the most picturesque city ever: Amsterdam (overland #2 pt 2)

Amsterdam is probably my favorite city we have been to yet! I loved the young vibes and the beautiful canals that are everywhere and also look unfortunately similar haha

The highlights:

Day 2(night): Reuniting with all of our friends

Day 3: Pancakes! I Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, the coolest apartment

Day 4: cooking real breakfast, Heineken Experience, seeing the city

Day 5: Anne Frank house, nursing my shopping addiction, lots of trains, scary times in France

Day 6: Field lab….. ugh

So we left off with Bryce and I finally catching another bus to Amsterdam and figuring out how to get to the hostel. Our hostel was Amsterdam Center Hostel. I would give it maybe 5 stars out of ten, but being as we really were there for only 10 hours before heading to the apartment we had rented through Airbnb the next day, I didn’t mind. The steep stairs were a bit difficult, but we had a room for all of our friends, so it worked out ok.

Bryce and I set out for our first night in Amsterdam, with only a hope that we would run into the rest of our gang. What did I say in my last post? It all works out. Well, it did! We ran into both groups of our friends while wandering the city and had an amazing time strolling around.

We did venture to the fabled red light district, but unfortunately no pictures allowed there. You will just have to imagine… if you even want to haha

Day 3:

The next morning we were up early to check out of the terrible hostel and venture around the city. A few of us decided to get breakfast at a place my friend Jazz (who goes to USC but is from the Netherlands!) recommended – Pancakes! Dutch pancakes are quite different than American ones, but just as good. Take a look:

Then we roamed around the city, in awe of the number of canals and amazing scenery. We stopped at the famous I AMSTERDAM sign and got a typical tourist picture

Then we headed off to the Van Gogh museum to get cultured. I absolutely adored the museum and Van Gogh catapulted himself to my favorite artist. My favorite piece in the museum was courting couples – (I got a pic from google because you can’t actually take them inside)

After that, we decided to go check out the apartment we had rented for the next two nights and were pleasantly surprised by its spaciousness and location. It was in a cool neighborhood called De Pijp, right next to a beautiful park. Unfortunately there was only one key and about 15 of us, so we made plans of times to meet back before going out that night.

Then we all headed off in different directions.  My friend Lucy and I walked all over and tried some amazing macaroons:

And we finally found a cheese store in which every single cheese was cut into sample sizes. We tried literally every single one and left with the Truffle Cheese. Filling your belly with Amsterdam cheese is probably one of the most satisfying things you can do in Amsterdam, just fyi.

Anyway, by then it was getting late, so we headed back to the apartment to get ready for the night. We rolled out with a huge group, which was a bit unwieldy, but also really fun and we stopped at a number of bars around Rembrandt Square and Dam Square.

Day 4:

The next day a few of our group headed off to Paris and the rest of us slept in for the first time in ages. We woke up to the smell of bacon as my friend Rory cooked a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. I didn’t realize how much I missed my kitchen.

We got a late start, but at least we were rested and ready enough to head to the Heineken Brewery. There, my friends made me pay 19 euro for the Heineken experience, which we were all pleasantly surprised to find out was amazing and a great bargain. The experience included, tour of the brewery – which had so many interactive activities, options to do a motion simulator where you are brewed into beer, areas to make custom beer bottles with your name, or custom shirts. They also had a tasting of course and we got to play a beer pouring video game. It was actually a lot more difficult than you’d think.  All of us failed…

The last stop inside the brewery was an area where you could either exchange your tokens for two Heinekens or for a Heineken and an official pourer certificate. I opted for the certificate although it took me two tries to get a good pour haha

After that, we got to finish our tour with a canal cruise. Here’s a nice selfie of a few of my friends and I on the cruise.

That evening we played it low key because they all had early transportation the next day.

Day 5:

My friends all headed out early to bus to Paris, but I opted for a later train because I needed a more direct connection to get to Le Havre in a timely manner. I had a lazy morning, much needed after all that travel, then strolled around the city taking photographs in the beautiful morning light.

