A few notes from my last week of school in St Petersburg. Monday: I notice more signs and banners going up about the upcoming Victory Day holiday. Not certain, but I’m also seeing more soldiers and sailors in uniform walking … Continue reading →
Russian word for the day: Победа or “victory”. Today a holiday to celebrate the end of the “Great Patriotic War” (World War II, in Europe). Despite a cold wet rain, today had much more of a holiday feel to it … Continue reading →
Weekend was time to be a tourist again, this time with a visit to the palaces at Petrodvorets (known as Peterhof before 1944, and often referred to by that name now). Petrodvorets was a large country estate about 30km from … Continue reading →
Monday: Cold snowy weather for the last day of April. I struggled more with my classes today. We had five hours of class and the classroom was cold until we found a space heater. Shortly thereafter the power went out … Continue reading →
No school on May 1st for the International Labor Day holiday. I took the opportunity to wander through town and see how the city celebrated the holiday. A large part of the plaza was blocked off in front of the … Continue reading →
Weekend was a time to be a tourist more than a student. Though I did spend some time reviewing my vocabulary and grammar from the first week and also reading Dostoevsky (in English). The school organized a trip to Tsarskoe … Continue reading →
Following are some quick impressions from my first week study and stay in St Petersburg. It is definitely a different world in this big city where I know just a little (Чуть Чуть) of the language. Sunday: My home stay … Continue reading →
Big flakes of snow coming down outside. This sight caused me to pause slightly before setting off this morning. Fortunately, the worst of the snow flurries was past and it was only freezing rain as I left the hotel. St … Continue reading →
Another quiet rest day in Gatchina. Looks like I’ll have some light rain and headwinds riding into St Petersburg tomorrow. The approximate distances I’ve cycled by country include: Netherlands – 210km Germany – 506km Poland – 511km Lithuania – 102km … Continue reading →
Nice easy rest day as the rain and drizzle falls down outside. The hardest part about crossing the border yesterday was finding it. After that I cycled through 127km to this small town south of St Petersburg. I’m using internet … Continue reading →