4th of July in Russia

So yesterday was Independence Day. In the U.S. it is red, white, and blue everywhere. Barbecues and pools. Family, fireworks, and freedom.

Well, in Russia, things were quite different. But I was able to get my American on for two straight days that were an absolute blast!

Chesme Church

Fountains and Lenin

On Wednesday, my friend and I explored a part of the city near my apartment. We wandered through Victory Park, which is dedicated to Russian WWII heroes. Next, we took pictures at Chesme Church, a small, pink Russian Orthodox church. And yes, I did say pink. It looks like something Queen Frostine from Candy Land would live in. Then, it was lunchtime. We ended up at a little Syrian cafe. I ordered some sort of hamburger thing. It was not beef. But it was in the style of a hamburger, and it had fries, so I was content. Afterwards, we went across the street to a beautiful plaza filled with fountains and the largest statue of Lenin in St. Petersburg.

After all that excitement, the real adventure began as we hopped on the metro and went to the very end of the line (when we got off there was no one on it, probably the only time I shall ever see an empty metro, it was quite refreshing). And to where did we go? To Baltika Brewery, of course! We got a tour of the brewery, saw how it was all made, and learned some new things.  In an effort to break stereotypes, did you know that China is the largest market for beer? The United States is second, followed by Germany, and then Russia. At the end of the tour, we were allowed to taste the beer, which is what almost everyone was waiting for. There was a very nice spread for us at the beer tasting. Roughly 15 different types of beer to try at each table, snacks, plastic cups. If you know me, you know not that I do not drink. And I had never had a beer before. So I used this free experience to try it all out. After about 7 or 8 tastes of different beers, I came to the conclusion that I just do not like beer. Plain and simple. And let me tell you, my parents were extremely happy to hear that. But it was a really cool experience, I tried something new, and I would not change it. And at the end we got a gift from Baltika, so it all racks up just swell.

Inside the movie theatre

And the fun just kept coming! Three of us went to the movie theatre and saw The Great Gatsby. It was awesome because we got to see it in English, no Russian dubs on this one. And the theatre was gorgeous! Individual seats that you pick on a computer screen when buying your ticket, and elaborately decorated interiors with Grecian statues. The movie itself was really good. I have heard mixed reviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the music surprisingly worked, because I was highly skeptical on that end.

So Wednesday seemed ambitiously American, and then came Thursday.

I got dolled up in my white and blue and went to a picnic in the park. The picnic was fun, lots of food, great people, lovely day. You could not ask for much more. Until one of our program directors brought out an "I love America" sign and hung it on a tree. We were officially Americans in Russia. And oh how we enjoyed it!

Park sign in Disney script

Batman and Superman

The best part, however, was what was in the middle of the park. There just happened to be a knock-off Disney amusement park sitting across the tiny lake from us. And of course we ventured over there. There was about 30 rides, a little kid zone, and carnival games. We were able to wander through it because you paid per ride, and pay for a ride we did. We thought we were going on this awesome, very tall, swing ride. Instead, we accidentally bought tickets for the kiddie swings. It was okay though, the swinging carousel is a classic amusement park ride, and the wind and the view were very nice on a hot day. So all the signage in the park is done in the classic Disney script, but the park is not a part of the Disney corporation. There were multiple Disney characters lurking throughout the park: a princess bounce house and a Cars ride. Disney was also joined by Shrek, Batman,Yoda from Star Wars, and the gang from The Wizard of Oz. Everything was so adorable, so cool, and so quirky. Due to copyright laws that Russians tend to ignore, you will never find anything like this park in America. But for an American traversing Russia on the 4th of July, all of these classic characters provided a little slice of home.

Yoda

Swinging Carousel

Pretending to be Dorothy with the Scarecrow

I topped the adventure off with a Kit Kat ice cream cone. Then, I went back to my apartment and Skyped with my parents. It was very nice to see and hear them, and the house, and my puppy. It felt a little like home. Although I did not see any fireworks, my 4th of July in Russia was a great adventure! I am very grateful for the freedoms that the United States and its heroes provide me. I am definitely proud to be an American!