FAREWELL UNTIL SEPTEMBER!

Just a little blog today. I leave for Spain tomorrow and return at the end of August. It`s going to be fun to see the family in Spain and enjoy the sunshine, sea and sangria but I leave St.Petersburg with a tinge of regret as I feel I am just getting to grips with the City and fear I will have to start all over on my return. Ah well, the hardships of life!

PETERHOF

As it was the last day available for a trip, we decided to go to Peterhof yesterday. It was a perfect sunny and calm day for a hydrofoil trip down the Neva.

After 40 minutes we arrived at Peterhof only to find a very long queue for tickets to the park. These are the tickets you have to purchase before being able to get near the palace only to queue again for tickets for the palace. In fact at Peterhof you have to queue for separate tickets for everything and to make it more annoying it is actually quite expensive.

I would not feel quite so annoyed about the price if everyone paid the same, however, in Russia, there is a different, usually about three times higher price for foreigners. Why should foreigners pay more?

Putting these feelings behind us (we had plenty of time to do that whilst waiting in these interminable queues) we enjoyed the palace and gardens but decided that although Peterhof is by far the most famous of the outlying palaces it is not the greatest to visit. We enjoyed Tvarski Selo much more.

A WONDERFUL TOILET VISIT

I had a wonderful loo experience. After paying fifty pence I took my place in the queue only to be yelled at by the toilet cleaner who was annoyed at anyone who went near her bucket. It was difficult not to annoy her because her bucket was placed in the entrance to the cubicles and she was trying to insist that we lined up on one side of her bucket. These women in the queue actually allowed this bloody woman to boss them around! I was having none of it and after my turn in the loo I made sure I gave her bucket a kick to the side as I passed. She was hurling abuse at me as I left with a smile! I am learning to deal with these people!

All in all I think it would be better to choose a day that was not a Saturday at the height of the tourist season to visit Peterhof!

FAREWELL FOR THE SUMMER!

POLICEMEN AND BRIBES, WHOOPS I MEAN BRIDES

I thought the shot of the Hermitage was rather jolly. The other is a shot of the street where we live at present but not for much longer.

THE POLICEMAN`S LOT IS NOT A HAPPY ONE

It is quite difficult to know who is a policeman and who is not. I am convinced there are people who walk around this town dressed up as such just because once upon a time they had a uniform. Those are the most scary. You would think I could tell by the age of the uniform but unfortunately this is not so. Some police officers just look plain scruffy and not very professional. There are traffic police and another type or two all with different roles. There are a lot of them who seem to have little to do but stroll around the parks and public spaces. Their presence should be a comfort but I find it rather unsettling. I feel they would not do very much if they saw you being attacked but that they may apprehend you for doing absolutely nothing but minding your own business.

I have been told not to go anywhere without identification but not the original because it might get stolen and never hand over original documents to the police themselves! What!?

I was sitting in the summer gardens yesterday, minding my own business and reading a book. It was a beautiful day and I do not have a balcony at the flat. I am a middle aged woman dressed in a conventional manner with a Laura Ashley bag and sensible shoes, reading Nicholas and Alexandra on a park bench in the sunshine when along comes a policeman who stands right in front of me (am I allowed to read the above-mentioned book in Russia?), weighs me and the situation up and then walks away. I have to say my heart was in my mouth, I really thought he was going to ask me what I was doing there! He had a cosh in his hand and handcuffs and a gun in his back pocket. I hardly dared to look up until he walked off! Is this just a park keeper?

When I had lunch with the ladies the other day in Gatchina, we set up our picnic in the park on the steps of an old folly of sorts. A policeman came up to us and stood looking at our picnic before telling the Russian lady amongst us to leave as soon as we finished! Had our Russian lady not been there I think we would have offered him a chicken leg and a glass of champagne but we felt she would think it inappropriate.

ANTI-INTERROGATION CARD

This is the coolest thing I have ever had in my life and I intend to frame it when I leave Russia. If you have any trouble with officials or police or anybody, you pull out the card and call the 24 hour service and they send a minder (well, someone) out to you to deal with the problem! Quite an enterprising business idea!

