The Math in Moscow program offers a couple of extra excursions, one of which is a 3-day trip to Russia's old capital. On Thursday I, 5 other members of our group, and 2 'girl helpers' (young translators) left our dorm at midnight to head to the metro station and catch our train. Usually it's hard to capture the elegant decorations in the metro, but at half-past midnight the stations are fairly barren.
After a quick metro trip we arrived at the train station and boarded our sleeper train, scheduled to leave at 1:15am and arrive at 10am in St. Petersberg. On one side of the aisle were four bunks, top and bottom, facing each other and on the other side of the aisle were two bunks, one of top of the other. I got a bottom bunk in the set of four with someone from our program on both of the top bunks and an old man across from me on the bottom. Sheets, a pillow and pillow case were provided as well as a blanket that I didn't notice. Instead I used a blanket scarf that my friend Rubi gave to me as a going-away gift as an actual blanket; versatile! I slept pretty well although it was very warm inside. I woke up before the train go to the station and enjoyed watching the snowy countryside. We eventually arrived at the station and met our guide for the next couple days. We got onto a van and went to breakfast to get some much needed caffeine. My coffee came with the tiniest little milk container, which was adorable. After eating we went on a bus tour, stopping to see a couple monuments. My favorite part was seeing all of the frozen canals and the colorful buildings.
At this point my phone was hanging on to 3% so when we stopped at a historical museum I wasn't able to take pictures. They had us put on plastic slippers over our shoes, which was interesting, and told us about a bunch of old Russian politics and political murders. We then re-boarded the bus for another 1.5 hours of bus touring and displayed our keen ability to sleep soundly in moving vehicles. Finally we arrived at our hostel, the Hotel of the Puppet Theater. Our floor smelled like smoke but wasn't as bad as my sophomore year apartment, so it was bearable. I was in a room with the two other girls from our program and the room was nice, if questionably decorated. I immediately plugged in my phone and then we headed out in search of cheap pastries. The rest of the night was uneventful besides the wifi not working.
First impression of St. Petersburg: snowy, historic, no free coffee refills
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Emily Gentles is spending the spring 2018 semester studying math in Moscow.
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