Pigeons in Petersburg

They’re everywhere. It’s somewhat frightening. Flocks and flocks of pigeons followed by flocks and flocks of these little brown birds.

I think I have the metro down now. (At least until I have to make a complicated transfer.) I do think that the Petersburg Metro is less complicated than the New York Subway system. There are less stops, which means that one walks more, but this also means that it is simpler to keep up with what station one is at and where one needs to get off. It takes me roughly an hour to get from Smolny’s building to the apartment that I’m living in. Most of this is spent walking – and riding the escalator down into the metro. Since Petersburg is one of those cities that nature never intended to exist, the metros had to be built very deep underground in order to avoid the marshy soil. Thus, they have escalators. The longest escalators ever! I spend at least five minutes going down and coming back up – I think that I shall time the ride tomorrow. (Tomorrow: so I was wrong it's more like three and a half minutes on each escalator.) The stations and the tunnels are very clean – probably the cleanest part of the city. They are also very well lit. Unfortunately, there will be no photographic evidence of the state of metro stations in Petersburg. Photography within the stations is illegal, and frankly, I would prefer to avoid a run in with bored, broke Russian who think I’m a spy because I’m taking photographs of their metro station. Of course, I really just want to avoid any run-ins with bored, broke Russian cops; although, word on the streets has it that if they stop a devushka (young woman) what they really want is a phone number.

Primorskaya is the last stop on the metro line. I find this to be quite nice – it means that the train is not very crowded, and I actually have a bit of personal space. I suspect that this arrangement will contribution to my overall mental health while in Petersburg. Oh, and the announcements are far better than the ones in New York. I can understand them – even if they are in Russian. The announcements are pre-recorded, and spoken very slowly and clearly. In contrast, the driver of the train in New York makes the announcements quickly, usually with a heavy accent, and without any enunciation.

Some of the sections of construction have a barrier up with a boardwalk by which to get around the construction. It feels like walking across the footlog. I like them.