A very successful first day in Saint Petersburg! After psyching myself up for arguing with cab drivers over the cost of the ride from the airport to our hotel, I managed to find the nicest driver in all of Russia. I was expecting to have to negotiate the price down to somewhere between 1000 and 1200 rubles - my driver offered to take me for 700 before I'd had a chance to say anything other than the address. And he complimented my Russian as I got out of the cab. Too bad tipping isn't customary here...he would have gotten a big one!
Jon was waiting for me in front of the hotel and after a few moments of glorious reunion, we headed upstairs for several hours of napping, working, and reading On The Road, which I am absolutely loving (I can't believe it took me this long to read it!).
We spent the remainder of the evening, naturally, at Metro Club, our favorite nightlife spot from last year's trip. Nothing too eventful happened...we danced, we drank, we laughed, we cried, we ate baked potatoes ("kartoshka," in Russian), &c. A typical night out.
Today began the way all days in Russia should: with blini. Salmon and cranberry. I'm going to do my best to not gain weight on this trip like I did on the last one, but I have a feeling that tasty foreign cuisine is going to prove the victor in the food vs. figure battle! It usually does.
On the plus side: the weather here is gorgeous! Who knew that Russia is a pleasant temperature at times?!
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