Travelling back home

First of february I had to leave Russia. I did it by night-train to Talinn. That's amazing how different Talinn is. It's Europen, not Russia. But it is a very charming little town. I spent there only day, taking in the evening a Eurolines-Bus to Riga, where I could stay two nights with a friend of my russian friend Masha's mother. Very nice people! And interesting city as well. But my prefered Baltic capital is Vilnius. They tell it to be to hugest medieval town in the World and I guess, they are right, the really have an amazing historic center. Anyway there is a lot to see. And when I was there, it happened just to be Masleniza, which is an important folkloric day in most of eastern Europe. It is to celebrate the end of Winter and beginning of fast-time. So they are burning a giant doll and dancing aroung and eating tons of pancakes all the day long. So tasty :-)
As in my first intent to pass the border they didn't allow me to enter Belarus, even so I had a valable visa, I was forced to spend one day more than planned in Vilnius. Anyway, finally I got to Belarus, where I was meating friends from the YMCA. It was so cool to meet this people again and maybe even better to make new friends in the local YMCA in Brest and meet the best friends of my belarussian friend Tanya in Minsk. She had told me so much about them, I felt as if I knew them allready :-).
So on the pictures you see Masleniza in the courtyard of a lithuanin school, me travelling in a belarussian train and some pictures of excursions with the girls from Belarus YMCA in Brest. Great people!!

One week in St.Petersburg

Before I definitely had to leave Russia because my visa was vencing I spent a week in St.Petersburg, the so called northern Venice and Russian Cultural Capital....I guess you all know something about St.Petersburg so I am not going to tell you a lot about the city. Just put some pics so you can imagine of what this city looks like in Winter. I really enjoyed my staying there. Especially the Russiam Museum and the Ermitage and then the Ballet I was wachting in the Marinsky Theater, where once the Tsars where sitting in the lodge, was very impressionating.
I was living for a week in the flat of a friend of my friend Maiann. Was nice as well to get to know at least this people about whom she had told me so much...Yes it was a good last russian week....

Farewell-Party in Nizhny

Okay, I know it's much to late to write all this and to tell about the farewell-party I organized in the student-home in Nizhniy Novgorod in the ends of january. But anyway, it is still worth to remember that evening...It was touched by how many of my friends followed my invitation and by the cards and gifts I got. I guess in the end I got really good friends in Russia and I am missing them a lot now...In my farewell-party we played some games. That's real fun, how much russian love to play, even adults. I enjoyed it a lot. We were laughing so much that evening although I was sad, because I had to leave them all and don't have the slightest idea when I am going to meet them again. The day after the party my train left at about 6 pm o'clock for St.Petersburg. Six of my friends brought me to the station and where waving to me, when my train was leaving...I think I almost started crying in that moment...It's allways hard to leave friends...to have to say goodbye and to realize that what has been will never be again.