What a magical city!

I am convinced that people will change doctors, dentists, lovers, and friends before they will change their barber or hairdresser. I nevertheless was determined to get a Russian haircut, thinking that it would be a great new experience,  hoping like hell that I would not emerge looking like Putin. I spent a good 24 hours debating whether this would a good idea, wondering if I would need to spend the entire rest of the trip looking like this:

I got the name of a small, local hair salon from the hotel receptionist and she booked me an appointment. When I walked in, there was dead silence and I got the distinct impression that they had previously drawn straws to decide who would give the haircut to the English speaking guy since no one there spoke English. But it turned out to be like getting your hair cut anywhere.  Natalya, my hairdresser, and I talked the entire time about everything, as people do everywhere with their hairdresser,  and,  for about the same price as a haircut in NZ ($16),  she  spent close to an hour cutting my hair, finishing with a shampoo. This was a new experience for me (that is, getting a shampoo from my hairdresser, not shampooing my hair).  Contrast this with the 10 minutes my NZ barber usually spends with me. Natalya wanted a photo of me when I left and I asked for a photo of her.

Natalya

Me, post haircut, along the Neva River at night.

The reason I am standing on the bank of the Neva at 1:30 am is that Roman and Olga picked me up an hour earlier to see the "singing bridges". From July until the end of September literally thousands of people stand along the edge of the river and watch the draw bridges, all lit up with beautiful lights, open to the sounds of orchestral music. It was an unforgettable experience, made even better by a delicious cup of fresh hot chocolate.

You never know what you are going to see here. When I returned to my hotel at 2:30am, two girls were galloping horseback around a city park.





The day started with a trip to Tsarkoyo Selo (Tsar's Village), about an hour's drive from the city centre. Beautiful gardens, a lake, and the summer residence of Catherine the Great. I spent the day there with Roman, Olga, and their two friends, Nadia and Kolya. The palace was almost completely destroyed during WWII (the Great Patriotic War) and completely restored in its aftermath, including the amber room, a room entirely covered in amber.


The palace


The gardens


Nadia and Kolya by a statue (girl and pitcher) made famous by a
poem by Pushkin. Note the worn foot. If touched, you can make a
wish.


I tried it too.



Russian friends




Amber Room (I got yelled at by the guard for taking this)




Great tasting Russian junk food with mystery meat afterwards.

Another one of the  joys of walking throughout the city is seeing happy newlyweds everywhere. It is tradition for the just-married bride and groom to walk throught the city, getting photographed along the way. I am told that Russian people do not smile often, but this is a happy place. 

    

Next post: Russian musical, Master and Margarita; Russian baths.