Part of me really wants something to happen so I can use this facility and part of me thinks it might not work!

BRIDES EVERYWHERE!

It must be because it`s summer. This has to be the most romantic city in the world. Although I have been told that the guys don`t keep up the romance once married.

Having been made man and wife, they cruise the city with all their guests in limousines and with copious amounts of alcohol and have photos taken at every famous monument in the city. There are loads of these so by the time the guests have been dragged around all of them they look pretty much past their best! You see about fifty brides per day at the moment and many empty champagne bottles around the town. It astonishes me that all these smartly dressed people don`t take their empties away with them. They have a way to go in that respect.

GOSTINY DVOR

This is an experience of a shopping centre. It is really huge and houses just about every type of shop imaginable and is all indoors. I remember visiting this when I was here in about 1980. At that time there was absolutely nothing available and all the tinned food had plain labels just with the name of the content, e.g. peas. I can remember being amazed that this huge shopping palace had all the shops selling exactly the same items. All the clothes were the same in all the shops and the tinned food (because that was all there was) was piled up to make it look attractive but it was all the same! It really is wonderful to see Gostiny Dvor today, a symbol of devotion to consumerism.

PALACES AND BEACHES

One thing I knew coming to this city was that I was going to see a lot of palaces here but one thing I did not expect was the beach.

TSARSKOE SELO AND THE AMBER ROOM

Having started to read the story of Nicholas & Alexandra, I was very interested to visit the above mentioned town and it`s palaces.

We do not have a car so the only way to get to Tsarskoe Selo which is about 35 km out of town was by public transport. First metro then bus. There are several different types of buses here. Some have specific places they stop and others have a route they follow and you flag them down wherever you want and then shout when you want to get off. Good if a) you know where you want to get off and b) if you know what to shout. We knew neither of these things but jumped on one anyway.

People were helpful but it seemed they did not know where we should get off, resulting in our disembarking according to several passengers advice and then, at the driver`s insistence, getting back on! We eventually got to the palaces and park. This was greatly rewarded with a tour of the Catherine Palace and gardens and obviously the most famously, recently newly reconstructed, Amber Room. Now that is another book to read. It was all too much to see in one visit and there is still the Alexander palace to see as that is the one where Nicky and Alexi actually lived!

THE BEACH!

Mike and his ordinance survey map found us on a good old walk on Sunday from our present abode to the beach! A real sand beach, one of a few on the City`s islands. Krestovski Island is clearly a favourite of Mr. Putin`s as he has a home there. We didn`t find it this time but we will! We took a beer sitting in a bar on the beach and watched people play volley ball and racing up and down on jet skis, barbecuing and sunbathing. If I closed my eyes, I could have been in Marbella. There were even showers and loos. Across the water we could see the yacht club and several very nice boats alongside it. Clearly the place for the not so badly off. This will be visited again on a nice sunny day with a picnic and some sunblock! I`m not sure I would swim there although people seem happy to do so.

PRETTY GIRLS

There are only about three months of the year during which time the girls of the City can be seen without their coats on so I like to think that this is why their choice of clothing is so wacky, wild and rather more than a little revealing. If you are going to `bag a man` this is the time of year to do it!

I admire the skill they need to walk around all day in extremely high heels. I have been told that they also wear these heels in the winter. Apparently, the heels work well as sort of crampons that can be dug into the icy sidewalks.

GATCHINA

Yesterday saw me at a quilting exhibition hosted by the town of Gatchina, about an hour away from the City. Not being into quilting, I saw this as an opportunity to take a look at another town. It was a surprise to be blown over by the artistry of the work on display. What was wonderful was that some of the works were clearly made by scraps of material collected from old clothes etc. and not bought pieces from specialist shops.

This exhibition was in three locations. The first location we visited was in a tiny hamlet inside a village hall. They made us very welcome and when I needed to visit a loo I was escorted to another building, down several corridors to an extremely grim toilet with magazines for loo paper, where the escort, equally grim, waited patiently for me to pee before escorting me back! Loo visits are quite often exciting here!

The second location was in a small town, in an enormous neo classic style building, very run down but with incredible chandeliers and a really wonky parquet floor.

