Helsinki update: St. Petersburg and work

Although it is now some time ago, I went to St. Petersburg.
We'd heard a lot about the Russians before heading out there, that they would be unfriendly to English speakers and that they would quite happily push you out of the way if you were in their's.
Far from it.
The city is beautiful, the streets vast and so too the buildings. Anyone we met, even if they couldn't speak English tried their best to speak English...even if that was still in Russian. An odd experience but quite funny too.

Myself, a fellow Brit and an Italian organised the trip ourselves so that we could go at the same time as our other friends who were going with ESN (Erasmus Student Network) and the Aussie, who was going with her mum (who is BRILLIANT!). We stayed in a rather dodgy looking area, it seemed to be the only place which was made of red brick - and was called the red brick territory - but the hostel was actually very nice. We bunked in a 12 bed dorm and were told the sights we should see and how we should go about seeing them by one of the hostel workers.

Cathedrals and Palaces are abound in St. Petersburg, even if they don't much look like them yet there is one feature which links them all...gold. My word it is everywhere!
So we did all the sights we should see and I also saw Swan Lake at the Mariinsky theatre. The lead was a Bolshoi dancer and the evening was fantastic - finishing with a few sparkling wines and then getting locked out of the hostel but that was all soon resolved.

One of the places we visited was the Hermitage and you could go to St. Petersburg just for it. The museum is vast, a 3 story Palace which has a vast array of everything. To put it in numbers only 5% of the exhibits are on show at any one point, I was there for 4 hours and didn't see everything. My friends were there close to 6 hours and I saw things that they didn't. If you were to look at every exhibit without a break it would take 3 years! The place was truly amazing and I got to see Seurat, Sisley, Monet, Matisse, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Reynolds and Picasso...I somehow missed the da Vinci.

I had a brilliant time there and I thoroughly recommend it as a place to visit. I would certainly like to go back or maybe further in to see what 'real' Russia is like, considering are Russian friends said it was very European.

It was a whistle stop tour of the city however, as we can only be there for 3 days visa free so it was back on the long ferry trip back to Helsinki and to work.

That work is suddenly piling up. I have just, at this moment, finished my Finnish Literature essay - although I am awaiting some feedback as it undoubtedly needs improvement. I have one more essay to write on Australian literature and its portrayal of Aboriginals, four exams (two of which are next week...on the same day) and two presentations. I will however be finished by the time my friends back in Nottingham have returned from their Easter break, as it is only an extended weekend here in Finland.

Tonight we will see Via Crucis, a promenade performance which culminates in the crucifixion of Christ infront of the Senate Sq. Cathedral. By the looks of photos and experience of Finnish-ness I imagine it will be excellent and quite graphic, what is more who cares if it is in Finnish as I know the story well enough to narrate it to myself - perfect!

Mum and Dad are in the midst of planning their trip over at the beginning of May, I must admit that I got quite excited when telling Mum what we could go and see. I'm also excited to show Dad the liquorice chocolate which is the best chocolate I have ever tasted, much to everyone else's amusement and confusion. It is a saddening thought that they will be coming though as it marks the last part of my time here in Helsinki. When Mum leaves on the 9th I will have only 10 days left in this city which I have already grown to love; I guess it is bittersweet however as it also signals the start of my interrailing home. My procrastination yesterday involved working out a plan and so I plan to visit: Sweden, Denmark, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovenia and Italy with a hope to be back in England for a World Cup game or two and possibly a cheeky night out at Crisis.

There will probably be one more update, a final update, before my laptop is passed over to my mother to take home but until then I'll leave you with photos of St. Petersburg and love to all you guys reading who I miss ever so!

St. Isaac's, Patron Saint of Peter the Great

Inside the Cathedral on Spilt Blood (best name ever) which is all mosaic

The beautiful exterior of the Cathedral on Spilt Blood

As with any city, especially those with waterways, it looks so much better when sunny!

I have no idea what this is but damn look at it!

The Hermitage, opposite the above 'damn look at it' structure.

Untitled

The wind howls above my head,
Safe in the territory of my bed.
Creaks and moans of the pinewood bunks,
But only three days filled are our trunks.
This city is large and beautiful,
But my eyes are heavy, dreams are full.
My companions have gone out to explore,
But I shall now sleep, my apertures sore. 

Helsinki; Lapland and a few extra bits.

