Pektopan; on food and drinks in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, a city of 5 million inhabitants, has had a reputation as a place where all the Finnish tourists get robbed in the metro - at least this was what we had heard. Therefore, we were very cautious in the beginning of our trip, my sisters being almost hysterical about the security. However, it didn't last for long. After taking a taxi from the train station to our nice hotel, A Boutique Hotel, close to Nevsky Prospekt, we already started our discovery of the Russian (drinking) culture. We headed to Datscha, a recommended bar at Ulitsa Dumskaya. As the bar didn't seem to serve any cocktails, we were obliged to start our trip with some vodka (around 3 Euros a glass). After the first little grins, we were into it. Chatting with Igor ("hey, these Russians are not so ugly after all" - the first myth busted) and dancing old school hits with Pjotr and Andrei (PhDs working for the Russian Academy of Sciences) a little later leaving our bags unwatched somewhere next to the Swedish Erasmus students and local semi-hipsters. After one last vodka, feeling very safe, we headed back to the hotel; after all, we had a Hermitage scheduled for the next morning.

St. Petersburg seems to have a good nightlife and there are plenty of nice bars to choose from. Another cool place where we ended up was the Terminal (on the trendy Ulitsa Rubinshteina). A small place inspired by New York style. I'm not sure if it was the vodka or the local people, but it was easy to start a chat with the Russians and some of them spoke excellent English (some none). I guess the friendly Russian people that I met during our weekend trip were a major reason why I really liked the atmosphere in the city. Thank you Andrei, Pjotr, Igor and you guys at the Terminal!

The second myth busted: For some reason, the Russian kitchen has never really inspired me. At school in the 90s, we ate stroganoff and borsch soup that left a bad taste - for years. As a vegetarian, I was also afraid that the culinary scene in St. Petersburg wouldn't offer me much choices. Fortunately, I was wrong and I completely fell in love with the blinis and pelmenis that we had. A surprise for a Finn is that blinis are not those puffy and small pancakes that we are used to call Russian blinis in Finland, but more like the usual thin crêpes. In any case, they were great. A cheap and typical local option is to buy some from a Teremok kiosk (see below) that you can find everywhere (except when you're looking for one after an exhausting tour at the Hermitage). A recommendable mushroom blini from Teremok was only 41 rubles, equivalent to 1,30 Euros.

A more comfortable place to try some blinis is Bliny Domik (at Kolokolnaja 8) not far from the Terminal bar. The menu is abundant so there is no trouble finding something that satisfies everyone in the group. My sisters shared a tasty borsch soup and blinis with fish and caviar. I had a pumpkin blini with boiled cabbage (100 rubles, or around 3 Euros). My sister was courageous enough to try Russian wine, but I had the traditional tea served in a samovar (photo). Our waiter was a guy happy to practice his English and the other waiter was also entertaining the clients with his singing talent. He was practicing for his concert in Finland... In the next street, there was a superbe Georgian restaurant, Ket, where we had dinner on a Saturday night. The food was excellent and I'm waiting for the moment I can buy some khachapuri in Helsinki as well.

For Sunday lunch, we had pelmenis in a very cosy restaurant, the Idiot, close to St. Isaac's Cathedral, by the Moyka canal. It used to be one of the only vegetarian restaurants in the city, but now the menu offers meat dishes as well. The mushroom filled pelmenis, or dumplings, were delicious (see below). There was also a free shot of vodka on the arrival, though on our last day in St. Petersburg we could have also survived without any vodka drop. I think I finally need to buy that pasta machine so I could start doing some pelmenis myself. 

My brother-in-law had jokingly, but I guess believing in it to some extent, said that we should only take our worst clothes with us as they would be burnt after our trip due to bedbugs. Many people in Finland still like to think that Russia is a backward and poor country. Of course it is that as well, you can see it immediately when you cross the border or check some statistics; there is absolute poverty and the inequalities are huge in Russia. But at the same time, there are people in St. Petersburg that are richer than the richest of Helsinki all together. The amount of luxury shops and fancy restaurants is overwhelming, the main street Nevsky Prospekt is lined with boutiques that we didn't even dare to look at. 

