but I've never seen anything like The Church of Spilled Blood.

Afterwards, we headed to the closest Dom Kinegy, which is the Barnes and Nobel of Sankt Petersburg--big, beautiful, and over-priced. Crown molding lined the colored walls and ceilings, and shelves were covered with books that I couldn't read. On the top floor was a small кафе (cafe) where i enjoyed my first capichini (cappuccino). Later we went on a boat tour, and had a tour guide tell us all about Sankt Petersburg in a language we didn't understand. Lots of things are comical, but we are discouraged to laugh out loud. In the Metro, Harvey (our program director) told us that we were not allowed to speak, smile, or laugh. Culturally, Russians will take offense to such jovial noises.

Around two in the afternoon, we had our first Russia lunch. My gluten-free Russian lunch consisted of borscht (beet soup), pan-fried potatoes with onions and mushrooms, and an apple juice (the water had been temporarily cut-off, so we couldn't have tea or coffee). Somehow we stumbled upon some Californians on holiday to Sankt Petersburg. Throughout our conversation, they complained the entire time about how awful Russia has been to them. 

One thing that really irks me is how quickly Americans judge Russians. They believe Russians to be rude, cold, incompetent, and unhelpful. To be honest, Americans aren't the kindest to tourists. We (Americans) are annoyed that people come to our country unable to speak our language, and we dislike people who can't help themselves. I honestly believe that Russians and Americans are similar enough to cause clashes in each other's culture. Both cultures are headstrong and prideful. Neither culture cares enough about people outside their small circuit of friends and family.

More on that later, now it's time to practice some Cyrillic.

Love from Sankt Petersburg, ChelseaBeth