I realise I haven't posted an update for some time and that is mainly due to me wanting to experience a Finnish Sitsit before hand. It turns out the International Sitsit I attended was not like a 'proper' one due to the lack of organised drinking - particular complaints came from the Germans...funny that.
A Sitsit is a formal dinner which often has a theme, there is plenty of singing and plenty of rules (although it is true that many of these were disregarded). You may request a song but you must stand up and be 'interrogated', which was the easiest interrogation I have ever experience! With my voice already gone 30 minutes in due to singing ridiculously loud I stood up and requested Drunken Sailor.  I thought it perfectly apt for my voices current state and my intoxication level; which was not yet at its peak.
In all honest I don't remember much of the night, we had quiche for starters and risotto for main, we sung I'll be there for you (a passionate rendition on chairs by all those in our accommodation) and some other songs. I left before pudding came so I can't tell you what delight I missed. I can't tell you much else in fact, I was taken home by my lovely American friend who mothered me and the next day saw 603D graced with a superb hangover!

Moving on. Lapland. So worth it.

I could stop there, I mean most people will have seen the photos. There have been specific comments on my lack of dress in a few and all I can say is that when in Finland, do it the Finnish way! We arrived at our cabin after a 24 hr journey from Helsinki, including the stops along the way which included a 'zoo' and a visit to Santa. Santa is a mean capitalist machine, he may well know most languages to say 'hello, how are you?' when you enter his 'grotto' (sorry for all the apostrophes but they all are really needed), but for 5 photos - which is the minimum you can buy - it'll cost you 30€. If you want the whole experience on a USB, which gives you extra photos and even a video of your 1 minute and 28 second encounter with the man himself...at least I think he is, I mean I'm pretty sure they have more than one Santa on the payroll and I saw quite a few more Santa Offices on our travels. Sketchy to say the least. For me, if you believed in Christmas before you arrived you wouldn't when you left. The presence of constant Christmas music across the village was enough to drive anyone insane luckily though a friend and I decided that we would ask a rather pretty Elf for a picture, as we 'weren't really interested in a photo with Santa'. So I guess it wasn't all bad.

One of my favourite things about Finland so far is the sauna culture and that obviously continued in Lapland. Where instead of a one lane pool we had a lake to jump in to! This is where the naked photos come from, after steaming for about 10 minutes we run out and jump into a little ice hole which is 50 yards from the sauna building. Cold is an understatement, especially when you decide to roll in the snow after as well, but it feels incredible when you get back inside. You feel completely energised and alive, your skin tingles and all you want to do it do it again...so you do.
We also got the chance to swim in the Arctic Ocean when we went up to Norway, a crazy lady named Elsa runs a tourist sauna in the town of Burgoynes (slightly odd as she was complaining about people who travel extensively due to the impact on the environment) but hey you gotta live right? Elsa was brilliant however, a character if ever there was one, exemplified by her opening remarks to us; " I fell over there, on the beach, on a knife and that is why I have not teeth...but hopefully I'll have some new ones soon!". GREAT.
It was a rather short trip to Norway but to say I swam in the Arctic - which hadn't frozen in the bay due to a gulf stream - is a pretty cool thing I guess.

I also did some Xc skiing, snow shoe orienteering and downhill skiing before we headed back home; a diversion in our Xc skiing also saw me enhance my credentials in tree climbing and jumping into snow from a height. A video is available.

Obviously, the one thing that people come to Lapland for is the Northern Lights. My friends who had gone the week before missed out on the chance - a real kick in the teeth as we discovered they had been seen in the UK...IN THE SOUTH, typical - but we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Although the intensity wasn't incredible they were still a beautiful thing, ebbing and flowing across the sky and making everyone stand still.

It's safe to say then that I am having an absolutely wonderful time still in Finland, for all those who questioned it I wouldn't change my decision for the world. I have met the most amazing people and done some awesome things. I am setting up to go to St. Petersburg in April - and to see Swan Lake with a Bolshoi dancer - and I am getting the chance to do courses unavailable in the UK; such as Mesoamerican Writing Systems, a master's level course which is only the second of its kind in the world and the first in Finland.

It isn't just Finland though which is making my life just a little bit better every day. I am running for the committee of the English Society back home and I have had a few people say that they are backing me, which is really gratifying. Not only that but I have been talking about applying for a role in a brilliant organization which would give me a great opportunity in my final year at Notts.

Not only that though... I am now an Uncle! As on the 21st of March at 6:30 my sister gave birth to Zachary David Christopher Boddy, at 7lbs 14oz. It's quite a scary thought that I am now in a position of some responsibility for a tiny human being but I have seen a photo and my god he is so cute. I cannot wait to get back to the UK and hold him in my arms!

I think I should end on that note and so I leave you with some photos for you to be jealous of!