trip to St. Petersburg
(Leningrad), Russia

I have always been intrigued by Russia. Following trips to eastern Europe back in the eighties - I made two trips to Russia in the following years.
Sure, with the fall of communism these were indeed exciting years in Russia. Nevertheless my interest lies more with the eternal Russia.
E.g. Near the Alexander Nevsky Monestery in St. Petersburg I visited the Tikvin Cemetery, where Tchaikovsky, Dostoyevsky, Rimsky-Korsakov,
and other famous russians are buried.
Not yet (early, mid nineties) discovered by the huge tourist crowds - So, I pretty much had the place to myself together with a superintendent,
who proudly showed me russias great dead sons.
Obviously, it all happened on a very cold and frosty russian day. And obviously, we ended up crying about all that is lost. Russian style.

After a week in St. Petersburg I began to dread the day where I had to return home.
The winters might be cold in Russia - and there sure is lots and lots to be sad about in Russia.
But russians know how to love and how to cry, and that kind of makes things ok after all.....
I wrote about my experiences in the magazine Samvirke back in September 1997.
Don't know about spending another winter in Russia. But glad I once did.

-Simon Laub

Samvirke, September 1997:

 

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