I ended up at the Russian Museum yesterday and spent a wonderful afternoon wandering around the exhibitions. It is much smaller than the Hermitage and easier to get around. They have some amazing artworks there and I discovered loads of Russian artists I had never heard of. There was also a special folk art exhibition and one about american artists of Russian descent. I did manage to get myself into a bit of a loop and went round the American artist's exhibition 3 times before finding the right exit! I obviously have an aura of 'shouldn't be allowed out on her own' as several female members of staff felt obliged to keep pointing me in the right direction which was invariable the opposite of the one I was headed in!
It was after 5pm when I left there and the weather had improved although it was still very cold. I went to my usual little bistro before heading back to the hotel. And this is where the day began to get really interesting!
I was just going in through the inner doors of the metro when I saw a young man charging towards me. He swerved past me and through the door but the cop behind him wasn't able to avoid me and sent me spinning! I am not sure it was the most graceful pirouette and it most certainly wasn't the best landing...on my a$$! However, I have to say the cop did not get off so lightly. He riccocheted off me into the door frame making a deep impression on his face!(They make the doors to last here!) He then continued in hot pursuit. My aura really shone then. I was the target of every concerned babushka for miles around. Bus loads of them seemed to arrive to help me!! They took a lot of persuading that I was actually none the worse for the experience and I eventually managed to get them to agree that I was capable of travelling on my own. I do however suspect that several of them may have followed me home just to make sure!!)Then the cop returned with his target firmly grasped by the collar! He will have a wonderful dent in his head today and an amazing black eye!! I have to admit to feeling quite pleased that I didn't let the side down in an away game....Scottish Tourist:1-Local Constabulary:0!
And I thought it was the little pink ones I had to worry about! Mind you, they really excelled themselves last night. It was nearly 2.00am before I finally got to sleep! Several people were telling them to quieten down but as one group of mini terrorists went to their rooms another emerged and started all over again. As I went down to breakfast this morning I noticed through the open bedroom doors that there were several empty beer bottles. It is a sad reality here that even children are alcoholics. They begin drinking at a young age and they drink every day. It seems normal to them but it is actually incredibly sad. Of course we have similar problems in Scotland but it is different here. What a waste of their lives. I think the life expectation of a Russian man is 50 something.
I have had one lesson already today and am having a break before going back for another this afternoon to make up for the one missed yesterday. After that I will probably just have something to eat and head back to the hotel. I may need to get a couple of hours kip before the noise starts and then I can read a book or something until they settle down. I would ask for a different room but I suspect that they have basically taken over the building! There are several hundred of then, not just a few dozen!!
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