4 St, Petersburg, Russia

After a couple dozen somewhat ordinary plane and train rides so far this trip we had very romantic visions of our night train ride to St. Petersburg. We decided to splurge on first class tickets and were expecting something like the Orient Express with crisp linens, private cabin, and maybe even our own bathroom. The cramped bunk room we shared with a Russian mother and daughter didn't match that image, and when they dropped off our styrofoam boxes of chicken with rice gruel for dinner we realized that first class did not mean white glove service. First class....more like worst class. It was a long, though somewhat restful, night in that stuffy sleeper car and we were very glad to get to St. Petersburg.

We were delighted to find St. Petersburg a stark contrast to Moscow: cosmopolitan and very welcoming to visitors. Comparatively small, there is still plenty to do.

The Jewel of St. Petersburg is the amazing Hermitage museum. Not only is the art beyond impressive, but the setting in the original Winter Palace of the Russian Tsars adds something regal as you wander the hallways. One room filled with paintings will be right next to another filled with furniture and decor from its original days as a palace function room. The art collection itself is inherited from generations of acquistions by tsars and tsarinas. We saw Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Monet, Rembrandt, Matisse, and Picasso to name a few, and we mean a few. The Dutch art gallery alone was probably bigger than the entire MFA collection back home. There is apparently some sort of rivalry with the Louvre over which is the premier museum in the world, but for us, the Hermitage was absolutely the best museum we've ever been to. Not a doubt about whether the three hour line to get in is worth it.But St. Petersburg is no one-trick pony. The Museum of Political History is filled with very interesting, but very dense exhibits focusing on the beginning of the Soviet Era to present. There are helpful English translations plus very eager staff, too. We walked aboard the nearby Cruiser Aurora on the Neva River, now filled with Soviet memorabilia, whose blank shots fired in 1917 are reputed to have signaled the start of the Revolution.

And there is lots of pre-Soviet history to see as well. Peter the Great's cabin that was built for him as he directed the beginning construction of St. Petersburg in the early 18th century is on display. The cabin is the city's very first building and is now housed inside another protective building and therefore in immaculate condition. Thankfully, Peter had the forethought (and maybe a little bit of ego) to preserve it for future generations when it was only a few years old. Not far is the beautiful Peter and Paul Fortress that hosts a number of museums and historical buildings including the church in which the Romanov dynasty is all buried. The fortress itself is free to visit and open long hours beyond the ticketed museums inside; we thought it was really neat how locals and travelers alike would walk the paths and beach just to enjoy a nice early morning or late evening stroll.

When not hopping from site to site we found that the thriving thoroughfares of the city were a thrill to wander. The buildings colorfully adorn the city streets, the Neva River and numerous canals that run through it add character, and the sidewalks are bustling--unlike Moscow, with lots of cafes, shops and restaurants! We sampled the offerings while in town and particularly grew fond of a few local fast food favorites. Teremok is a blini chain that we relied on once or twice for a snack of cheese-filled pancake remarkably similar to crepes. Kartofka's specialty is a very popular baked potato with a dozen or so options for fixings. Their potato offerings also included a delicious concoction of steak wrapped in hash browns and smothered with cheese. But the absolute best find was super fresh, 30-cent donuts at Pyshki. They only sell donuts, and only one kind of donut, and we didn't see a single person eat less than four on their own.

Our first hotel in St. Petersburg was the Acme Hotel located one street over from the Hermitage. Not only was the location amazing, but our large, tasteful and well-lit room was the nicest we'd had in a long time. Patrick loved that is had stairs in it...even if there were only two. Even though we shared a bathroom (with only one other room) Acme felt very much like a boutique hotel. They even served breakfast to our room in the morning included in the $60 price tag. Unfortunately they only had availability for our first night; we were very sad to leave.

