A Trip Down Memory Lane to Russia
I had always been drawn to Russia. There was something so magical and enchanting about the place. The beautiful architecture, the people, the culture and language so different from my own. It was all so fascinating to me, and I couldn't wait to go. My chance came when we were living in London, and I was beside myself with excitement. Even booking the trip turned into an adventure with all the red tape and visa difficulties, you couldn't simply book flights and hotels.
Finally in St. Petersburg, I was there and it was everything I had ever dreamed. I fell in love with it instantly. Such a beautiful, different and amazing place. One of the things I loved most about it, was that it seemed largely untouched by the Western world. Hardly anyone spoke English so everything was in Russian, adding to its charm.
One of my favourite memories of Russia, was in a small restaurant in St. Petersburg. As we walked in we could only hear Russian being spoken, no tourists! We were shown to our seats by a smiling waitress, with no English and handed a menu entirely in Russian. This was fantastic. The menu was however divided into sections with pictures of animals at the top. We found the section headed by a picture of a chicken, with quite a number of options below. When the waitress came to take our order, we pointed to one of the items. She tried to explain (in Russian) what is was with no success. With no clue, we happily ordered two, then relaxed with a glass of vodka (of course!). When the two meals arrived, it turned out to be chicken schnitzel and chips! Perfect! Whilst not exactly the traditional cuisine I would normally hope for, it was amazing. We had successfully ordered one of our favourite meals without having spoken or understood a word.
It was a magical moment, and always makes me smile. This experience is often lost when travelling these days, as most people can speak English. Even when you are attempting to learn the local language, as is the case with us when travelling to French speaking places. Our attempted French inevitably turns to an English conversation. I hope to have many more experiences like this in the future, I guess I'll just have to travel further off beaten path!
Carly loves traveling, food adventures, and cooking. She has been to 33 countries and counting! She has lived in Sydney and London. Currently in Toronto, Canada. She can be found on her blog and on Instagram.
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