St. Petersburg, Russia (March 17th-24th, 2007)

BIG expectations of Russia before getting there. It did not disappoint.




Apparently this is the ship that started the Revolution.




Our first day in St. Petersburg was a whirlwind tour of the city. We drove by every single major sight, and stopped at a couple must-sees.
We went to the Hermitage Museum, and I guess after the Louvre, I wasn't as impressed as I should be. I think I was expecting more stereotypical Russian pieces, but I would have to wait until we went to the Russian Museum a little later in the trip.


You might notice that there are some blank frames. That's because they died in the war and their bodies couldn't be found so they couldn't make a portrait of them.



Photos from a performance by a local folk group. I loved the huge triangular guitar and the costumes were so colourful. It was what I had imagined Russian folk dancing to be like - courtesy of RAD character dancing! So many of the steps I'd done myself...



One night, we ate dinner Nikolayevsky Palace. It was a beautiful room, complete with a pianist seranading us in the background. Outside, there was an ensemble and dressed up dancers (such a tourist trap this was) - you could easily imagine yourself back in time dressing in a ballgown walking down the staircase.



The Church of Spilled Blood. This was the type of church I was waiting for. It's what you would stereotypically think of for a Russian Orthodox church (with the onion shaped domed roofs). This one was really colourful...moreso than the ones that I saw in Helsinki and Tallinn last year. So cool.

There are chandeliers in the subway station! Actually, each station had a different theme. Now, I like subways. A lot. I don't know why, but I do. And I don't find them confusing. Even if there are lots of different lines and stuff. I guess it's a whole different story when you're in a city where the language is written in characters that you don't know how to read and don't sound like what you'd assume them to sound like. It was the first time that I can remember (so that doesn't mean too much) that I felt completely lost. I had to ask people where I was going. It was kind fun though, I just went with the flow and luckily ended up where I wanted to go. But it was a ride, that's for sure.
This is where Alexei Mishin and company are based. Some serious history with this rink...I desperately wanted to go inside and just take a look at the place and hopefully be lucky enough to see a session and probably some 4 year olds landing quads or something, but I was too scared that I would go in, and someone would accuse me of being a spy and deport me out of the country. I'm not kidding. At least I've seen it from the outside!


More sights from around the city...
Clockwise from right:
- the Bronze Horseman
- exterior of the Hermitage Museum
- Smolny Cathedral
- rostral column















You need a visa to get into Russia, and a reason to get such a visa. This job that I have has too many perks. We were actually in St. Petersburg attending an MUN. I just got to come along for the ride while the little ones were hard at work.
The MUN was taking place at school No. 157 (how communist). Look at the classroom. That would be a great room to teach in. So much character.








While students were trying to solve world problems, teachers could see more of the city. This really was a different kind of trip. Most of the time we're herding and stressed out. Here are the
Russian pieces of art (at the Russian Museum) that I was waiting for. After seeing a lot of old art in the past three years, it's interesting to compare the different styles from different time periods and parts of the world.




Nice old school Lada.





I couldn't take any pictures/videos of it, but one night we were treated to a ballet performance. I was hoping that it was the Kirov, because people who had been on the trip before were saying how amazing the performance was. I should have known that they were catering to teenagers and tourists whom they assumed knew nothing about ballet and of course the people whom I talked to also didn't know very much about ballet. It was SO horrible. I really really wish I could have taped it, because it was laughable. The performance was a collection of excerpts from famous ballets and other pieces danced to music by Russian composers. I tried not to cover my eyes when one dancer was doing her string of fouettes. I thought she was going to twirl right off the stage, she was travelling so much. Another dancer was barely capable of getting on her full pointe. If was really really scary. I thought she was going to break an ankle or something. I thought all Russian ballet dancers were amazing. I guess I was wrong. One thing that I did enjoy was a piece that I swear I danced myself back in day as a character dance for the old Royal Academy of Dancing grades examinations. I don't remember the grade, but I remember the steps. at that moment, I wanted to call up my old dance teacher and tell her about what I was watching. It was so neat.

After the conference was over, we went to the town of Novgorod.
On the way, we stopped in Pushkin and visited Catherine Palace.
To protect the floor, we had to wear these slippers (reminded me of those Sleep Country Canada commercials). This palace was quite bling-ing.











My favorite was the Amber Room (shhh...we weren't supposed to take pictures in there). Look at the huge furnace thingamabobber. And all those paintings. The facing wall was like a mirror image (on purpose). Another big heating device and a wall full of paintings. Different paintings and of differing sizes, but the content of the painting(s) directly facing were similar in content/character. Neat huh?

