Dear Blog Followers…..

I am in the process of transferring my blog to a new host – it is scheduled to begin tomorrow morning (Jan. 10) at 5 a.m. My apologies if you experience much downtime, but hopefully that will not be the case – should be done within a day or two! I look forward to bringing you more stories and images from Life in Russia as well as sharing my travels through parts of Russia and other former-Soviet countries! Also, if you have not yet, please check out the new Facebook page I created (finally!). I try to post photos and other things “Russia” there daily, as well as to Google+.

Cheers!

Lindsay

an old building on ulitsa Shvetsova, in the “Soviet” area of Saint Petersburg between metro stops Narvskaya and Avtovo.

Russian white nights.

The Russian winter is cold, dark, depressing and sometimes just downright brutal. Having arrived to Saint Petersburg at the end of January, 2011, my first taste of life in Russia was one of freezing cold temperatures, wet slippery streets and sidewalks, falling “killer” icicles (and ice flying off the roof tops), short days and very little sunshine. It’s no wonder that people from Saint Petersburg break out their bathing suits at the first sight of spring and go sunbathing at the beach by Peter and Paul fortress – snow still on the ground or not.

But then comes the longer days in April and May, and eventually comes the white nights in June, and it’s as if winter really wasn’t such a big deal. One goes from wanting to sleep all the time in winter to not being able to sleep at all in summer – from 11 a.m. sunrise and 4 p.m. sunset in winter to a 4 a.m. sunrise and 1 a.m. “sunset” in summer, which is more like a period of twilight. I remember talking to my landlady’s daughter as the white nights were approaching and she said, during white nights there is no place she would rather be than Saint Petersburg. It really is a magical time – people seem to come out of the woodwork and be out and about until all hours of the night. And then in June is the celebration of “Алые Паруса” – or Scarlett Sails, as shown in this older post of mine.

This past summer, it was so wonderful to be back in Piter for the white nights – it was like being home. Granted, it did make sleep a bit difficult, but it was no matter of concern – just draw the curtains tight and pretend like it’s night!

These photos are from the white nights this past summer. It will give you an idea of how incredibly stellar Saint Petersburg is this time of year. Although I also love the Russian winter and being able to sleep 12 hours if I need, there really is nothing like the white nights. The city comes to life. See for yourself! And please note – I’m pretty sure all these photos were taken between the hours of 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., just to give you an idea.

Nevsky Prospekt.

a boat on the Fontanka.

this is not far from where I lived – brings back fond memories.

an older man riding his bicycle.

an artist – all packed up.

a young woman riding her bicycle.

some people fishing along the Fontanka.

Belinskogo ulitsa (street).

young woman on a scooter.

an old lada on Liteynyy Prospekt.

Nekrasova ulitsa – very close to where I lived.

Lebyazhya Kanavka around 2 a.m.

Troitskiy Moct (Bridge) is up!

a young man painting by Troitskiy bridge.

a boat passing through the Troitskiy bridge.

Dvortsovaya (palace) embankment.

 

how it all began…..

A lot of people ask me why I chose to study in Russia – “Are you part Russian?” I am often asked. Well, no. I don’t have an ounce of Russian blood in my body – at least, not that I know of. But I did have a small history with Russia – in fact, it was the first international trip I ever made, back in 1999. You see, my father first traveled to Russia in 1991 – he arrived in Moscow on August 18th, just in time for the coup which brought an end to the Soviet Union. My dad arrived in the Soviet Union and got to see it the iron curtain fall.

That trip he made turned into more trips in later years. One family he met – in Seltso, Russia – had a little girl named Luba. She developed an interest in studying English, and so my father told her that when she was 15, if she wanted to come and live with our family in the States as an exchange student (so she coud help improve her English), we would be happy to have her live with us.

