Gostiny Dvor

This past weekend was pretty relaxing. Friday went by so quickly. I started the day with an individual lesson, then I headed to a coffee shop for my Russian language lesson. Afterwards, Anya, my tutor, Elizabeth, and I headed to Izum for lunch. It was my third time there and every time I'm amazed how good the food is. I ordered the chicken kabobs with cous cous, and I was given the most tender chicken I've ever eaten. The portions are fairly large too. By the time we finished, it was already 5 o'clock! I couldn't believe the day was almost over. I walked home, and spent the rest of the night lesson planning.
On Saturday A and I ran some errands. I finally caved and bought a straightener with a Russian plug because using my American one with a converter, especially at Anton's apartment, is frying my hair so much quicker than I would like. I figured it's an investment, and if I decide to leave Russia now I can always use it whenever I travel to Europe. We then went to several different stores trying to find groceries to make tacos. Then we returned to his apartment to have dinner and watch a tv show.

Yesterday, we spent most of the day indoors, but I was getting really antsy. I couldn't concentrate on lesson planning and I just wanted to do something out of the apartment. I finally convinced A to go for a walk. Before the walk I went up to the 13th floor of his apartment to based on a recommendation from someone who saw my last post. I was expecting to see more of a view, and actually didn't even think there was much of a difference from the photos on his floor. I snapped a few pictures anyways (below) and went back down. When I returned to his floor I realized that there was, indeed, a big difference between the views. I like the last photo, too, because you can see how windy it was and how much snow was blowing around.

We walked around for a little bit with no real purpose. It was slightly warmer than it has been, and so it was nice to walk around despite the wind. The last place we ended up was at Gostiny Dvor, and I've been wanting to take pictures of it. Throughout the year there isn't much in the square, but this winter they built a skating rink. I wish I could skate because it looked like fun. Gostiny dvor is actually the name of an indoor market and you'll find similar places in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the past, this particular square used to be the center of trade and hold fairs and festivals. In 1866, the actual building was built, and was remodeled in 2015. I don't go there often because it's kind of pricy, but it's right across the street from my work so I look at the area often.

The lighting was perfect for photos. It wasn't too bright or too dark. I loved that the lights on the buildings were just right. I am so happy that the sun doesn't set until 7 now. It makes the day seem so much longer, and it means spring is right around the corner. Friends and family back home are always posting pictures of how unseasonably warm it is, and it just adds to my desire for warm weather. I think A and I mentioned about 15 times on our walk how much we want to talk without a coat and hat.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun and exciting?