The third was the best. This was in a concrete, communist building which housed a lot of leatherette sofas, slashed and torn and a huge, magnificent mosaic of Lenin along with some wonderful symbols of the era. I hope I come across a lot of stuff like this because I think it is becoming more rare.

BLOG FODDER 2

SHOCKING

There are a lot of bare and dangerous electric wires around this city, even in heavily populated tourist parts.

BARKING

There are a lot of stray dogs in the parks. They are all of the large variety. However, they seem to spend most of the time sleeping and don`t seem to bother people at all, not even for food. Perhaps they are being well fed. They are not in bad condition. I will try to learn more about
them.

PULPING

A lot of expats here are involved in the paper pulping industry. One of my new friends who`s husband is so employed gave me a great tip. I don`t think it`s related to her husband`s industry but still.. When she has papers she wants to dispose of that have sensitive information on them, e.g. bank statements etc., she soaks them until they become mush! I never thought of that, it`s brilliant! One could make a sort of paper mache sculpture of it all.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

According to the St.Petersburg Times, our weekly English translated newspaper, a lot of new swimming pools are being constructed in St.Petersburg`s `bedroom communities`. Do they mean `dormitory towns`?!

In a German style restaurant visited at the weekend I was amused to note the reserved tables had a little sign on saying `this land is conquered`. A little strong I thought!

BLOGGER FODDER

BUYING A BOOK

It sounds like a fairly simple process. You walk in, browse and choose and pay and leave. Not in Russia!

First, I browsed. I found a book about the lives of the last Tsars. Super. I go to the counter with the book. The young lady tells me I can`t buy it there but that she will write a chit with the price and I will take the chit to the far side of the shop, pay, then return to her at the other end of the shop and she will check the receipt and give me the book. I did all of this happily and a little amused. She nearly had a fit when I put my receipt into my purse and not in the bag containing my purchase. `no! no!` it MUST go in there with the book!` I suppose this may be the preferred place for my receipt to prove I had not stolen the book, however, I was the only customer in the shop and the only people who would see me leave without paying would be her and the cashier and they had taken my money from me! They were hardly likely to chase me into the street to check if I had paid! I suppose old habits die hard.

IN THE STREET

There are some very unfortunate people on the streets begging for money. This is not unusual in any big City but they are amongst the more desperate I have seen, and that includes in India.

There is one lovely old lady who looks at least 100 years old. She is clean and she wears traditional peasant type clothes. She has a face full of character and as wrinkled as a very old prune. I imagine she has had a really tough life, WW2, the siege of Leningrad, communism etc. and there she is, day in and day out, hoping for some kindness from the passers by.

It seems dreadful that this generation who have suffered so much and have been thrown into this capitalist society of the modern world, who don`t stand a chance of being able to pay for themselves (any savings they had were completely and totally worthless after the fall of communism, through no fault of their own) are not looked after.

A WALK TO THE OFFICE

Mike suggested I walked with him to his office and he would show me another market and a shopping area. He actually has quite a long walk, more than I had realised across to Vasilyevskiy Island, however he likes it and it is good exercise. It won`t be possible during the long winter months so he is making the most of it now.

A BIGGER CHICKEN BREAST PLEASE

Deciding to use my `market Russian` I thought I had asked for the biggest saddle (the two breasts with the bone intact) of chicken. I realised later that what I actually asked for was a bigger saddle. Just a small difference, bigger - biggest, but enough to make her look at me as if to say, `how big would you expect the breast of a chicken to be?`

THEY MUST BE KIDDING!

The tomatoes looked good. Very large and juicy so I asked for two. They asked me for 200 roubles. That is about two pounds per tomato. I left without them. All the fruit and vegetables are expensive but sometimes I get the feeling I am being taken for an idiot. It is going to be expensive to eat healthily here but you cannot put a price on health. Why did I not get those tomatoes after all?

I have noticed that the fresh food markets are very quiet. The locals cannot afford them. There are a lot of cosseted foreigners with interpreters and drivers and people who are sent by the more wealthy local residents to do the shopping for them but not many people like me! I could use interpreters and drivers but what would I write about?!

