Yesterday we spent a good part of the day on the other side of town. First, we had a great boat ride on the Neva River and through the canals! It was a gorgeous day, weatherwise... Everybody got a trucker tan (and even a mild sunburn). Next we went to The Hermitage (which was crowded as usual) for a quick tour. After The Hermitage, I offered to shepherd any folks who wanted to stay in town back to our hotel via the metro after a couple hours of free-time wandering...
The big news of the evening was the push-and-grab pickpocket incident in the metro station near the center of the city. After we regrouped about 8pm, I led a small group of 6 of us to the metro station to get the train back to our hotel. I never really considered our level of vulnerability, really. Last year, my students took any precautionary measures (such as keep quiet and keep your money/passport in your front pocket on public transportation, don't make eye contact, stay together, etc.) very seriously. I should have been more aware! As we were waiting for the train on the platform, our English and laughing and clothing styles gave us away... As the doors opened, someone(s) pushed us in from behind and I felt a hand in my wallet pocket, which I pushed away (besides, as hot as I was, there was no way my wallet was going to be easily extracted). It happened too fast for me to even see the perpetrators. Mike (from Maine) in our group was not so lucky-- as the doors were closing, I saw him run off the train and down the platform. The train left and we were worried that he (he's a BIG guy) had tackled someone and was going to have to deal with the police. When we returned, I immediately told Dr. Pope, who, in turn, called our native-speaking guide, Nadya, to figure out what to do when Mike showed up at the hotel. At least he still had his passport with him. After he called his wife from the front desk, we got him some cash to tie him over (poor guy was down to one last cigarette), and called it a night. BIG LESSON here for anyone in the audience traveling abroad. It's hard not to be an American, but as soon as some folks hear American English, they see not you, but dollar signs.
Russia, even big cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow, is a safe place with nice people. You just have to be careful. Last night's incident was the first I'd ever been involved in in three visits to this country...
Anyway. That's all the news for now. More later!
