Monday, August 6, 2001
Tuesday, August 7, 2001
Wednesday, August 8, 2001
Thursday, August 9, 2001
Friday, August 10, 2001
Saturday, August 11, 2001
Sunday, August 12, 2001

Pre-Trip Journal Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four Week Five Week Six Week Seven Week Eight Week Nine Week Ten Week Eleven Week Twelve Week Thirteen Week Fourteen Week Fifteen

Monday, August 6, 2001
Not the most exciting day today. Dinner was pretty funny today. Kyle decided he was going to cook, but Yulia couldn't stand it and did everything herself. We had chicken, and a soggy attempt at fried rice.

After dinner, we went to the center to meet Lena. I hadn't seen her in a long time, and she said that she really missed me. We went to a themed cafe, which is hard to describe, but it was pretty fun. I discovered I was really hungry, so I ordered shashlyk. We had a few cocktails, American style, and then took a car home.

We had a little incident with the driver when we got to Kupchino. He didn't want to take us around the corner to our door. Yulia got pretty angry, and they got into an argument. Still, we got home, without too much trouble, and it wasn't a big deal to walk the extra block or so.

Tuesday, August 7, 2001
I went to the Alexander Nevsky monastery today. Actually, I never made it into the monastery itself. I ended up spending three hours inside the Tikhvin Cemetery, where Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky are buried, along with many other famous writers, composers, artists and actors. I took lots of photos of the elaborate tombstones.

That wasn't the reason I spent so much time in the cemetery, though. In the center of the graveyard is an old building which some artists have converted into a gallery. I went in to have a look around, and ended up talking to one of the artists for quite a long time. She took me upstairs to show me some additional work by an artist I particularly liked. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, and was certainly quite memorable.

This evening, Tima came over for a visit. His grandmother works for Kyle's company in Atlanta. We had a fun time with him. Yulia asked me if I would cook spaghetti, and I was game, so we went to the grocery store. I made garlic bread, which fascinated everyone because they had never had homemade garlic bread before. I had a great time cooking, and the best part was that my effort was audibly appreciated by everyone, especially Tima.

See the photos

Wednesday, August 8, 2001
I spent an hour and a half at the Hermitage this afternoon. Today I decided to see the ancient collections and the prehistoric Russian art. The ancient collections are housed in the Large Hermitage, a portion of the complex that was specifically designed to hold Catherine's collections.

It was very different from seeing art in the Winter Palace. It felt more museum-like, except luxurious. The Greek and Roman statues were housed in a room with green stone walls. It was quite beautiful. The room full of Greek pottery is painted in an Etruscan style. It felt like stepping into a piece of history.

The prehistoric collections were amazing. I was anxious to see this part of the museum because you can't see it anywhere else in the world. Russia is very protective of archaeological artifacts, so I saw this as a rare opportunity. I was not disappointed. The small metalworks and embellishments were fantastic! The detail was incredible, and I couldn't believe that these things are over 4,000 years old! (Some are much older.) There was also a special exhibit on the Art of the Golden Horde, which featured some of the finest metallurgy I have ever seen.

After going to the museum, I decided to go to the movies. (The theater was right on my way back to the Metro.) I saw Moulin Rouge, and I really enjoyed it. Actually, I was pretty surprised, because I had heard a lot of terrible things about it. But I thought it was fun, and I was very impressed with Ewan McGregor's singing voice! (Here's your chance to hear Nicole Kidman sing.)

Thursday, August 9, 2001
I'm really starting to realize that my time here is quickly coming to an end. There is so much that I'd like to do before I leave, so I've been pretty busy trying to fit in as much as I can into each day.

This afternoon I went back to the Hermitage, and I think it was probably my last trip. I've seen almost every room in the building, and all of the collections that interest me. Today I saw the Small Hermitage, where Catherine entertained her intimate friends. It was incredibly beautiful, and very luxurious. The Peacock Clock is there, which is a big moving toy, basically. It wasn't turned on, but I can imagine that it must be fantastic.

I also had the opportunity to walk through the Raphael Loggias, a copy of the Vatican gallery murals. The copies were painted on-site on canvas and then assembled in a gallery that was built to the specifications of the original. Apparently, it used to be a separate building, which was later incorporated into the Large Hermitage.

Kyle left today for Moscow. I didn't really get a chance to say good-bye, but I will see him there on Tuesday, so it's not that big of a deal.

Yulia's friend from high school, Vera, came over today. We talked for a long time. She's been to America twice. Now she interprets and teaches Russian to foreigners (she used to teach at Smolny) and English. I really enjoyed meeting her.

