A Winter Wonderland…

So….
I am sitting in the airport at St Petersburg having paid 150Euros for overweight baggage! Who knew that I had so much stuff with me? I mean, when it comes to winter you just need so much stuff!

And winter is what St Pete’s is best at!

On the way to the airport I was witness to spectacular scenery: every tree covered in snow and a fog that blocked the view from the “Stock Exchange” (see photos of the last blog to understand the Stock Exchange).

The Hermitage was practically invisible; it was a view and scenery worthy of Dr. Zhivago! Remember the ice castle where, I think it was Omar Sharif (who I’ve had the pleasure of doing a movie with) and Julie Christy, spent the winter freezing but together never the less?

Who knew that Russia REALLY produced that spectacular scenery by its self. I mean, you know the “magic of movies”!
I thought that they built a set somewhere!

Yet, of course, as I am not a Picture-taker-er(?) meaning that I am not really a person who takes pictures, I never thought NOT to pack my cell phone in my carryon bag now safely snug in the back of the SUV that was needed to move my mountain of stuff (again, where did I get SO MUCH stuff?)

Ok. Well, I did have a couple of Santa Clauses and a small Christmas tree that I packed hoping it would make the journey back to NYC unscathed.

It is always interesting to see what objects make the trip intact and what do not. Or, what ends up making the trip at all. Some things take a small, unplanned, DETOUR along the way, never to be found again! But that is another blog….

I have come to believe that Russians are a long-suffering lot. There has been practically no sun for at least a month now. I remember one sunny day, or at least a partially sunny day, about 5 weeks back. Everyone was in shock that there was sun. Since I was pretty new to a St Pete’s winter then, I did not understand the joy and surprise of seeing sun in the winter.

But the winter nights are very long here—the complete opposite of the summer’s White Nights, which make its appearance in July/August. The darkness lasts from 4pm until 11am the next morning, thereby leaving only about 5 hours of cloudy sky.

However, on New Year’s Eve, we walked to the Stock Exchange and we viewed the fireworks over the Nevsky River. I do believe we saw the Blue Moon AND the Aurora Borealis, the elusive Northern Lights, although it could have been spotlights. However, I have seen both the Aurora and spotlights and they are NOTHING alike…it was the Aurora and that is the story I am sticking with! LOL!

Russians eat very well, and very expensive! If we go to one of the Gourmet stores for food, it is easy to spend a couple hundred dollars and to come home and wonder what food you bought as it is not even enough to feed a hungry hockey player for a couple of days…..

But eating out is 5 times worse in price, and the hotel? Fagettaboutit!

They make Whole Foods seem reasonable, and THAT is amazing!
To shop here for clothes, thinking maybe to bring home that fun Russian piece that will become the centerpiece of conversation, save it.
Even the shopkeepers, when they heard me speak English, (or even my Russian with English accent) told me to buy in NYC—it would be 20% cheaper.

So where does a fashionable Russian girl go to buy? Paris or Italy of course! Anything less would be too expensive!
Makes you like America a bit more.

But don’t get me wrong as I have loved Russia. Mostly because I do like the people! They are hardy, don’t believe me? How about the girls that walk the street in -16C, snow, and ice in High Heels, short fur jackets, and NO hat? And they don’t even blink!

I almost killed myself trying to be fashionable here!

I stopped trying to copy the Russian girls, and their fashion style, mostly because I valued the use of my legs and because they dress so wonderfully that it is nicer to look at them than to immolate them.

I was much happier in my leggings and Uggs, ski sweaters and long-long coat that went to the floor. Totally NOT sexy but hey, warm!

I just don’t know how they do it, those girls. I would take my hat off to them, but my head is too cold. Brrrrrr!

Well, my flight is just about to be called. I guess I should pack up. I just have so many thoughts about Russia floating in my head that I wanted to get them down in print before I arrive back in Toronto and I forget the subtleties of everything I have experienced and seen.

It will be nice to see English on the Billboards again, a relief actually. I spend my time riding in the car trying to read billboards here. It has become a compulsion!

But now I understand a little better how it must have been for a Russian coming to North America to play hockey—it takes a long time to understand the society, if not the language and the Mores of life. And for working—imagine the contracts and trusting a lawyer you never knew before….

Ah well, that is another blog, too!

On one last note, I asked a 12 year old Russian friend of mine if she would take some photos of St.Pete’s to add to my blog. I was hoping that she could take some better photos than I did.

Industrious as this new generation is, she went ONLINE to find photos for me. I know they are not the personal type of photos like I took, but at least you can really see St.Pete’s in all its glory, and on a sunny day to boot!

And she did download some Christmas trees, having seen the poor quality of my personal Christmas tree photos!
And I think to add them to this blog because you, my dear reader, deserve the best photos I can find to show you what I am taking about in Russia!

So, God willing, the next time you hear from me, I will be “stateside.”

And what was that Beatle’s song…..I’m back in the USSR?
Well reverse it: I’m back in the USofA! Well, Toronto, for sure.