We thought that nothing could compare with Acme and dejectedly made our way to Hotel Nouvelle Europe. Located near the train station, about a 20-minute walk from the sites, it definitely felt like a step down. But the $63 room was fantastic--and the bed and sheets even more comfortable than at Acme. And while the included breakfast was not served to our room, the offerings were more extensive and served our favorite way: all you can eat. We again shared a bathroom but again with only one other room. Conclusion: we love St. Petersburg hotels and have two great options for places to stay on a return trip.

As it happens there is another reason we loved our St. Petersburg lodging. It had been three days without hot water in Moscow and we'd read that St. Petersburg shuts off their hot water city wide for three weeks during the summer (which possibly explains the shortage in Moscow). So Patrick was disappointed but not surprised to turn the tap all the way to the left for his first shower at Acme and get only icy coldness. But we were used to it by then, so he took his shower and full shave before Katrina got a turn. On a whim, she tried turning the faucet to the right, in the usually cold direction, and was delighted to be met with piping hot water! Patrick was fairly bitter realizing he took the coldest possible shower, but the discovery made for much more comfortable bathing throughout our time in St. Petersburg.There were a few things we learned about Russians during our weeklong stay. They love high heels, sushi, and mullets. That's right, mullets are making a huge comeback in Russia! Or perhaps they never left. What they don't love is change. We came to find there is nothing more distinctly and commonly shared among Russians than a hatred of change. Seemingly every time we paid for anything the cashier had some sort of issue with the amount of money we were trying to pay with. The two best examples are one bill that came to 68 rubles....we thought paying with a 100 note was totally acceptable but the cashier disagreed. After a minute or so of discussion via hand gestures she got us to give her 108 so she could give us back a round 40 rather than 32. Similarly a bill came to 125 but we only had 120 so we tried to pay with a 200 (which is equivalent to about $6). Rather than take the 200 and have to give us change the cashier begrudginly took the 120 instead.

We took another night train to get back to Moscow--this time traveling second class, which was nominally less fancy, but far more comfortable since our train was fairly empty and we had no other passengers in our sleeping cabin. We only had a matter of hours in Moscow before our departure, but we were fortunate enough to stumble across dancing seniors in a park and a Russian Christian rock group performing near the Metro. Then it was dasvidania, Russia!

View more pictures from St. Petersburg here.

6 Lucca, Italy

To Patrick it seemed that every other word out of Katrina's mouth was 'charming' during our 24 hour stay in Lucca. But it is--so charming, with its ancient city wall encircling a labryinth of winding little streets. Even the garbage and pizza delivery trucks are miniature to fit and the postman uses a mail bike. It's a town where travellers come to see nothing in particular, rather to simply experience Lucca.
Our home for the night, La Magnolia B&B, was no exception to the culture of charm. Buzzing in from the street, we expected to open the front door to find a lobby of some sort. But instead we encountered an airy, open courtyard with flints of light sneaking in through the trees from the sun above. Our room on the second floor peered out over the courtyard and a restaurant next door, and the room's decor seemed to not only share but accentuate the atmosphere of the town and surroundings below. Our hosts at the B&B, Laura and her brother, Andrea, were very helpful in getting us oriented to Lucca and on our way to some delectable dining.

Per Laura's recommendation, we had our first meal at Gigi in the Piazza del Carmine. The pasta was so good that it made even Patrick stop to savor every bite, and the 4 Euro half liter carafe of house wine (straight from the barrel we suspect) was the best we've had so far. Afterwards, we allowed our stomaches a brief respite while wandering the streets and pedestrian path atop the city wall. Before long we stopped for gelato that was so good Patrick voted to break our three to five "M" scale to give it a "Mmmmmm".

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling the city wall, taking a nap, and working up an appetite for dinner at Andrea's recommendation, Vasco. Though not quite as delicious as Gigi, we happily stuffed ourselves and were about to call it a night when we heard ampliphied voices descending from atop the city wall. Looking up we could make out a large group of people sitting at tables and our path of deduction was as follows: guests sitting for dinner, toasts on a microphone...must be a wedding! Our curiosity piqued, we went up to check it out and found a scene far from a nuptual reception. Over 200 Luccans were intently participating in a tournament of Burraco, which appeared to be some sort of variation of Canasta. Patrick's competitive streak reared its ugly head, but before he could drag Katrina to a table she dragged him back to La Magnolia. We fell asleep to the sound of joyful dining from the restaurant next door and a soothing Tuscan breeze blowing in our window.
More photos from Lucca here.

