Monday, July 19, 2004
Was she speaking English?
That's what I asked my Dad today, after walking past a girl talking on her cell phone who I am convinced was speaking Hungarian. Apparently not. It's very weird: I have been in non-English-speaking countries for so long (for a whole month!!) that I don't understand the people around me as speaking my language unless I really concentrate. Plus this girl had a particularly bizzarre British accent, like someone off Coronation Street with a rubber band around her tongue.
It turns out that Russia is not actually such a place of death, destruction and duldrums as I may have made out. After the unfortunate incident with the camera I spent a long time in my hostel room thinking and writing by myself, and then decided to get over it and get back out there. I've seen the most incredible buildings and monuments, as well as examples of the most abject poverty I have seen in my wonderfully sheltered life.
At Peterhoff palace I saw the most amazing fountain I have ever seen, with about fifty figures or more, all of them near life-size or bigger, covered in gold and many spraying water in all directions. Some were classical figures, like Perseus with the Medusa's head, some were Russian figures of muscly men strangling snakes (this is a major symbol in Russia, representing the victory over the Swiss or Swedish army, I can't remember which), and at the centre of the fountain is an enormous statue of a golden Samson wrestling open the mouth of an enormous golden lion, which sprays a massive column of water 62 feet into the air. The plume then comes crashing down on Samsons head and shoulders, which makes it kind of comical. You imagine he would get an aweful headache.
The same day, when walking to my hostel, I saw a little old lady using an old jar to collect rainwater to drink from one of the massive drainpipes that run down the sides of all the buildings. You can't drink the tapwater in Saint Petersburg because it has giardia in it, and I guess she couldn't afford to buy bottled water.
The average Russian earns $40 USD per month (declared income), and there are people in the poorer parts of the country that earn 50 roubles per month. That's about NZ $2.50. Fifty percent of the gross national product goes to fortyseven people, out of a population of 144 million. Crazy place.
Obviously I'm in the UK, now, and I can't say I'm not pretty glad. It's a relief to have a rest for a while, although I feel as though I ought to be on the go all the time, exploring the city, doing a concert, having a bus tour, meeting fifteen other people for dinner... I need to calm down and breathe for a bit.
Cool Stuff: I have mostly puzzled out the Cyrillic alphabet! I started trying to read signs in St Petersburg as soon as I arrived, and using movie titles, actors' names and transliterated English (like Photo Service) I was able to work out the pronunciation of most of the alphabet. For the rest I talked to the director of the documentary crew who were travelling with us, and he completed my notes and gave me extra pronunciation tips.
The steward on the plane last night (on flight one from Moscow to Munich) was really cool! He also works as a bartender in Venice, and he was showing off for the Kiwis, throwing cartons of juice in the air and spinning them around and stuff. He also plied us with drinks, saying things like, "Go on, go on. Have a Bailey's!" So we all had Bailey's.
Funny Stuff: Amelia was totally spaded by two French guys on flight one. The rest of us were forced to invent new sign language for, "You're in!" It involves pointing and circling motions and indiscreet grinning (and giggling). They gave her their cards, and one of them turned out to be the deputy mayor of one of the principalities of Paris, Haute Seine. 1000 points for Amelia. I wasn't totally eavesdropping the whole time (I was sitting across the aisle) but I did hear Amelia teaching them how to make donkey noises (apparently animal noises are different in French). Ask her to explain that one when she gets home!
See y'all! Thanks so much for reading about my travels. I especially appreciate the comments and emails. Don't worry, this blog will keep going, and I intend to make it funnier than it has been for the last wee while... Russia doesn't really inspire a light heart and merry humour, but England promises to be truly absurd :)
It turns out that Russia is not actually such a place of death, destruction and duldrums as I may have made out. After the unfortunate incident with the camera I spent a long time in my hostel room thinking and writing by myself, and then decided to get over it and get back out there. I've seen the most incredible buildings and monuments, as well as examples of the most abject poverty I have seen in my wonderfully sheltered life.
At Peterhoff palace I saw the most amazing fountain I have ever seen, with about fifty figures or more, all of them near life-size or bigger, covered in gold and many spraying water in all directions. Some were classical figures, like Perseus with the Medusa's head, some were Russian figures of muscly men strangling snakes (this is a major symbol in Russia, representing the victory over the Swiss or Swedish army, I can't remember which), and at the centre of the fountain is an enormous statue of a golden Samson wrestling open the mouth of an enormous golden lion, which sprays a massive column of water 62 feet into the air. The plume then comes crashing down on Samsons head and shoulders, which makes it kind of comical. You imagine he would get an aweful headache.
The same day, when walking to my hostel, I saw a little old lady using an old jar to collect rainwater to drink from one of the massive drainpipes that run down the sides of all the buildings. You can't drink the tapwater in Saint Petersburg because it has giardia in it, and I guess she couldn't afford to buy bottled water.
The average Russian earns $40 USD per month (declared income), and there are people in the poorer parts of the country that earn 50 roubles per month. That's about NZ $2.50. Fifty percent of the gross national product goes to fortyseven people, out of a population of 144 million. Crazy place.
Obviously I'm in the UK, now, and I can't say I'm not pretty glad. It's a relief to have a rest for a while, although I feel as though I ought to be on the go all the time, exploring the city, doing a concert, having a bus tour, meeting fifteen other people for dinner... I need to calm down and breathe for a bit.
Cool Stuff: I have mostly puzzled out the Cyrillic alphabet! I started trying to read signs in St Petersburg as soon as I arrived, and using movie titles, actors' names and transliterated English (like Photo Service) I was able to work out the pronunciation of most of the alphabet. For the rest I talked to the director of the documentary crew who were travelling with us, and he completed my notes and gave me extra pronunciation tips.
The steward on the plane last night (on flight one from Moscow to Munich) was really cool! He also works as a bartender in Venice, and he was showing off for the Kiwis, throwing cartons of juice in the air and spinning them around and stuff. He also plied us with drinks, saying things like, "Go on, go on. Have a Bailey's!" So we all had Bailey's.
Funny Stuff: Amelia was totally spaded by two French guys on flight one. The rest of us were forced to invent new sign language for, "You're in!" It involves pointing and circling motions and indiscreet grinning (and giggling). They gave her their cards, and one of them turned out to be the deputy mayor of one of the principalities of Paris, Haute Seine. 1000 points for Amelia. I wasn't totally eavesdropping the whole time (I was sitting across the aisle) but I did hear Amelia teaching them how to make donkey noises (apparently animal noises are different in French). Ask her to explain that one when she gets home!
See y'all! Thanks so much for reading about my travels. I especially appreciate the comments and emails. Don't worry, this blog will keep going, and I intend to make it funnier than it has been for the last wee while... Russia doesn't really inspire a light heart and merry humour, but England promises to be truly absurd :)
# posted by Doug @ 10:49 