So, in 1999, Luba came to live with us and I traveled to Seltso (which is outside of Bryansk) in August, 1999 and stayed with her family for two weeks prior to her coming to live with my family in the US. At the time, I confess, I did not have much of an interest in Russian culture – in 1999, Russia was much poorer, having suffered a huge financial collapse in 1998. I was too accustomed to the modern conveniences of American life that at the time, I don’t think I could have seen myself living there in the future. Strangely enough, the things I didn’t get about Russia then, are the things I love now – the culture, the tough nature of the Russian people, the “backwardness” of daily life (which is only backward to a Westerner), the old Soviet era apartment buildings – these are all things I grew to understand more, appreciate and find interesting.

In 2010 when I was looking into Master’s Programs, I decided to see if there was a Russian Studies program IN Russia, as it made the most sense to me. That’s when I stumbled across the European University at Saint Petersburg and their programs for international students – it was a perfect fit for me and ended up being the course I chose.

So that’s how it all began. Which brings me to this past summer when I finally got to see Luba again, after almost 12 years, and was able to meet her new family for the first time. We made a stop in Bryansk on our way back to Saint Petersburg from Kiev.  Unfortunately, I do not have many photos from our trip to Bryansk and Seltso, as we were only visiting there for two days and were very busy throughout that time. But this will give everyone a tiny glimpse at our time with Luba and her family this past June. And hopefully we will see them again in the near future. Luba and her husband (Pasha) currently live in Bryansk, where Luba runs her own English language school. And she now has three beautiful children – she was pregnant with her third while we were there in June.

In the photos near the bottom, you will notice what was once a Young Pioneers Camp from the Soviet Union. Some of Luba’s family members (I believe it was family) bought the campground (in Bryansk Region) years ago and run a camp for youths there every summer. I found the campgrounds really interesting and the surrounding countryside was very beautiful.

Sean and I (in the middle) with Luba (on my left) and her siblings and extended family.

a young woman painting outside the Svensky Monastery in Bryansk, Russia.

walking outside the Svensky Monastery; Bryansk.

the exterior of the monastery.

a building inside the monastery walls.

wish I had had my wide lens on for this one – whoops!

another young woman painting outside the Svensky Monastery.

a quintessential Russian window.

Sean and I with Luba (far right) and her parents and some of her siblings; in Seltso, Russia.

in Seltso, Russia.

Luba’s parents’ church in Seltso, Russia.

the kitty, sitting outside the church in Seltso – I love the way it’s looking at me 🙂

Luba’s parents’ neighborhood in Seltso, Russia.

the pond at the old Young Pioneers Camp.

an old Soviet statue at the camp grounds.

at the camp grounds.

a stray dog with her puppy who lived at the camp grounds – they were both so adorable, I wanted to take them home with me.

a statue from Soviet times of two children playing – at the camp grounds.

another old Soviet statue at the camp.

an old mural painted on the wall of one of the buildings at the camp.

some gypsies we saw as we were leaving Seltso.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Dear Blog Followers,

I would like to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry (and Happy) Christmas! Thank you all for taking the time to read my thoughts and experiences and to see my photos of Russia and other former Soviet countries! Please stay tuned for new posts (very soon) and in the coming weeks, I will be expanding the blog to bring new tales of Russia and former Soviet countries 🙂 You all rock and I wish you the very best, this season and always!

Cheers!

Lindsay Comer

Merry Christmas to all! Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2011.

Murmansk, just after Christmas, 2011; this photo was taken at 11:30 a.m.

Red Square, Moscow, Russia; snowing in Red Square, just after New Year, 2012.

a day at Peterhof.

Considering I’ve never actually dedicated a post to Peterhof, and also considering there was a blog reader who asked me about it recently, I decided it was high time I do a brief write-up and photo gallery from a day at Peterhof.

This past June when I was back in Saint Petersburg for a visit, I decided to go back to Peterhof for a day. I had been there two years previously, but the weather had not been as nice as this past June and I wanted to go get some photos of the park.

The park at Peterhof is famous for it’s Grand Palace and many fountains. Seriously – this place has a lot of fountains and the park is quite extensive. One of the things I love about some of the large parks surrounding the palaces outside of Petersburg is that you can seemingly walk forever in them and have a relaxing day in nature. One of the perks of the park at Peterhof is that it’s right on the Baltic Sea. In summertime, the park comes to life with tourists and locals alike.

