Okay, so I’m at an internet place, that is NOT dial-up. Happy day! Irina is most likely gone, and I’m going to run away from here shortly. Need a blini for the walk home. It’s getting dark earlier, and as it’s 10.15pm here, I want to get home soon.

I walked to the Kazan Cathedral (Kazanski Cobor) – which is gorgeous and giant and wonderful. There was a service going on, and it was nice to hear. I liked it. The colonnade I walked on 13 years ago is not open for walking now – which is odd, to me. But the church wasn’t open then, or if it was, it didn’t have the same emphasis. Now it’s been redone and is all shiny and nice.

I walked down to Isaac’s Cathedral, along one of the embankments. It was a nice walk. I also went to the Astoria Hotel, a very old and nice hotel, to ask about Swan Lake tickets. Apparently they’d charge guests 230 euros. Which equals about 8000 rubles. Which equals about $200 dollars. I think. And that’s insane! I was a little late, though, and was unable to run over to the theatre to ask about it. I will do that tomorrow, instead, because I really, really want to see the ballet. Wish me luck!! I saw Giselle there in HS and it was beautiful!!

I walked across the street to the Issakievski Sobor (St Isaac’s Cathedral) and thought that the colonnade wasn’t going to be open, but that the museum was. Uh, no. It was the opposite, and I walked all the way to the top. And thought I was going to die along the way. I didn’t (hence why I’m still here to type), and got some gorgeous (on the small LCD screen of my camera) pictures. After all the work of getting up, I had to get back down. I was annoyed! It was hard to get up there, dangit!
I walked across the street to the Peter the Great statue (even took a picture in front of it – just to prove I was there!). You cannot walk up to it, which is different than when I was there a while back. Sasha and I took a picture with it, standing directly next to it, in 93… hmm. Beauracracy. Did I spell that correctly? I had a single goal, which was to walk down the entire embankment of the Neva to get to the street where my host family had lived. To see if I recognized anything. So, I made my way along the Neva.

It’s Friday night, and I saw lots of couples and tourists. It was fun to just people walk and walk myself! I finally got to Liteiny Prospect and walked the three blocks down to Tchaikovsky street. I passed what used to be the KGB building, and I’m just not sure if the building has been remodeled or not. I don’t rightly remember… Oh well. I made the turn onto the street and some stuff looked familiar. There is much more business on the block now. I walked down, and tried to look for the building across from the window of “my” room and think I found it. But I don’t really know, and there aren’t names on the apartment numbers. I’m frustrated. But, I will go home now, and will try to call again… here’s to trying!

I’m off to Pushkin tomorrow, and will try to catch the ballet. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get online tomorrow, but know that I’m still here, surviving without the guys and will be home on Monday!! Me and my many pictures that will have to be put onto my computer and then uploaded to the web. Stay tuned for that.