CRUISE SHIPS

It is a wonderful walk back from Mike`s office, along the embankment of the Neva. The big cruise ships park down that end of St.Petersburg. They could not come up any further because although the bridges lift at night for an hour or so, the ships are too big and there is nowhere for them to park. I think this is a blessing. It is quite interesting to see them when there are as many as four huge ones in town. I know some of our friends will be arriving in St.Petersburg by ship! It is certainly an interesting way to arrive and you get a 48 hour pass without the need of a visa which saves a lot of hassle.

Walking around the City it is really easy to spot the ones who have come off a ship. So beware, the pickpockets can tell too!

THE PASTRY SHOP

Around the corner from our service flat is the most famous pastry house in St. Petersburg. Fortunately, I am not big on pastry but they look wonderful. You can buy a Salmon Pie I discovered today. Guess what we are having for dinner tomorrow.

A STEP INTO THE OTHER SIDE

NOTHING TO BUY

I have never been into a supermarket before and left without buying a single item. However, that is exactly what I did yesterday! There was nothing fanciable at all and this was in the new supermarket!

RIDICULOUSLY GORGEOUS RESTAURANT

So it was quite a lovely treat last night to go to just about the best restaurant in the City. After my fruitless search (I didn`t try too hard I must admit) for something fresh to buy, it was perfect that we had such a wonderful meal last night which should keep me going for the rest of the week. The restaurant sits above a casino and a large designer shop and has been serving the rich and famous for more than 200 years (what were we doing there?)

There is a first time for everything and for me I have never been through a metal detector in order to enter a restaurant before. What does that tell you about the rich and famous here? You can only imagine. At least we were able to enjoy our evening without fear of anything metal being undetected. I must admit when I first saw the detector I thought we were supposed to walk through it on the way out in case we had tried to steal the cutlery!

The food was wonderful, although it didn`t resemble anything I thought I had ordered but then it was very posh. I was given a cradle in which to place my (rather ordinary) handbag. Mike remarked that I should be careful that nobody ties it with string and drags it across the floor and away!

After a lovely evening we finally left, avoiding the metal detector on the way out, the stolen cutlery in our pockets remaining undetected! Kidding of course.

THE BLACK WINDOWED LIMOUSINES

Our company last night was a very charming man and his wife who happens to be CEO of a very important business here. After seeing me change my shoes for the walk home he was rather embarrassed to be met by not just a driver but also a bodyguard. When he saw my expression, he reassured me by explaining that he was very unlikely to be threatened physically but it is not unusual for people such as he to be led into a black windowed, nearby limousine for a spontaneous `business meeting`. A very nice way to put it, I thought.

It also occurred to me that perhaps we misunderstand the Russian `businessman`. After all, this CEO may be difficult to make an appointment with and the Russian `businessman` is very proud of his status and particularly his black windowed limousine and perhaps likes to use it as a sort of mobile office. He might possibly think it is quite an honour to be invited for a meeting inside his car!

REALITY CHECK

Yes well, back to normal today. I knew there was a weekly walk arranged every Wednesday morning by the International Women's Club so I thought I would go to the designated meeting place under the Pushkin statue and see what happened. Nothing happened. I wasn`t surprised and was quite prepared with map in hand to have a good old walk about by myself.

This was a good opportunity to find the food market over the side of town where I am going to be living after August. I got completely lost. The map was useless to me because it was in English and all the town signs are in Cyrillic. I didn`t have my specs with me either so couldn't see the map anyway. Nevsky Prospect is the biggest road in St.Petersburg but all the others looked pretty damned the same to me!

GOLD TEETH

I felt quite proud when I finally found the market. I bought some cherries as a reward from a man with a complete set of gold teeth. He was smiling brilliantly with his expensive mouth glowing as I paid a huge amount of money for my cherries! Not surprising he can afford gold teeth. Georgians love gold teeth.

A VISIT TO THE GEORGIAN MARKET

Just a couple of scenes at the Georgian market and a picture of my three new friends. Is it my imagination or is Nicky (the one in the middle) trying to Nick a watermelon?