Then I went to the Anne Frank house, where they do not allow photos, or luggage for that matter. Because of the small spaces, you can only bring bags that you are able to hold on your front.  I really broke a sweat holding my 45 L backpack on my front… a bit of a rookie mistake.

Afterwards, I shopped and shopped and shopped. Amsterdam has an amazing assortment of stores and boutiques near central station. Then I caught a train to Le Havre, with a stopover in Paris.

My transfer in Paris was 45 minutes and I realized as we arrived that I had to navigate the metro to the other main station in the city. I began to get stressed when the metro ticket machine broke. This is where my new motto, It All Works Out, came into play. A random French man, who spoke English, asked me what I needed. I told him, “I just need a metro ticket,” He handed me one because he had ten.

After thanking him profusely, I ran to the nearest train, which happened to be the right one. It led exactly to the St Lazare station, my ultimate destination.

Once at the station, I bought some food and looked around for my train. A man in purple approached me and asked concernedly, “Parlez-vous français?” To which I shook my head. He tried again, “English?” I nodded warily.

He then asked me, “Are you alone?”

I gave him a look that probably said, I do not know you strange man. I would not tell you if I was or wasn’t.

He understood and replied, “I work here. You can tell me,” and he showed me his papers. I nodded, yes, I was alone.

He replied, “There has been a man following you for the past 10 minutes. Watch yourself and be careful.”

I looked around, scanning the crowds in the station, everyone hustling and bustling around me. No familiar faces in sight. I was getting a bit panicky when I noticed four Semester at Sea students sitting outside the train we would be boarding soon. I turned back to the trainman and replied, “I’m not alone any more! Thank you!” and ran over to sit with the SAS students.

I introduced myself, told them my story, and they all were equally as shocked as I. I ended up taking the train to Le Havre with them and everything was fine, but that was a bit of a nerve-wracking experience to say the least.

Day 6:

I had a photography field lab this day and we mostly tooled around Le Havre taking photos. I’ll spare you the gory details by letting you know Le Havre is probably one of the least exciting places I have traveled to in my days and leave it at that.

Next stop: IRELAND  (the homeland)

waffles + chocolate + beer + NATO: Belgium (overland #2 pt uno)

This begins a series of posts detailing my forays into the Benelux region – over what seems live a lifetime, but really only constitutes 6 days. I traveled overland (not getting back on the ship) from Belgium to the Netherlands to France. The trek took a lot out of me, but it probably was my favorite and most eventful port yet. Thus I am breaking it up by country again.

** also apologies for the lateness – ship wifi did not work at all in Ireland

The highlights (of Belgium):

Day 1 – September 14th: surviving the apocalypse and ending up in Antwerp, Belgian delicacies, mystical alleyway, turn up on a Sunday at a karaoke bar and a gay bar

Day 2 – September 15th: field lab to Brussels for Global Security – waffles round two and a visit to NATO, getting lost at McDonalds on the border of Belgium and Netherlands

Day 3-5: Amsterdam – next post!

The details:

Day 1:

Another port, another early morning. I met with a small crew of friends at 9:00am to explore Antwerp, our port city and one of the biggest cities in Belgium. Our plan constituted of searching for Waffles, Chocolates, and Beer – preferably in that order. To our dismay, however, the people of Belgium do not rouse from their post-Saturday night stupor until much after 11:30 or 12:00 – we even saw a club that contained a few people still on the last leg of their nights out around 9:30.

We were walking around an entire city essentially devoid of all life, except for small hoards of Semester at Sea students. It was quite an eerily and disorienting experience. We felt as if the world had ended and the only living survivors were SAS kids.

It took a while, but eventually we found the only waffle shop in all of Antwerp that opened before 11:00am, Désiré de Lille, along with every other person from the MV – and we ordered.. take a guess? Some Belgian Waffles.