18 Pisa, Italy

Ever since we first booked our flight to Italy, we had been dreaming about the food. On our trip to Rome in 2007, we had set records in terms of how much delicious pasta we ate in a day, and we planned to continue that tradition this trip. Unfortunately our first Italian meal was the breakfast included with our stay at Pisa's Hotel Milano. The prepackaged croissants were inedible and the other "goodies" on offer might have well as been styrofoam.

Hotel Milano, with its muggy lobby, sparse rooms, and crusty old owner, was exactly what you might expect from a small town with a reknowned tourist attraction that singly drives the local economy. Our morning march with the other Tower seeking tourists seemed almost ritual and through the eyes of the locals we surely must have looked like map-toting zombies. The well-beaten route was lined with restaurants advertising "typical Tuscan food", and the hotels we passed along the way looked strikingly similar to the dilapidated Milano. The side streets, however, looked asleep. Undoubtedly there are parts of Pisa that are lovely, but in our 13 hour whirlwind tour (including seven hours of sleeping) we certainly did not see them.

But we did have just enough time to sleep, visit the Tower, and get out of town. And seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person is pretty darn cool. It really is...leaning. In a very precarious way. We expected that at any minute, it might topple over on all the people pretending to hold it up for their photos.

The good news is that Pisa is an easy stop on a Tuscan tour. After the Tower, we hopped the next train to Lucca and were there within a half hour, eating that delicious pasta we had dreamed about for so long. But more on that to come...

Since our time in Pisa was so short and accordingly the post, we figured we'd throw in some tidbits from the road:

• We weighed in our packs at the airport in Barcelona...Patrick's came in at 7.3 kilos while Katrina's was 6.7
• Patrick for the first time ever enjoyed coffee this morning
• Shower safety is a big concern in Italy as both showers we have used had S.O.S. pull strings
• The first new word we learn in any country we arrive in is "sale" as it is plastered on every storefront window
• We have yet to see a drop of rain in our first 8 days
• Patrick is becoming a tap water connoisseur...he claims that Spain and France's tasted too "cloudy" and "thick" while Italy's is much more agreeable to his gentle palate
• We can't believe we get to do this for another 178 days!

3 India

Through my work for the Unitarian Universalist Association, I get to travel frequently around the country to meet with generous supporters of the Association. This fall, I was given a unique opportunity to travel to India to see schools being built in the Khasi Hills, where there is an indigenous Unitarian population, made possible by donations through the Association. Patrick obviously would have loved to join me, but his own work responsibilities kept him in Boston.

My trip began with a tour of the Golden Triangle before heading further east to the Khasi Hills. The morning after my arrival in Delhi, I took a two hour train to Agra, which was a piece of cake after spending 14 hours on a plane the day before. The trains are comfortable and even serve hot breakfast, but make sure to reserve a seat in an air conditioned car. Agra is known as the city of monuments, the crown jewel of course being the Taj Mahal. This magnificent mausoleum was built by Shah Jahan in honor of his favorite wife, and the detailing is truly impressive; seemingly painted characters are actually perfectly inlayed marble in marble. The next stop was the Red Fort, where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son. From his room you can see a beautiful view of the Taj. It is so sad to think of him spending the last years of his life longing for freedom and within sight of his cherished memorial.

It is hard to avoid crowds of tourists when in the Golden Triangle but our next stop, the Baby Taj, was a surprising escape. Don't be fooled by the nickname: the only relation to the Taj Mahal is an architectural resemblance. It is much smaller but very beautiful, and the quiet lawn is dotted with dozens of monkeys out to play.