Some sights of Novgorod:











My favorite of Novgorod was this little wooden village. There was an artisan there selling some beautiful object that he'd made. Yes, I bought some along with some other things along the way, including a petrushka doll.















Another dream come true. Can't wait to have the chance to go back.

Lisbon, Portugal (February 28th-March 4th, 2007)

When I went to Boston a couple summers ago, I was blown away by the aquarium and huge tank in the middle that showed the different layers of aquatic dwellers. Imagine my excitement when I came to Lisbon and found out that there was something similar here!

There was room for you to sit and just watch the creatures go by. I have to admit that I sat there for a really really long time in complete awe of it all. I was reminded of how much I love animals and dreamed once again that I would get to work with them in the future. The wheels are turning, don't you worry.












I chatted with the keeper for a little while about the otters and what they were up to, their habits and other nerdy things.
Keepers really do love their charges and take great pride in getting to know them and take care of them. Just standing there watching him in action and observing the couple happily waiting for their food made me so incredibly jealous that I couldn't jump the barrier and hang out with them as well.




Such pretty colours.







Masters of camouflage, that's for sure. How many can you find?





Jellyfish are mesmerizing.








Malls aren't a common occurrence in Europe, but I guess they're popping up more and more with the American influence. The best part about the malls in Lisbon (I was sort of in shopping withdrawl, so this was perfect) was that they were open until midnight...yes, I said midnight. Remember, I have to contend with Neuch, which closes its stores (the few that there are) at 6:30pm and obviously don't even dream of opening on a Sunday. So, I could use up my daytime with touristy things, and then after a dinner break, walk off the poundage at the mall and shop, shop, shop! In a 24 hour day, not a moment goes to waste! And I just like to walk. I don't care where, but walking is good. A nice, brisk walk to keep me in motion. Walking around a mall just before midnight is much more comfortable than the dark streets (remember my crappy night vision) of an unfamiliar city.

I did some good shopping while in Lisbon. Stuff was much cheaper than a lot of places in Europe and there were quite a lot of stores that I liked.
During my shopping, I stumbled upon the following tees:
I was SOOOOOOO tempted, but then I considered the fact that I probably wouldn't wear them much and actually had a moment where I analysed my wardrobe (issues about wearing black surfaced of course), and decided that these tees would not suit the type of dresser I want to be. I was very close to getting them though. Really.




Massimo Dutti on the other hand...love it.







These old-school streetcars were great!









Seriously?!?









Word to the wise...forget the monuments in Belem, go for the custard tarts! They're delicious.






The monuments do look pretty cool though. Obviously the area is all proud of the conquests and stuff.






Stumbled upon the Coach Museum, and didn't really know if it would be worth it to go inside. Boy, it sure was! How crazy cool are these? Cinderella anyone?


Took a train to the nearby town of Sintra. It was described as a fairytale town and for awhile I couldn't figure out why. It seemed like any other European town.





Beautiful artisanal ceramic stuff for sale.







It was great fun to play on the Moorish ruins. I can't imagine what it looked like a long time ago, but going up and down the stair, climbing in the towers and looking at the town down below was a great time!








The view from the ruins.








This is the fairytale part. This is a friggin palace that someone used to live in. Tee hee!




Back in Lisbon and getting more views of the city. Everytime I ask locals what I should see and do when I'm traveling, they ask what my interests are. It's hard to say, but I think I'm starting to narrow it down. I like to walk. I like to shop. I like to get to lookout points. I like to
sample yum-yums. I like scenery and different types of buildings. Sometimes museums, but they've got to be pretty darn good.
I love walking and being amongst the people. I had a lot of *sigh* moments on this trip. I was so content and happy to be there.

I swear I'm still here

Sorry for not posting in awhile...I just got back from Spring Break so I should have interesting travel things to post, but knowing me it'll take a little while. And of course lots of other big news too. Just wait it out for a bit and I'll get around to posting things. Promise!

Prix videos

If you want to see what I was in awe of at the Prix de Lausanne this year, check out the videos.

Post layouts

So because blogger got updated or something, a bunch of my posts look wonky now. Nothing too annoying (that I've noticed), it's just that the spacing between images and text is off in some cases, and I'm not html-savvy enough to figure out how to make it look like how I want it to look. I tried a couple things, but it's not working.
Jeez...

woot woot!

I just got my passport back, and it's got a fancy-dancy Russian visa in it!
So I leave for St. Petersburg Saturday night, and I'll be there for a week. I'm so excited - I've always wanted to visit Russia! Maybe this is my chance to get some Russian Federation sporting gear that I regret not getting from Torino!