There was also a wonderful delicacy store Kupetz Eliseevs close to our hotel on the Nevsky Prospekt (see a good panorama of the pretty Art Nouveau style shop on their website) selling exquisite European products, Russian vodka in beautifully decorated bottles, caviar, and all sorts of delicious-looking pastries and cakes (by the way, there was also the one and only black person we saw in the whole city). Despite the huge variety of food and wine, there was unfortunately no Russian champagne, or shampanskoje. A drink that is definitely worth tasting!

Glimpses of St. Petersburg

It's almost embarrassing to tell that I only now had my first trip to Russia and to St. Petersburg, the wonderful city only 3,5 hours by train from Helsinki. Well, me and my sisters, with whom I visited the city, are more than happy that we finally managed to do the trip. Here are some photos to illustrate why. 

It seems that the renovations made in the city for its 300th birthday have changed the city dramatically from the Leningrad years when my father visited the city and wrote in a post card: "Leningrad is awful and the food is bad." St. Petersburg surprised us only positively (even though my expectations were high) and in so many levels: architecture, people, security, food. I think it could become my second biennial travel destination. It's funny, I should say so because hitherto my other biennial destination has beenVenice and it is not seldom that one thinks of the Venetian canals when in St. Petersburg (but otherwise the resemblances end there).

                         

The city is full of history, stories we were reading about when at school. Suddenly I saw all those names of different tsars and wars in my guide book (sadly, those stories already a bit blurred since my school years). Above is for example the church of Our Saviour on the Blood built on the very spot where revolutionaries murdered Emperor Alexander II in 1881. That also affected the history of Finland, then part of Russia, as Alexander II had been a kind ruler towards the Finns unlike his follower.

I have always thought that there is something magic about the tsars of Russia. But only in St. Petersburg I understood how powerful and rich they had been, how exaggerated in gold was their style,  how separated from the real world they must have been in their numerous palaces, and how they probably set their own sad destiny because of all this. The bolshevik revolution didn't bring up a democratic republic like in France and maybe that's why the killed Romanov family has preserved some of the fascination and even empathy.

The Bronze Horseman: Peter the Great founded the city in 1703. The granite underneath the statue weighs 1500 tons and was carried from 20km away to this place. It is one of the biggest blocks ever moved by humans without machines, it took 400 men and 9 months.

Here is the huge Hermitage Museum, or Winter Palace, seen from the palace square (above) and from the top of the St. Isaac's Cathedral (below). I had some ambitions when we went inside to the museum but after 2 hours I gave up; the never-ending corridors and rooms after rooms exhausted me and my sisters. It was the hopelessness of never getting even around the entire building that made me more desperate than a hurting back. We decided to focus on the 19th-20th century art only. Even this collection was huge but I made some good discoveries, like Kees van Dongen (see above the lovely green lady that I also bought as a poster). After this, we didn't even bother to walk all across the huge building to see some da Vinci and Rembrandt etc., they were simply too far away. Indeed, the museum is one of the biggest in the world, its collection has more than 3 million art works and the best of them are exhibited in the 350 rooms of the Winter Palace. The palace in itself is also worth seeing.

Here's another view from the St. Isaac's Cathedral, the massive cathedral that can accomodate more than 14000 people and took 40 years to build. The views from the golden cupola (see also below) all around the city were amazing, but the inside of the church is not of great interest. The same goes, by the way, for the interior of the Blood church that is much more spectacular from the outside. 

Some places in St. Petersburg reminded me of Paris, like this pretty square below.

Some others could have been in Helsinki. I think this one below has many similarities with Kruununhaka, Helsinki.

Obviously, we mostly walked around in the most touristic areas of the city, so I cannot say anything about how the common Russians live - or any Russians, after all, I only saw palaces... The centre is not in impeccable state in many places but it is surprisingly clean. However, I don't believe it would continue like this in the suburbs. Unfortunately, three days was hardly enough to see even the main sights of the city, so the more sociological tour for inspecting living conditions and the crazy inequalities of Russia will be on the to do list of my next trip.

