According to Galia, if you pick pinecones while they are still green and soft, you can boil them in a sugar solution and then preserve them.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Adventures in Russian food #9
While in Kazan, I got the opportunity to try something truly unusual. Pinecone jelly.
According to Galia, if you pick pinecones while they are still green and soft, you can boil them in a sugar solution and then preserve them.
They taste pretty much as you'd expect: pine-y, mildly sweet. The texture is similar to undercooked bamboo or ginger, it's pretty woody and fibrous. The interesting thing about it is that there is still resin in the cone and when you eat it, if feels as if it coats the inside of your mouth. It's somewhat astringent feeling and your mouth feels tacky for some time afterward.
According to Galia, if you pick pinecones while they are still green and soft, you can boil them in a sugar solution and then preserve them.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Train Tips and Stories
So I feel like 4 trips and more than 72 hours in platzkart is quite an accomplishment. Here are some tips in case you ever decide to cruise Russia on rail.
1) Use the Rzd website to reserve and purchase tickets. Yes, it's in Russian, but any idiot with google translate can figure it out. Why use it? You get exactly the same price there as you do in the ticket offices. If you use a third party website or service to purchase your tickets for you, you'll probably end up paying 30%-40% more than you would by purchasing direct. Also, the platzkart option will most likely not be offered.
2) By purchasing online, you now need to head to the train station and use the ticket printing kiosk to obtain your tickets. It's super easy to use and a billion times faster than using the ticket office.
3) Traveling alone? Don't want to be locked in a box with 3 strangers who probably smell 'interesting'? Use platzkart. It's the third class, open compartment option offered in every former-USSR country. I can't speak to it specifically, but I've read from other female travelers that this is safer than second or first class because it's open, and the openness keeps people honest.
4) Don't forget your tracksuit. Approximately 20 minutes after your train departs, the clock strikes pantsless o'clock. Almost everyone changes into more comfortable clothes for the journey like tracksuits (velour, or 'mafia red or white), pj's, or other loose fitting clothes. This brings us to...
5) Slippers. Don't forget your slippers. No matter how many times the stewardess mops the aisles, the floor is still disgusting and you don't want to be wearing your outside shoes the entire time. Literally everyone has them on the train, and assuming you're near social people (or babushki) you will be asked why you don't have them.
6) Bring a cup, tea, and coffee. Every wagon has a boiler in it and the boiling hot water is free. If you bring a cup, you can fill it as many times as you want and be sufficiently hydrated for your journey. You can also buy tea, coffee, and sometimes cocoa from the stewardess for no more than 30 rubles AND you get to drink it out of one of those sweet podstakanniki!
7) Also ramen. For food, you can bring what ever you want on the train, but because the water is free, why not bring some ramen or instant potatoes. Ramen in Russia is pretty good, and on the whole, seems to be more involved than ramen in the States. Some varieties come with meat sauce (I don't quite know what that means) or miniature meat balls (think kibble-like chunks of freeze-dried meat product).
8) Think of another excuse to refuse alcohol other than "I'm taking antibiotics" because they've caught on, and it doesn't work anymore. On the way to Volgograd after we all woke up, the men in the lower bunks decided 9:30am was an appropriate time to start downing the pepper vodka. Having found out the night before that I was a foreigner, they probably thought it would be fun to get me drunk or something. I tried refusing, saying that I was taking antibiotics and the medicine wouldn't work if mixed with booze. They countered with "booze is better medicine, drink!". After about half an hour of this, I decided it was easier to take booze from strangers than to argue. This started some pretty good conversation and was a fantastic experience.
9) Russians might offer you food, so you might want to bring something to share as well. On the trip from Volgograd to Moscow, I shared the compartment with some middle-aged women who were just the nicest people ever. They also had a strange desire to feed the foreigner. Tried refusing, didn't work, ended up eating cookies with my favorite cheese, kolbasny cheese (literally sausage cheese, and it's one of the cheaper cheese, probably the Russian equivalent of American cheese).
10) Layers. Bring layers. The trips I had varied from freezing to boiling hot.
11) Train rides can be the most fun, or the scariest experience ever. On the way back from Moscow, there were two very drunk soccer hooligans in my compartment. Granted, I had the worst compartment in the wagon-- the one next to the toilets-- but jeez, that night was bad. Shortly after departure, I realized one of the drunks had a fully-loaded gun. Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night.
1) Use the Rzd website to reserve and purchase tickets. Yes, it's in Russian, but any idiot with google translate can figure it out. Why use it? You get exactly the same price there as you do in the ticket offices. If you use a third party website or service to purchase your tickets for you, you'll probably end up paying 30%-40% more than you would by purchasing direct. Also, the platzkart option will most likely not be offered.
2) By purchasing online, you now need to head to the train station and use the ticket printing kiosk to obtain your tickets. It's super easy to use and a billion times faster than using the ticket office.
3) Traveling alone? Don't want to be locked in a box with 3 strangers who probably smell 'interesting'? Use platzkart. It's the third class, open compartment option offered in every former-USSR country. I can't speak to it specifically, but I've read from other female travelers that this is safer than second or first class because it's open, and the openness keeps people honest.
4) Don't forget your tracksuit. Approximately 20 minutes after your train departs, the clock strikes pantsless o'clock. Almost everyone changes into more comfortable clothes for the journey like tracksuits (velour, or 'mafia red or white), pj's, or other loose fitting clothes. This brings us to...
5) Slippers. Don't forget your slippers. No matter how many times the stewardess mops the aisles, the floor is still disgusting and you don't want to be wearing your outside shoes the entire time. Literally everyone has them on the train, and assuming you're near social people (or babushki) you will be asked why you don't have them.
6) Bring a cup, tea, and coffee. Every wagon has a boiler in it and the boiling hot water is free. If you bring a cup, you can fill it as many times as you want and be sufficiently hydrated for your journey. You can also buy tea, coffee, and sometimes cocoa from the stewardess for no more than 30 rubles AND you get to drink it out of one of those sweet podstakanniki!
7) Also ramen. For food, you can bring what ever you want on the train, but because the water is free, why not bring some ramen or instant potatoes. Ramen in Russia is pretty good, and on the whole, seems to be more involved than ramen in the States. Some varieties come with meat sauce (I don't quite know what that means) or miniature meat balls (think kibble-like chunks of freeze-dried meat product).
8) Think of another excuse to refuse alcohol other than "I'm taking antibiotics" because they've caught on, and it doesn't work anymore. On the way to Volgograd after we all woke up, the men in the lower bunks decided 9:30am was an appropriate time to start downing the pepper vodka. Having found out the night before that I was a foreigner, they probably thought it would be fun to get me drunk or something. I tried refusing, saying that I was taking antibiotics and the medicine wouldn't work if mixed with booze. They countered with "booze is better medicine, drink!". After about half an hour of this, I decided it was easier to take booze from strangers than to argue. This started some pretty good conversation and was a fantastic experience.
9) Russians might offer you food, so you might want to bring something to share as well. On the trip from Volgograd to Moscow, I shared the compartment with some middle-aged women who were just the nicest people ever. They also had a strange desire to feed the foreigner. Tried refusing, didn't work, ended up eating cookies with my favorite cheese, kolbasny cheese (literally sausage cheese, and it's one of the cheaper cheese, probably the Russian equivalent of American cheese).
10) Layers. Bring layers. The trips I had varied from freezing to boiling hot.
11) Train rides can be the most fun, or the scariest experience ever. On the way back from Moscow, there were two very drunk soccer hooligans in my compartment. Granted, I had the worst compartment in the wagon-- the one next to the toilets-- but jeez, that night was bad. Shortly after departure, I realized one of the drunks had a fully-loaded gun. Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night.
Moscow Redux
This time, with a mission.
For the sole reason of 'I didn't want to spend 30 straight hours on a train', I decided a stop-over in Moscow was in order on the way back home from Volgograd. My train arrived shortly after 10am and the next leg would begin at 1:10am. I had lots of time to fill.
Probably my favorite structures in Moscow are the skyscrapers constructed as per order of Stalin. There are seven of them, often called the 'Seven Sisters', and they are quite the sight on the Moscow skyline.
In terms or architecture, they are pretty good representations of the Stalinist style, about which I do not know enough about to even try to sound smart, so Wikipedia that or something. The really interesting part is that there was a eighth one planned, but was never constructed. Just off of Red Square, there used to be an absolutely HUGE church which was demolished pretty early on in the history of the USSR for the construction of this eighth sister. After the government realized that it didn't have the funds for its construction, nor would the ground support the tallest of the sisters (including a gigantic Lenin on top), construction was ended and the already-completed foundation was turned into the largest swimming pool in Europe. The church was eventually reconstructed after the collapse of the USSR, but hey, nobody's perfect.
Names of the buildings in Moscow:
-Main building of Moscow State University
-Kotelnicheskaya Embankment
-Red Gates Administration Building
-Ministry of Foreign Affairs
-Kudrinskaya Embankment
-Hotel Ukraina
-Hotel Leningradskaya
Regardless, I love the way these buildings look so used my time in Moscow to seek them out. Despite some people I know who say Moscow is difficult to navigate, I found it incredibly easy to find my way around. That is, if you know what metro you're going to, it's practically impossible to get lost there.
Fun story: It only takes a couple hours to see all 7 skyscrapers and if your train doesn't leave for another 8 hours, one day in Moscow quickly turns into "Let's see how many McDonald's I can find" Day.