  As you can see, mine was absolutely amazing. Belgian waffles are a bit crunchier than American ones, so at first I did not think I enjoyed it, but after the second bite I was hooked and about 2 seconds later I had cleaned my plate ☺

Then we set off to explore the city- that Sunday was a carless Sunday – literally no cars were allowed in the city. It happens once a year in Antwerp and we lucked out to arrive on that day. We saw tons of festival booths being set up promoting bike riding and being green. We also stopped in for a bit of Dutch mass in the main cathedral. Unfortunately, we neglected to realize the service would be entirely incomprehensible to us, until we sat down, but luckily we were not too far up and could sneak out quietly.

After, we wandered around until we found the oldest house in Antwerp, called Vlaaikensgang. (your guess about pronunciation is as good as mine here). A few Belgian students that visited the ship had told us about it beforehand and typed the name in my phone. From the outside, it just seemed like any old alleyway, but inside it was astounding.

Of course, the next stop on our self-led city tour was chocolate shops. We visited several, before all buying lots of truffles. I’ll just say, Belgian chocolate really lived up to its reputation.

 

Fun Fact of the day: Antwerp is named after the myth of a giant who used to cut off the hands of people who could not pay to enter and throw them in the ocean. Ant means hand and werp apparently means throw or throwing. So, of course we bought some Antwerp chocolate hands as well.

Then, we then stumbled upon antique market

We tooled around before our stomachs began to gnaw, so we decided to break for some Sushi, for a change of pace. Yes, I know, Belgian Sushi? Sketchy. But actually it was not at all. I finally satisfied my craving for sushi – which was quite big, being I previously lived in Los Angeles, home to some of the best sushi ever. I am here to say, Belgian Sushi is just as good as any I’ve had before.

We found the day of no cars festival had finally begun and people were cleaning bikes in one of the coolest ways I had ever seen

After that, we tired of being tourists and decided to go local – aka start drinking beer. We stopped at a small pub right outside the festival in one of the main squares. We tried a couple of beers as a group and unsurprisingly enjoyed them all. Here is a shot of my friends at the bar ☺

Then here are the beers:

Some cherry one – Lindemans

Triple Karmeliet

And lastly De Koninck

If you ever go to Belgium, I’d recommend all three. After a few beers, we all realized how long of a day it had been thus far and headed back to the ship for a quick rest before taking off for the night.

Leave it to hundreds of semester at sea kids to figure out exactly how to have a rowdy night in a random port town on a Sunday. I believe the owners of the only open bars – a Karaoke Bar and a Gay Bar – were pleasantly surprised or abhorred with the amount of business they received that evening. I called it an early night though because I had a field lab the next day.

Day 2:

Meet my class at 9:30 with all my stuff for overland travel. I’m sure I looked a bit odd in business casual and a backpacking bag on my back. We took off for Brussels on the tour bus and everyone almost immediately passed out. Our tour guide led us around the city, seeing their huge statue tribute to atomic energy – back when it was viewed more positively I think and a ton of beautiful architecture.

As we were walking, we passed a restaurant called Drug Opera. Everyone had a bit of a chuckle about the name, until our guide led the group right up to it – apparently we were eating lunch at the Drug Opera. To this day, I have absolutely no idea why it is called that. But I swear it really is:

Lunch was, of course, waffles.

Then we headed to NATO, where we got to listen to two amazing speakers discuss the recent Wales Summit and the Russia/Ukraine conflict. I’d tell you what we learned, but then I’d have to kill you… well, not really, but you’d probably be a bit bored. I myself was completely overjoyed and enthralled.

By the end of the lab, a few other students and I checked out from the bus back to Antwerp and detoured to the Brussels train station to catch our various rides to Amsterdam. We are now allowed to check out of field labs at the end, and not ride the bus back to the ship, so that was essentially a free trip to Brussels, which worked out perfectly for my bus to the Netherlands.

