Russia Research Trip Days 7 to 10
Day 7
Thursday, October 17, 2019
#Russia, Viking ship Rurik
Last night, I got food poisoning. You can very well imagine what I was doing for the next fer hours without me being descriptive.
The ship was supposed to go to Kizhi Island, but the waves on Lake Onega were too dangerously high, so we sailed on. I only know because of the loudspeaker announcements. The doctor on board tried her best to care for me, but it seems she had many people to care for…
Day 8
Friday, October 18, 2019
Russia, Viking ship Rurik
Still in bed with food poisoning. It seems the ship did dock at Mandrogy, but I was unable to disembark to enjoy any of it.
Day 9
Saturday, October 19, 2019
St. Petersburg, Russia, Viking ship Rurik
The fog on Lake Ladoga was so thick this morning that all water traffic was halted. The Rurik was forced to anchor. When we did arrive in St. Petersburg, I was still too sick to go on the panoramic tour around the city or visit the Catherine palace.
While it was refreshing to feel clean, the act of taking a shower completely exhausted me. I feel like I have bruises on my hips from laying on my sides for too long, and I am still having trouble eating. I hope to be able to venture out tomorrow.
Day 10
Sunday, October 20, 2019
St. Petersburg, Russia, Viking ship Rurik
I woke up feeling slightly better this morning, yet still not at full strength. Fortified with some fruit and a few small potatoes, I managed to get on the tour bus headed for the Hermitage.
The Heritage was so crowded that I had to use my white cane just so I wouldn’t get run over by people, though that didn’t stop one guy in our group from shouldering me out of his way. Ugh, he smells like stale licorice, but those aren't the only reasons I don’t like him. He’s all the things that embarrass America abroad (you know what I mean). I even caught him yelling at a receptionist because he couldn’t understand her English through her accent. Firstly, her accent wasn’t that bad. But secondly, English is her second language, Fool. I don’t see you learning Russian to communicate. Whatever, you have one in every group. I was feeling less than tolerant today due to not feeling well.
The Hermitage, or the Winter Palace, was amazing AND HUGE! Halfway through our tour, I started to get dizzy add shaky and had to break away from the group to take a rest. My husband and I went to the café and got half a sandwich and some apple juice. Smaller meals may be better for a recovering stomach, but they don’t help when you need tons of energy to trek the second largest art museum in the world.
Here are some of the few sights I saw while I was there:
Since, I’m a huge fan of ancient religions (or mythology if you prefer) and folklore, I thought it would be fun to play a game! The first person to correctly identify these five figures of mythology in the comments below will win a free audiobook code! I will accept either the Greek or Roman names, though they aren’t exact equivalents.
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ALSO, the first person to name this character from literature will get two cones of custom-blend incense inspired by the incense mentioned in In Search of a Witch’s Soul (this doesn’t have to be the same person who named all five mythological figures).
As we waited for our guide outside the Hermitage, a babushka came up to me on the sidewalk and tried to sell me baklava. I tried to tell her I wasn’t feeling well, but she didn’t seem to understand what I said.
I was supposed to go see Swan Lake at the ballet in the evening, but I still wasn’t feeling well enough. I’m sad, but I need to remember to take care of myself too.
Well, tomorrow I'm supposed to take a boat ride on the Neva. I'm particularly excited about this excursion because I already have a scene like this written in Sasha’s story! Hopefully, I will feel well enough to enjoy it to its full extent.