I also had time to stroll down New and Old Arbat, cruise through VDNKh, and ride the longest escalator in the world (and yes, it is as exciting as it sounds).
The Arbat's are a couple of the older, main streets in Moscow. Old Arbat is pedestrian whereas New Arbat is a pretty major road through downtown. Old Arbat has a mix of older businesses, souvenir shops, and Western stores. New Arbat is partly residential and has some mall-looking things on it. Old Arbat wins.
VDNKh, now called VVTs, was built as an exhibition center to feature the various successes of the republics of the USSR. There is a pavilion for each of the republics plus many more for other uses. There is also a monorail, an airplane, and a rocket. All in all, it's the Soviet Epcot Center.
For the sole reason of 'I didn't want to spend 30 straight hours on a train', I decided a stop-over in Moscow was in order on the way back home from Volgograd. My train arrived shortly after 10am and the next leg would begin at 1:10am. I had lots of time to fill.
Probably my favorite structures in Moscow are the skyscrapers constructed as per order of Stalin. There are seven of them, often called the 'Seven Sisters', and they are quite the sight on the Moscow skyline.
In terms or architecture, they are pretty good representations of the Stalinist style, about which I do not know enough about to even try to sound smart, so Wikipedia that or something. The really interesting part is that there was a eighth one planned, but was never constructed. Just off of Red Square, there used to be an absolutely HUGE church which was demolished pretty early on in the history of the USSR for the construction of this eighth sister. After the government realized that it didn't have the funds for its construction, nor would the ground support the tallest of the sisters (including a gigantic Lenin on top), construction was ended and the already-completed foundation was turned into the largest swimming pool in Europe. The church was eventually reconstructed after the collapse of the USSR, but hey, nobody's perfect.
Names of the buildings in Moscow:
-Main building of Moscow State University
-Kotelnicheskaya Embankment
-Red Gates Administration Building
-Ministry of Foreign Affairs
-Kudrinskaya Embankment
-Hotel Ukraina
-Hotel Leningradskaya
Fun story: It only takes a couple hours to see all 7 skyscrapers and if your train doesn't leave for another 8 hours, one day in Moscow quickly turns into "Let's see how many McDonald's I can find" Day.
I also had time to stroll down New and Old Arbat, cruise through VDNKh, and ride the longest escalator in the world (and yes, it is as exciting as it sounds).
VDNKh, now called VVTs, was built as an exhibition center to feature the various successes of the republics of the USSR. There is a pavilion for each of the republics plus many more for other uses. There is also a monorail, an airplane, and a rocket. All in all, it's the Soviet Epcot Center.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #8
STREET MEAT EDITION
Sorry CIEE, but I ate a lot of street meat while in Volgograd. I'm not going to specify exactly how much, but enough to significantly increase the chances of getting food poisoning.
Street Meat #1- Котлет по-Киевски
Chicken Kiev. 25-30 rubles
Just like Shaverma in St. Petersburg, there were kiosks and stands everywhere in Volgograd. You could probably manage to find one on every corner, literally.
Chicken Kiev in this context is a little chunk of chicken, wrapped around either cheese and mushrooms, or just straight up butter. In both varieties, there is a significant amount of butter added.
These guys have a pretty delightful texture. You bite in, and it crunches and squirts much like you'd imagine a gigantic beetle to. They serve them in plastic bags partly because it's impossible to eat one without liquid butter getting everywhere.
Street Meat #2- Хачапури
Khachapuri. 30-50 rubles
This is apparently a Georgian dish and is basically deep fried bread with an assortment of fillings. I only had one, and it was stuffed with a feta-like cheese. It tastes pretty much like you'd expect, but delicious nonetheless.
Sorry CIEE, but I ate a lot of street meat while in Volgograd. I'm not going to specify exactly how much, but enough to significantly increase the chances of getting food poisoning.
Street Meat #1- Котлет по-Киевски
Chicken Kiev. 25-30 rubles
Chicken Kiev in this context is a little chunk of chicken, wrapped around either cheese and mushrooms, or just straight up butter. In both varieties, there is a significant amount of butter added.
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| Money shot |
Street Meat #2- Хачапури
Khachapuri. 30-50 rubles
This is apparently a Georgian dish and is basically deep fried bread with an assortment of fillings. I only had one, and it was stuffed with a feta-like cheese. It tastes pretty much like you'd expect, but delicious nonetheless.
Volgograd
My life is complete.
Mostly kidding, but I do feel like I crossed a major item of my bucket list.
Fun Facts:
-Volgograd's name has changed three times. Tsartsyn was the name before 1925. In 1925 the name was changed to Stalingrad and as per de-Stalinization, the name was changed to the current Volgograd.
-It's located on the Volga river. Just to clear that one up.
-It mostly famous because of the Battle of Stalingrad, the most deadly battle in all history.
-There are two structures that still exist in Volgograd from before the war: A preserved building, and a tree
-The Mamayev Kurgan, a massive war memorial complex with the tallest non-Buddha statue in the world, is there.
-The city is around 100 km. long, stretching along the Volga.
Getting to Volgograd was the absolute longest train ride ever. It was exactly 24 hours from Kazan to Volgograd and I couldn't wait to get off the train. This trip also marked my first time couchsurfing. My host, Roman, met with me at the train station and led me to his apartment. Roman was a really nice guy who knew quite a bit about the city. It was great chatting with him about history, politics, and just small talk.
My main purpose for going to Volgograd was to see the Mamayev Kurgan. I have been completely in love with that statue ever since I found out about her a couple years back. Since train tickets are so cheap here, and who knows when I'll be back, I absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity to visit.
Riding into the center of the city, the train passes directly in front of the Mamayev Kurgan and you get this wonderful view of the statue on the horizon for a good half hour. Needless to say, I was practically peeing myself on the train.
Actually visiting the statue is a completely different experience. The complex is located on a hill and the MetroTram literally drops you off at the base of this hill. There are 200 steps leading up to the top, symbolizing the 200 days of the battle, along with ramps. Get some street meat at the base, you know, for energy.
After about half the steps, you get to the first lake. The next set of stairs is in this corridor of reliefs where they play all sorts of patriotic music.
The next lake is the "Lake of Tears". In the summer, the lake overflows. Along the side of this lake, there are multiple statues representing the various stages of the battle. The last one being two Russian soldiers throwing a snake, Germany.
Past this lake is the entrance to the hall with the eternal flame. There is a changing of the guard about every hour or two, I think. The guards march very slowly up the ramp and are perfectly synchronized. The inside of the hall is almost completely mosaic. During the day, really creepy music is played and the echo produced is quite unsettling.
And there she is. There are now but a few ramps between you and the statue. The ramps are lined with various grave stones.
The statue is self-supporting and does not have any sort of foundation; it is simply sitting on top of a hill. To put her size into perspective, from foot to torch the Statue of Liberty only comes up to the Motherland's waist. She is gigantic.
When I was there, I couldn't stop taking pictures. I was considering uploading an album of just her, but who really wants to look at a 100 pictures of the same thing?
While in Volgograd, I also went to the Panorama Museum. The museum is a history museum of the Battle of Stalingrad. Next to it is the only building still remaining from before the war, the remnants of a mill. The museum itself is fantastic, one of the most well-done museums I've been to in Russia. In the museum, they have Vasily Zaytsev's sniper rifle (the sniper on which the film "Enemy at the Gates" is loosely based), and the sword of Stalingrad (the sword given to the city by Winston Churchill). The very top of the museum is a 360 degree panorama of the city during the war. It's painted on the walls and on the floor they have constructed dugouts and other 'war thingies'.
I spent the rest of my time walking down the main streets and the embankment, which in any city, is something I find enjoyable.
Overall, Volgograd was a very pleasant to place to visit; it's cheap, the people are nice, and it's just a good place to walk around. That being said, there really wasn't too much to do and I'm glad I was only there for two days.
Mostly kidding, but I do feel like I crossed a major item of my bucket list.
Fun Facts:
-Volgograd's name has changed three times. Tsartsyn was the name before 1925. In 1925 the name was changed to Stalingrad and as per de-Stalinization, the name was changed to the current Volgograd.
-It's located on the Volga river. Just to clear that one up.
-It mostly famous because of the Battle of Stalingrad, the most deadly battle in all history.
-There are two structures that still exist in Volgograd from before the war: A preserved building, and a tree
-The Mamayev Kurgan, a massive war memorial complex with the tallest non-Buddha statue in the world, is there.-The city is around 100 km. long, stretching along the Volga.
Getting to Volgograd was the absolute longest train ride ever. It was exactly 24 hours from Kazan to Volgograd and I couldn't wait to get off the train. This trip also marked my first time couchsurfing. My host, Roman, met with me at the train station and led me to his apartment. Roman was a really nice guy who knew quite a bit about the city. It was great chatting with him about history, politics, and just small talk.
My main purpose for going to Volgograd was to see the Mamayev Kurgan. I have been completely in love with that statue ever since I found out about her a couple years back. Since train tickets are so cheap here, and who knows when I'll be back, I absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity to visit.
Riding into the center of the city, the train passes directly in front of the Mamayev Kurgan and you get this wonderful view of the statue on the horizon for a good half hour. Needless to say, I was practically peeing myself on the train.
