The Messina Family

The Messina Family
Barcelona 2010

Friday, August 21, 2009

Our Night in St. Petersburg

The whirling dancers... The city of St. Petersburg...around 1130 p.m. Okay, so I had to get in on the wearing of Craig's Russian hat... The hat doesn't look too bad on Rich... The hat definitely looks best on its new owner, Craig! The ship flies the flag of the host country at the port of call. So here I am onboard ship in Russia, with the Russian flag in the background (and St. Petersburg in the background as well). The sun is finally setting...around 1145 that evening. It was amazing to many of the Americans onboard...these "white nights" they call them in Russia. However, it felt like I was right at home in Norway! :o) A Russian sailor...walking along Nevsky Project (the main street in St. Petersburg) I double dare you to try this kind of leaping about! :o) The singers in their traditional yellow costumes... Believe it or not, in gymnastics, dance or cheerleading, this jump where you touch your toes is called a "Russian". Go figure! This is a bass balalaika. It has 3 strings and sounds like a chello or bass that is strummed or plucked. I had never seen anything like this before. I loved these traditional costumes! One of the Russian folk dancers. This woman had such a bright face that I had my eye on her most of the time. One of the singers... The singing was fantastic. They had such a full sound. Didn't understand one word...they could have been telling off everyone in the audience for all I knew, but it was really beautiful. My brother, Craig, and the newest addition to his hat collection. After our first full day touring in St. Petersburg, we were dropped off at the ship around 5:30 in the evening. We changed into some fancier clothes, ate a quick dinner at the buffet area, and headed back off the ship for another shore excursion in the evening. Craig and Mayra had been on a private Russian tour during the day, but joined us for the evening to see the Russian folklore show. We were taken to a concert hall and were treated to a fabulous evening of singing and dancing. The instruments were all foreign to me...along with all the words to the songs. However, I had a wonderful time and it was definitely something that I would go to see again if given the chance. I have tried to upload a few videos in order to share some of this with you. No worries about copyrights or anything...I had to pay a small entrance fee in rubles if I wanted to take still photos or video. I hope that you enjoy it! The group is called Volga. They are a song and dance ensemble.


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