Добро пожаловать в Россию: Greta Goes to Russia: White Nights

I do not know why I waited until I had only two weeks left in Russia to finally visit the Dostoevsky House Museum, but I did. I think that one of the primary reasons would be time itself, I always thought I had time, that I could spread things out, that there was always later. But then, with three weeks left, I suddenly realized that my days were numbered here in Saint Petersburg and that there were still several sights like Saint Isaac's Cathedral and the Museum of Russian Literature that I had not yet seen that I kept putting off. The Dostoevsky House Museum was among them, and so on Saturday, after classes (yes, I had classes on Saturday, boo), I trekked over to where the museum was located and spent an hour or more going over the bits and pieces of Dostoevsky's life. Afterwards, I set off to Nevsky Prospect to take care of some last minute souvenir shopping.

An early copy of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" (Prestupleniye i Nakazaniye)
on display at the Dostoevsky House Museum.

Dostoevsky's study. He slept on the couch. Not pictured is a clock
that was stopped at the exact time he died.

Sunday, I slept in longer than I had planned, but must admit that it felt so good. In the afternoon, I decided to visit the Alexander Nevsky Monastery where Fyodor Dostoevsky and Pyotr Tchaikovsky are buried. I had come to this decision rather spontaneously after looking up information on Dostoevsky and reading some of his quotes online. I invited two of my friends, Jenna and Amanda, to join me. I am glad that I went, it was beautiful, especially since trees are now turning green and flowers are now blooming.

The burial site of Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Alexander Nevsky Monastery

Monday was overcast and chilly with an 80 percent chance of rain. This type of weather is no surprise for Petersburg, but nonetheless, it was discouraging because Jenna, Amanda, Ely, and I planned to go Catherine the Great's Summer Palace, Tsarskoe Selo. Really, this magnificent and opulent estate is best viewed in sunny weather. However, the weather forecast did not stop us and we journeyed by train out to the town of Pushkin where Catherine's palace is located. Luckily, and to great surprise, it did not rain while we were there. However, since it was overcast and chilly, and because spring has not quite sprung, I did not think the grounds of Tsarskoe Selo were as impressive as they could be. We waited for over an hour to enter the palace and that was on a day that was gray and chilly - I would really hate to see what the line is like when the weather is ideal. Once we finally were able to enter the palace, we ended up spending money on tickets that we could have probably gotten for free with our student IDs. (In reality, we only paid the equivalent of five or six dollars, which is really cheap compared to museum entry fees in the United States, but when you usually can get in for free and are always short on cash, it is annoying). Somehow, we lost track of the tour group of which we were supposed to be a part, and ended up going through the same rooms in the palace twice. We tried to duck under ropes and sneak around with other groups, but it was to no avail, and just as we were about to go through for a third time, we gave up. We exited the palace and walked around the grounds some more, this time to the front, and then decided to find a place to eat. Along the way, we came upon yet another statue of poet Aleksandr Pushkin, and then sat down at Shokoladnitsa where we indulged in sweet, chocolaty treats.

Catherine the Great's Summer Palace.

Thankfully, on Tuesday, the weather improved significantly. Early that morning, the four of us, along with two others from CIEE, boarded a train at Finlandskiy Vokzal (Finlandia Train Station), and settled in for a three hour ride to Vyborg. The train ride was a bit crazy! There were all kinds of people trying to sell us stuff, cats were mewing the entire time, there were dogs, and there was even a rabbit hopping around our compartment. I really doubt that things like this happen on trains in America. Vyborg is a town of eighty thousand people that is close to Russia's border with Finland; in fact, over the centuries, Vyborg has changed hands several times. When we arrived, I noticed a few signs here and there that were in Finnish. The town itself, because it has Finnish influence, does not look quite like other Russian cities to which I have been, and that was a nice change. First, we toured the Vyborg Castle (now a museum), which was like a mini renaissance fair, and climbed up to the top of the tower. There were great views of the town and surrounding territory. There were also plenty of abandoned and crumbling buildings in Vyborg which made for interesting photographs. We decided to get something to eat outside at a small cafe tucked away on a side street. The food was pretty good, but we ended up spending two hours there due to the fact that service was slow. When we finally set on our way again, we came across a very strange park with abandoned amusement rides and old tunnels that I can only assume were used as bomb shelters. The park was definitely interesting, but I would not necessarily say it was surprising because I somewhat expected to encounter things like this while in Russia. I finally did. Soon after, it was time to leave, and we rode the train back to Piter.