I decided to take the Elektrichka (local train) to Peterhof and walk from the train station into town. You can also get there via Marshrutka (which is like a shared taxi or mini-bus), but it takes a bit longer. The park has an upper garden and a lower garden. The upper garden is free of charge and really quite lovely and peaceful. The lower park (where everyone goes to see the fountains), requires paid entry and is well worth it. You can take a picnic and make an entire day of it.

I won’t go much into detail, as I have many photos highlighting how lovely the park is (and I was also camera spying on lots of people there!) But I do want to provide this website for further information about the park and how to get there, in case you happen to be visiting St. Petersburg. Also, there are a few small fast food joints on the premise, so if you don’t want to bother bringing a lunch, there are other options.

Sometime in the future, I want to go back to the park at Peterhof in winter and photograph everything there in the snow……..

a man waiting on a train platform (while on my way to Peterhof).

train platform – Novyy Petergof (New Peterhof).

a woman with her son – approaching the center of town, Peterhof.

Russian cyrillic spelling of “Country Chicken”.

the center of town – Peterhof.

two women tending the flower beds in Peterhof park.

in the upper park – Peterhof.

the woman with her umbrella.

the upper park, Peterhof.

a little boy happily playing with the ducks in the fountain pool.

a young woman with her children in the lower park.

a mother and daughter getting a photo taken with the people in costume.

the Grand palace and many fountains.

a little girl sitting near a fountain.

the statue of Eve.

The Marli Palace.

a bride and his groom.

the circle trees along the hillside – one of my favorite images at Peterhof.

The Marli Palace.

the pool in front of the Marli Palace.

stairway on the hill.

I love this view of the trees on the hillside with the brick wall below.

a little boy in his stroller.

the Hermitage Pavilion.

by far my favorite picture from Peterhof – the couple walking next to an iconic old Lada.

a couple embracing in the Baltic Sea.

the little girl in her pink polka-dot dress and bonnet.

all dolled up.

the Grand palace.

more views of the Grand Palace.

newlyweds posing for a photo.

another statue and fountain.

among the dandelions.

peaceful Peterhof.

fountain – in the middle of the maze.

a little girl playing under a fountain.

children playing near a fountain.

trying not to get wet!

a little girl getting soaked playing near the water-squirting rose garden.

another palace (not sure of the name of this one).

The entrance to the lower gardens.

the Church at the Grand Palace.

the center of town, Peterhof.

the little elderly couple eating their ice cream cones on the train ride home 🙂

Russian communal banya…..

I was once told that the point of Russian Banya: to achieve true rejuvenation one must experience near fatality. For those of you out there who have ever taken part in a traditional Russian banya, you know what I am talking about…..

My first banya (what we call sauna) experience was many years ago on my first trip to Russia. I was staying at the home of our exchange student and they had a banya in their house. Strangely enough, I never went to the banya the whole year I lived in Saint Petersburg as a student and I regret that now because I discovered a little gem this past June when I was revisiting my favorite city.

For those of you ladies who may be traveling to Saint Petersburg in the near future and want a unique experience that dates back to the era of the Tsars, I give you communal banya! I discovered the Sputnik website last year in December and was happy to find a welcoming list of activities for tourists who want to discover things in Russian cities that are off the beaten path….. one of the excursions was to a communal banya, which immediately sparked my interest. So when we planned our trip to Saint Petersburg for June, I contacted Sasha (Alexandra) and arranged a time to go to the sauna with her.

Russian banya is a longstanding tradition and part of Russian culture. It is a means of socializing with others while enjoying the health benefits associated with banya. Women go to banya with other women and men with men – you can, of course, reserve a private banya for a party or family event, but traditionally it is separated. Sasha told me that she couldn’t understand the Russian male tradition of going to banya and drinking vodka because it seemed a bit counterproductive – not to mention the rise in blood pressure that takes place from the steam room alone. I couldn’t understand the concept of drinking tea (Russians love tea) after a round of banya because you sweat so much in the steam room that all I wanted was water water and more water!