MORE HEALTH TESTS

This is Mike posing before the Church of the Spilt blood. The other is me and several balloons on a river trip at about 11.30 p.m. heading towards the Gulf of Finland.

The title of this blog is referring to the fact that we have been today for a further HIV test. This is Mike`s third and my second. If the visa thing is not sorted within a given time frame we have to have a further test!

BITS AND BOBS

Just to show you that we make too much fuss about health and safety in the UK. What is the problem with going through this tunnel onto the main river?

I don`t think it really matters that the commentary was in Russian and that this is a tour boat with a lot of people who don`t speak Russian. I guess she probably told us to duck down a little bit but I was too busy standing backwards taking a photo down river to try to interpret. Fortunately I turned around in time to take this shot and avoid having my head left behind as a decoration on the bridge!

Well, I thought you might enjoy that one! This is not a trick photograph, it really was that low!

BACK TO THE AIRPORT!

I forgot to mention that when we returned to St.Pete`s after our lovely few days in Monte Carlo we experienced what I think we have to get used to at the airport.

A couple of large aircraft arrived just before us meaning that the queues for passport control were rather long to say the least. This situation was not improved by the fact that the controllers like to read each passport from cover to cover before begrudgingly letting you into their country.

We had a gaggle of about 25 school girls from Greece in front of us who`s teacher had not had the foresight to make them fill in their landing cards on the plane. As they were writing them out all over the place in front of us, we decided it was a good time to slip in front of them from behind a post! We are not queue jumpers generally but have decided that in Russia, its the only way. Unfortunately, it didn`t go unnoticed either from the girls nor the security. As the man in uniform came up to us to tell us to step back in line, we completely ignored him and pretended we didn`t understand and said in English (he didn`t understand either) that the girls should have filled in their forms on the plane like everyone else and they were holding us up unreasonably (this was true). He didn`t actually care so we continued to the background noise of boos and hissing, quite embarrassing really but I would do it again!

Considering that the above mentioned controls result in people coming through passport control at about one per every two or three minutes, wouldn`t you think they would simplify the system and also delay the luggage to stop it from piling up on the carousel eventually spilling onto the floor. This is clearly not a problem for them but only for the really tired and frustrated people coming to visit their town who have to shift through to hopefully find their bags intact. I hope this was a one off!

A MOSCOW TALE

This seems like a fairly negative blog so far today but I have one more to tell before I get back to some positivity. This was told to me by someone I met over the weekend who lives in Moscow.

A friend of hers is expecting a baby in about 4 weeks. A week or so ago the landlady informed her that now there is going to be an extra person in the flat that she wants another 1,000 euros per month. Do I need to say anymore on that one?!

PHOTO!

Hopefully, if you scroll around this whole blog site you will find a couple of photos. One is of the current hallway in the service apartment and the other is a picture of the building in which we are going to live from 22nd August.

A TRIP TO PARADISE AND BACK!

COTE D`AZURE, VERY NICE

I wasn`t going to mention trips away from my new life in Russia BUT then I decided that seeing as though I will probably be the number one reader and I would like not to forget these trips, I would plough ahead regardless.

We arrived at Nice airport at around 10.30 p.m. in a very original way. Our plane (we came in from Zurich) was surrounded by fire engines. Quite exciting if you could get off and watch from the distance but not so when you are told the brakes were smoking but, thankfully, cooling down, and that for safety purposes to remain seated until the crises passes. All is well that turns out well, however, our luggage was equally slow to emerge and therefore we arrived at the Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo just in the nick of time to down two stiff gins and tonics with the diehard remainder of the crowd before retiring for a very late night.

I would like to point out that I don`t usually go to bed on two stiff gins and tonics but this was necessary training for the three days and nights to come.

The following morning Mike went off to the meeting and I assembled with some other `spouses` (still about 99 percent women regardless of the modern age we live in) to be taken off to a cookery lesson with Sebastien Paoletti.

The venue was absolutely lovely in the hills, surrounded by beautiful scenery. We were to cook our own lunch having been shown by Sebastien (gorgeous) Paoletti how to do it. This was great for the young Russian wives who were relishing the opportunity to show off to Mr. Paoletti how well they chop and fry whilst still managing to look very sexy but I can honestly say that most of us slightly more mature women were very happy to watch them showing off whilst we gabbed away about what great cooks we are and how we would happily be there without the cookery bit. Still it was a great ambiance and the lunch on the terrace after was great fun.