While in Agra I stayed at the Grand Imperial Hotel, a converted palace with plenty of thoughtful details and a lovely courtyard that is visited by a variety of birds and monkeys. The restaurant is also fantastic and serves the best kulfi (Indian ice cream made of goat's milk, pistachios and spices) that I had on the trip.

The next stop on the tour was Jaipur, about a five hour drive from Agra. My favorite Golden Triangle site was actually a stop along this drive: Fatehpur Sikri. It is a sprawling palace built by Emperor Akbar, who was so dedicated to his interfaith belief system that his three wives all came from different religious traditions: one Hindu, one Muslim and one Christian. Each wife had her own living and eating area, but these all reflected elements and symbols from the others' faiths. A definite must see!

Jaipur is known as the "Pink City" for the terra cotta colored edifices that line its streets. In the old city it is mandatory that buildings be painted to conform with the city's moniker. Jaipur is not only known for the color of it's buildings but also for the grandness of them. Notable of the cities many palaces are The Palace of the Lake and Palace of the Winds, both brief stops. The former is built in the middle of a lake and not open to visitors, and the latter is actually simply a facade. Open to visitors is Jaipur City Palace, which is now a collection of museums and a center for local artisans. But the main attraction is Amber Fort built high on the hills. One can take an elephant ride up to the top which is a major thrill and highly recommended, but make sure to tip your driver to avoid them encouraging elephant mischief as you try to dismount! My favorite thing about Amber Fort was the Kali Temple located inside its walls. I was fortunate enough to be visiting during the festival that honors the Hindu goddess Kali, and so there was much ado and many worshipers visiting on that day.

Another interesting site in Jaipur is Jantar Mantar, which is an observatory filled with tools to measure time and make astrological predictions. The world's largest sundial is located here, which can unbelievably tell time within a two second margin of error.

Accommodations in Jaipur were at the Alsisar Haveli. Located right off of a busy street, you are shocked to find this quiet oasis down a driveway between run-down storefronts. A haveli is essentially an Indian mansion, and each room in this one was unique, comfortable, and tastefully decorated.

Unfortunately I was not able to spend time in the third corner of the Golden Triangle, Delhi, due to the time constraints of this work trip. I was fortunate enough to have a guide and

driver while touring the sites above and I would highly recommended the same for anyone else for several reasons. First, driving is crazy in India, and I say that as someone who can navigate through Boston traffic no problem. I cannot imagine even attempting to drive there. Secondly, written narratives at tourist attractions are practically nonexistant. It would be very difficult to understand what you are seeing without a guide. Most importantly, India is really another world. As someone who has done a good deal of foreign traveling, I still found it very difficult to get around without local guidance or direction. It is very inexpensive to hire a guide, and almost all travelers that I saw--from backpackers to affluent tour groups--had a guide with them.

After days of sightseeing it was time to get down to business. I flew to Guwahati for the work portion of my trip and then drove another three hours on a very bumpy road to get to Shillong, the main hub of the Khasi Hills. Visiting Indian villages is a drastically different experience from touring the big cities of the Golden Triangle. In both, white skin and western clothes immediately sets one apart. In Agra and Jaipur, this marks a person as someone with money, and I was swarmed by beggars and hawkers outside every attraction. This made it very hard to be a visitor, and deeply sad in many ways. In the villages I was seen more as alien. Kids would point at me and whisper to their parents, while some warmed to me and would giggle when I waved.

The people in the Khasi Hills were welcoming, gracious, and generous. I was visiting a school built by donations from the West, and the students prepared songs and dances to welcome us. The presented us with gifts upon gifts--traditional Khasi necklaces, beautiful shawls, and handwoven sieves and bowls. It was a special experience to spend time in such a place, so many worlds apart from my home.

It took me almost 36 hours straight of travel time to return to Boston at the end of the trip; I was exhausted and glad to be back. India is an amazing, beautiful, fascinating, and also heartbreaking place. I have never before felt so far away from home.