After about half the steps, you get to the first lake. The next set of stairs is in this corridor of reliefs where they play all sorts of patriotic music.
The next lake is the "Lake of Tears". In the summer, the lake overflows. Along the side of this lake, there are multiple statues representing the various stages of the battle. The last one being two Russian soldiers throwing a snake, Germany.
And there she is. There are now but a few ramps between you and the statue. The ramps are lined with various grave stones.
The statue is self-supporting and does not have any sort of foundation; it is simply sitting on top of a hill. To put her size into perspective, from foot to torch the Statue of Liberty only comes up to the Motherland's waist. She is gigantic.When I was there, I couldn't stop taking pictures. I was considering uploading an album of just her, but who really wants to look at a 100 pictures of the same thing?
I spent the rest of my time walking down the main streets and the embankment, which in any city, is something I find enjoyable.
Adventures in Russian Food #7
Ok, I SWEAR this will be my last pop blog. It's just that I find new pops and sodas really interesting, mostly because unless you go for that BigK stuff (carbonated fruit flavor), America really only has like 4 flavors of soda: Cola, Citrus, Dr. Pepper, and Root Beer. It's interesting to see what other countries find delicious. Alright, pop time! (Haven't done this in a while, grab a snickers)
Pop #1 Брусника
Or Brucnika. According to googletranslate, this means cowberry, bilberry, huckleberry, or whortleberry. Overall, REALLY tasty. This drink is also 'with grass', but specifically, grass from the TAIGA so it's probably pretty special. Because of the grass, it tastes a little medicinal, but pleasant. These fruity drinks are also half-carbonated. Unlike the pepsi's and coke's which produce really large bubbles on the tongue and foam up a lot when you pour them, this drink produces lots of little itty-bitty bubbles not unlike champagne. Really enjoyable. The bottle was darker, so I just had to imagine what an enjoyable, deep, succulent red color the pop was.
Until I poured it onto a spoon and realized it was coffee colored. Oh well.
Pop #2 Cream Soda
Long story short- Like American Cream Soda, but not. A little sweeter, not enough of the 'cream soda' flavor. Just a little disappointing.
Pop #3 Колокольчик
Or Kolokolchik. See those flowers? Those are Kolokolchiki. It really means 'little bell' which I guess makes sense. When I bought this, I thought it would be some delicious, flower flavored pop. Nope. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you: Soviet Sprite. Yes indeed, this is Lemon-lime soda and that's it. It tastes exactly like Sprite, but perhaps a little more syrupy.
Pop #4 Байкал
Or Baikal, which for those who don't know, this is the name of the worlds largest, deepest lake located in Asian Russia. This is one of the classic Soviet-era sodas, which until I looked at the ingredients, had no idea what it could possibly be. It's dark brown, so I was thinking something like root beer. Nope. It's flavored with tea concentrate. That being said, I don't think it tastes like carbonated sweet tea. It difficult to describe, but it's sweet and has an interesting flavor. I like it.
Pop #5 Лаймон Фреш
Or Laimon Fresh. This is Sprite + Mint, or virgin Mojito. This is by far my favorite pop I've had so far. I was skeptical at first because, why would you want a mojito without the booze? It is yummy. It's refreshing and not overly sweet.
Pop #6 Абрикос
Or Apricot. I was SOOO excited when I bought this (in Volgograd) because I had never seen apricot soda before and it was a really cool bottle. Unfortunately it tasted like junk and I didn't even finish it. Next to the bottle on the shelf was peach soda and I thought I had purchased that, but instead accidentally grabbed the pear soda. It was the worst pear soda I've ever had. Not enough syrup, not enough pear. I didn't even take a picture of it. Ugh.
Bonus Round-McCafe
McDonald's coffee in Russia is legit. This is a 'coffee with milk', how it differs from a cappucino I'll never know. It's cheap, it's tasty, and it's well worth the purchase. McDonald's here actually has baristas, not someone with ambiguous gang affiliation, pulling your drink. And it's from an actual espresso machine that takes talent to run, not the ones in America where you ask for 'lightener' in your coffee and the person bops a couple buttons. Delicious.
P.S. There's a good chance I'm going to move on to junk food now, like chips and stuff. Also, if I find another yummy soda, I'm probably going to write about that as well.
Pop #1 Брусника
Or Brucnika. According to googletranslate, this means cowberry, bilberry, huckleberry, or whortleberry. Overall, REALLY tasty. This drink is also 'with grass', but specifically, grass from the TAIGA so it's probably pretty special. Because of the grass, it tastes a little medicinal, but pleasant. These fruity drinks are also half-carbonated. Unlike the pepsi's and coke's which produce really large bubbles on the tongue and foam up a lot when you pour them, this drink produces lots of little itty-bitty bubbles not unlike champagne. Really enjoyable. The bottle was darker, so I just had to imagine what an enjoyable, deep, succulent red color the pop was.
Long story short- Like American Cream Soda, but not. A little sweeter, not enough of the 'cream soda' flavor. Just a little disappointing.
Pop #3 Колокольчик
Or Kolokolchik. See those flowers? Those are Kolokolchiki. It really means 'little bell' which I guess makes sense. When I bought this, I thought it would be some delicious, flower flavored pop. Nope. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you: Soviet Sprite. Yes indeed, this is Lemon-lime soda and that's it. It tastes exactly like Sprite, but perhaps a little more syrupy.
Pop #4 Байкал
Or Baikal, which for those who don't know, this is the name of the worlds largest, deepest lake located in Asian Russia. This is one of the classic Soviet-era sodas, which until I looked at the ingredients, had no idea what it could possibly be. It's dark brown, so I was thinking something like root beer. Nope. It's flavored with tea concentrate. That being said, I don't think it tastes like carbonated sweet tea. It difficult to describe, but it's sweet and has an interesting flavor. I like it.
Pop #5 Лаймон Фреш
Or Laimon Fresh. This is Sprite + Mint, or virgin Mojito. This is by far my favorite pop I've had so far. I was skeptical at first because, why would you want a mojito without the booze? It is yummy. It's refreshing and not overly sweet.
Or Apricot. I was SOOO excited when I bought this (in Volgograd) because I had never seen apricot soda before and it was a really cool bottle. Unfortunately it tasted like junk and I didn't even finish it. Next to the bottle on the shelf was peach soda and I thought I had purchased that, but instead accidentally grabbed the pear soda. It was the worst pear soda I've ever had. Not enough syrup, not enough pear. I didn't even take a picture of it. Ugh.
McDonald's coffee in Russia is legit. This is a 'coffee with milk', how it differs from a cappucino I'll never know. It's cheap, it's tasty, and it's well worth the purchase. McDonald's here actually has baristas, not someone with ambiguous gang affiliation, pulling your drink. And it's from an actual espresso machine that takes talent to run, not the ones in America where you ask for 'lightener' in your coffee and the person bops a couple buttons. Delicious.
P.S. There's a good chance I'm going to move on to junk food now, like chips and stuff. Also, if I find another yummy soda, I'm probably going to write about that as well.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Return to Kazan
As part of the program, we are all given one week in the semester when we are free to travel where ever we want. They call it 'Russian Travel Week' and it would probably be better if people actually chose to travel within Russia, but I'm guessing 90% chose to leave.
Regardless, I chose to visit Kazan, Volgograd, and Moscow with my time and I chose to only use platzkart train accommodations.
My host sister from last summer, Liliya, had invited me back to visit them so I decided to take her up on the offer. The train ride from St. Petersburg took 21ish hours and it was pretty normal; everyone was civil and quiet, and the train ride was peaceful.
Arriving in Kazan felt great. I think sometimes it takes a couple times to realize how great and amazing something is. From the second I stepped off the train, I just felt comfortable and at home, more so than I do in St. Petersburg. I had forgotten how much I love Kazan.
Liliya was working when I arrived, so I took some time to cruise around the city solo before meeting up with friends. I was completely taken off guard when I realized how small the center of the city really is; I remembered it being larger. From the train station, I had only walked a short while when I passed TsUM and then I could see the Kremlin a short distance further. I toured the Kremlin for a bit, and then continued in the direction of what I believed to be the university I studied at.
And what do you know, after a short walk, I found my way back to the old FSB building, and from that point I knew how to get where I was going. I also visited Kazan State University (Now called the Kazan (Volga Area) Federal University) and the surrounding area. It truly felt great to be back in Kazan.
Before I left, Liliya had given me directions on how to get to their apartment even though I knew I could find my way back there. I hopped on the metro and off I went.
There seemed to be a lot of construction there. They are construction a new overpass on Prospekt Pobedy along with the never-ending apartment complex renovation. Liliya's apartment had undergone renovation and looked quite nice.
A lot had changed in a year. There is a new mall across from the apartment, construction everywhere, new bars and businesses on Bauman, and a new metro station opened earlier this year. I mad sure to visit it and cruise around that area.
Most of all, it was just great to visit with Liliya and her mother, Galia. I feel like I was able to talk with them more and understand them more than when last I saw them. Additionally, Galia is a great cook and makes amazingly tasting food. Homemade noodle soup, salad, delicious jams, and julienne (my absolutely favorite thing ever eaten in Russia) were some of the things I had.
One day, we met up with one of Liliya's friends, Leysan. Together we played a homemade variant of Apples to Apples that included both American and Russian culture. I tried explaining the Hellen Keller Trump Card rule, but I don't think it translated well (different senses of humor I guess).
