This morning before class I was interrupted in the middle of doing my homework by a stray cat, who climbed up on my lap in spite of the fact that there was already a notebook there. Stray animals seem to be pretty common in St. Petersburg. I see a lot of stray dogs on the streets, and other students have been telling me that they've actually seen dogs get onto the metro trains by themselves. The cats aren't so common in public, but there are a lot of them around the philological faculty. Anyway, hopefully I don't have fleas now, I guess. Of course, if I did, it would be impossible to tell, owing to all the mosquito bites.
After lecture we were supposed to go to Alexander Nevsky monastery, where people like Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Dostoevsky, Euler, and (of course) Alexander Nevsky are buried. I was looking forward to that, but it was canceled on account of bad weather (which didn't actually materialize). Instead, I went with some others to Sennaya Ploschad (where I ended up the first couple of times I got lost). Just off the square there's a bazaar (formerly the hay market, which is why it's Hay Square)--lots and lots of little stalls set up in and around a market building. It's more a fixed-price than a haggling system, though, which is disappointing in the sense that it should have disappointed me but actually just made it more feasible for me to buy things (they have a great selection of foods, and all very cheap). Next to the bazaar (directly next to it) is a mall, which looks exactly like an American mall, except that about half the signs are in Russian. Note: not a conservative estimate.
Tomorrow evening I'll be going to a concert by a group called Oi Va Voi. I originally assumed this was something I would not go to, but I looked it up on Wikipedia and, well--it's an experimental Jewish music band, and the name means "Oh dear God" in Yiddish. So that's pretty much guaranteed attendance.
That's it for now. I have a series of general-observation posts to write if I find the bored time, but we'll see how soon or if that happens.
4 comments:
Sorry you didn't get to see Tchaikovsky's grave! They don't still have him on view too, do they, lol? As you are sightseeing in St. Petersburg, isn't it hard not to hear all of that music in your head? You know, maybe a little "March of the Boyars," etc?
If cats are seeking you out, it means one of two things: (1) you have rolled in cat food, or (2) they recognize you as a kindred spirit (aloof, independent, with a dry sense of humor, yet able to be silly if pressed). I assume you aren't rolling in cat food, so . . . .
I think this particular cat just wanted to have his head scratched; I'm not the only person it's approached like that. I think they've just realized they can get what they want from university students.
I have had a little bit of difficulty with Russian music being stuck in my head, but mostly it's just the fourth movement of Pictures at an Exhibition (called Bydlo), which is a good one for being tired and in Russia. Go figure.
Are you still following the tradition of Green Shirt Thursdays?
Well, yeah. Of course.
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