I don’t really understand why Russia has been getting such bad publicity. Whenever I said I was going to Russia, most people would kinda look at me funny, as if saying “Dude? Why??”

Of course, I’ve only been here a few days and I’ve only stayed in St Petersburg so far but… it’s just lovely! Oh and I haven’t even started to talk about the food here. It’s been surprisingly delicious (and cheap). They have a huge amount of choice in fish dishes, soups, meats. Dill is a big thing here and some of the selection in restaurants reminded me of what I ate in Norway. I was also surprised by the taste of vegetables and fruits: melons, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes. They are so tasty compared to ours or the ones I ate in the US. Maybe it’s because they still have a policy of eating and consuming products made in Russia? Maybe because they use less pesticides/GMO/bullshit? I don’t know but apparently they try to restrict importations as much as possible.

Anyway… Maybe it’s the remains of the Cold War that has left a shadow on our perception of Russia but I feel very much in a normal European city – with a different but pretty looking alphabet.

(this is a selection of weird stuff I got from the supermarket. Every day is an adventure!)