Communal banya differs from private Russian banya in that it is a communal activity with people you don’t know (or perhaps you bring your friends if you want to socialize). Women have their own communal banyas and the men have theirs. Sasha, my wonderful hostess and Saint Petersburg local, discovered communal banya awhile back and became interested in finding all of the communal banyas in Saint Petersburg – there still remains a few. It is not as common as private banya, but it is very inexpensive and was originally created as a means for people to bathe and keep good hygiene during Tsarist times when water was not available in every home. The tradition has continued on and now it offers a very inexpensive way for one to enjoy the health and hygiene benefits of banya without the higher costs of private sauna.

Here’s how communal banya works. The cost is about 150 to 250 rubles (between $4 – $8, depending on the Ruble to dollar value) to enter the sauna and then you will need to purchase your own venik – traditionally they are birch or oak branches used for “massage” in the banya. If you sign up for the tour with Sasha (which I would recommend for any newbie), the venik are included in the price you pay her and then you just need to pay for your entrance. You will need a towel and flip flops (the Russians call them Vietnamki), shampoo, conditioner and soap, and any other toiletries you like to use post bathing. Leave your bathing suits at home, ladies – communal banya is in the nude and there is no shame in that bath house!

You have an hour and a half to be in the banya and once you are in your towel and sauna hat (provided by Sasha), the magic begins. I should add a note of warning: Russian banya is not for the faint of heart – seriously. It starts off easy and progresses to a level of sweat and tears. You go into a large concrete bath room full of stone benches and buckets for the venik. First, you must begin soaking the venik and then you go “relax” in the steam room for a bit (it’s a “dry” heat sauna). There are two sections of the communal sauna room – one is hot but bearable, the other takes your breath away. We began in the bearable half of the sauna and I immediately started sweating – I never cease to be amazed how Russian females rarely sweat when exposed to heat, considering they endure such cold winters….. must be all that dill. Anyhow, after a few minutes of intense dry heat, we left the steam room and went to the pool. The pool is essentially a large tub with a ladder – you climb up and jump into ice cold water to cool yourself off after steaming in the sauna. Then things step up a notch. Next round, you take your venik and go into the sauna, throw some water in the stove and proceed to sit in what feels like a really really hot oven – it’s painful and it stings. I had to cover my face so I could breathe. In the oven, you lie down on one of the benches and beat the other person with the water soaked venik – it feels really really wonderful and excruciatingly unpleasant at the same time. What can I say? Russia is full of paradoxes and banya is no acception.

Sasha was very kind to me – she noticed I was on the verge of passing out after only a few minutes and asked me if I needed a break. Yup! Back into the coolness of the water pool – that beautiful respite where your body revives itself from a point near death! After the extreme heat, a water break was in order. There was no tea drinking for me, just cold hydrating water! Following the water break, we repeated the said process for the next hour, only we didn’t go back to that friendly side of the sauna. We enjoyed regular water breaks and talked about Russian banya and language. There were not too many people in the banya, as it was summer time and communal banya is not as popular in the summer months as in the winter months. At the end of the oven-roasting-cold-water-jumping symphony, you take a shower and tidy up. And that is the Russian communal banya. A place where you check all shame at the doorstep and learn how to sweat like the best of them. It was funny – there was this young girl in the banya with her babushka and she kept showing us her arm muscles….. yeah, she was a tough one to bear with that heat at such a young age!

The whole process of Russian banya leaves you feeling refreshed and ready for a nap! It was such a great cultural experience and well worth every penny. Had I known about communal banya when I was living in Saint Petersburg, I would have gone regularly. If you are looking for a means of engaging with a local and seeing what real Russians do, I highly recommend this little excursion with Sasha – she was a great hostess and made the whole process very easy for me. A word of advice if you do decide to participate in Russian banya, whether communal or private – know your limits! It’s not uncommon for people to pass out in the heat of the sauna, so when your feeling like you just can’t take it any more, that’s probably a good time to beat the heat and jump into that mini pool….. Na zdorov’ye! (to your health!)

