Monday, June 25, 2012

Classes

We have so many different professors during this trip teaching us so many different lessons. Each professor has a different way of teaching that is very unique and definitely different than Bloomsburg. Luckily all of them speak english but they have very thick accents. We have learned about many different subjects including language, economics, finance, culture, history, and banking.

Ostankino TV Tower

The Ostankino TV tower was both a bad time and a good time. It took us six hours to finally go up into the tower and see the view because of some problems we were having but when we finally got up there the view was spectacular. You could see all around Moscow and there was even a section that had a glass floor which some people didn't want to walk onto. Some people wouldn't walk on it and some people actually jumped on it! 

Sparrow Hills

We met our guides Daria and Nikki in the morning and made our way to Sparrow Hills. We had a bit of a problem on the way there when one of our group members didn't make it off the subway in time but we managed to find them thanks to our guides.

We made our way up to Sparrow Hills and at the top we were greeted with the Moscow State University which is one of the Seven Sisters of Moscow. The building was huge and it was definitely a sight worth going  to.

After seeing the University we walked around Moscow and then finished our day with supper at a local restaurant

The State Tretyakov Gallery

The State Tretyakov Gallery is a large art museum filled with famous works of art. We met with out guides in the morning and they took us to the gallery and explained some of the paintings to us. Some of the works of art we were told about in some of our classes before going there so it was exciting to put our knowledge to use.

Saint Petersburg

Our four day long excursion to Saint Petersburg was very educational. On the first day we went to the Hermitage. The Hermitage is a huge building filled with works of art, sculptures, and artifacts. That took most of the day to experience. After that we were all very hot and tired so we decided to follow the Hermitage up with a boat ride around Saint Petersburg.

The next day our excursion was to Peterhof which is the Summer Palace that the Czars stayed at. Some of our group went into the palace itself while some of us explored the grounds. Not only is the palace amazing but the grounds are filled with statues and fountains. If you got tired of walking around you could do what we did and relax at the small beach they had along the one side of the estate.


At the end of our trip we got on the train and made our way back to Moscow. The train ride was long but everyone found some way to entertain themselves.

Space Museum

We started off our excursion to the Space museum with a movie about the Russian space program. The video was interesting but it was all in Russian so we didn't understand the audio. After the video our guide showed us around the building. We saw the space suits, where the astronauts sleep, and even where the space station is currently. It was a very fun day.

Zoo


We went to the Moscow Zoo which was a lot of fun. One of the members in our group had a birthday the same day so it was nice celebrating that way too.

Unfortunately it was very hot out so along with the heat the animals didn't feel like moving much. It was a lot of fun though and we saw a lot of animals.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Our trip to the Golden Ring


Today we woke up for our trip this morning. All of us met in the lobby with Rosa, our Russian language professor. We climbed into the bus and started our 5 hour trip through Russia. The Russian tour guide kept us entertained with stories about Russia, historic figures, and mushrooms. Half way through the trip we stopped at a little cafe for a quick break and continued on. Five hours later we arrived at our destination.

After five hours we were all hungry so we went to eat at a restaurant, then we proceeded to see the sites. The guide showed us a number of amazing sites that included churches and museums. We took so many pictures and really enjoyed the bell chorus that rang every hour. Some of us bought souvenirs from local merchants. After a few hours our guide showed us to the hotel we would be staying at. It was an amazing hotel complete with swimming pool, bowling alley, and billiard room. After settling into the hotel for a bit we went out to eat with Rosa and Dr. Khan. Everyone enjoyed the meal that included salad, chicken pot pie, and baked apple. We finished up the night with billiards, the Euro world cup, and casual conversation with he whole group.