June 8, by Donna

Last night we decided to go to a livelier area for dinner, and we figured we would go by public transit.  First we tried to find the #1 tram to get us there.  There was every kind of public transit whizzing by us …. trolleys, busses, trams, all of which were slightly different … electrified or not, on tracks or not, different colors … very confusing!  So, we finally gave up and walked a few blocks to the metro, where our greatest challenge was purchasing tickets.  Joan bravely approached the cashier with her translator, Marina, standing by.  The gruff agent had no patience for these struggling Americans and kept barking Russian instructions through the glass, while shoving the money back at Joan.  Finally, Joan realized that some of the coins being returned were actually tokens, so we were all set.  We rode the escalator down what seemed like miles, took our one stop ride under the river, then emerged triumphant in the main shopping district, the Nevsky Prospect (they call main streets “prospects” because of their long perspectives).

By the way, it’s been a lot of fun for Marina to know more than the rest of us.  She can sound out the Cyrillic signs and ask directions of strangers.  One of us is constantly pulling at her, saying “Marina, tell me what this sign says!”

The guide had recommended a restaurant on a rooftop nearby, and we all vaguely remembered her directions.  We got ourselves into the vicinity, but couldn’t find the restaurant, so finally asked a taxi driver, who happily pointed us in the right direction.  The restaurant, Terassa, was on the top of a modern building.  There were no seats available inside, so we agreed to sit outside in spite of the fact that it was rather cold out (the weather during the day was glorious).  So we bundled up in the provided blankets and settled in for a delicious dinner.  Happily, the bad service we experienced our first night was not repeated.

  
I know that I haven’t reported on lawlessness lately, and I have to confess we have not seen that much.  However, at this restaurant we certainly did see some “beautiful people” including important looking men making important looking phone calls.  When we left, we saw a line of important looking, fancy black cars with drivers.  We decided that we were seeing rich Russian oligarchs making deals throughout their dinner.  We’ve also seen limos all over the city (including one pink one), so capitalism seems to be in full bloom.

 
We walked back to the hotel, a rather long distance, avoiding further searches for the #1, and further confrontations with testy subway cashiers!