A soviet building in SPB

Last night was an uneventful night after the hockey game. I got back around 11pm and tried to post a blog, but it got deleted when I was just about ready to submit it so I gave up and went to bed. Friday is my last day in SPB and is going to be a day around town. The only issue is that the sights I want to see are scattered around the city.

I started with quiche and hot chocolate for breakfast. This hot chocolate was really small and had two toasted marshmallows along with a glass of water. I drank some of it with a spoon. This style of hot chocolate and a croissant would be the best breakfast.

Yummy, yummy, yummy, the richest hot chocolate ever, you needed the spoon once it cooled down a tad

I then subwayed to the other side of “downtown” SPB and went to a monastery. This is different than most of the other churches I went to because it was an active church and I was the only tourist around. I then walked through some cemeteries the monastery is known for. I then decided to bag a palace I hear was really good because I had already been to four and started walking to the northeast part of downtown. Before I went I stopped at a grocery store and grabbed a yoghurt with roe in it. I almost threw up, it was disgusting, imagine all sweetness and tartness of yoghurt being replaced by salt and flavor pockets of very fishy roe. What a waste of 45r (62r=$1). I quickly recompiled myself and found the closest trash can and began my walk. The decor was a mix of old architecture mixed with soviet style buildings (replacing buildings destroyed in the siege).

I ended up at Smoly(sp) Institute, formerly a girls boarding school that was then the Bolshevik headquarters for a bit and is now the SPB seat of government. I then went to an impressive cathedral next door and walked up the bell towers which have a great view, enhanced by it being sunny for a second day in a row (please note the only two days I did not put on sunscreen).

Smoly Cathedral

Each class of kids playing has a different colored vest on

Small power plants dot the skyline. There are a ton of power plants located within the city

Typical intercity power plant

I then started the walk to the metro station and took a shortcut through a park. Spy movies always show people meeting in parks, that is stupid, they are all walled and gated and they try to trap you by hiding the exits, everyone of them, the worse place for spies to meet. There were a ton of mothers and grandmothers walking strollers around the parks. One thing is hey know how to dress kids warm, the strollers have an attic child bag and they all have snowsuits on.

Decked out to run in the muddy park

I went for the pastry option for lunch since I annex to grab an early dinner, 5pm, before the ballet. I was not sure where I was going at this point so I took the subway to the center and once I decided where I was last the connecting subway station so I walked across the river and saw a new island. I then went in the tower of St Isaac’s Cathedral (I had a ticket from another day but it was miserable out and I was cold and wet so I didn’t go up). It gave another good view of SPB.

I then went to the ballet. I have to admit I can’t tell the difference between a good ballet and a bad one. My stall had 7 older ladies in it including one behind me. I used my bad posture and leaning on he railing to try to become as small as possible. I did clean off some mud on my sneakers before I went!!!! The ballet was interesting, but I am glad I ended up at a shorter one, 1:40.

I then went to meet another couch surfer, Eva, for a drink. This meeting’s conversation seemed more “date like” then my previous meetings, but it was still an interesting conversation.

I would not like America if they gave is non alcoholic beer

I then went back to the hostel, are some chocolate and did a little research into what to do in my afternoon in Stockholm tomorrow.