In St. Petersburg you cannot but wonder what would have happened to the city without socialism.  What kind of a country Russia would be now? After all, the city has only re-emerged as a major cultural city since the beginning of the 2000s when it went through a monumental face-lift.

After the revolution, the architecture also changed remarkably; below is an example of the Soviet constructivism. It stands out as the whole centre is quite harmonious and mostly consists of classical architecture from the 18th and 19th century. At the same time, the main street Nevsky Prospekt was largely preserved in its historical form as communism didn't offer commercial reasons to dismantle old and to replace it by some new architectural catastrophes.

Reading: David Benioff, City of Thieves.

Helsinki in August - August in Helsinki

August is definitely the best time to visit Helsinki and it competes well with Berlin, Copenhagen or other trendy cities as a travel destination. Helsinki has been full of art, design, music and performances during the last couple of weeks (hence, no blog posts about my trip in Africa). To be honest, the city offers perhaps even too many cultural activities in August. The quality of the Helsinki Festival (17.8.–2.9.2012) programme is always very high and I can guarantee that what ever you choose, you will be satisfied. 

I started the festival with a concert of Madeleine Peyroux, a former street singer from New York. She has a great raspy voice and makes wonderful versions of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen songs as well as her own songs. She started the Huvila tent concert with Cohen's 'Dance me to the End of Love' (see below); coincidentally, Leonard Cohen started his own concert (a couple of weeks later) with the same song. Peyroux made fun of her own choice of sad and melancholic songs but I couldn't think of anything more suitable as the autumn approaches us and the evenings are getting darker. Wonderful concert.

The very cool and relaxed Art Goes Kapakka (art goes to a pub) happening brings live music and other forms of art in various pubs and restaurants in Helsinki. During ten days and ten nights, there were more than 300 events (free of charge) in Helsinki. I heard some sentimental indie folk by Selja Sini and Finnish klezmer by Narinkka. Considering the overwhelming cultural supply in August, I just wish that this event took place later in the autumn when the parks are too cold to accommodate (culture-) thirsty hipsters.

                                   

As with Taiteiden yö (the night of the arts), the AGK is a great way to bring art to all people regardless of the ability to pay. The city seems to be full of people – young and old alike – eager to enjoy art in all forms. During the night of arts, I first listened to some Ugandan music, then followed the amazing Domino chain going through the streets of Helsinki (see below) and finally listened to beautiful Argentine tango songs in my neighbourhood library. The idea of the night is that culture and people meet in unexpected places in unexpected ways. It works: the atmosphere in the city was really nice – I hope it could continue this way in the winter time as well.

                             

All the Domino photos by Helsinki Festival (Facebook).

Certainly, the idea of the domino chain was very simple. However, the way it brought excited people together was really cool. Thousands of people had congregated in the streets to follow the chain of blocks falling down. I could hardly see the blocks when the 'chain tumble' passed me, but I got emotional (in a somewhat hilarious way) by the idea how art can create such a sense of community. Bravo!

 People following the Domino in Senaatintori.

 The final part of the Domino.

One of the highlights of the festival was the magnificent Monteverdi concert in St. John's Church. Rinaldo Alessandrini (also in the video below) conducted the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra and choir in a brilliant version of Monteverdi's Vespri della Beata Vergine from the early 17th century. I got goose pumps and tears in my eyes immediately when I heard the powerful first notes. There is a feeling of perfection in Monteverdi's music – almost as if he had received the notes straight from God. 

This music makes me believe in gods.

One great thing about the Helsinki Festival is that they introduce a lot of good artists to people who don't follow the happenings in the art world so closely. I found out about this cool young Belgian singer Selah Sue that has sold tens of thousands of albums in Belgium and France. She was indeed very talented and I'm sure we'll hear more about her in the future. She had a great voice and an original style (see below), a mix of funk, soul and rap in the footsteps of Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and other great female voices of the recent years.

                                      

In addition to these, I enjoyed classical music in the Helsinki Music Centre with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig conducted by Riccardo Chailly. They started with Mendelsshon's Violin concerto e-minor 64 (Nikolaj Znaider playing the violin), again unforgettable first notes (another version by Isaac Stern below) and obviously there was the sound of history and great tradition in the air as the orchestra in question was once conducted by Mendelsshon himself.