For a great Soviet movie featuring the banya: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073179/

a Russian Banya in a small village outside of Petersburg. (Bathhouse/Spa).

Asking for your votes once again…..

Dear Blog Followers,

If I may, I would like to ask for your votes once more in another photo competition – it seems to be that time of year when I need to submit images everywhere 🙂

This year, I decided to enter the One Life photo competition with a series from Chernobyl. I hope to get another blog post up in the next few days with an account of our visit to Chernobyl and accompanying photos, but if you want a sneak peak at some really interesting images from a small abandoned children’s school in Chernobyl, please visit this link to my entry in the One Life photo competition and you can see some of the Chernobyl images and vote! (Note: the photos at the bottom of the link are not from Chernobyl, but I wanted to include them in the competition nonetheless)

http://lindzcomer.see.me/onelife2013#.Uc7cHf31qYM.facebook

Thank you, anyone who chooses to vote for my images, and stayed tuned for more to come on Chernobyl!

Best wishes,

Lindsay Comer

Inside the abandoned children’s school in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

please be a bit patient with me…..

Dear Blog Followers,

I have been in the post-Soviet space for almost one month now and I must apologize for only making one blog post. My time here has been very VERY busy – in one week’s time, my husband and I traveled about 60 hours on buses and trains to and from Estonia, Kiev, Chernobyl, Bryansk, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. We have visited an orphanage for handicapped and developmentally disabled children (which I will dedicate an entire post to), are in the process of buying a small property in Estonia (probably another small post), went to Chernobyl and Pripyat (again, another whole post), spent time with a dear friend/sister in Bryansk, Russia (let’s make a post!), etc. etc. etc. Please bear with me as I return home and actually have the time and energy to provide you with solid accounts of our travels (which have been amazing and exhausting!) I am leaving Russia on Monday morning and already know I will miss it dearly here….. so I leave you this one photo in the meantime and hope you will enjoy our tales to come!

Bolshoe Spacibo! (thank you very much!)

Lindsay Comer

a babushka playing a domra on the sidewalk in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

back in Saint Petersburg…..

Dear Saint Petersburg,

We are united at last! I find you both overwhelming and endearing….. a chapter of my life never forgotten, but seemingly still unfinished. I drift swiftly down your streets, feeling very much at home – and yet, utterly confused by how you have changed while I’ve been away……

one of the babushkas on Vladimirskiy Prospekt.

One week ago today I arrived in Saint Petersburg and have spent the past week reuniting with friends and the city which I love so much. The days and nights are a blur as the white nights approach – and there is always the opportunity to retreat to the countryside where one may find silence, solitude, nature and mosquitoes. Yes, I forgot about the mosquitoes – they are seemingly everywhere and on the prowl! Women here continue to waltz down the street in high heels with ease, bikes have taken to the streets – defying the crazy rush of Ladas, Mercedes and BMW’s – and fruit stands and babushkas selling flowers can be found in abundance. It is summer – glorious summer! – when the people can put behind the depressive winter months and be warmed by long sunny days and seemingly sleepless nights.

Without further ado, here is my first blog post upon returning to Russia – a snippet of my time here….. the calm before my husband arrives and our traveling storm begins next week! I give you a bit of Saint Petersburg in summer.

my welcome back gift to myself – tulips from one of the babushkas at Ploshchad Vosstaniya.

a man sketching in the Summer Garden.

alley to a dvor, in city center.

the alley cats.

women “tending” to the grass in the Summer Garden.

a medical service vehicle of sorts.

garden decorations, Summer Garden.

mirror art – reflections of the sad face.

window inside a dvor.

at Pavlovsk park – the palace.

Pavlovsk Park.

the palace at Pavlovsk.

Pavlovsk Park.

babushka walking through Pavlovsk Park.

Pavlovsk Park.

