Petrozavods

Visitamos a bela ilha de Kizhi com igreja russa em madeira, patrimonio da Unesco. Ikha verde e calma depois de SP. Bilhete de barco caro (40eur/pessoa) mas na ilha conseguimos o preco de estudante russo (3 eur) em vez do preco para estrangeiro (15eur), com algum nervosismo.
Ontem fomos ao Devil Chair, um monte noutro lado do lago com vista para a cidade. As pessoas fazem piqueniques deixando lixo junto aos caixotes de lixo ja cheios. Aqui na Russia toda a gente bebe cerveja na rua a tarde/noite (ha luz solar toda a noite). Garrafas e latas fazem a paisagem as bordas dos passeios.

Moscow - Elena and Alex

Elena and Alex have a kid, Dmitri, year and half old. They like cycling and in their last mail they said "from Monday you can stay as long you want, but we mightn ot be here on weekends". "Here" is Moscow. They lived in nice suburbs building, about 45 minutes from the center after tram and metro. The appartment was almost in western standards even if they used the big room for sleeping instead of living. Again the usual mess, no order whatsoever and almost no free space on the kitchen to put things to eat. This lack of order also means lack of cleaning of all kitchen appliances. Since some time we are used to this.

We stayed in Dmitri's room, in a IKEA sofa, quite confortable. Unfortunately better beds always mean less contact.

Monday they said we could arrive after 15:00 but at 15:20 they send an SMS that from 16 to 22 they are not there. As there was no time to arrive before 16, we were stuck until 22. They were nice when we met and we talked a while. Alex works on IT field, is big and beautiful; Elena finished her PhD on Maths modelling. Alex goes to work around 9am. we were tired from the train and wanted to sleep.

Next day at 10:30, when we finished to dress up, Elena says we have to leave in 15 minutes. Eva still tried "but we can leave afterwards...". "No, you leave with me". And Alex should be home around 20. At 19 a SMS: "will you be home before 21?". Understanding we replied that we arrive only at 23. He thanks and we arrive late so he can go to cycle. Time to leave next morning is 9+-15minutes, after we questioned. And "would you be interested to sleep at our Datsha tomorrow?". He wanted to go there and we had to follow, no way to say no. "There is a pool and you can do banya" he added to try making more appealing. "Ok", next day we carry all day stuff to bring to datsha as we can't return home before.

Her parents there are very nice and we had good time.

Thursday we leave datsha at 10 and Elena takes us to see a monastery called NewJerusalem. At 12:15 we arrive home to leave the bag and then she says that Alex will be back at 22:00. tuck outside again, we contacted Jolanda, Eva's brother's friend, to take us to some art show. At 22, while we were going to train station to buy ticket for next morning train, an SMS "we will be home only at 23. sorry". Luckly we were not yet going home. At 23:30 we were going home. Not feeling bad at all about the late time but in any case we warn them that we estimate to arrive around midnight. The tram we take, even if the good number, is going to "depo" and takes a different way. We have to stop a car and go home for 100R more. At 0:15 we arrive, Alex is sleepy and opens the door. "Good night" was the only changed words. Friday morning when he wakes up we are ready to leave. "Bye, maybe see you in Switzerland" we said ironically.

Train trip with Oleg

We took the overnight train from Petrozavodsk to Moscow. We got the 2 side beds, the lower bed can be converted to a table and 2 chairs. It was very hot in the train, forbidden to open the windows. As before, the ventilation is turned on about 45 minutes after departure. We read, eat, look out of the window. After an hour or so, the train stops (for 30 minutes, sais the announcement). People get out, walk on the platform, buy food (one can even buy a whole smoked fish there...).

On one of the seats next to us, there's a man of around 65. After some time he starts talking to us, using the title of the book I'm reading as an "excuse". He introduces himself as Oleg. He speaks very good english, that he has learned from a canadian teacher back in the 60ies, when people came to the Soviet Union from the USA and Canada as volunteers to "help" the Soviet people. "That's how I learned proper pronunciation". He wanted to become a teacher, but had to go to the Army. He lived in Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia for some time, then worked for Intourist (the Soviet travel agency).

"Why don't you travel business class?" he askes us (meaning second class, with 4 bed compartments). He has never seen foreigners travel 3rd class...

