Collective, Cows and the Cloth

This is our visit to a collective dairy farm. The outfits were to protect the cows from dangerous American tourist germs. They had lots of machinery they showed us too and a flea market. The dinner they served us was so tasty and had some traditional Russian foods, like slices of salted fat and pickled herring with a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers. And wonderful ribs with spices from the caucuses and borsh. It was amazing. Most of the vegetables were grown on the farm itself. They mechanics had a cat they call the cloth because it's so friendly they can use it to wipe their hands.

Interesting fact: Russian farmers are still known in Russia as peasants.

Engrish

"Dear guests! We care of you and warn do not leave your things unattended!" This was in a cafe on Nevsky Prospekt.

Other Russian Stuff

This is my 'bear moment' now I can say I've truely been in Russia. And my roommate having a little wine. That's good for her.

Political Museum

From top to bottom, pictures of a Bolshevik party ID card that looks shockingly like our student IDs, an artistic rendition of the repression of Stalinism, a portrait of Tsar Nicholas the II marred by the bayonets of the soldiers who despised him, a clock stopped at the exact moment of the October Revolution, a placard, a picture of how revoltionaries used to hide weapons in fake ham, and a bomb-making desk owned by revolutionaries.

Island Park

After visiting the Cathedral we took the metro to an island that is only a park. Our history professor Dr. Reese kind of ruined the moment by asking us how many KGB mass graves we thought were probably there because they usually buried their victims in parks so that it would be unlikely that the bodies would be found because no one is allowed to dig in parks. We saw some babushkas there and danced the chicken dance with them and got twisted potatoes (yum).

St. Isaac's Cathedral

On Saturday we visited St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is the main Cathedral in St. Petersburg (although it no longer performs religious services). The mosaics and paintings were incredible and we walked to the top of the dome. What a view!