A Satisfying Day

Yesterday, with the assistance of Svyatoslav, I was able to find and buy a new video camera. After looking at several places in the city, I bought a Sony digital video camera from an electronics and appliance shop just a three-minute walk from the apartment. I was surprised how much the technology of video cameras has improved since I bought my old one perhaps ten years ago. I was also glad to see that the prices have come down so the video camera I bought yesterday cost only a little more than half of what I remember paying for my old one.
The two special events that I wanted to video were the PCOM Choir concert and the singing of Masha and Katya, the eighteen-year old twins. Regretfully I was not able to do the former, but thankfully I was able to do the latter.
As we had arranged, we met Masha and Katya at the exit from the Nevsky Prospekt metro station. They looked spectacular in stylish black and white outfits. As one of the women on the PCOM Choir concert tour said to me, “The women in St. Petersburg really dress up.” Svyatoslav, Tanya, and I walked with the girls to the Moika Canal and then along the canal to a restaurant called NEP just around the corner from the Hermitage and just across the canal from where the famous Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin lived in his last apartment. Named after the New Economic Policy of Lenin – the restaurant is very new and cozy.
The choir group members met us at the restaurant. Elizabeth Geer, the tour director, had officially invited us all to be their guests at dinner. They were tired from a long day of touring which included a morning trip to the former Tsar’s Village outside the city and then an afternoon in the Hermitage, but I was impressed with their stamina. We enjoyed a very good dinner. After dinner I introduced the girls who sang about five songs including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “My Heart Goes On”. The choir members loved the girls’ little concert. I felt very proud of Masha and Katya and grateful for them giving up some of their study time to come and sing. I was very happy that I was able to tape their performance.
Quite a few of the choir members took our picture. Vim, their tour guide, who is from Holland and who doesn’t speak Russian, spoke German with Masha. As the choir was getting ready to leave the restaurant, some musicians were preparing their instruments – a guitar, a base and a saxophone. John Elg asked me to ask them what kind of music they played. Jazz. John plays in a jazz group back home so I think he was pretty excited to see this little group. I interpreted for John as he asked if he could play the guitar and they agreed. So John sat down and played guitar and the base player and saxophone player joined in for some impromptu jazz. I also taped that performance.
After saying our final farewells to the choir members, we walked the girls back to the metro station. They will come to Borovichi on July 6th after their last final exam – in English language. Since the evening was so beautiful, we decided to walk through the city for another hour. It was about 9:00 p.m. and still very sunny. Thousands of people were strolling or eating in numerous restaurants including many outside places. What a wonderful evening!
After we returned to our apartment, Svyatoslav attached my video camera to their TV and we all were able to watch what I had taped. So this was a very satisfying day.