It was great

I'm back from Portugal (look at that Country Count go up!), and I had a fantastic time. As I type, I'm uploading my gazillion pictures to my computer, so it might take awhile before I get around to posting something concrete about the trip.
Two things that I wanted to mention because I find it amusing:
1) I watched the original season of The Apprentice. It was the episode where the teams are trying to sell artwork and Omarosa barges into the boardroom in tears. Ha ha ha. No dubbing, so I watched the episode in utter bliss (subtitles don't bother me one bit anymore).
2) I held for the first time (and possibly the last) a Hermes bag. It was the first Hermes bag (well, since it came on my radar...what 2.5 years ago...oh, I was so sheltered before I moved out to the old continent...ha ha ha) that I've actually liked. I find most of them too structured and matronly. I think this one was a reasonable 5000-ish euros. Obviously they're not going to show the beautiful stuff on the website, so I can't link to a picture of the bag. The saleslady was really nice and explaining how FAB it was (she really didn't need to - I already knew) and she mentioned the name od the design, but you know how bad my memory is. The best way I can describe it (I'm still a little fashion lingo deficient) is a rectangular prism with curved corners and of course handles too. Well, I never thought I'd get the courage to go into a Hermes store (check, November 2005), let alone talk to a saleslady and pretend I belonged there (check, January 2007) and model a bag (check, March 2007)...one of these days a bag will appear at my doorstep/Christmas tree (someone out there with too much money...let me check that off my list too! tee hee!)

London, England (February 23rd-25th, 2007)

