First of all, let me apologize for the lapse in updates. As you might have seen on my facebook, I got sick Saturday morning, and I've just not felt well enough to manage an entire entry. But I'm back now, and I will do my best to recount everything that has happened.
I really did nothing on Saturday, thanks to the sudden illness. For those of you who are not aware, I am quite prone to bronchitis/upper respiratory infections. They usually start with a sore throat and occur when the weather changes. Well, this one is no exception. It progressed from severely sore throat to runny nose to coughing to laryngitis all in the course of 3 days. I started antibiotics yesterday morning, and I already feel better, so I anticipate that I will be good as new by the end of this week.
On Sunday, we had our first excursion to the town of Pushkin, which is a suburb of St. Pete. It is, as you might expect, named for the poet, and since the 6th of June is Pushkin's birthday, it was especially nice that we got to go and see the celebration they put on for him. Many flowers were laid on and in front of a statue of him, and people gave speeches and performed. It was really lovely. We then went to the summer residence of the Tsars, or the so-called "Catherine's Palace."
Boy, oh boy, was this place ever beautiful. The gardens were amazing, the building was gorgeous, and the interior was even more so. We then learned from our guide that this was where the German soldiers stayed during the WWII seige of Leningrad. The Russians saved as many of the pieces from the palace as they could, and the rest was either taken or destroyed when the German soldiers were eventually driven out. The pictures of the damage were truly unbelievable, and the fact that it has been restored so close to its former glory is similarly amazing.
Monday was fairly uneventful, however we did go to the Hermitage Theater to see the choir from London's King's College perform. Really, the draw was more seeing the theater, which is every bit as beautiful as you would imagine a piece of the Winter Palace to be. The choir, however, was well-worth listening to as well.
Today, Anna, Emily, Kim, and I went to a shopping mall after class on the other side of town. It was very similar to a shopping mall in the States, so not much to talk about there.
And that should bring me up to date! Pictures of both Catherine's Palace and the Hermitage Theater should be up later this evening/today.
Have a lovely day!
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