Saint Petersburg’s good side?

OUTLINE

• Sightseeing starts late after a terrible breakfast at the hostel
• We walk to Moskava train station but my fever has broken my map reading skills and I get us lost. We see more of the dirty side of the city
• Book train tickets to Moscow via a non English speaking moody Russian woman who speaks English and takes commission
• We take the metro from the train station to Nevsky Prospect. 20 Rubles, about 50p – bargain. The tube is nuts, with no visible trains and loads of stirring communist imagery. Also each station is styled differently
• Sightseeing s cut short by a lack of sights and a cold biting wind
• Tea in a small backstreet cafe comes with a free drunk asking for vodka from the tourists. Eric was a pretty scary bloke – George Harrison DEAD.
• Jazz club expedition failed – too late. Quick drink at a mad bar a little closer to home instead
• Our decision to leave St. Petersburg early for Moscow is a good one. Everything here is against us; the weather, the people, the architecture, my health and my bank. Not a great intro to Russia

James downloads a virus. Internet Attack. Computer compromised.

The train station is a big pink blamonge but it has a great modernist departure hall.

Nationwide still giving me the swerve.

The tube is nicer than the streets with less people, better weather and lighting. The escalators to get to the stations are really steep too – also a good thing right?

The snow in St. Petersburg is horizontal and gets right into your face.

I load up on more Lemsip and pills. At this rate I’ll be doped up all through Russia.

The grand public spaces aren’t grand enough and are confused. The building are all painted rubbish gaudy colours, the recommended sights are dull and the only stunning thing about this city is the orange dusk light on the riverbank, oh and there are some pretty nice golden domes dotted around.

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