We are still under the spell of “aklamitazatzia”. I wasn’t able to sleep past 4:00 a.m. and about 2:00 p.m. we yielded to a long nap; but this evening we felt alert and energetic enough for a nice stroll in downtown St. Petersburg and a visit to a new sushi restaurant.
The morning was taken up getting my registration for my visa. Tanya, her son and I went to the immigration office and waited in a small, crowded room for nearly three hours. I didn’t know what would happen. Finally Svyatoslav and I were admitted to an inner room. I was relieved that the woman official was very patient and pleasant. She was glad that I spoke some Russian. I was delighted that the registration was free; two years it cost 1000 roubles ($36).
After our afternoon naps Svyatoslav came home and told us he was hired for a new job. He is not happy with the pay which is about $500 a month. He told me the average income now is about $770 a month. To put this in perspective, he pays about $80 a month for his apartment including utilities.
Tanya, her mother and I enjoyed a very nice walk in the city this evening. There are lots of changes to the buildings as always. I love strolling down Nevsky Prospekt seeing a variety of people including many in the most current styles. It is always a great show. After walking through Palace Square we stopped at a new sushi place on Nevsky Prospekt called “Dve Palochki” (two sticks). Out of the windows we could see the Kazan Cathedral across the street. It is well-known for being a museum of athiesm in Soviet times. Now it is an active church. The decor of the restaurant was very modern and it was mostly full at 10:00 p.m. Anastasia had never eaten sushi or used chop sticks so it was a new experience for her. The food was tasty and not expensive. We enjoyed watching a video of nature on a large flat-screen television not far from our table. A short walk and a quick metro ride brought us home before midnight.
The morning was taken up getting my registration for my visa. Tanya, her son and I went to the immigration office and waited in a small, crowded room for nearly three hours. I didn’t know what would happen. Finally Svyatoslav and I were admitted to an inner room. I was relieved that the woman official was very patient and pleasant. She was glad that I spoke some Russian. I was delighted that the registration was free; two years it cost 1000 roubles ($36).
After our afternoon naps Svyatoslav came home and told us he was hired for a new job. He is not happy with the pay which is about $500 a month. He told me the average income now is about $770 a month. To put this in perspective, he pays about $80 a month for his apartment including utilities.
Tanya, her mother and I enjoyed a very nice walk in the city this evening. There are lots of changes to the buildings as always. I love strolling down Nevsky Prospekt seeing a variety of people including many in the most current styles. It is always a great show. After walking through Palace Square we stopped at a new sushi place on Nevsky Prospekt called “Dve Palochki” (two sticks). Out of the windows we could see the Kazan Cathedral across the street. It is well-known for being a museum of athiesm in Soviet times. Now it is an active church. The decor of the restaurant was very modern and it was mostly full at 10:00 p.m. Anastasia had never eaten sushi or used chop sticks so it was a new experience for her. The food was tasty and not expensive. We enjoyed watching a video of nature on a large flat-screen television not far from our table. A short walk and a quick metro ride brought us home before midnight.
Palace Square with the Hermitage
Anastasia and Tanya in Palace Square
Archway view of Palace Square
Trying chopsticks
sushi
Penguins on TV in the restaurant
Trying chopsticks
sushi
Penguins on TV in the restaurant
1 comment:
Hey Dad!
You're more adventurous than I am, trying sushi in Russia. The pictures are real nice, though.
It was my last day at the old job today. I start the new one on Monday. Wish me well.
Peter
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