Bloody Thursday

On Thursday I woke up early to go to the store and I saw pastries shaped like pigs in a tiny shop. I knew that my mom would like to see them so, there they are. I didn't buy one but maybe I'll go back. Little shops seem to be very popular in Russia. Most stores, even in malls, are tiny with only a small selection of one type of item, like clothes or shoes. Later on Thursday evening we got dressed up to go out to eat with our new Russian friend Sergei. I decided to dress like the Russian girls do, with super high heels. Sergei took us to a wonderful sushi place on the Nevsky Prospekt wher I had eel and paprika sushi (yum!) and sake, which in Russia seems to be a shot of warm vodka (not so yummy). Then Sergei took us to a pharmacy and bought us the essential Russian health food. It's chocolate with bear blood in it, and lore has it that it will cure all your ills. My roommate Rebekah and I took turns taking pictures with the little chocolate bar. I think it tasted a bit like a tootsie roll. Then we walked all over the city and my feet started to really hurt in those heels. We walked to the Hermitage and the famous statue of Peter the Great that's known as the bronze horseman, just when we were viewing the main Cathedral of St. Petersburg, St. Isaac's Cathedral, and my feet thought they could know no more pain, I tripped over an uneven cobble and stubbed my toe. So much for those shoes!