The next day, we went to Leysan's and I tried persimmon for the first time. Let me tell you, they are delicious. Sweet, interesting texture...delicious.
One of the most memorable experiences in Kazan was going to one of Liliya's English classes. Her class consisted of adults who worked in the same office together. We did some exercises together and played a short round of the hybrid Apples to Apples. I was amazed at how well they spoke. It's always interesting to witness someone learning your language and being able to understand them completely despite the challenges.
Fun Experience-- I noticed a babushka selling suckers on the street. Not completely an uncommon thing, but sometimes the shapes the suckers are in are a little surprising. This particular babushka was selling pistol suckers, cow suckers, bar suckers, and....ahem...'rooster' suckers. I decided this was funny, so I bought one. The best part was as I handed her the 20 rubles, she said that it was good for sore throats. Yup, I'm sure it is.
Overall, Kazan was a fantastic experience. I cannot wait to go back again sometime.
Next stop--Volgograd
Regardless, I chose to visit Kazan, Volgograd, and Moscow with my time and I chose to only use platzkart train accommodations.
My host sister from last summer, Liliya, had invited me back to visit them so I decided to take her up on the offer. The train ride from St. Petersburg took 21ish hours and it was pretty normal; everyone was civil and quiet, and the train ride was peaceful.
Arriving in Kazan felt great. I think sometimes it takes a couple times to realize how great and amazing something is. From the second I stepped off the train, I just felt comfortable and at home, more so than I do in St. Petersburg. I had forgotten how much I love Kazan.
Liliya was working when I arrived, so I took some time to cruise around the city solo before meeting up with friends. I was completely taken off guard when I realized how small the center of the city really is; I remembered it being larger. From the train station, I had only walked a short while when I passed TsUM and then I could see the Kremlin a short distance further. I toured the Kremlin for a bit, and then continued in the direction of what I believed to be the university I studied at.
And what do you know, after a short walk, I found my way back to the old FSB building, and from that point I knew how to get where I was going. I also visited Kazan State University (Now called the Kazan (Volga Area) Federal University) and the surrounding area. It truly felt great to be back in Kazan.
There seemed to be a lot of construction there. They are construction a new overpass on Prospekt Pobedy along with the never-ending apartment complex renovation. Liliya's apartment had undergone renovation and looked quite nice.
A lot had changed in a year. There is a new mall across from the apartment, construction everywhere, new bars and businesses on Bauman, and a new metro station opened earlier this year. I mad sure to visit it and cruise around that area.
One day, we met up with one of Liliya's friends, Leysan. Together we played a homemade variant of Apples to Apples that included both American and Russian culture. I tried explaining the Hellen Keller Trump Card rule, but I don't think it translated well (different senses of humor I guess).
The next day, we went to Leysan's and I tried persimmon for the first time. Let me tell you, they are delicious. Sweet, interesting texture...delicious.
One of the most memorable experiences in Kazan was going to one of Liliya's English classes. Her class consisted of adults who worked in the same office together. We did some exercises together and played a short round of the hybrid Apples to Apples. I was amazed at how well they spoke. It's always interesting to witness someone learning your language and being able to understand them completely despite the challenges.
Overall, Kazan was a fantastic experience. I cannot wait to go back again sometime.
Next stop--Volgograd
Monday, December 5, 2011
Kiev, Ukraine -or- Holy crap I'm lazy
About a month ago, I went with the other 90 Americans to Moscow and Kiev, and shortly after, I got super lazy because I have not yet written about it.
Kiev was my first time in Ukraine, but it also marked my first trip riding the Russian Platzkart option. I have read about other people's platzkart stories, either of horror or of amazing memories, but riding with other Americans made the trip less than memorable.
We stayed at a pretty decent hotel, not as nice as the Holiday Inn in Moscow though. The hotel was definitely from the Soviet era.
The trip confirmed what I suspected. I hate group tours and excursions. The places we all went weren't horrible. Some of them were quite pleasant. What was not pleasant was being with 40 other people, most of whom were not happy to be there. Another thing was having a tour guide that was really bad about reading the desires of the group. For example: Sure, St. Sophia's is a really beautiful church. It does not, however, deserve an hour and a half of my time, especially when the tour only includes the first floor. I do not need to know the entire history of the church, rather maybe some interesting facts like during the fresco restoration, a bunch of workers died from dust inhalation. Cool Stuff. I also do not need to spend a couple hours in the National Museum of Ukraine and only see the sections on pre-Ukrainian history (granted the money exhibit was really cool and I explored that area by myself. Too bad the rest of the tour group just got to see a bunch of Greek coins and stuff).
The tour guide also assumed that were were all just a bunch of dumb Americans. When she asked us "Do you know who Lenin was?", what she interpreted as confusion was actually a group-aneurism. Most of us had actually seen his very waxy embalmed self just a few days earlier!
Kiev is definitely on my plans for winter break. I did get to visit the WWII museum in the base of the Motherland Calls monument as well as visit the Chernobyl Disaster Museum.
The WWII museum was spectacular, seriously one of the best museums I have been to on this trip. It cost only 3 hryvni on a student card. One thing I wish I would have done was, for just 200 hryven (about $35) you can go up to the top of her shield. My friend and I wrestled with the decision for quite a while before deciding it was too much money. Also, it would have required us to share the journey with a really creepy dude who was obviously in Kiev to purchase a wife. (Speaking of that, the map that we all received had about 10 escort service ads on it. Classy CIEE, classy)
The Chernobyl Museum, while very good, was not what I expected. It was designed as more of a memorial to the aftermath rather than an exhibit of the event itself. I kinda figured they wouldn't have any items from the site, and they didn't, but I still wish they did. In the front lot they had many old vehicles that were used during the cleanup and evacuation. The last room in the museum had a massive structure on the floor that looked like the top of a reactor, with chairs on top of extracted control rods. COOL.
On food. There is a super cheap restaurant in Ukraine called Puzata Hata (Пузата Хата) which, if I remember correctly, means something like "fat gut". The restaurant is set up like a cafeteria; grab a tray and tell the servers what you want (or point, if you're lazy). Not only is it absolutely delicious, it's cheap; you can get a complete, huge meal for under $6.
Kiev was my first time in Ukraine, but it also marked my first trip riding the Russian Platzkart option. I have read about other people's platzkart stories, either of horror or of amazing memories, but riding with other Americans made the trip less than memorable.
We stayed at a pretty decent hotel, not as nice as the Holiday Inn in Moscow though. The hotel was definitely from the Soviet era.
The trip confirmed what I suspected. I hate group tours and excursions. The places we all went weren't horrible. Some of them were quite pleasant. What was not pleasant was being with 40 other people, most of whom were not happy to be there. Another thing was having a tour guide that was really bad about reading the desires of the group. For example: Sure, St. Sophia's is a really beautiful church. It does not, however, deserve an hour and a half of my time, especially when the tour only includes the first floor. I do not need to know the entire history of the church, rather maybe some interesting facts like during the fresco restoration, a bunch of workers died from dust inhalation. Cool Stuff. I also do not need to spend a couple hours in the National Museum of Ukraine and only see the sections on pre-Ukrainian history (granted the money exhibit was really cool and I explored that area by myself. Too bad the rest of the tour group just got to see a bunch of Greek coins and stuff).
The tour guide also assumed that were were all just a bunch of dumb Americans. When she asked us "Do you know who Lenin was?", what she interpreted as confusion was actually a group-aneurism. Most of us had actually seen his very waxy embalmed self just a few days earlier!
Kiev is definitely on my plans for winter break. I did get to visit the WWII museum in the base of the Motherland Calls monument as well as visit the Chernobyl Disaster Museum.
The WWII museum was spectacular, seriously one of the best museums I have been to on this trip. It cost only 3 hryvni on a student card. One thing I wish I would have done was, for just 200 hryven (about $35) you can go up to the top of her shield. My friend and I wrestled with the decision for quite a while before deciding it was too much money. Also, it would have required us to share the journey with a really creepy dude who was obviously in Kiev to purchase a wife. (Speaking of that, the map that we all received had about 10 escort service ads on it. Classy CIEE, classy)
The Chernobyl Museum, while very good, was not what I expected. It was designed as more of a memorial to the aftermath rather than an exhibit of the event itself. I kinda figured they wouldn't have any items from the site, and they didn't, but I still wish they did. In the front lot they had many old vehicles that were used during the cleanup and evacuation. The last room in the museum had a massive structure on the floor that looked like the top of a reactor, with chairs on top of extracted control rods. COOL.
On food. There is a super cheap restaurant in Ukraine called Puzata Hata (Пузата Хата) which, if I remember correctly, means something like "fat gut". The restaurant is set up like a cafeteria; grab a tray and tell the servers what you want (or point, if you're lazy). Not only is it absolutely delicious, it's cheap; you can get a complete, huge meal for under $6.
 | |
| Since it's not obvious, These are Hryvnia, the currency of Ukraine |
Monday, November 14, 2011
So I finally made it to Moscow
And let me tell you, it was pretty fantastic!
The program took an overnight train to Moscow which took about 8 or so hours. The ride itself was pretty smooth and the Kupe compartment was rather comfy.