Feeling a little too relaxed after lunch, we ventured by bus up to St Paul de Vince, a hilltop village for a short visit before returning to the hotel in time for a quick shower before dinner! Dinner was at the Top Cars Museum (one for the boys). I was lucky to have a go in a simulated drive of the Monte Carlo race route, sitting in what seemed like a real racing car with a huge screen in front, it felt very real, except my spectacular crashes. It seems to me that the course is very tight!

This was my first opportunity to meet the expat wives of other Deloitte partners who also live in Russia, mainly in Moscow and Kiev and ask them how they manage. Mostly, they were all quite positive so that was encouraging.

The following day a small group of us ladies walked around the town and up to and around the Grimaldi palace during the morning after which we met up with our husbands for the afternoon tour of Chateau de Cremat to sample the wines and enjoy the scenery. The evening`s entertainment was dinner and dancing at the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel, where we also enjoyed a few fully clothed diving demonstrations from a few of the younger Russian partners. The more exhibitionist Russian wives saw this as a great opportunity to have a sort of unofficial wet t-shirt competition along with an `oh dear, can you really see my sexy underwear which is barely there under my wet white trousers since I fell in the pool?` competition. Needless to say, I didn`t join in with this one. It seems to me that the Russians really know how to have a great party!

Saturday was spent cruising on a very large catamaran up the coastline and back. This was very relaxing and as usual there was plenty to eat and drink. There were only fifteen people on each boat so it was possible to really chill out in preparation for yet another evening of champagne and frolics! This was a much more sophisticated evening than the previous one and 90,000 euros was raised for charity during the course of the dinner!

It was a wonderful gift from Deloittes after only being in Russia for one week to actually be invited on a fab freebie like that but it has to be said that after all the over indulgence of the past four days I was quite happy to return to St.Pete`s yesterday, back to foraging around the town to get a meal together, which is better for my figure! Not to mention all the walking!

HALLWAYS

It was quite a come down to return to our present home to find half the wall of the entrance hall with bricks showing and a huge gap where the plaster has either been knocked off or fallen off, accompanied by a rather unpleasant smell. Well, it`s not gas or mould so I won`t worry too much and it`s not inside my flat so it only bothers me when I venture out. I guess this must be the attitude of most Russian people, just shut the door on it and don`t worry, which would explain why the plaster and dust is all over the floor and stairs and nobody has cleared it up. If it`s still there tomorrow I might set an example but I am rather hoping it won`t be. Of course, the other option I have is to get the bloody property agent to sort it out! Well thought out Susan, after all we are only paying them about 200 euros a night for the privilage of being here!

BEAUTIFUL HOUSEKEEPER LOOKING FOR JOB

Well, it may be unethical to put out an advert but after meeting my cleaning lady about four times she has finally plucked up the courage to give me a hand written note in English which her friend has written out for her saying that what she is actually looking for is an opportunity for her and her 14 year old son to go and live in London. She says it`s her dream. She is looking for something well paid preferably in my home in London (I don`t have one but I didn`t like to disillusion her) where she hopes to fall in love (she doesn`t want Russian man, don`t know why) and have a good life.

I admire her honesty! I think she would have preferred to give this note to Mike but was quite happy to give it to me. Mike would recommend her. He likes the way she comes to work in her `party clothes` and can`t understand why I have never employed a cleaning lady as pretty as this one before. So if anyone is looking for a ur.... housekeeper, this is your chance although you may have to sort out a visa for her or marry her but otherwise... no problem, oh.... except, don`t forget she comes with a 14 year old son and we all know what they can be like!

BITS AND BOBS

Well, I`ve been here a week now and I must admit to it having felt like quite a long one! I guess that is because of all the new information that is necessary to take in at this stage just so it`s possible to get by. I am sure all these things become second nature but in the meantime it is quite exhausting. It doesn`t help that everything is written in Cyrillic. I am getting used to that but it means just, for example to work out where a particular shop is that might sell shampoo is an effort.