Friday, August 10, 2001
I slept late today. I was so worn out from the last few days, and tomorrow will probably be very tiring. Yulia and I had an evening of beautification tonight in preparation for the wedding tomorrow. That's really about all there is to say!

Saturday, August 11, 2001
Wedding Day. What a day. I don't know if it's going to be possible to describe the experience here, but I will try.

The ceremony was at 10:25 at a marriage palace overlooking the Neva. Ilya, Natasha and Yulia rode in Ivanov's car. The rest of us took a bus that they had rented to carry all of the guests. We were running pretty late, but everything was running late at the registry, too.

This registry office was the first of its kind in Russia. In 1956, a Grand Duke's palace was converted into a place for weddings. Each day, about 25 weddings are conducted, with the ceremony lasting about 15 minutes. You can imagine that it's like getting married in front of a judge, except in very luxurious surroundings. The wedding party is small, with only the bride, groom and two witnesses. Yulia was one of the witnesses, and Alyosha, Ilya's friend, was the other.

After signing the documents, Natasha and Ilya exchanged rings (with some difficulty.) They "congratulated" each other with a kiss, and then all of the guests were invited up to congratulate them. It's tradition that all of the guests bring flowers, so you can imagine that Natasha was drowning in bouquets by the time she was finished.

After the ceremony, we all jumped on the bus and drove to the Bronze Horseman to take pictures. (This is an important tradition for newlyweds.) They hadn't hired a professional photographer, so the job fell to me instead. Everyone started laughing when I came off the bus carrying my tripod, but I think they will be really glad once the pictures are developed. After the photos, we had a champagne toast.

We continued driving around the city, taking pictures and drinking champagne. Our next stop was the Hermitage to touch the toes of the Alternates (so the newlywed's wishes will come true). Then we drove to the Field of Mars to leave flowers in memory of the people who died during W.W.II. After that we went to Smolny, to have photos taken in front of the Cathedral, and then to a "winter garden" (greenhouse) to have pictures taken with the flowers.

The reception didn't start until 2:30 p.m., but we went to the Fortress anyway. Almost everyone went for a walk inside, but those of us who were really hungry went to a cafe to get a little something to eat instead.

The reception was held in a cafe-boat outside the Fortress. When the bride and groom entered, everyone threw money at them. Then there was a ceremony where they ate bread and salt to symbolize the union of the two families. Then they drank champagne to toast their future together, followed by tossing the classes behind them. Then the tray holding the bread was lifted and everyone walked under it and took their place at the table.

What followed was basically a reception like any other. There was a guy with a microphone who was responsible for keeping us "entertained." We sat at the table for a good 5 hours eating and drinking. And I mean drinking. I don't remember how many toasts we had, but there were a lot. I was sitting with Lena and Yulia's parents, and I think we drank 2 bottles of vodka, a bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine.

After we were all sufficiently intoxicated, we the dance floor filled up with very happy people, and quite a good time ensued. I danced with Yulia's dad, Natasha's dad, and Alyosha. Alyosha told me that I am a Russian girl, and I can't go back to America. He said he's going to find me a Russian husband so that I can stay here where I belong. We'll see...

See the photos

Sunday, August 12, 2001
Oh, the pain... I just want to die today. I have never, ever been this sick in my life. The champagne really did me in, I think. Yulia was at least as drunk as I was yesterday, but she only had vodka, and she's fine today.

The wedding festivities continued at Natasha's apartment today, although in a much more subdued form. (It's traditional that the wedding last three days, but this one will only be two.) We ate, drank a little (which really did cure my hangover. I was pretty surprised!) and watched the videotape from yesterday.

This morning I called my good friend Ethan to wish him good luck with his move to Hawaii for grad school. I knew they were having a going-away party for him Saturday night, so I thought it would be the perfect time to call. Everyone there was very surprised and excited that I called. I talked to Ethan for a while, and then I talked to a bunch of my friends who were there -- it was so good to hear everyone's voices! Ethan's sister, Amanda, is already planning my homecoming party for the first weekend after I get back, so now I'm really looking forward to coming home.

Yulia left for Moscow around 9:30. I still don't know if Lena's husband will let her come along, but I'm hoping she will accompany me on the train tomorrow night.

There's something wrong with our plumbing in the toilet and bathrooms. I think it's the water pressure, but we don't have any cold water. So that means that we can't do our laundry. I don't know what I'm going to do about clothes for Moscow, but I'll figure something out.