I met my friend Bryce at the train station and we hopped on a eurolines bus to Amsterdam. About halfway there, we made a pit stop at a gas station and the driver informed us we had 15 minutes. Bryce and I, absolutely famished as we both had been in Field Labs all day, stopped at the McDonalds right by the gas station to grab dinner. Unfortunately fast food isn’t so fast in Europe because apparently it took longer than 15 minutes. To our dismay, we walked outside, chicken tenders and smoothies in hand, to an empty parking lot.

Immediately, we turned to each other, too shocked to be angry, and both uttered some form of expletive. Then we started thinking about plan B.

The situation: we were stuck at a McDonalds in maybe the Netherlands, maybe Belgium, with around 40 euro on us. I had my passport. We both had our phones. And we had chicken tenders. Location:

The obvious conclusion was: head to the nearest bar and start drinking. Just kidding! First, Bryce drew the word ‘Amsterdam?’ on a sign. We sat outside the station, hoping someone would be heading in that direction.

Then, I pulled out my phone and started looking up the emergency number for our bus company – thank you so much mom and dad for giving me an international phone plan! I called the number and got through immediately.

I went, “So, a friend and I are traveling from Brussels to Amsterdam and we just got left by our bus.” The operator barked a laugh and replied knowingly, “The McDonalds.” Apparently we were not the first to have made this mistake, and undoubtedly we will not be the last.

Luckily, another bus was headed our way in an hour and the other driver could hold our bags at the station in Amsterdam for us. Here is where our new SAS motto comes in to play: IT ALL WORKS OUT. Really, it does. Anyway, we mulled our “misfortune” out over a few beers and caught the next bus to Amsterdam, where our bags were waiting for us at the station and our friends were waiting at the hostel.

I just need to reiterate: it all works out. Throughout all of our travels, in some bizarre way or other, everything always works out okay. Time and time again, we think the worst has happened, but we all go back to our motto: it all works out, and it does. Try it sometime. Positive thinking really does work.

On to Amsterdam… To Be Continued!

Deutschland: Germany (overland pt 2)

I spend the second half of my overland trek in Germany with a much larger group of friends. We took Berlin by storm and had a fabulous time.

The highlights:

Sunday September 7th: reunite with more friends, bike Berlin, Reichstag, clubbing in Berlin

Monday September 8th: switch hostels, make chocolate bars, walk around the city clubbing in Berlin

Tuesday September 9th: meeting the train and touring around Rostock

The details:

Day 3:

We left off the last post during the transfer from Poland to Germany. Three trains later and we arrived bedraggled and probably a bit smelly in Berlin. Our friends had switched up our hostel reservations, so we set off to meet up with 8 others who had opted to train directly to Berlin to go to a music festival the day before. We excitedly reunited and caught each other up about our separate travels the past two nights. Then we headed off to rent bikes and ride through Berlin before we came back to check into our hostel.

For 10 Euro, we had our bikes all day and I’m so glad we did. First stop on the impromptu bike tour was Checkpoint Charlie and Currywurst. My friend Jessy and I were on the verge of serious Hanger (Hungry-anger) as we hadn’t really eaten much that day due to our multiple train rides.

Currywurst, bratwurst covered with ketchup and curry, with a cold Berliner beer set us straight and was just what we needed to fuel us for our self-led bike tour.

Our group of 10 college students biking over Berlin must have been a bit of a sight, but it was so fun. We rode by lots of sections of the Berlin Wall, stopping to appreciate the artwork here and there, then ended up at the Reichstag – Germany’s parliament building. It just so happened that day was the only day in the entire year that the building is open and free to visit for the public. How serendipitous! The entire edifice was amazing. Lots of the bricks inside are covered with writing originally from the soldiers when they took back Berlin from the Nazi regime. Although we personally couldn’t read it, we were told most of the notes were either names or declarations of “(name of person) was here on the day of victory!” Then we went up to the top of the building, which is a huge glass orb. We had a sweeping view of all sides of Berlin.   Here’s a shot of our crew in front of the building:

We hopped back on our bikes to ride a bit through a park and by the holocaust memorial, then ended up at an open air food cart market so we could grab some dinner. Good news, German Indian food is just as good as any. Then we went to return our bikes and finally check in to our hostel. It was called The Grand Hostel and we really enjoyed it. We somehow fit 10 people into a four bed, two room loft. I had never seen a hostel organized into lofts like that, but it worked out quite well for our group.