At some point I go to the bathroom to change clothes and prepare for bed. When I come back Miguel is making my bed (which means folding down the table, unrolling the "mattress" and prepare the sheets and pillow). Me: "??" Miguel: "He suggested I make the bed for my lady while you're in the bathroom". :-)

Later on, I'm already in bed but still reading (yes, there was still light at 11 pm, thanks to northern latitude). Oleg comes back from the bathroom and sits on his bed. After a few minutes: "If you don't mind, please don't look in my direction. I will get changed." Ok with me, I'm reading anyway. After 2 more minutes: "You are now free to look where you want."

And he goes to sleep, his feet sticking out from under his cover.

Kizhi island, the photo

If you check the last edition of Lonely Planet Russia, from March 2009 (but some very outdated things, I'll do a post later about it), there is this wooden church in the cover.

We went there and it is very magical island in Karelia (well, the island does not belong to Karelia, but we come from Petrozavods which is in Karelia). Very old, all made of wood and Unesco patrimony.



We went there by boat, which was the most expensive thing on our trip so far but on the island we were warned about also high foreign prices to visit, so we prepared the Russian price we saw before boarding, 200R/person. Once there the price list in Russian was different and more complex and we do not see anymore the 200R price. So we decide to give 130R/person, which was writen for something. The lady look at us and makes strange face, asks "studenty?" and I give 100R more thinking she would not believe we are students. At same time I say "Da" and she gives back the 100R and also 40R of change. So we got the Russian student price, 130R instead of the 650R for foreigner price. What an achievement.

View on Kiszi Island

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Originally uploaded by eva_p

In the background you can see the famous wooden church of Kizhi. In the front, a typical russian bus...

Buying train ticket in Russia - experience I

First case, go to central train ticket office of Sankt Petersburg where many guichets have different roles, in russian, and all have not moving queues of 10 people. There's the 'administrator' guichet with no one as you pay if you disturb her. Two machines to buy tickets and a couple more to check timetables. All in Russian. We give up.
Finally we went to the flying ticket office which was empty and for 120R (3E) more we got our ticket to Petrozavods.

Twitter like impressions of Sankt Petersburg

- Autocarro case de banho, por 15R ao lado do museu naval, mijei la dentro.
- Registar os vistos numa agencia por 900R, depois de lutar para encontrar a entrada do numero 54 da rua X.
- Quase rezar para que a carrinha-autocarro nao tenha nenhum acidente no zigue-zague do trafego para SP. Os corajosos ciclistas so podem ser crentes ortodoxos de uma religiao qualquer.
- Bar (com DJ) lavandaria, com nota alternativa

Russian Toilet Experience - 2

St Petersburg. Walking around in town. There's a bus. But something is different. It's not moving. It's a toilet bus! Yes, a trolley bus, converted into a toilet. Women on the left, men on the right.
Inside, a counter where a lady collects the money. And then, the smallest space I ever had for a pee. Basically, tiny cubicles, the side wall not higher than my shoulders (so when I stand up I can see everything my neighbor is doing). I can only close the door completely when I actually sit on the toilet.
In every cubicle, a sign reminding the women that you are supposed to sit on the toilet and not stand on it.
And there's something wrong with the flush: instead of flushing everything down, the previous user's "products" are flushed up again...
Interesting place.
Miguel took pictures so maybe he will upload one later.

Russian Toilet Experience - 1

Ivangorod Bus Station. Small town on a Sunday afternoon. We just arrived in Russia, crossing the border on foot. Waiting for the bus to St Petersburg, and I need the toilet. I'm prepared for a horrible stinky bus station toilet...
Next to the door, a middle aged blonde lady with a cat, collecting the 12 Rubles. Inside, walls painted lilac, green plants hanging high on the wall, cleaning items behind a flower curtain, a framed black-and-white photo of a giraffe on the wall.
I stand in the queue.
The toilet is of the "hole-in-the-ground" type (never forget to empty your trouser pockets or you will lose everything into the hole...) but clean, with toilet paper, a sink and soap.
Sometimes, there are nice surprises!

St Petersburg nights

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Originally uploaded by eva_p

We had almost white nights. This was the view of St Petersburg at around 11 pm. Magical.