*Note on Russian Trains: Traveling by train in Russia is still probably the best option in terms of balancing speed, comfort, and price and is the most popular means of intercity, and possibly international, transportation. Typical trains in the former Soviet Union usually have three classes; Lux, Kupe, and Platzkart. Lux is the nicest and most expensive. It has 1 to 2 berths per compartment. Kupe is the next nicest and about half the price of lux. It's a four berth compartment. Then we come to the infamous Platzkart wagon. This is an open-berth wagon and is the cheapest option for overnight train travel. No Doors, and as many beds as they can fit in. It's a hoot, to say the least.
Anyway, Moscow was great. We arrived in the morning and despite being super tired, my level of excitement was annoyingly high. Immediately upon exiting the train, I saw the top of the Leningradskaya Hotel, one of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow. For those who don't know, my fascination with these seven buildings (and a couple others) is approaching fetishism, so having one be the first thing I saw in Moscow was just splendid.
The first thing on the schedule was checking into the hotel, breakfast, and a bus tour, so after waiting for some very entitled people to get to the bus, off we went. We stayed at the Hotel Inn near the Cokol'niki metro, which was probably nicer than I would have wanted, but it came with a gas mask and a non-hand-held shower, so why argue? During the bus tour we experienced some of Moscow's horrible traffic, causing the bus tour to take about an hour longer than I would have wanted. We drove by a bunch of cool things, like a sputnik monument, Ostankino tower, the first McDonald's in Russia, and the center area. We also stopped by Red Square and the Sparrow Hills, where Moscow State University. Some point during the tour, we drove down New Arbat, which is a shopping/entertainment street with lots of Western things like Chili's, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts. I definitely need to go back there when I'm in Moscow again. Also, the bus tour added about 20 new things to my "Things to do in Moscow" list. Sheesh
After the bus tour concluded, about half the people on the program wanted to be lame and stay at the hotel for the rest of the day. I, however, went exploring to knock some things off the list. I hit up Gorky Park, to see the Buran parked there, and the sculpture garden across the street. Gorky Park was a pretty cool place to go walking. There were lots of sculptures and things; there was even a kids amusement park. I only explored about half of it, so I'm sure I missed a bunch of things. The sculpture garden is located outside the Tretyakov Gallery and is where they decided to put a lot of the old, Soviet monuments and statues. There are a bunch of Lenins there, some Brezhnevs, and a Stalin or two. This is probably one of the few places you can see a Stalin statue or bust after the De-Stalinization period. Also in the park, there is the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky which used to be located in Lubyanka Square and was knocked down after the Fall of the USSR.
I had plans later on to meet with some friends for dinner on Arbat, so I needed to kill time around that area for a bit.
And then it happened. STARBUCKS. I got a way overpriced coffee, but dammit, it was worth it. It was ACTUALLY coffee, not an Americano. Also, it wasn't half bad. I mean, it was....Starbucks. (Caribou FTW)
Dinner at Chili's. Had an overpriced hamburger. Meh.
Day Two: Crusty Communist Leaders and Over-zealous tour guides
On Lenin's Mausoleum: First thing in the morning, we set out for Red Square to go see Lenin in all his glory. Things you are allowed to do in the tomb: Talk, have anything electronic with you, have hands in pockets, smile, stop walking. After going through a metal detector (and in true Russian fashion, it's more for show than regulation), armed guards lead small groups of people to the entrance. The path takes you through half of the Kremlin necropolis (parts of the wall where important people are interred) and around to the front of the tomb. You enter the tomb and from that point on, you are being watched by at least 2 guards at any given time. The walls are black marble (think, Ministry of Magic), and there's just a creepy feeling in the place. After going down a couple flights of stairs, you enter the actual room. Lenin is in a glass case, dressed in a suit. He looks a little green, a little waxy, and a little plaster-like. Lots of people think he's a replica, and he could be, but he's also pretty old so I didn't expect him to look, well, lifelike.
After that, we had some time to bomb around Red Square before the Kremlin tour. I hit up St. Basil's (oddly tomb-like inside), and GUM, a massive department store.
Kremlin tour--Mostly churches, which we had just gotten done talking about in culture class. Also the tour just took forever and the guide just wouldn't shut up. Annoying. Next was the Armory, where they keep all the spendi things the Tsars had. Unfortunately, the jewels were not part of the tour and cost like 500 rubles extra. Our tour was mostly over a bunch of metal things the Tsars got from other country; lots of dinnerware. Lastly, there were like 5 Faberge eggs---Not worth it.
Day Three: Optional Tours-Lubyanka, Gulag, Cosmonaut
One of our coordinators led the group I was with to Lubyanka Square to talk about the building (it has a rather morbid history), and to see the stone placed there as a memorial to those who were killed there. Unfortunately, we were there during a holiday, the one day a year they let the families come and pay respects. We were not allowed into the area around the memorial.
Next stop-Gulag Museum. It was a pretty small museum, definitely not what I expected. The problem is there is no unified Gulag museum in Russia. The funding isn't there, and it is still a little taboo apparently.
Last stop- Cosmonaut Museum. This was the absolute coolest. It's located outside VDNKh, underneath the monument to cosmonauts. It's probably as big, if not bigger, than the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. I was impressed. Also, for students, COMPLETELY FREE. They had models of all the Soviet/Russian rocket systems and capsules. A life size replica of a Soyuz capsule and one of the pods currently in the International Space station. They also had Belka and Strelka...stuffed. They were among the first animals to go up to space, and survive. One of their puppies was given to JFK as a gift and their descendants are still alive today.
As much as I got to see, I didn't even come close to completing my list. I still have about 40-50 things left to do, including every station on the metro. I guess that's just one of the downsides of being in a group. I could have completed almost everything had I been by myself, but at the same time, I wouldn't have gotten a tour of the Kremlin, and I wouldn't have gone to the gulag museum.
Upon returning, I read someone else's blog about St. Petersburg. He is currently in Moscow as a student and was in Piter during roughly the same time I was in Moscow. He mentioned how in St. Petersburg, everyone speaks English and how you get a truer Russian feeling in Moscow. My two cents? I wish that were the case, but from my experience here, NOBODY speaks English to me. I can pretty much count on one hand the times someone has spoken English to me in St. Petersburg. However, in Moscow, literally everyone did. The waitress at Chili's, the barista at Starbucks, the cashier at the produkti--All spoke English.
We shall meet again soon, Moscow.
The program took an overnight train to Moscow which took about 8 or so hours. The ride itself was pretty smooth and the Kupe compartment was rather comfy.
*Note on Russian Trains: Traveling by train in Russia is still probably the best option in terms of balancing speed, comfort, and price and is the most popular means of intercity, and possibly international, transportation. Typical trains in the former Soviet Union usually have three classes; Lux, Kupe, and Platzkart. Lux is the nicest and most expensive. It has 1 to 2 berths per compartment. Kupe is the next nicest and about half the price of lux. It's a four berth compartment. Then we come to the infamous Platzkart wagon. This is an open-berth wagon and is the cheapest option for overnight train travel. No Doors, and as many beds as they can fit in. It's a hoot, to say the least.
Anyway, Moscow was great. We arrived in the morning and despite being super tired, my level of excitement was annoyingly high. Immediately upon exiting the train, I saw the top of the Leningradskaya Hotel, one of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow. For those who don't know, my fascination with these seven buildings (and a couple others) is approaching fetishism, so having one be the first thing I saw in Moscow was just splendid.
The first thing on the schedule was checking into the hotel, breakfast, and a bus tour, so after waiting for some very entitled people to get to the bus, off we went. We stayed at the Hotel Inn near the Cokol'niki metro, which was probably nicer than I would have wanted, but it came with a gas mask and a non-hand-held shower, so why argue? During the bus tour we experienced some of Moscow's horrible traffic, causing the bus tour to take about an hour longer than I would have wanted. We drove by a bunch of cool things, like a sputnik monument, Ostankino tower, the first McDonald's in Russia, and the center area. We also stopped by Red Square and the Sparrow Hills, where Moscow State University. Some point during the tour, we drove down New Arbat, which is a shopping/entertainment street with lots of Western things like Chili's, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts. I definitely need to go back there when I'm in Moscow again. Also, the bus tour added about 20 new things to my "Things to do in Moscow" list. Sheesh
After the bus tour concluded, about half the people on the program wanted to be lame and stay at the hotel for the rest of the day. I, however, went exploring to knock some things off the list. I hit up Gorky Park, to see the Buran parked there, and the sculpture garden across the street. Gorky Park was a pretty cool place to go walking. There were lots of sculptures and things; there was even a kids amusement park. I only explored about half of it, so I'm sure I missed a bunch of things. The sculpture garden is located outside the Tretyakov Gallery and is where they decided to put a lot of the old, Soviet monuments and statues. There are a bunch of Lenins there, some Brezhnevs, and a Stalin or two. This is probably one of the few places you can see a Stalin statue or bust after the De-Stalinization period. Also in the park, there is the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky which used to be located in Lubyanka Square and was knocked down after the Fall of the USSR.
 |
| Hurray Capitalism!! I'm pretty sure this is the 1st McD's. If so, It's the largest in the world as well. |
I had plans later on to meet with some friends for dinner on Arbat, so I needed to kill time around that area for a bit.