                                      

                                      

Last one of my concert experiences was a piano concert by Pierre-Aimard Laurent (below in the photo) visualised simultaneously by a British artist Normal Perryman (see video above on his "live kinetic painting"). While it was difficult in the beginning to follow both the music and the images reflected on the screen (done on the overhead projector with colourful paints), I then understood how the two forms of art complemented each other. A fabulous experience once again. 

Both photos from Helsinki Festival website.

After these overwhelmingly powerful cultural experiences, I can't help thinking of economy. In the middle of an economic crisis and budget cuts, I am extremely sorry that governments don't seem to understand the value of culture to the well-being of people and the beauty of life. More culture – less wars, unhappiness and anxiety.

It is easy to oppose subsidies to opera or theatres when jobs are at risk, but I can’t think of a more woeful society than a society without a wealthy variety of culture. It’s the end of our civilization if only profitable forms of culture can exist (Angry Birds and other video games?). It will make the selection in our libraries very poor if only best-sellers can be written (Da Vinci Code and Paasilinna?). Somehow, I wish no democracy in culture, if it means that I must read and watch what the majority is reading and watching.

Age crisis?

I just love this cover of the New Yorker that seems so appropriate on the eve of my 30th birthday. I'm still to choose which one of the two women I identify with more.

(Just in case it needs a clarification; I obviously don't wear Chanel nor leopard patterns. But who knows if the age crisis hits really badly...)

Great Escape in Africa: Learning

One of the most wonderful things about travelling is learning. Something I remembered again during my last trip in Africa.

During the 22 days spent in Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi I updated and expanded my knowledge on African geography (me who once knew all the states and capitals in Africa), some bits of African history, Western geo-politics from an African point of view, colonialism, African animals and nature, African music and culture, and African politics. I'm all set for the pub quiz autumn season.

To be completely honest, my knowledge on these issues before the trip might have been a little weak. But, as I already wrote, travelling inspires and motivates me to learn more about my destination, so I filled my backpack with a biography of Idi Amin, a novel set in the times of the Rwandan genocide, a history book on the exploration of the source of the Nile in the late 19th century, the classic novel "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, and three other books about Africa.

However, the greatest source of information was the people I met in Africa, from whom I learnt about the hypocrisy of the Western development aid policies and the double standards in the Western approach to African leaders, about their views on homosexuality and relationships, how Gaddafi was a respected pan-African leader, about white man’s burden in Africa, about hospitality and generosity, and, maybe above all, the extent to which our understanding and knowledge about this vast continent is limited.

During my trip, the list of things to understand/know better started to overwhelm me: Robert Mugabe, consequences of the climate change in Africa, how to define the source of a river (in my case the Nile), African wild animals, tea cultivation, endangered animals and fish, Swahili language, African literature, social security in Africa… It turned out that watching “Hotel Rwanda”, “Gorillas in the Mist” and some documentary films about primates was a good start but certainly not enough.

"Not only did Africa deplete my savings but it also stole my heart", I wrote as my Facebook status after the trip. The greatest ebullience has slightly faded, but I believe that my African adventure has a long-lasting effect: I’m hooked, I want to learn more – and a little study trip somewhere in Africa wouldn’t be unappreciated either…

Africa colours the world.

For sure, I will now pay more attention to the news from Africa and perhaps I will buy the magazine "Jeune Afrique" more often. Maybe this blog will turn into a literature blog on Afro-lit (after a little eco-lit try-out a few months ago)... Maybe not, but I will try to write down some thoughts that I had during the trip. Obviously, I'm still working on that great Helsinki World Design Capital blog entry as well...

Summer weather complaints

 Kompassi café in Eiranranta.

I guess there is no such thing as a summer without people complaining about the weather. 

Maybe it's because I spent last summer in the cold and rainy Brussels that I have now enjoyed the summer in Helsinki greatly. I've been quite surprised by my friends and family complaining about the weather - it's Finland after all. 

