Saint Petersburg

You know growing up in an Estonian family, means by definition, the Soviets were the bad guys. They were the ones who murdered and exiled loved ones from one another, created much suffering and injustices, nearly wiped out an entire culture. This was true not just for Estonia, of course, but for the other Baltic countries, Latvia and Lithuania and countless other countries and their peoples all suffered under the Soviet Union. The Soviets, for so many - for so long, were the single focal point of anger, hate and bitterness. You know, a single life is so precious, and yet so many were wasted away under the ironclad politics of Soviet rule. I grew up in an Estonian home. I was well aware of all this, although to the credit of my parents, they shielded my brother and I from a lot of this. They were able to let much go and live happy and free lives in a new country, even while their relatives back Estonia were not. They did not talk much about it with me, but I was well aware of it. How could you not be.

So coming to Estonia to teach English, I came with my prejudices intact. My first week, seeing all the Russians and the 'Sovietness' of Tallinn, made me angry and indignant. Things were so black and white for me back in August and September. The Estonians were the long suffering people, who had to withstand and persevere through all the injustices while the Russians were the horrible, arrogant individuals who have lived off the land and her people.

Now we are in February and things are not so simple for me. Actually, they never really were. I'm starting to see and understand more than the simplistic labels and emotions. I'm starting to appreciate the complexity of it all. There is a difference between a Soviet and a Russian. There's a difference between Soviet history and Russian history. As of a few months ago, I thought they were one and the same. How wrong I was. And so last week, as part of my continuing education and "de-naivetication" of this complex region, I ventured into the former Soviet Union, into Russia. And to the beautiful city of St. Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad, Russia's second largest city and surprisingly, Europe's fourth.

Man, I love cities with their unique energies, feel and pace. Just in the past 6 months, I've had the pleasure to visit Helsinki and Prague, two very different yet equally alluring metropolises. Over the years, there have been many unique city experiences - the majestic harbour of San Francisco, the 'attitude' and pretentiousness of Paris, the chaos and confusion that is Taipei and the laid back and eccentric French Quarter of New Orleans quickly spring to mind. And now I can add to my list this magical "Venice of the North", St. Petersburg. First a little background, it was founded by Peter the Great, in 1703, which makes it is a relatively 'new' European city. It supposedly has over 300 bridges over it's picturesque canals and rivers that run through the city. St Petersburg is where Russia meets Europe, and is one of the most cultural cities I've ever experienced with all it's history, architecture, fine arts and elegance. This is a walking city that has a romantic and majestic feel as you slide through the snowy and icy streets, and reminds me very much of old Montreal in the winter months. I have been told that St. Petersburg changes completely in the spring and becomes a different animal in the summer. Man, I wish I could one day witness this from one of the boats on the canal. That would be a sight!

There are so many amazing facets about St. Petersburg, for example, the city was actually built on top of swamp land. Think of that, the engineering, diligence and time that must have taken place to support all these grandiose buildings, cathedrals and palaces all the way back in the 1700s. During a tour of the city, my guide told me that many new engineering techniques were developed during the building of the city, most notably with the construction of St Issac's Cathedral.

The people I met were friendly and eager to talk in English. At one pub near the hotel, I actually gave an eager young bartender free English lessons on pub terminology. I knew all those years of drinking would come in handy one day. We went over terms like 'cheers' when serving a beer, 'would you like to see a menu?' as a smart way of asking the customer if they would like food along with their draught beer, and the popular 'Whutle ya have, pal?". By the end of our lesson, I found myself with two free Russian draughts. Speaking of Russian beer, the three most popular (at least in that part of the world) that I've tried are Baltika, Nevskoye and Bochkarev.

As with many cities, there are restaurants with unusual themes and St Petersburg is no exception. At the top of the list is Lenin's Mating Call. As you eat, surrounded by busts of Lenin in a Soviet red decor. The waitresses wear these very sexy Soviet uniforms, while TVs all around you show old Soviet movies featuring Lenin, Trotsky, Brezhnev, and all the others saluting crowds. Every once in awhile, the soviet footage is cut with warm, fuzzed-out clips of pornography. Nearly everything you order, you get a shot of vodka. I saw quite a few Soviet theme bars and clubs throughout the city and seem to be quite popular. I wondered throughout the trip what the current Russian attitude is about their Soviet past? Are they ashamed? Are is it just another chapter to move forward from? I suppose it depends on the age of the person... Man, I wish I could have stayed longer to understand this more. Hmm... a future ESL teaching landing area perhaps???

