RETURN TO HOME!
Mike very boldly borrowed the company Land Rover Discovery (black with dark windows!) to collect me from the airport on my return from Spain. I was very impressed and would use this service again!
DON'T BUY FROZEN FOOD UNLESS YOU KNOW YOUR WAY HOME!
Glowing with the success of the airport meeting, the following day we ventured off to the supermarket and IKEA. IKEA is difficult enough at the best of times but to manage it in Russian is horrible! However, the big discovery that day for me was MARKS AND SPENCERS! Maybe this is a soft posting after all?
So far we remained empty handed so a trip to a hypermarket was essential. Having moved into the new flat with an empty freezer we purchased a lot of fodder to fill it. It was quite surprising to find that this huge establishment didn't accept any cards, credit nor debit. We had done a huge shop so were wiped out of cash.
The journey home was going quite well, until we couldn't turn left at the normal turn. We had to turn left at some point and drove on and on and .... I started to think we would be eating all our frozen food that evening, when fortunately we turned left.
DON'T BRIBE THE POLICE!
One of Mike's partners has told him never to try to bribe a policeman (as if Mike would!). However, that same partner said do carry 5,000 rubles around with you just in case you get stopped by the police whilst driving. Apparently, 5,000 (around £100) is about the most you will get charged and you may or may not get a receipt. Charged for what? You can get stopped for nothing and that happens all the time and you may not know why but you have to pay up to £100 but don't try and bribe them? I'm confused
MOVE TO ITALYANSKAYA 37/18 APARTMENT 5
Please note the new address but please don't send anything by post to that address. I may conduct a small experiment to see if things actually arrive by post but let me be the first to try!
As you can see from the above picture I have a really lovely apartment in a great position. I spend many a happy cup of tea in that front window watching the streets below. I can actually fit very nicely with my feet up into that window ledge and it's a great place to read and catch the sun (when it takes it's hat off that is). It's going to be fully furnished with cushions to sit and lean on.
THE WATER
Mike is the first up every week day morning and has the privilege of the first shower and the honour of drawing up the hot water. All the apartments are provided heating and hot water centrally. It is not the custom of the Russian people to rise early in the morning so he is probably the first to shower in the block. It is probable we are the only ones to shower as a part of our daily routine! It takes absolutely ages for the water to come through, sometimes about 10 minutes. Mike thinks he is drawing it from the other side of the river!
THE LIFT
Although the apartment is fab, I can't say the same for the courtyard and the hallways but I console myself with the fact that for St.Petersburg it's pretty good and we have a lift which is a real perk. This is not the most modern of lifts and a few weeks ago I could not imagine that I would be entering solo without fear, however, now I don't even think twice. Apparently, the average amount of time to be stuck in a lift in St.Petersburg is 30 minutes so .... I always make sure I visit the bathroom before leaving home and hope for the best.
STORAGE SOLUTIONS
We have a restaurant in our block. They have decided to store some old and huge pieces of ventilator shaft right outside our entrance way! There are three pieces, each the size of a small car, stacked on top of each other to the left of our doorway. It's unbelievable that nobody seems to care! I have mentioned it to our landlady and she said she will complain about it but doesn't think she will get anywhere. I am planning to talk to the manager of the restaurant about it but haven't plucked up the courage yet! Ridiculous! The cats seem to have made a home in them so at least they are happy!
CATS
There are cats everywhere. Some really beautiful creatures. People seem to look after all the cats in the town very well and I haven't seen any hungry ones.
THE BINS
These are pretty grotty and there is no way to recycle which feels awful except that there is a woman (I think she is a woman), who looks like one of the very poor people of the dark ages who seems to spend some time at the bins sorting the stuff out so hopefully she gets something out of them that she can recycle in some way. She must be residing somewhere in our block or she wouldn't get to the bins which just shows how mixed the area is.
ANATOLE
I heard our bell ring the other day. I took a look through the spyhole and saw an old man standing there who I didn't know, so following the rules of survival in Russia, I didn't answer the door. So I heard another, then another ring, then four rings. I decided to take my life into my hands and answer.
This very kind faced elderly gentleman tried to tell me something which I didn't understand. He then started to pull me outside! I was so confused but realised I could knock him over if I wanted to so I allowed myself to be pulled. It turned out that he was trying to show me the fact that my keys were in the outside of the door! We had accidentally left them hanging there and seeing as though everybody says you should lock your door when you are inside your apartment this was quite a vulnerable situation and this gentleman was worried for me! He introduced himself as Anatole and he lives opposite with his family (in about 30 square metres).
Anatole is out and about every day. I see him chatting to various vendors on Italyanskaya and more worryingly waving his stick at the traffic and crossing the roads regardless of whether they stop for him or not. He is a really nice old man and I wish I could hear about his history. I bet he was here during the siege of Leningrad.
THE NEW CLEANER
Tanya has come to me by way of our landlady. This woman is a human dynamo. She moves so fast and has an unsettling amount of energy. She makes me feel completely inadequate in terms of my ability to clean. This is a happy state of affairs and a good arrangement.
HARRODS FOOD HALL OF ST.PETE'S
I am delighted to discover that I am living a pleasant 7 minute walk from the best little supermarket in the city. It has just about everything I could need and more. It's going to be possible to eat well after all. I will be very strong if I continue to shop in the markets having discovered this shop.
CUSTOMER SERVICE - NOT!
Yesterday, having arrived at the checkout of my new wonder market, the checkout girl pointed out that I hadn't weighed my mushrooms. Two points here, firstly, instead of calling one of the many assistants standing around doing nothing she expected me to go myself but before I went she insisted that I handed over from the trolley all the remaining items to go through the checkout. Second point, when I returned she was sitting smiling and my stuff was sitting waiting for me to pack into bags! I calmly packed my bags whilst she sat impatiently waiting for me to pay. I hoped that she might have realised it would have been a good idea to help me but I doubt she gave it a second thought. Oh well, I suppose you can't expect customer service as well as a wonder market.
MY PURSE, YOUR PURSE
One very strange custom amongst the shop assistants here is that if you don't hand over the correct money and they ask you if you have a particular amount e.g. a 100 note and you say you're not sure and you are looking, they think nothing of delving their own hands into your purse and looking themselves! I don't really mind and I am sure they are only trying to be helpful but it seems a little forward and makes it difficult to lie if you are trying to keep a 100 note for some other purpose (then you have to sort of hide the contents whilst looking through without her getting her hands in there!). Also the next person in the queue gets to see the extravagant amount of money in a foreigner's purse!
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