Actually, today was the first day I had to use an umbrella on my way to work. At home I realised how nice it was that it was raining heavily; hearing the rain drops against the roof and no hurry to go out.  There was no need for justifications to stay inside with a beer and a good book. 

It was a good moment to go through my summer photos. As a result, here are some pictures of the sunny Helsinki to stress my point. 

A little boat trip (4 EUR) to the island of Harakka just a few hundred meters off Kaivopuisto park. On the other side of the island, a view of the great wild sea surprised me and I forgot I was so close to the city.

                                         Island of Harakka seen from the Kaivopuisto coast.

On my way to work, I always try to enjoy the nice mornings. Peony flowers in Tähtitorininmäki.

Café Köket and the Esplanade 8 am.

One Friday after work, I did a little trip ex tempore to Suomenlinna fortress (Unesco world heritage site, a 15 min boat trip off the Kauppatori). Afterwards it was amazing that I had also worked that day. Never underestimate the power of escaping routines.

Mattolaituri where people come to wash their rugs (how do people do this in other countries?). Next to the trendy Mattolaituri terrace bar. 

Youngsters of Helsinki come to hang around on the grass between the new Music House and Kiasma museum. I'm one of them.

Market stuff at Kauppatori.

On Wednesday I will start my holidays in Africa so I guess my Finnish summer is close to its end, August in Finland is already the beginning of the autumn as the evenings are getting darker in an amazingly fast pace. New ways to escape routines need to be invented then!

Katajanokka and Kruununhaka, on my way to work.

Summer goodies

On Tuesday, I withdrew 60 Euros from my bank account and decided to do a test on how long I could live with this amount of money. Well, so it happened that three days into the test, I had 2,40 Euros left. I discovered that it is very difficult to turn down all the summer goodies around the city. For example, on my way to work, I can hardly walk through the Kauppatori market square (see below) without sitting down for a coffee or buying some sweet strawberries... It's an excellent spot for people watching as well and definitely increases my life satisfaction!

Wednesday:

Morning coffee + macaron at Café Köket 4,00 EUR

(Already on my first test morning, my attempt to save money didn't work out. This is one of my favourite places at the moment, also because I can ask for a real cup instead of a paper cup for my coffee.)

Lunch: veggie lasagna at the cantine 5,50 EUR

A glass of wine at Kokomo 6,70 EUR

(Another glass of wine offered later at the terrace of Grotesk, a wonderful terrace I just discovered, they had excellent riesling and awful / nostalgic music hits from the 1990s.)

Thursday:

Lunch: home made sandwich 0,00 EUR

(Bravo!)

An interesting exhibition on the history of Finnish design at Hakasalmen huvila (or Hakasalmi villa) 0,00 EUR

(There's culture available also for penniless people!)

Smoothie at mbar 5,00 EUR

Friday:

Morning coffee + cinnamon bun at the market 3,80 EUR

(See below. I couldn't resist it on a such sunny and beautiful morning. It took me more than an hour to get to work as I wanted to capture the blue sky and the calm sea with my camera. So I went around Ullanlinna and Kruununhaka enjoying the summer and pretending I was a tourist in no hurry.)

                         

Lunch: veggie paddies at the cantine 5,50 EUR

Postal services 17,80 EUR

(Unexpected expenses without which I could have survived a day or two more...)

Gin Long Drink ("lonkero") at Vuorimiehen puistikko terrace 5,00 EUR

(See below. A nice place in my neighbourhood. Although my perfect reading moment was distracted by some drunk people who emerge always with the sun...)

Ice cream at Helsingin Jäätelötehdas at Eiran ranta 3,80 EUR

And then of course, I bought new hiking boots at Halti for 159 EUR... So, the test wasn't a success but as my budget is quite tight with the Africa trip coming, I will need to learn to cut down the expenses (it means more home made sandwiches for lunch but no less morning coffees at the market square!) By the way, having little money seems to be pretty ecological as the overall consumption has to go down. On the other hand, it might mean buying less organic / other environmental-friendly products that are more expensive and opting for cheaper t-shirts made in China etc. It's a difficult question, I think I have to ponder on this a bit more and withdraw another 60 Euros and see what's going to happen to my consumption habits.