And then it happened. STARBUCKS. I got a way overpriced coffee, but dammit, it was worth it. It was ACTUALLY coffee, not an Americano. Also, it wasn't half bad. I mean, it was....Starbucks. (Caribou FTW)
Dinner at Chili's. Had an overpriced hamburger. Meh.
 |
| 117 rubles of pure joy |
Day Two: Crusty Communist Leaders and Over-zealous tour guides
On Lenin's Mausoleum: First thing in the morning, we set out for Red Square to go see Lenin in all his glory. Things you are allowed to do in the tomb: Talk, have anything electronic with you, have hands in pockets, smile, stop walking. After going through a metal detector (and in true Russian fashion, it's more for show than regulation), armed guards lead small groups of people to the entrance. The path takes you through half of the Kremlin necropolis (parts of the wall where important people are interred) and around to the front of the tomb. You enter the tomb and from that point on, you are being watched by at least 2 guards at any given time. The walls are black marble (think, Ministry of Magic), and there's just a creepy feeling in the place. After going down a couple flights of stairs, you enter the actual room. Lenin is in a glass case, dressed in a suit. He looks a little green, a little waxy, and a little plaster-like. Lots of people think he's a replica, and he could be, but he's also pretty old so I didn't expect him to look, well, lifelike.
After that, we had some time to bomb around Red Square before the Kremlin tour. I hit up St. Basil's (oddly tomb-like inside), and GUM, a massive department store.
Kremlin tour--Mostly churches, which we had just gotten done talking about in culture class. Also the tour just took forever and the guide just wouldn't shut up. Annoying. Next was the Armory, where they keep all the spendi things the Tsars had. Unfortunately, the jewels were not part of the tour and cost like 500 rubles extra. Our tour was mostly over a bunch of metal things the Tsars got from other country; lots of dinnerware. Lastly, there were like 5 Faberge eggs---Not worth it.
Day Three: Optional Tours-Lubyanka, Gulag, Cosmonaut
One of our coordinators led the group I was with to Lubyanka Square to talk about the building (it has a rather morbid history), and to see the stone placed there as a memorial to those who were killed there. Unfortunately, we were there during a holiday, the one day a year they let the families come and pay respects. We were not allowed into the area around the memorial.
Next stop-Gulag Museum. It was a pretty small museum, definitely not what I expected. The problem is there is no unified Gulag museum in Russia. The funding isn't there, and it is still a little taboo apparently.
Last stop- Cosmonaut Museum. This was the absolute coolest. It's located outside VDNKh, underneath the monument to cosmonauts. It's probably as big, if not bigger, than the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. I was impressed. Also, for students, COMPLETELY FREE. They had models of all the Soviet/Russian rocket systems and capsules. A life size replica of a Soyuz capsule and one of the pods currently in the International Space station. They also had Belka and Strelka...stuffed. They were among the first animals to go up to space, and survive. One of their puppies was given to JFK as a gift and their descendants are still alive today.
As much as I got to see, I didn't even come close to completing my list. I still have about 40-50 things left to do, including every station on the metro. I guess that's just one of the downsides of being in a group. I could have completed almost everything had I been by myself, but at the same time, I wouldn't have gotten a tour of the Kremlin, and I wouldn't have gone to the gulag museum.
Upon returning, I read someone else's blog about St. Petersburg. He is currently in Moscow as a student and was in Piter during roughly the same time I was in Moscow. He mentioned how in St. Petersburg, everyone speaks English and how you get a truer Russian feeling in Moscow. My two cents? I wish that were the case, but from my experience here, NOBODY speaks English to me. I can pretty much count on one hand the times someone has spoken English to me in St. Petersburg. However, in Moscow, literally everyone did. The waitress at Chili's, the barista at Starbucks, the cashier at the produkti--All spoke English.
We shall meet again soon, Moscow.
Monday, November 7, 2011
LOL JK RUSSIA IS AWESOME
1) Classes are easy. Like really easy, to the point where I'll have trouble finishing my last semester of college because it'll be rocket science compared to what I'm doing now.
2) I haven't tried it yet, when I finally decide to, I take great solace in knowing that I won't have to walk more than 3 blocks to the nearest Sushi Bar. Seriously, If you live more than 3 blocks from a sushi-bar here, you're doing it wrong.
3) I would say the same about coffee shops, but that's the one thing I'm ACTUALLY bitter about. And the same is true, if you're more than 3 blocks away from some incarnation of a coffee-house, you're doing it wrong.
4) I actually like my host family. She's nice, and she makes lots of delicious soups and things for me. Like: Schi, Sour Schi, Rassol'nik, Pumpkin soup, caviar, pate, caviar, the best cheese I've ever had (smoked ftw), Kasha that would kill angels, eggs just like I like them (burnt whites, yum), eggplant mash, vat jelly, homemade sauerkraut, sausages with mash, Ukha, and more.
5) The food is SOOOO yummy! Syrok, Pops, Yogurt, Cookies (nutela waffle tubes), Blini, Soup, omg BUCKWHEAT, other Russian foods---even RAMEN tastes better here. (coffee still sucks...grrrr)
6) The stoplights have countdowns on them. You no longer have to guess how much time you have left before a gypsy cab (or cop) runs you over in the crosswalk. The cycle works as such:
Green to Red- Green Blinks 3 times, then Yellow for roughly a second then Red
Red to Green- Yellow turns with Red for roughly 3 seconds before Green light comes on.
The previously Green side of intersection is at a Full Red before the Other side is alerted to the changing lights. In theory, a very safe, efficient system. The US should implement.
7) There is an overwhelming amount of stuff to do. And I do mean 'overwhelming'. I feel like I haven't done anything since arriving because my to-do list is so long. I'm slowly working through it. I still have a semester to go!!!
8) I get to wake up every morning knowing that I'm in St. Petersburg! And lemme tell you, that is all sorts of surreal. Up until two years ago, I had no idea the direction my life would take, and had someone told me, I wouldn't have believed them. I am simply amazed everyday.
9) This city is older than the United States. Peter the Great FTW
10) Drinking beer on the street--at least until 2012 (wah wah). A new law will treat beer as alcohol and thus, the ban on public drinking will extend to beer.
11) Cheap vodka
12) Finland is super close, ya know, for smuggling runs. Apparently things are cheaper over there. Somehow, I find that hard to believe.
13) Banya--- Sauna + Sadomasochism + Snacks= Awesome!! Not only is it fun, it's super refreshing. While in the steam room, you beat yourself or others with things called 'veniki'. These are traditionally birch branches with leaves still attached, but oak is cheaper and I have even seen evergreen (with needles, I need to try that!)
14) Kopeck hunting (not for 10's or 50's, but for 1's and 5's). Stalk some weddings, find some coins they don't make anymore, get some weird looks from Russians. Fun times.
15) Hazelnuts in candy, like Snickers and M&Ms
16) This place is full of magic and Everything is amazing!
2) I haven't tried it yet, when I finally decide to, I take great solace in knowing that I won't have to walk more than 3 blocks to the nearest Sushi Bar. Seriously, If you live more than 3 blocks from a sushi-bar here, you're doing it wrong.
3) I would say the same about coffee shops, but that's the one thing I'm ACTUALLY bitter about. And the same is true, if you're more than 3 blocks away from some incarnation of a coffee-house, you're doing it wrong.
4) I actually like my host family. She's nice, and she makes lots of delicious soups and things for me. Like: Schi, Sour Schi, Rassol'nik, Pumpkin soup, caviar, pate, caviar, the best cheese I've ever had (smoked ftw), Kasha that would kill angels, eggs just like I like them (burnt whites, yum), eggplant mash, vat jelly, homemade sauerkraut, sausages with mash, Ukha, and more.
5) The food is SOOOO yummy! Syrok, Pops, Yogurt, Cookies (nutela waffle tubes), Blini, Soup, omg BUCKWHEAT, other Russian foods---even RAMEN tastes better here. (coffee still sucks...grrrr)
6) The stoplights have countdowns on them. You no longer have to guess how much time you have left before a gypsy cab (or cop) runs you over in the crosswalk. The cycle works as such:
Green to Red- Green Blinks 3 times, then Yellow for roughly a second then Red
Red to Green- Yellow turns with Red for roughly 3 seconds before Green light comes on.
The previously Green side of intersection is at a Full Red before the Other side is alerted to the changing lights. In theory, a very safe, efficient system. The US should implement.
7) There is an overwhelming amount of stuff to do. And I do mean 'overwhelming'. I feel like I haven't done anything since arriving because my to-do list is so long. I'm slowly working through it. I still have a semester to go!!!
8) I get to wake up every morning knowing that I'm in St. Petersburg! And lemme tell you, that is all sorts of surreal. Up until two years ago, I had no idea the direction my life would take, and had someone told me, I wouldn't have believed them. I am simply amazed everyday.
9) This city is older than the United States. Peter the Great FTW
10) Drinking beer on the street--at least until 2012 (wah wah). A new law will treat beer as alcohol and thus, the ban on public drinking will extend to beer.
11) Cheap vodka
12) Finland is super close, ya know, for smuggling runs. Apparently things are cheaper over there. Somehow, I find that hard to believe.
13) Banya--- Sauna + Sadomasochism + Snacks= Awesome!! Not only is it fun, it's super refreshing. While in the steam room, you beat yourself or others with things called 'veniki'. These are traditionally birch branches with leaves still attached, but oak is cheaper and I have even seen evergreen (with needles, I need to try that!)
