Excursions

One thing I failed to mention in my post about school here is that we only have classes four days a week.  Every Wednesday, we go on an excursion as a group. Some of the future highlights will include a CKA hockey game, the ballet, the Dostoevskii museum, and the Baltika brewery, to name a few. Tomorrow, we're heading to the Krepoct Oreshek, a very old fortress which dates back to the fourteenth century and has passed between Russian and Swedish hands through various wars over the centuries.  Because it was never taken by the Nazis in World War II, it was able to provide a lifeline to Leningrad, thus saving the city during its blockade.



Last week we went to Gatchina, a palace outside of St. Petersburg in which Catherine the Great once resided.  It was all-but-destroyed by the Nazis in World War II, and the Soviets did little to repair it, but in recent years it has been the subject of a great deal of restoration and is a major tourist destination. The palace itself is somewhat reminiscent of Versailles in its construction, decor, and enormous hunting grounds.  However, Versailles is a bit more impressive in my opinion, though perhaps only due to the discrepancy in renovation.

A model of the palace

Outside the palace

Typical Russian bed (mine is a lot like this, too)

The underground tunnels are infamous for their echoes, which answer your questions

The backyard