Vyborg Castle

View from the top of Vyborg Castle

Abandoned church in Vyborg

Abandoned amusement park in Vyborg

Ely in one of the tunnels in the park.

By Wednesday, the weather had improved even more, which was perfect because Wednesday, 9 May, was the Day of Victory. The Day of Victory celebrates the moment, when, in 1945, the Nazis finally surrendered and the Soviet Union, along with the other Allied Powers, won World War II. However, this holiday not only celebrates that particular moment, but the entire war effort and all those who participated. Nowhere else in the world is this holiday celebrated with as much pomp and fervor as it is celebrated in Russia and Eastern Europe. I awoke early to head downtown to try and catch a glimpse of the military parade that was to occur on Palace Square in front of the Hermitage. Unfortunately, there were so many people and there was so little public viewing space, that I could not watch the ceremony. We ended up on a street not far from the Admiraltiskaya Metro Station where a crowd of people were being held back by the riot police. That sounds alarming, but they were just standing, watching, making sure no one could get onto Nevsky Prospekt. When the police finally opened up Nevsky Prospekt to the public, much chaos ensued as hordes of people spilled out onto the streets. Jenna, Ely, and I watched for awhile at a corner as a continuous string of police vehicles tried unsuccessfully to clear the streets of people for regular car traffic. It was amusing. While all this was happening, Amanda and another CIEE student showed up, and we all decided to walk to the park behind Saint Isaac's Cathedral in the shadow of the Bronze Horseman and relax. There, we sat in the grass, enjoyed ice cream, people watched, and soaked in the sun. The park was bustling with activity - cute guys in uniform, Russian men trying too hard in shiny shirts, and a Russian folk group who sang in front of veterans and a group of onlookers. Here is a video of them below:

Afterwards, we split up and Ely and I went to a Teremok to have a light meal before the Veteren's Parade. There, I had a delicious bliny with chocolate sauce and bananas. Around 4:30, we reconvened with Jenna and staked out a spot behind police barricades along Nevsky Prospect. The parade, which was supposed to start at 5pm, ended up starting at 5:40. I was able to capture a cool video of the beginning of the parade that you can find below. What I found most interesting, however, was that when the Communist supporters were marching by, some of them were carrying posters of Joseph Stalin. It is interesting because of what Stalin did, the terror and death that he caused - it is unimaginable. I know that there are those who still support him and I also know that there are those who just do not know. Nevertheless, I find it curious. I think it is important that we observe and congratulate all the Russians who sacrificed themselves during the war to help defeat the Nazis. If not for their contribution, who knows what could have happened. I am grateful for them, both the survivors and the 25 million Soviet citizens and soldiers who died during the war. Let us never forget.

Stalin

When the parade concluded, I returned home to have dinner, only to venture back out again in order to see the fireworks. The fireworks were set off from Peter and Paul Fortress, so a sea of people had gathered along the bridges and banks of the Neva River. It was so crowded...Jenna and I held tightly onto our belongings. The fireworks went off at 10 pm, which, because White Nights are kicking in, means it was still light outside. Saint Petersburg is located six degrees below the Arctic Circle, and in the summer, between May and July, the sun only sets for a couple of hours. During the height of White Nights in June, the sun sets around midnight and rises around 4 in the morning, meaning it never fully gets dark. I am a little bit disappointed that I will not be here for that. Despite the fact that it was not dark, I still enjoyed the rather short display of fireworks. I always enjoy fireworks. Every time the fireworks would go off, all the Russians would boisterously shout "URAAAA!!!" (Hooray), it made me laugh, and pretty soon, I joined in. At the conclusion of the fireworks and once the crowd dispersed a bit, I walked from the Hermitage over to the Troitsky Bridge, which would ultimately lead me to Petrogradskaya Storona, where I live. It was absolutely beautiful. Eleven going on midnight and there was still light to be seen! It was a wonderful way to end a great four day break. In fact, Victory Day was the perfect way to end the break, everything that happened makes me want to hold onto it forever and not forget a single detail.