We then set out to see if Berlin truly lived up to its all night, every night party reputation. I have to say that for a Sunday we had a fabulous time. We took the metro over to an area where there are a number of clubs and ended up at a decent one called Matrix, filled with kids from SAS, and a number of other travelers. We danced until the wee morning and came home exhausted.

Day 4:

The next morning we had a bit of a rude awakening, as we realized we forgot to book the room for another night and had to checkout at 11:00. We woke up at 10:50. But a few members of our group had already left to catch a train back to the ship as they had field programs the last day in port.

Mobilizing five other people to rouse from their sleep is not too difficult when the alternative is being kicked out in pajamas. I called another hostel that had been recommended to me and we set off via underground to The Circus Hostel – another awesome place that was circus themed and had everything in English. We lucked out and had a room all to ourselves as well. Here’s a shot of the entrance to the hostel. 

After getting to the hostel, we had a pit stop for breakfast at a delicious French café and then went shopping. Some of us didn’t plan on staying the extra day and hadn’t packed enough clothes. Then we explored the neighborhood, which looked surprisingly like Portland, very trendy, but we loved it.

That afternoon, we walked across the city to make our own chocolate bars at the Ritter Sport chocolate store! 

For something like 3 Euro, you can pick milk, white, or dark chocolate and three ingredients to put inside your custom chocolate bar. To those of you who know me at all, you realize how much of a sweet tooth I have. I felt I had just found heaven on earth. I selected coconut flakes, vanilla biscuits, and rhubarb, per the suggestion of the lady at the cash register.  Here are some shots from the process!

As we waited, we tried another Berlin custom delicacy, Berliner with rot – no, not literally rotting beer, but raspberry! Absolutely delicious. Here’s a picture of the sweet red beer with still quite a bit of foam… the server seemed kind of embarrassed about her pour… regardless, the beer was great.

We ate our chocolate bars and strolled around shopping and exploring more of Berlin, then headed back to the hostel to get ready for another night out. As tired as we were, we had learned of a few more clubs we needed to see as they had been closed Sunday.

The group rallied quite well and we had a fun time dancing to great music, mostly at a club called Tresor. We came back a bit earlier though because the next day we had booked an 11:00am train to Rostock, where we would meet our floating home.

Day 5:

As I typed this, I sat on a train whisking through the German countryside, as my friends all laid like fallen soldiers, exhausted, but happy and likely in need of a good shower and cleaner clothes. Here’s a pic of them all looking homeless in the train station J

I would love to return to Berlin again someday- preferably not arriving by night train. I would probably even enjoy living there for a bit. The city pulses with youth and vibrancy, coupled with unique history and pieces of the Berlin wall sporadically throughout. I loved Berlin, but I am definitely ready for a good night’s sleep in my own bed.

Next stop: Belgium, Amsterdam, and France!

P.S. I still a little bit can’t believe this is real life

the city that stole my heart and the camp that broke it: Poland (overland pt 1)

–disclaimer, this post is quite late due to wifi issues… sorry! —

I can hardly believe we are already on stop number three of the adventure of a lifetime. I have already made some amazing memories and even better friends. This post comes as we ride the train to Warnemünde, Germany to meet up with the ship after what seems like a lifetime off board. My friends and I overland traveled through Poland and Germany, so we did not re-board the ship as it moved between countries and are en route to meet it in Germany now. I’m separating posts by country, so this one is for you Poland!