This past weekend, I went (back) to London. The more I go, the more I love this city. There's just so much to do and see there.
Laugh all you want, but this trip was largely inspired by the shopping opportunities that it provided. Last year, when I went to London for the first time, I lucked out into getting into London Fashion Weekend. I had such a great time, that this year, when planning a trip back to the city, I tried to coincide my visit with the event. It worked out well. I still can't believe that I can just take off for the weekend for "shopping trips". I'm such a snob. I wonder if I'm the only goof that decides to hi-tail it to Milan, Paris or London when I need some retail therapy. If I were in Toronto, my big trip would be to Yorkdale, the Eaton's Centre or Yorkville. Ha ha ha. Oh well, might as well make the most of it while I still can!
Anyway, so I arrive to London late Friday night armed with a big "to do" list, as usual. This trip made me realize that going to London really isn't enough time. Sure, you get an extra hour on the way there (time change), but since I have to wait until a certain time for a flight (work commitments) and on the way back, you're essentially losing an hour, a day and a half really isn't worth the trip to London. I'll have to keep that in mind for the next time I go (knock on wood that there is a next time).
Saturday is to be a jammed packed day. I'm up bright an early, arming myself with a greasy English breakfast (not a full breakfast - just toast, a fried egg, bacon, sausage and beans) and day pass on the underground (love it!).
Among one of the many stops of the day, Molton Brown. I was recently introduced to this bath/body line by a friend, so I wanted to visit a store in its "homeland". I'm sort of weird that way. I like to go to the source. Anyway, the shop was fab, and I did make one exotic purchase. These kinds of stores have become a recent splurging phenomenon for me. I remember the days that L'Occitane on Bloor was too intimidating to even look into its windows, and now, it's just like going into The Body Shop (albeit, a whole lot better). I guess Molton Brown is really nice, but I'm more intrigued by Korres right now. I'm such a snob.
Of course, no trip to London would be complete without a trip to Burberry. Of course I wanted to buy nearly everything in sight, but I was good enough to keep my credit card in my wallet. Those trenches though...sigh, maybe in the distant future. It's just such a beautiful material. You know it's good stuff. And the fit? Fab. Snob, snob, snob.
On my list of "things to do": go on the slide at the Tate Modern. This exhibition just sounded too cool to pass up. I mean...it's a giant slide! The queues (I LOVE that word - I'm going to introduce the world to America if/when I go home) were crazy, but I still had to do it. Forget the little ones, I wanted to go on the slide from the 5th floor. It didn't look like the people were sliding really quickly, but it sure felt fast. And
long too. Long enough that there was a point where my body asked my brain: "Is this over yet? I should have come to the end and be on solid ground by now." Like that feeling that you get when you miss the last step, or, when you're used to going off the 1m springboard and then you go on the 3m for the first couple of times (I remember that like it was just yesterday!). Anyway, it was pretty fast. And the spiral was tight enough that by the end, I was starting to feel dizzy. I had to take a moment at the end before I could stand up. You were
sliding feet first, lying on your back, arms across your chest on top of a burlap mat that had a little pocket on the bottom to tuck your feet into. They even provided knee and elbow pads for those who wanted them, but I'm h-core. I didn't go for them (nor did anyone else I saw go down the slide). The random spotlights that shined in your face was a little annoying. I don't know if that was on purpose. Also, the centrifugal force was pushing me up on the side of the slide, and only the middle of the bottom of the tube was flat, so I was going down most of the slide on a bumpy surface. Quite annoying, and really shaky on the body. Still, I'm really glad that I did it. It was a lot of fun, and I would highly recommend it for anyone visiting the city.
BTW, Men: Paul Smith shirts? Yum.
When I went to Harrods to look for some food (forget eating at restaurants in London - Harrods Food Halls are the best!), I noticed that there was a special exhibition going on. Harrods Rocks was mainly a display of guitars. Unfortunately, I don't know much about Rock and Roll and guitars, so the exhibition didn't really do much for me, but I'm sure that if you're really into that sort of thing, this is a great exhibition. I did enjoy looking at the special guitars. The ones that had been specially designed. The ones with bling were really pretty (I still like looking at sparkly things) and I think most of the pieces are going to be auctioned off at some point for charity.
That night, a musical (of course). This is another reason why a weekend isn't enough to visit London. There are so many shows to see, and going to one cuts into your day. Still, I wasn't going to pass up on an opportunity to see singing and dancing onstage! The pick of
the night: Wicked. I'd heard rave reviews about this show after it first opened on Broadway, and although I wouldn't be watching Kristin Chenoweth, I knew I had to go watch this show. It was amazing! Potentially better than Chicago. Hard to decide, but the music, colours and costumes were fab! I thought Kerry Ellis, who played Elphaba did an amazing job. The best of the show. It was a little funny to heard British accents in a show, but I got used to it. I think it did take away from some of the punch lines though. I was cracking up at some of the nuances that were in the show, but I get the feeling that they were lost on the Brits (or potentially the other non-American tourists in the audience). I love the Wizard of Oz movie, and this show just added to the story. Everyone should watch this show. This one and Avenue Q (which I HAVE to see next time).
I wanted to pack everything in to the Saturday, because Sunday morning, I would be going to London Fashion Weekend and who knew how long I would be there for. I'm disappointed to report that I didn't go crazy there. Sure, I feel in love with lots of stuff (bags, bags, bags!), but I'm too practical to forget about the ridiculous exchange rate. I'm sure that the prices were very reasonable for designer standards and for British standards, but I just couldn't do it. Sigh. I bought a little something, but nothing that amazing to report. I was sort of sad after leaving the place that I didn't buy something, but I'm sure it'll pass. It wouldn't even be like I felt like I was spending all that money on a "so and so", because I'm pretty ignorant about British fashion, but I'm sure that in the future a lot of the names there will be household names (if they aren't already) or they'll be cult favorites with the fashionistas. Sigh. I did get a bunch of free magazines and snacked on free Skinny Cow dessert bars. Tee hee. Another reason I love this event, is because it's the place to see London street fashion at its best. Most of the attendees are quite fashionably dressed, so it's a great learning experience. London fashion is really different from Italian, French, American, etc fashion, and I don't see very much of it, so I was a little thrown off by some of the stuff that they were wearing, but it really grew on me. Pencil jeans, ballet flats, leggings, stacked/slouchy boots (mid calf and ankle variety), jersey tops and vintage-y wear were everywhere. I kinda wanted to adopt some of the styles. I still consider myself a little fashion clueless (I'm a lot better than I used to be - thanks to living in Europe), but especially in the way that I'm not sure how I want to be. I'm starting to have an idea of how I want to project myself to the world, and I see people on the streets and at this event that are dressed to the nines...makes me wonder if I can do it too. I mean, fashion or practicality? I'd love to dress a certain way every day of the week, but my lifestyle just doesn't seem to allow it. Or maybe it doesn't, but I'll just stand out from everyone else (one of the points of fashion - but I don't really like to stand out...and it's not even the way that I dress is shocking, it's the fact that everyone else is just so relaxed with their fashion attitude). Oh, and there were tweens and pre-tweens that were dressed impeccably. I didn't even know the word fashion at their age. I was very impressed, and a little bewildered. I wondered if all of these people really do dress like that all the time. It just didn't seem to match with, I don't know what, but it just didn't seem right for some reason. And I love fashionable families. They don't have to match with each other (sometimes that's a little scary), but each part of the family need to be fashionably dressed. It's incredibly impressive and few and far between. I like fashion. And I would like to have enough money to not feel badly to indulge on great pieces every so often. I'm still in "sale" state. Boo-urns.
Anyway, that's my trip to London in a nutshell. Not too heavy on the tourist side (been there, done that - although there's still touristy stuff on my "to do" list), but definitely a lot of fun. I miss London already, but tonight, I'm going to Lisbon!