Attempted Descriptions of St. Petersburg From a New Langauge Arts Teacher

The Culture here is crazy; cars going 130 km/h (yeah the conversions are a change for us backward American science folks) not stopping for any pedestrian, even "feeble" babushkas. Special booths at each intersection occupied by Militia (police) left to "play" with the lights for both Drivers and Pedestrians. Broken glass, empty champagne bottles left over from the myriad weddings that occur on everyday of the week; not uncommon to have 6-8 brides walking down the streets with their entourage closely behind with their "paparazzi" as they visit every local monument. Breath...run on sentence man the kids are doomed with my grammar, I think that would even be considered conventions.

Dog poop everywhere but no friendly dogs, apparently a grudge transfered from owners to their human counterpart, Russian dog culture is left to be figured out eventually. Urine infused alleyways deposited from the previous nights imbibers, oh and it is common place to walk around with a beer in hand at all hours of the day even on the way to work, and probably intravenously while they sleep, wait!!! they don't sleep, silly me. Starting about midnight, every night, they drive up and down our road that boarders the Moika canal with their scooters gone wrong at the muffler shop, more like amplifier shop. Party/tour boats with bullhorn descriptions blaring the play by play as they meander through the canals. Don't get me wrong we absolutely love it here!!!

It is a strange mix of beauty and rich culture infused with spoils of a newly industrialized nation. Every where you look old architecture, art, and history mildly diluted by "civilization". We live right next to the Hermitage (two blocks a away that contains two original Leonardo Di Vinci paintings, Matisse paintings, an unfinished Michaelangelo piece, Treasures collected by Catherine the Great from all over the world some even circa 600 b.c.,art from culture of past including objects dating from the Palaeolithic to the Iron Ages, just to name a few of this majestic Museum.

Many, many more museums and churches to behold the physical beauty like the Church of Our Saviour On Spilled Blood a gorgeous piece of architecture built on the site where Emperor Alexander II, a very prominent figure in revolutionizing Russia, was assassinated in March of 1881.

Liv and I encountered great food and drink, in fact last night we went to restaurant directly translated means The Cow, as you probably inferred, we had steak (Mom, two steaks of Fillet Mignon for 300 Roubles, or 12 dollars!!!, hopefully not mad-cow ridden). I have even found a fish store a 10 minute walk away after we get a little more established a small tank will probably sprout in our "house", surprising I'm sure to most of you! There is plenty of water to, if lucky, pull out a three eyed Chornobyl special while fishing. I look forward to trying ice fishing which I have never done even back home. There is even the possibility of going out on the Sea of Finland to catch a lunker of whatever specie I will soon find out.

Lucy still thinks we are crazy for coming to such a concrete jungle but has made friends with the babushkas and the guards who look after our place. She definitely gets lots of looks from the locals and even some pats on the head with words said that make us feel very similar to her in understanding what they mean. blah,blah,,blah,LUCY,blah,blah,blah,собака(dog)... We finally know what it is like to be a dog! Lots of sleeping, tug of war, eating, protecting Liv when I am not in the house, and looking for cats and pigeons pass her time.

We have one request from you all and that is to when you get a chance please send us photos so that we may see your smiling faces!
Love to you all!,
The Variels in Russia

Below are links to the Hermitage and Church on Spilled Blood, if you are interested!!

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/virtual-tour/church-of-savior.asp

http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/index.html