GETTING AROUND

We have not yet ventured out to the big supermarket on the edge of town. That would mean Mike borrowing the Range Rover from the Firm (we may buy it, not sure) or using the driver who is at Mike`s disposal as is required during working hours and we are going to come to an arrangement to use him out of working hours BUT all this takes time and even MORE time in Russia!

So in the meantime, town shopping will suffice. We don`t really want to do a big shop until we move into our apartment anyway. The driver will also be at my disposal when I need but that can all wait until September. It seems to me it is a lot quicker getting around the town any other way than driving so it`s not worth it unless you are covering some distance and carrying a lot of stuff.

ABOUT TOWN

There are many small supermarkets scattered around the town. There is a new one just opened around the corner from this flat. I was disappointed to see that it was exactly the same model as all the others. Tescos could do very well with their Tesco Express model here. I am sure it won`t be too long before the gap is filled in the market but in the meantime...... How can they honestly believe that people want to buy a two week old leek? AND I know next week it will still be there as a three week old leek! This is reminiscent of the Czech Republic when we arrived there in 1994 and it is interesting to see that St.Petersburg is behind. Maybe it`s a different story in Moscow.

Having said that, it is rather amusing to see the range of stuff for sale, some recognisable and some definitely not, still there is no accounting for taste. In one supermarket a lady stands handing out small polythene bags to anyone wanting to buy fresh (fresh?) veg. I don`t think she rations them but I believe in the West we have a little stand that does the job very nicely. It would be really nice if she could give the odd smile, it could even cheer up her day! I try to avoid her because I think she is deeply suspicious that I might try to steal a frozen pigs trotter.

On the subject of freezers, I think the freezers are cold enough because they have to be to function, however, the chilled food sections are quite often not chilled enough. I picked up some butter from one and it was ready to spread very nicely. Some of these cabinets don`t even seem chilled. I don`t think they don`t work I just think it is a way of economising. Bit dodgy. Happily I am aware of this now and will take care not to buy any meat products that don`t seem well chilled. Actually I will probably just buy stuff in the fresh food market or in the big supermarket.

It is a bit of a pain that the tap water is not drinkable. It seems different people have different opinions on this. I have met a very sensible British lady (you know who you are!) who just filters it and uses it, she doesn`t have any problems, although having said this, she is now pregnant. What does that say about the water? I think I will stick to the bottled variety.

It has to be said that an awful lot of strongly coloured bubble bath is required to disguise the muddy colour when a bath is filled.

STUFFED ANIMALS

It seems in Russia that not only is the fur coat still a `must have` for anyone who`s anyone but also they are rather partial to stuffed animals.

I have come across two or three shops selling stuffed animals ranging from quite small, beavers, birds, the odd lynx right up to a massive tiger. There was a severe note written, funnily enough in English, saying not to take photographs. I guess they don`t want the ` save the blah blah from extinction ´brigade onto them, but really it is rather strange. I suppose it means that if you are rich (these shops are in wealthy shopping centres) you don`t have to have a history of game hunting, you can buy one.

THE ROADS

My observation of the roads after my first week is that is very dangerous to cross them without concentration and even then you had better watch out! Some russians don`t feel the need to stop at pedestrian crossings when the little green man is showing so you can`t feel secure even there. I have come across some very selfish driving around europe but never have I come across cars that deliberately drive through pedestrian crossings on red whilst people are crossing. It`s ok so long as you know! It`s not necessarily the ones in the Mercedes with the blackened windows either.

On Saturday at around two in the morning, there was the start of two different races in the palace square, one was a cycle race and the other was a roller blade race. There were literally hundreds of them pouring through the streets of the town all together. Quite a sight but impossible to get through them to cross the road to get to the flat and to bed!

FIRST TRIP OUT OF RUSSIA ALREADY!

Luckily for me, Mike`s firm have arranged a partners meeting in Monte Carlo to which the spouses are invited. We leave tomorrow for 5 days. I am looking forward to this immensely and hope I equally look forward to my return to St.Petersburg next Monday!

Next posting will be next week!