The highlights: 

Friday September 5th: disembark, tour Gdansk, nightmare of transportation to Krakow, Krakow nightlife

Saturday September 6th: free walking tour by morning, Auschwitz by day, and dreadful overnight train to Berlin with crazy Swedish ladies by night

The details:

Day 1:

The morning came sooner than expected as I headed off to breakfast with my roommate and some friends to get my last dose of free food, however mediocre ship food may be, before catching the shuttle into Gdansk and traveling across Poland. A friend and I had booked a cheap flight from Gdansk to Warsaw and then a short connection to Krakow. We tooled around Gdansk, a beautiful port town filled with old architecture and amazing buildings, but with a name that we still can’t quite figure out how to say.

We also went to a number of street markets to see the locals and shop around. Here’s a shot of an adorable old lady who wanted me to take her photo. 

Then, we hopped on the 210 bus that we hoped would take us to the Gdansk airport. After 30 minutes of scenic countryside and not a word of English anywhere, we finally saw a sign with an airplane on it and breathed a sigh of relief. We had made it to the first step of what ended up being a bit nightmarish journey.

The first flight was delayed 45 minutes so we missed the connection. Luckily there was another plane a few hours later and they gave us meal vouchers, so at least dinner was free. Two 55 min flights later and we arrived in Krakow! After a shuttle too the bus station and a bus to the hostel, we wanted to collapse from travel exhaustion, but we knew we only had a night in Krakow and, being a Friday night, we simply had to go out –it was the only logical thing to do 🙂 .

Our hostel was One World Hostel, right on the outskirts of old town, a perfect location. By the time we got ready, it was about 11:00, so we asked the front desk worker, a sweet 20something named Aggie, where we should go. Krakow is filled with bustling nightlife, so there was a long list of places to see. She made a few calls, however, and sent us off to meet some red-headed guy named Jack who was leading a pup crawl that we could join for free because it only had a few more stops.

We took a few wrong turns in the ancient cobbled alleyways, but eventually found the bar where hopefully the pub crawl still was and we went in search of “Pub Crawl Jack.” After a few run-ins with fake Pub Crawl Jacks (we accosted every red-head in sight asking if they were Pub Crawl Jack, sorry world) we found the correct one and hung out with him and his polish friends who lead pub crawls for work – what a tough job. Anyway the two places we went were Rewolucja and an underground club called, interestingly enough, Prozak.

The venues in Krakow are amazing because at first glance they seem like innocuous apartment complexes, but when you go down winding, narrow staircases, they open up to multiple dance floors, bars and lounges. We thought they were basements, but later learned that the bottom level of buildings in Krakow is the original level of the city from the 13th and 14th century. Amazing. We did not stay out too late though because we had plans to go see Auschwitz- Birkenau the next day. Overall a great night in a fascinating city.

Day 2:

The next morning we woke early to see the Krakow by day before heading off to the concentration camp. We had breakfast of a traditional polish snack called Obwarzanek that is a combination of a pretzel and a bagel. They were sold at little stands like this one all over town. 

We joined a free walking tour headed by a hilarious polish man whose name sounded like “Magic.” He led us around the main square and sites of old town all the while keeping us entertained and educated. I wish we’d had more time to finish the tour, but we had to get lunch before catching a bus to Auschwitz.

We stopped to grab a quick bite before leaving and we tried polish Pirogi – a typical dish in the northeastern parts of Europe. Basically polish stickers filled growth cabbage or some other savory foods. So yummy. 

As we drove the 45 or so minutes on the tour bus, it finally hit me where we were headed. I felt a little bubble of dread in my stomach, but I felt I owed it to humanity to see this tragic landmark. It’s still hard to write about now, and I don’t feel right posting most of the pictures I took, but here is the one I’ll share.  I’ll just say I firmly believe every human should visit a concentration camp sometime in their life. Just seeing the vastness of Birkenau, essentially a macabre mass-grave that eerily felt like some perverse summer camp took my breath away and words still evade me. Although it saddened me incredibly, I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit although I will never return.