Pavlovsk Park.

the little girl feeding the squirrel at Pavlovsk Park.

the squirrel at Pavlovsk Park.

the woman painting at Pavlovsk Park.

the woman painting at Pavlovsk Park.

the little girl having her photo taken in front of a statue at Pavlovsk Park.

Pavlovsk Park.

riding through Pavlovsk Park.

feeding the birds, Pavlovsk Park.

Pavlovsk Park.

the woman selling radishes and flowers on Vladimirskiy Prospekt.

window decoration, city center.

parking propaganda sign. “Are you parked correctly?”

the common produkti – on ulitsa Gorokhovaya.

scooter in a dvor off ulitsa Gorokhovaya.

on ulitsa Gorokhovaya

the people.

One of my largest regrets of my time spent abroad in Russia and my travels to other post-Soviet countries, was that I did not take more photographs of the people. I don’t know if it’s that I don’t want to intrude on anyone’s privacy, or if I feel people might be intimidated by my 200mm lens, but….. either way, I hope I will gain more courage to photograph people as I travel in the coming years. For the time being, here are some photos of the people I encountered during my time abroad in Russia. I love observing people and these are some of my favorite candid “portraits” from my travels.

On that note, I’m happy to announce that my husband and I have rescheduled our trip to Russia and the Ukraine and if all goes according to plan (and I do not need another surgery!), I will be flying to Saint Petersburg at the end of May (just in time for White Nights!), and when my husband comes over, we will be visiting Chernobyl in June! This should give me some new material to post on my blog, and hopefully there will be much more to come in the future.

I could write more about these images and my thoughts, but I prefer to let these faces tell you their story……

two young females playing the violin on the streets of Vilnius, Lithuania.

Russian Veteran gives a man in the crowd a hug during the Victory Day Parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A decorated babushka marching in the Victory Day Parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A little girl with her father, waiting for the Victory Day Parade to begin in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Casting Shadows: three young Estonian females play with their shadows at an abandoned Soviet youth center in Tallinn, Estonia.

A babushka dancing on a summer afternoon in a park; Yelagin Ostrov, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

MC Vspyshkin – a survivor of the Leningrad siege – marching in the Victory Day Parade; Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2011.

Russian woman marching in the Victory Day Parade, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A Russian veteran and his “wife” marching in the Victory Day Parade, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Two babushkas walking in Tavricheskiy Sad in autumn; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A candid shot of veterans posing for the media on Victory Day; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Two Russian women marching in the Victory Day Parade; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Bohemian Kitty relaxing on a vehicle in Uzupio; Vilnius, Lithuania.

Russian woman marching in the Victory Day Parade, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A decorated Russian woman marching in the Victory Day Parade, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Victory Day Parade; Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2011.

A man posing in front of the Timoshenko camp in Kiev, Ukraine.

Юююююррррррааааа! Young woman waving to the crowd in the Victory Day Parade; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A well-decorated veteran marching in the Victory Day Parade, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A Russian woman marching in the Victory Day Parade, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Women sitting on a bench in the park at Peterhof, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A Lithuanian woman preparing her flowers for sale on the streets of Vilnius, Lithuania.

Victory Day Parade, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2011.

Vanya – our young train companion on the way to Murmansk, Russia.

A man waiting with his son for the arrival of the train; Lithuania.

Walking in Tavricheskiy in autumn, wearing leaf crowns; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The dancing babushka joyfully laughing after she finishes her dance; Yelagin Ostrov, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A little Russian girl trying to feed candy to a squirrel in the park at Pavlovsk; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Having girl-talk; summer months, Zayachiy Ostrov, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A young woman painting in the park at Saint Catherine’s palace; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Newlyweds sitting by the river on Zayachiy Ostrov; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Karaoke night in Riga, Latvia.

Portrait wall art in Uzupio, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Young people sitting out by the Baltic Sea during the white nights in Tallinn, Estonia.

Newlyweds; the modern Russian family; Peterhof, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Swimming in the river in summer, by Zayachiy Ostrov; Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Vanya enjoying a nap on the long train ride to Murmansk, Russia.