We were quickly rescued by two college students from the UK… Tori, Wilmington, DE
I visited St. Petersburg in the mid-90s, an overnight train trip's diversion from my studies in Moscow. St. Petersburg is still among my most favorite cities, a place where east meets west in all architecture and art. I was fortunate to be there in July, too, during White Nights, where the sun doesn't go down until midnight or later, so I really got to see the town. I have never been in a place equaled by the Hermitage's sheer grandeur! And the churches: just awesome. I would love to go back and spend more than just a couple days.
My most memorable experience in St. Petersburg took place in the bar in the hotel where my companions and I were staying. Around 10:00 on the first evening in town, I went down for a beer with another girl, and after a few minutes, we noticed that the bar was full of middle-aged men and a few heavily made-up women, and all eyes were on us.
During our second drink (served with disapproving grunts from the bartender), one of the men approached our table. "Skolka?" he asked emphatically. From our flea-market Russian language lessons, we knew he was asking "How much?" But how much for what? My friend answered the price of the beer--much to the man's delight--so he made himself more comfortable, helping himself to the chair between us, draping one arm around each of our shoulders.
We didn't speak the language well, but it didn't take long to understand his intentions: He thought we were prostitutes! We marshaled our limited Russian skills ("Nyet! Nyet!"), trying to convince him otherwise, but he just seemed to get more irritated. Thank goodness we were quickly rescued by two college students from the UK who happened to be observing the scene with amusement from a nearby table. They swooped in and told the man we were already spoken for, and we spent the rest of the evening laughing and drinking and enjoying our new friends. Needless to say, we stayed out of the bar the rest of our visit!
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