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Arrival in St. Petersburg

Posted by: | September 09, 2009
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Elbrus Northside

Hello from St. Petersburg,

What a whirlwind of a day, going from Elbrus and the northern Caucasus to the edge of the North Sea! We slept soundly last night, enjoying the luxury of a simple bed after so many nights on our inflatable pads. In the morning we gathered for breakfast, eager to see what our efforts at placing an order the night before produced. Our drawings and hand gesturing of a couple of fried eggs and toast missed their mark because we ended up with hard boiled eggs, french fries, and 19 chicken breasts. It was not exactly what we expected but delicious nonetheless.

The rest of the morning was spent packing up and exploring the maze of aisles and stalls of the Kislovodsk central market where honey, pickled tomatoes, and electronics are all sold alongside each other. Afterwards we loaded up our gear and headed back to the airport where we caught an afternoon flight north across Russia to St. Petersburg. The change in landscape was striking, leaving from a small airport in an overlooked corner of Russia and arriving in St. Petersburg where Russian and European influences have merged, creating a beautiful city on the banks of the Neva River. We reached the hotel well into the evening and immediately walked down the canal running just in front to a small cafe where we sat down to another fantastic meal.

Tomorrow is the last day of our adventures in Russia. We will explore some of St. Petersburg’s famous sites before our celebration dinner and evening boat ride through the city’s many canals. We will check-in with our last dispatch tomorrow.

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