Another interesting place is Idiot's Cafe which is located around the corner from St Issac's Cathedral. Again, you get a shot of vodka with most items on the menu. This bunkered cafe is full of old books and named for Dostoyevsky's 1868 novel, who as legend as it, frequented this establishment way back when. When I visited, they were playing muted jazz and Frank Sinatra tunes with people were sitting around eating, reading newspapers and novels. It's had a great feel to it.

One regret I did have, is that I didn't spend enough time in St Petersburg subway system, the Metro. Some of these stations are an art gallery on to itself. For a Canadian, I'm used to an efficient transit system but nothing byway of beauty, in fact, often on the contrary. There are four lines that make up the St Petersburg Metro, with the red line (line #1), the oldest, having some of the most beautiful stations. Apparently, The Moscow Metro is even more breathtaking. Because of the swampland and rivers, the St Petersburg Metro is one of the deepest in the world. It's funny to see people reading books as they ride the long escalator down. My first time on the metro was an interesting affair. It was packed and I had to stand in the middle of the car where I couldn't reach any of the poles to support myself. Because you're wedged in so well, you are supported quite well by leaning against everyone else. It takes a bit to getting used to and felt quite weird. As you stand there, you are of course a perfect target for pickpocketers. The one trick I learned is to take your wallet and put it inside your breast pocket with your coat zipped up. There is virtually no way for anyone to get at it.

Quick Hits:

• One commonality that St Petersburg shares with Tallinn, are the unusual and brightly painted buildings. They are quite distinctive with bright blue, green, pink and yellow houses. I ask my guide as to the origins and answer is simple. Because the winters are so dark and bleak (hell, you don't have to tell me!!), we need to splash some colour on the walls. Makes sense, doesn't it.
• According to several who I spoke to, hockey has been replaced by football (soccer) as Russia's favourite sport. Why? Simple - all the great hockey players of Russia are now playing in North America, making the calibre of the Russian leagues quite ordinary.
• Because St Petersburg is on swamp land, there is an unusual amount of black ice on the sidewalks which make walking quite treacherous. I was quite proud of myself as I didn't fall once, which is quite a feat given the amount of times I almost did! My guide told me that Russian women are taught at an early age to walk on this ice in high heels. Once I started to notice it, it is amazing
• Did you know that many people have been stabbed to death in the spring? How you ask? By falling icicles falling off high buildings and hitting you on the head during the spring thaw. The risk of this is quite high and many have been hurt or killed as a result. Yikes!
• Did have a regret that I didn't see as ballet or a Opera at the world famous Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theater. The tickets were sold out and I acted too slowly. Of course, I normally don't see opera and Ballets but a bit of culture never killed anyone. As a plan B, I ended up in a couple of jazz clubs and a an interesting blues club called Jimi Hendrix Blues Club. I ended up staying very late there as the music never really stopped. As for jazz, I was surprised to hear that there has been a history of jazz in St. Petersburg. This is especially interesting as listening to jazz music during Soviet times was illegal.

Some interesting links:

• English language Newspaper: http://www.sptimesrussia.com/
• Nice web pics of the city: http://petersburgcity.com/city/photos/
• Hermitage Museum (perhaps second only to the Louvre): http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/index.html
• Mariinsky Theatre (for worldclass Opera and Ballet): http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/
• Metro (subway) Map: http://www.ticketsofrussia.ru/maps/metro.html
• St. Petersburg History Timeline: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/6751/timeline.html
• Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Petersburg,_Russia
• Notable players in the history of the city: Peter The Great, Catherine The Great, Aleksandr Pushkin, Vladimir Lenin
• Notable Moments: Revolution of 1917, Siege of Leningrad.