A Russian Adventure

By Nakita Dziegielewski

St. Petersburg has been amazing so far. The “historic heart” of St. Petersburg is so beautiful with all its palaces, cathedrals and museums. So far I have been to the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, the Hermitage, Pushkin, Catherine’s Place and the Russian bayna. My favorite places thus far have been Pushkin, Catherine’s garden and the Russian bayna. For those of you that don’t know what a bayna is it is like the American version of a sauna with a little twist. First you go into the sauna, stay in there until you can’t stand it, and after you can’t take it any longer you go and jump into a pool of ice cold water. Sounds crazy, but it is so amazing. It helps with circulation and detoxifies your body. Definitely something that I recommend to everyone that visits Russia!


I loved Pushkin! It was nice to see a softer side of Russia. Pushkin is located on the countryside of St. Pete and also houses Catherine’s palace and garden. It was so different to see the countryside of Russia. The historic heart is filled with beautiful architecture, but the outskirts are filled with large apartment style buildings. The country was a nice contrast. Catherine’s garden (below right) was amazing! It’s full of long, winding trails, tall grass and wildlife. I could of spent hours there, but unfortunately we had to leave by a certain time.

Classes have been great so far. I like my Russian language class. In only one week I have learn so much. Unfortunately, I’m not an expert at communication yet, so I love the fact that body language is universal! It has come in handy more times than one. One thing that I have become an expert at is the metro. I love it!! I was so happy the other day because I was able to get to Nevsky Prospect without having to look at my metro map. I don’t even need it now, but I still carry it with me just in case. I still can’t figure out the bus and trolley system, but I’m not that worried because I don’t ever use it.

An aspect of Russian culture that I have fallen in love with is the food. It is amazing. Every breakfast, lunch and dinner I am served with a hot serving of Russian culture and I love it. The food is so fresh and good. I just can’t get enough.

Paka (goodbye) for now!!