My friend and I both passed out on the shuttle back to Krakow, physically and emotionally drained, where we picked up our bags from the hostel and headed to the train station to catch the overnight sleeper to Berlin, where we planned to meet our friends for a little more lighthearted touring and clubbing. Here’s a pic of the sleeper car and of my friend’s horror at the sheer compactness of the space. (she’d probably be upset I uploaded this, but it was too funny) 

Then a shot I got from my lofty top bunk of three, trying to capture the three opposing bunks. 

Our 4 other bunk-mates were non English speaking older women. This is probably another experience I hope not to repeat in the near future and we can leave it at that.

I’ll add a separate post to talk about Germany, because I felt Poland deserved its own. I really fell in love with the antiquated alleyways of Krakow. Aggie from the hostel was definitely correct when she informed us, “you won’t want to leave after one night.” I guess I will just have to return. Until next time, goodbye Poland ❤

Dos Vedanya: Russia

Tonight we leave port stop number one on the journey of a lifetime, Russia.  I depart this foreign land with mixed feelings and lots of lessons learned.  Adjusting to port stays, confusing logistics, checking in and out of the ship and such took a bit of time, but we finally have the routine down after Russia.  The night before we arrived, we had a logistical meeting to give us practical information about St Petersburg.  I could almost see the energy onboard as everyone geared up for our very first port stay.  All around the ship, groups huddled, buzzing about plans for Russia, places to see and things to do. 

I didn’t go to bed until far too late that evening because we were all so excited, but the call of the dean over the loud speaker telling groups where to meet and when to get their passports woke me up bright and early the next day.  It was time to see Russia!

 

The Highlights:

 

August 30 – Day 1: The Hermitage Museum, KGB spies, exploring St Petersburg

 

August 31 – Day 2: Starbucks, Vodka tasting, traditional Russian meal, The Idiot & Biblioteka

 

September 1  – Day 3: Blowing rubbles and finding wifi

 

The Details:

 

Day 1:

Startled awake at the crack of 7:00 am by the loudspeaker, I stumbled above deck to pick up my passport and grab a quick breakfast before getting ready for the day.  I had signed up for a guided tour of The Hermitage museum a 3 story building filled with over 3 million pieces on display.  I usually loathe tours, but I thought it would be the most efficient way to see the iconic pieces of the Hermitage in a timely manner.  Luckily, two of my new guy friends who share a similar opinion also signed up and ended up in my group for the tour.  The museum was fantastic and overwhelming.  It used to be a palace – similar to the Louvre. I could easily have wandered around lost for days, but Helen our trusty guide navigated the halls seamlessly narrating the history of the numerous famous works of art .  We saw pieces by Monet, Renoir, Da Vinci, Van Gough, and Rembrandt, to name a few.  Absolutely stunning works.  After about 2 hours, however, we tired of walking around the confusing palace and the rest of our group seemed to share that sentiment, so we broke for lunch on our own.

 

My friends and I bee-lined for a coffee shop (Koøe) in which, to our amazement, the man at the register spoke fluent English.  I asked where he learned to speak so well and he replied with a thick Russian accent, “Well they trained me to be KGB spy in USA, but now I’m here.”  Honestly, no idea if he was kidding or serious.  Then he continued, “But actually I am Chemist.  I make drugs.”  Really getting off to a great start in Russia.

 

After getting fully caffeinated, we walked to a restaurant called AnyPasta and ordered some food.  We happily realized most cafes have free wifi and took a moment to reunite with our phones – it had been a week of darkness.  Sorry world, for ordering pizza as my first meal in Russia, but it was so good!  We also had a small window of time because we had to meet up with the group shortly.  Don’t worry though, I did try a large number of good Russian food items later– mostly vodka.  Just kidding. Kind of.  Anyway, after lunch we walked around the city with Helen at the lead.  She showed us a number of statues and sites – mostly all dedicated to Pushkin. Then brought us to see the Church of Spilled Blood.  

