Day 12: St. Petersburg - Mixed feeling towards Russians

(Him: Charlie)

Just wrapped up a 3-day excursion to St. Petersburg, Russia. The palaces, churches, and monuments in St. Petersburg are truly magnificent, especially Peterhof! I heard about the amazing architectures in the city, but I was still blown away when seeing these marvelous structures in real life.

However, what really caught my attention was the people. I think any travelers who visited St. Petersburg (or maybe the entire Russia) would agree that people seem to be quite rude! Sorry, there is no better way to say this. From metro ticket office, to bus far collector, to book store cashier, all of these people, who carry image of their nation, seemingly could not care less about tourists (or maybe other Russian fellows as well). Inevitably, topics among backpackers at the hostel usually evolve around poor attitude of Russians and the bizarre experience in pubic space. A classic example goes like this:

[As I checked out post cards at the book store]

Charlie: do you have any stamps?

Casher: “uh ah” [with head shaking and eyes looking down]

Charlie: where can I find stamps then?

Cashier: Post office… [impatient face started to show, but I was the only customer at the counter]

I was afraid she would eat me alive if I kept on asking. I guess I would have to figure out where stamps are myself. Damn! How hard is it to be a little more helpful?!? To that question, most backpackers (and even people from the neighbouring Baltic states) would say, “Well, it’s Russia.” Man, it is ashamed that a country carries this unfriendly image – it’s really unwelcoming!

So is this really what Russians are like? I may agree if I didn’t know any local Russian, but meeting Svetlana changed my perception.

Thanks to my co-worker, Marina K-K, Joanna and I had the honour to meet Svetlana (aka Sveta/sweety) in St. Petersburg. Sveta is a real sweetie. This proud St. Petersburgist insisted that we should pack 6 days of activities in our 3-day stay, personally guided us in the leg-breaking 4-hour Hermitage visit, and took us on a scenic bike ride, in which we coasted along river banks and among gorgeous palaces and churches. Without Sveta’s hospitality, my experience in St. Petersburg would not have been so nice.

Like other Russian, Sveta doesn’t smile very easily and often seems to be worried about something. However, this cannot conceal her kindness. Her warm hearted hospitality has melted our hearts and we are convinced that Russians are not like what they appear to be!

Travel info: For those who are interested in visiting St. Petersburg, you have the choices of a 72-hour visa-free visit if you take the ferry (St. Peters Line) from Helsinki, Finland or a 24-hour visa free visit if you take the ferry from Tallinn, Estonia. Personally, a 24-hour visit to St. Petersburg is far from enough because there are too much to see in the City.