14) Kopeck hunting (not for 10's or 50's, but for 1's and 5's). Stalk some weddings, find some coins they don't make anymore, get some weird looks from Russians. Fun times.
15) Hazelnuts in candy, like Snickers and M&Ms
16) This place is full of magic and Everything is amazing!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Guess Where I'm Going!!!!
Oh yeah. Also I'm pretty sure that song is in German.
And for your cheesy Soviet enjoyment
Pretty sure this one is Russian.
In other news: I have enough of a handle of the Russian language to reserve theatre tickets. Hurray me!! I'm going to see Spartacus at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. Should be good.
Anyway, Be back in a week!!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #6
Quick update:
Interesting things I have ingested in the last week:
Homemade chicken liver pâté- Delicious. I knew I love this stuff on Bahn Mi, but man is it good just on crackers or bread. It's chicken liver with veggies ground into a paste.
Stewed Eggplant Stuff- My host mother didn't give me a name for this but I probably came close. It's eggplant, peppers, tomato, garlic, onion, carrots, cabbage, lots of salt, and probably some other stuff too. It's fo-realz tasty. If anyone has a name for this, do tell.
Tvorog- I had my first Tvorog experience this morning for breakfast. Tvorog (творог for you purists out there) is translated as farmers cheese, but I'm not sure that does it justice. For me, it was a slightly sour, sweet yogurt-like product with the texture half way between cream cheese and a greek yogurt. It ran like yogurt, but held form when moved with a spoon. Very interesting stuff. My host my mixed it with vat-jelly and it was just fantastic. I think the stuff I had this morning was around 11% fat, so it should stick with me for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tvorog for more info.
Калина - My host mom had a small bucket of red juice with pulp sitting on the counter. As I was finishing breakfast, she asked if I wanted to try so naturally, I said yes. She told me that it was mushed up Калина and that it was very bitter. She dipped a spoon in and gave me a spoonful. Yes, it's bitter. In fact, probably as misleadingly bitter as bakers chocolate. Such a lovely red juice should not be that bitter. As it turns out, my host dad makes medicine out of it. This is what wikipedia says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum.
It's apparently a laxative and seeing how I haven't exploded, I'm guessing a spoonful is not enough to be effective. Again, If anyone knows what these guys are, please tell me. I'd rather not think of them as 'mooseberries'.
Interesting things I have ingested in the last week:
Homemade chicken liver pâté- Delicious. I knew I love this stuff on Bahn Mi, but man is it good just on crackers or bread. It's chicken liver with veggies ground into a paste.
Stewed Eggplant Stuff- My host mother didn't give me a name for this but I probably came close. It's eggplant, peppers, tomato, garlic, onion, carrots, cabbage, lots of salt, and probably some other stuff too. It's fo-realz tasty. If anyone has a name for this, do tell.
Tvorog- I had my first Tvorog experience this morning for breakfast. Tvorog (творог for you purists out there) is translated as farmers cheese, but I'm not sure that does it justice. For me, it was a slightly sour, sweet yogurt-like product with the texture half way between cream cheese and a greek yogurt. It ran like yogurt, but held form when moved with a spoon. Very interesting stuff. My host my mixed it with vat-jelly and it was just fantastic. I think the stuff I had this morning was around 11% fat, so it should stick with me for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tvorog for more info.
Калина - My host mom had a small bucket of red juice with pulp sitting on the counter. As I was finishing breakfast, she asked if I wanted to try so naturally, I said yes. She told me that it was mushed up Калина and that it was very bitter. She dipped a spoon in and gave me a spoonful. Yes, it's bitter. In fact, probably as misleadingly bitter as bakers chocolate. Such a lovely red juice should not be that bitter. As it turns out, my host dad makes medicine out of it. This is what wikipedia says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum.
It's apparently a laxative and seeing how I haven't exploded, I'm guessing a spoonful is not enough to be effective. Again, If anyone knows what these guys are, please tell me. I'd rather not think of them as 'mooseberries'.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Phase 2--Russia Sucks
In honor of the wicked 'Phase-2*'ing happening right now, I thought I'd share my own (and some other people's) personal grievances with this god-forsaken country.
1) This country is dirty as hell. Like, it's just grimy. It's understandable that Russians don't wear their outside shoes inside...EVER. The amount of muck I walk through everyday is unbelievable. Also, there is poop everywhere. I hope it's dog poop, but from the size of some of the loafs, I'm starting to believe Russians actually DO have bears for pets. I haven't stepped in any yet, but I know it's just a matter of time.
2) It's wet. It rains all the time and apparently the Fall and Winter trade rain for snow, so Whoppdi DOO. Even when the weather report predicts sun all day, St. Petersburg will find a way to sneak some rain in there somewhere.
3) Kopeks- WTF!! These are the 'cents' of the Ruble. They are COMPLETELY useless, and yet, I somehow have a bag full of them. I try to use them, but then I get yelled at because I'm taking too much time to count them. This brings us to:
4) Cashiers can go to hell. It's impossible to get through any type of cash transaction without some exasperating sigh or disappointing look. You buy something and pray that it comes out to exactly 100 rubles, because if it doesn't...ahh hell. Someone has to count out change, and it's going to ruin their day. Even when you try to spare the cashier the horrible task of making change by having the exact amount, they still glare at you. You can't do right. Once a cashier yelled at me because she thought I should have had 75.60 in coins. The change for 100p is FIVE COINS. I should have given her a sassy "Сука, Пожалуйста!" but that probably would have caused a situation.
5) Pickpockets-I just don't want to deal with that.
6) Water- Fun Story: Water from the tap in St. Petersburg has Giardia in it. This isn't such a big deal, because most of the time I drink tea, and it has been boiled, killing the parasites. However, say you wake up at 3a.m. with an unreasonable thirst and you forgot to purchase water today. Too bad. Don't even think about drinking the boiled tap; it tastes like pennies. The nearest 24 hr. store is 5 blocks away and to get there, you're going to have to deal with defecating drunks (yeah, that happened).
7) Water-again. There's a joke here which states 'all of Mendeleev's can be found in the waters of the Neva'. It's probably closer to truth than not. A few kilometers outside of town is a place called Красный Бор. It's a big hole in the ground where the Soviets thought it would be ok to dump all sort of chemicals. It's full now, and every time it rains, it overflows and drains into a river which leads to the Neva. Guess from which river St. Petersburg gets its water? Yeah, the Neva. There's so much pollution, Finland is getting pissed. Even when the water is boiled, the chemicals remain and there is always a metallic taste. Bottled water FTW.
8) Coffee- Class just got out and you're craving a delicious coffee concoction so you head over to the nearest Кофе Хауз, Шоколодница, or Coffeeshop company. Looking at the menu, everything looks yummy; the flavors are exciting, and everything smells like coffee. You can hardly wait. The waitress arrives with you order and it looks amazing; it has the fancy foam on top and everything.
What is this I don't even...
The menu says 300ml of coffee. Sounds like a lot, right? Wrong! Screwed once again by the metric system. The 10oz of, let's not even call this coffee, WARM MILK SCENTED LIKE HAZELNUT is SOOOOO not worth the 189 rubles ($6.07) you just spent on it. Let's say you just want a normal drip coffee. Yeah, not gonna happen. It's the ONE drink coffee shops don't do.
9) Doors- They always come in pairs. There are always weird locks and weird keys. Those weird keys and locks only work properly 50% of the time. I have been locked on the wrong side of the door to my apartment twice so far. Not a fun experience.
10) Host Families- I've lived pretty independently the last 5 years of my life so naturally, having a 'parental figure' around all the time was quite the shock. While she does cook for me, she scolds me for using the wrong hand soap. She's called me rude a couple times; I'm still not sure why. I would understand, maybe, if my Russian were good enough for me to be catty--but it isn't. She also has a tendency to turn off my light for me when she notices I'm up at midnight. Thanks. Also like doors, light switches are incredibly confusing for Americans. Now, this is particularly annoying when taken into consideration the fact that I also wake up an hour before anyone else in the apartment. I think I'm doing fine with my 6.5 hours of sleep. I do not need to go to sleep at 9, nor does anyone between the ages of 9 and 65.
Also, Everyday:
Her: What are you doing today?
Me: Meeting with [some girl/group of girls/group of mixed company]
Her: Is she pretty?/ Will there be girls?
Me: ಠ_ಠ
Her: Why aren't you married?
Me: ಠ_ಠ
Her: How's [insert girl's name]
Me: ಠ_ಠ Good
Her: Is she your girlfriend?
Not Now. Not Ever. I'm 23. Why the hell would anyone be married at 23 in 2011?? The fact that I'm single does not mean I'm open for matchmaking--especially from a Russian babushka. Because lemme tell you-- I'll come home with a couple Komsomol badges and some furry hats, not a girlfriend.
I'm probably forgetting some really juicy rants, but I'm exhausted now.
Honorable Mention:
Republicans: This resides in the honorable mention category as it is not a problem with Russia, per se, but with the Americans IN Russia. Having spent a majority of the last couple years in Minneapolis, it's easy to forget that they exist. But I'll leave it at this: If I see one more person checking the news on The Drudge Report, my brain is gonna start bleeding.
*Look up 'culture shock' on wikipedia
1) This country is dirty as hell. Like, it's just grimy. It's understandable that Russians don't wear their outside shoes inside...EVER. The amount of muck I walk through everyday is unbelievable. Also, there is poop everywhere. I hope it's dog poop, but from the size of some of the loafs, I'm starting to believe Russians actually DO have bears for pets. I haven't stepped in any yet, but I know it's just a matter of time.