 

By the end of the walk, we needed a rest and gladly got back in the bus to head to the ship.    I caught up with some friends on the MV– a number of them do not have Russian Visas, so they could only do SAS sponsored programs and ended up with a large amount of free time on the ship.  After sitting with them through dinner, I got ready for a night out and rendezvoused with two friends who did have visas to head out for the evening. 

 

To complicate our nighttime plans, drawbridges in St Petersburg go up from 1:30-5:45, thus our strategy was to stay out until 6am. Yes, I realize this is aggressive, but we had been cooped up on the ship for many days and we really needed a bit of spontaneous fun out on the town.  We ended up walking all over the city and heading to a number of fun bars with good music.  Luckily enough, bars and clubs stay open until 6 am in Russia, so the night actually flew by. 

 

We also had a new experience, getting rejected from a bar – don’t worry mom, not because we were drunk, but because we are American.  A kind English-speaking Russian man we had met at a Karaoke bar – where all the songs people sang were English by the way – told us he thought the club across the street would be more fun.  We gladly accepted his advice and walked together to the other venue, only to stand by as he argued with the “Face Control” bouncer, the only comprehensible word being Amerikanse (or something like it).  Our Russian friend kindly translated the conversation as “Please return later,” but after some prodding more or less admitted the club had just rejected us due to our nationality.  He assured us that Russians may not like American government, but he had nothing against Americans.  From then on however, we made sure to let people know we were “Canadians” J

 

We ended the night sitting on the main pier, legs dangling over the water, watching the sky lighten over the main river. Overall, a successful first day in Russia.

 

Day 2:

After a short two hours of sleep, I was up and ready for my second SAS Field Program of the trip, Delicious Russia- a 3 course Russian meal and vodka tasting.  So far, Russia seemed to be all about the Vodka.  Our first stop was a beautiful cathedral and Starbucks!  My friend ordered an Iced Grande Skinny Carmel Macchiato and began to explain what that meant, while the register worker just looked amused.  Apparently she already knew what was in a Skinny Carmel Macchiato – amazing how we have come so far, but some things are still exactly the same. Or at least mostly the same.   

We then toured a Vodka museum and had a fabulous meal in a fancy Russian Restaurant.  I included pictures because I do not think I could explain everything if I tried.

 

Course 1: Coleslaw like veggie and potato salad – YUM

 

Course 2: Beet soup with dill – Yum also

 

Course 3: Beef and potato stew – Delicious

 

Dessert: Assorted pastries and tea 

 

After the tour, a friend and I signed out and wandered around the city by ourselves instead of going back with the group because we had visas and wanted to explore on our own.  The city buildings are magnificent and ancient.  It was pretty easy to get lost though, because we can’t read any of the street signs, so we mostly stayed around the main road.

 

After a quick pit-stop at the ship to change for the night, we headed out with a group for dinner at a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant called The Idiot.  Food was delicious and pretty typical Russian.  I had crepes with mushrooms and it did not disappoint.  If I keep eating this much, someone is going to have to roll me off the ship come December.  We met up with a group of SASiers at a library bar called Biblioteka. It was a great night of debauchery to commemorate our second and last evening in Russia. 

 

Day 3:

Today we tooled around the city, shopping, buying souvenirs, and making plans for the next port whenever we found wifi.  Unfortunately, we got back on the ship way too early because they freaked everyone out about long lines and dock time (time stuck on the ship during port as punishment) if we were late, so we are all relaxing, eating our Russian candies and blogging about the whirlwind of the last few days.  I‘m happy I’ve gotten to see a small part of this vast country and I would love to return one day – but only if I came with someone that speaks Russian.  The language barrier was so debilitating, it would have been better to travel with someone who could translate or at least communicate.  If you know of anyone who fits that description and seems fun – let me know!  Until that day, Dos Vedanya, Russia.