                             

Eco-catastrophe literature

I am not so into the nowadays popular "chick-lit" (those novels like "Confessions of a shopaholic" actually give me goosebumps), but recently I've been reading some good "eco-lit" novels. The concept of eco-lit still needs to be branded though - here's my shot. (This is also my first shot of being a literature blogger.)

First I read the novel of one of my favourite authors Margaret Atwood: The Year of the Flood (2009) (in Finnish: Herran tarhurit). It's set somewhere in the future and describes a world of frightening technological developments and weird results of gene manipulation. Our near future in its gloominess is approaching biblical dimensions and the catastrophic developments have their sources in the recognizable present day developments. It is not only a story of an ecological disaster but also recounts the social division between the rich, in their barricaded neighbourhoods, and the rest (also rings a bell). The book has an Orwellian dimension in its description of private police forces protecting the giant corporation actually ruling the world (could be Monsanto...). The protagonists belong to an eco-tribe that combines in its ideology science, biblical announcements and a green way of living. The novel is actually science-fiction but the message is clearly related to the current state of affairs. Most probably for this reason its story is so fascinating and scary.

An even gloomier image of our future is depicted in Cormac McCarthy's excellent novel The Road (2006) (in Finnish: Tie). Something like a waterless flood or fire storm has swiped across the continent where a boy and his father are walking on the road trying to find food and avoid malicious bands of cannibals. Even though there is not much action in the book, it holds the reader as if watching a horror movie, the tension McCarthy has created is just amazing. While the reason for the disaster is never revealed, it is easy to understand that it is related to some man-made environmental catastrophe: the forests are burning, the roads have melted, the civilization has perished. It also poses an interesting question: what happens when the structures of the society vanish and there's no rule of law or state monopoly of violence, how can we re-organise a civilized (or even nutritionally sustainable) way of life and what makes solidarity and peaceful cooperation between people possible?  The underlying story goes to the very bottom of humanity and society. Eco-lit is pretty gloomy and, based on this novel, more inclined to cause depression than positive action... 


Here's the trailer for the film based on this book. I haven't seen the whole film but it looks like worth watching, though the writing in the novel doesn't necessitate any audiovisual guidance, I saw the happenings right in front of my eyes when reading The Road.

The third eco-lit experience of mine was a Finnish novel "Sarasvatin hiekkaa" (2005) (in English: The Sands of Sarasvati, not translated into English but there is a translated comic book based on the novel) by Risto Isomäki. This is the one of these three novels most openly about an ecological catastrophe (The Road is maybe more about the consequences, and the end of the civilization). 


Sarasvatin hiekkaa is an ecological thriller set in around year 2020: several scientists around the world are working on unrelated phenomena. However, as it turns out, things are all worryingly connected: an ancient city sunk in the Indian Ocean just like the Atlantis tale tells us, a suddenly vanished arctic lake near Greenland, gas eruptions in the bottom of the sea, a man trying to build snow-producing wind mills to prevent the melting of the icebergs. Isomäki is a science journalist and author himslef so the facts are pretty much correct and also much more interesting than the romantic sidelines in the novel. This is a description of how it could happen - how the world would come to an end as we know it; the icebergs would melt, the sea level would rise, a mega tsunami would hit the continents destroying cities and leaving people in destitution. But this is only the end of the book, the fascinating part is the "how and why". Isomäki tells the story of global warming and climate change in popular terms making geology, chemistry, marine archeology, history and geography all sound like the most exciting things in the world. It's a wonderful mix of separate fields of culture and science - and a handful of (quite well-founded) pessimism.

I need to make another blog entry about Isomäki's idea of snow-producing wind mills... or other gadgets that are actually being invented and experimented in order to avoid a catastrophe similar to the one in Isomäki's novel. They are reality, showing that Sarasvatin hiekkaa is not only science fiction.

All above-mentioned books deserve 5 stars although based on very different literary grounds. As I said, it's no light reading thematically but these were books that really stayed in my mind for a long time afterwards (indeed, I read Atwood already in August). I'm  already looking forward to my next eco-lit adventures, recommendations are welcome!