2) It's wet. It rains all the time and apparently the Fall and Winter trade rain for snow, so Whoppdi DOO. Even when the weather report predicts sun all day, St. Petersburg will find a way to sneak some rain in there somewhere.
3) Kopeks- WTF!! These are the 'cents' of the Ruble. They are COMPLETELY useless, and yet, I somehow have a bag full of them. I try to use them, but then I get yelled at because I'm taking too much time to count them. This brings us to:
4) Cashiers can go to hell. It's impossible to get through any type of cash transaction without some exasperating sigh or disappointing look. You buy something and pray that it comes out to exactly 100 rubles, because if it doesn't...ahh hell. Someone has to count out change, and it's going to ruin their day. Even when you try to spare the cashier the horrible task of making change by having the exact amount, they still glare at you. You can't do right. Once a cashier yelled at me because she thought I should have had 75.60 in coins. The change for 100p is FIVE COINS. I should have given her a sassy "Сука, Пожалуйста!" but that probably would have caused a situation.
5) Pickpockets-I just don't want to deal with that.
6) Water- Fun Story: Water from the tap in St. Petersburg has Giardia in it. This isn't such a big deal, because most of the time I drink tea, and it has been boiled, killing the parasites. However, say you wake up at 3a.m. with an unreasonable thirst and you forgot to purchase water today. Too bad. Don't even think about drinking the boiled tap; it tastes like pennies. The nearest 24 hr. store is 5 blocks away and to get there, you're going to have to deal with defecating drunks (yeah, that happened).
7) Water-again. There's a joke here which states 'all of Mendeleev's can be found in the waters of the Neva'. It's probably closer to truth than not. A few kilometers outside of town is a place called Красный Бор. It's a big hole in the ground where the Soviets thought it would be ok to dump all sort of chemicals. It's full now, and every time it rains, it overflows and drains into a river which leads to the Neva. Guess from which river St. Petersburg gets its water? Yeah, the Neva. There's so much pollution, Finland is getting pissed. Even when the water is boiled, the chemicals remain and there is always a metallic taste. Bottled water FTW.
8) Coffee- Class just got out and you're craving a delicious coffee concoction so you head over to the nearest Кофе Хауз, Шоколодница, or Coffeeshop company. Looking at the menu, everything looks yummy; the flavors are exciting, and everything smells like coffee. You can hardly wait. The waitress arrives with you order and it looks amazing; it has the fancy foam on top and everything.
What is this I don't even...
The menu says 300ml of coffee. Sounds like a lot, right? Wrong! Screwed once again by the metric system. The 10oz of, let's not even call this coffee, WARM MILK SCENTED LIKE HAZELNUT is SOOOOO not worth the 189 rubles ($6.07) you just spent on it. Let's say you just want a normal drip coffee. Yeah, not gonna happen. It's the ONE drink coffee shops don't do.
9) Doors- They always come in pairs. There are always weird locks and weird keys. Those weird keys and locks only work properly 50% of the time. I have been locked on the wrong side of the door to my apartment twice so far. Not a fun experience.
10) Host Families- I've lived pretty independently the last 5 years of my life so naturally, having a 'parental figure' around all the time was quite the shock. While she does cook for me, she scolds me for using the wrong hand soap. She's called me rude a couple times; I'm still not sure why. I would understand, maybe, if my Russian were good enough for me to be catty--but it isn't. She also has a tendency to turn off my light for me when she notices I'm up at midnight. Thanks. Also like doors, light switches are incredibly confusing for Americans. Now, this is particularly annoying when taken into consideration the fact that I also wake up an hour before anyone else in the apartment. I think I'm doing fine with my 6.5 hours of sleep. I do not need to go to sleep at 9, nor does anyone between the ages of 9 and 65.
Also, Everyday:
Her: What are you doing today?
Me: Meeting with [some girl/group of girls/group of mixed company]
Her: Is she pretty?/ Will there be girls?
Me: ಠ_ಠ
Her: Why aren't you married?
Me: ಠ_ಠ
Her: How's [insert girl's name]
Me: ಠ_ಠ Good
Her: Is she your girlfriend?
Not Now. Not Ever. I'm 23. Why the hell would anyone be married at 23 in 2011?? The fact that I'm single does not mean I'm open for matchmaking--especially from a Russian babushka. Because lemme tell you-- I'll come home with a couple Komsomol badges and some furry hats, not a girlfriend.
I'm probably forgetting some really juicy rants, but I'm exhausted now.
Honorable Mention:
Republicans: This resides in the honorable mention category as it is not a problem with Russia, per se, but with the Americans IN Russia. Having spent a majority of the last couple years in Minneapolis, it's easy to forget that they exist. But I'll leave it at this: If I see one more person checking the news on The Drudge Report, my brain is gonna start bleeding.
*Look up 'culture shock' on wikipedia
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Adventures in Russian Food #5
Eel, Pumpkin, Vat jelly and Pop
So in the past couple days, I have had some pretty interesting stuff to eat. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures, because how awkward is that?? "Lemme just take some pictures of the food you just made me real quick, then I'll eat"
Pumpkin Soup- Entering the kitchen and seeing a pot of slightly orange goop would concern me in America, but this is Russia, and who knows what to expect? Anyway, I initially thought it'd be something like cheesy mash or something because it was kinda the consistency of Russian mashed potatoes (think soupy instant potatoes). I tried it and it was definitely not, and I couldn't pinpoint the taste. It was completely foreign, or so I thought. My babushka and host sister just kept saying тыква тыква тыква, and I had no idea what that was. Finally my host sister spits out 'Halloween'. Problem solved.
Eel- "Do you want sosiski or cutlety?" "Well, I haven't had cutlety yet, so Why not??" One bite, tasted like fish, REALLY fatty, thoroughly confused. "Like a fish and a snake"--And that's how I learned the word for Eel - угорь and according to google translate, also 'blackhead'. Lovely
Vat Jelly- Pretty self explanatory. There is a 2 gallon bucket on the kitchen floor filled with cranberry pulp/juice and sugar. It's thick, like grainy syrup. It's in my morning kasha and on a cheese sandwich a couple times a week. It's tasty. It'll probably give me botulism or an amazing case of the squirts.
Pop- The last two weeks have been busy in terms of impulsive beverage purchasing. Исинди, Лукошко, Барбарис, Саяны.
Исинди-Isindi
If anyone knows what this is, or anything about it, let me know. I have no idea.
Taste- Kinda like how the Seward Coop smells mixed with an herbal medicine shop. And just like it takes a couple trips to the Seward coop to get used to the hairy women and pretentious cereals, It takes a couple sips to appreciate the taste. I'd get it again.
Лукошко-Lukoshko
With BERRIES AND GRASS (or something along those lines. This one was interesting. It tasted like berries but it was also somewhat medicinal. Probably the grass.
Cаяны -Cayany
This was disgusting. It was sweet, but it just tasted off. I have no idea what it was. It was partially carbonated and super syrupy. It's probably the first drink I've had here that I didn't like.
Барбарис- Barbaris
Berberry flavor. It was good. Your basic fruit soda. Yum
So in the past couple days, I have had some pretty interesting stuff to eat. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures, because how awkward is that?? "Lemme just take some pictures of the food you just made me real quick, then I'll eat"
Pumpkin Soup- Entering the kitchen and seeing a pot of slightly orange goop would concern me in America, but this is Russia, and who knows what to expect? Anyway, I initially thought it'd be something like cheesy mash or something because it was kinda the consistency of Russian mashed potatoes (think soupy instant potatoes). I tried it and it was definitely not, and I couldn't pinpoint the taste. It was completely foreign, or so I thought. My babushka and host sister just kept saying тыква тыква тыква, and I had no idea what that was. Finally my host sister spits out 'Halloween'. Problem solved.
Eel- "Do you want sosiski or cutlety?" "Well, I haven't had cutlety yet, so Why not??" One bite, tasted like fish, REALLY fatty, thoroughly confused. "Like a fish and a snake"--And that's how I learned the word for Eel - угорь and according to google translate, also 'blackhead'. Lovely
Vat Jelly- Pretty self explanatory. There is a 2 gallon bucket on the kitchen floor filled with cranberry pulp/juice and sugar. It's thick, like grainy syrup. It's in my morning kasha and on a cheese sandwich a couple times a week. It's tasty. It'll probably give me botulism or an amazing case of the squirts.
Pop- The last two weeks have been busy in terms of impulsive beverage purchasing. Исинди, Лукошко, Барбарис, Саяны.
If anyone knows what this is, or anything about it, let me know. I have no idea.
Taste- Kinda like how the Seward Coop smells mixed with an herbal medicine shop. And just like it takes a couple trips to the Seward coop to get used to the hairy women and pretentious cereals, It takes a couple sips to appreciate the taste. I'd get it again.
With BERRIES AND GRASS (or something along those lines. This one was interesting. It tasted like berries but it was also somewhat medicinal. Probably the grass.
This was disgusting. It was sweet, but it just tasted off. I have no idea what it was. It was partially carbonated and super syrupy. It's probably the first drink I've had here that I didn't like.
Berberry flavor. It was good. Your basic fruit soda. Yum
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