They say you spend thousands of years looking at all the pieces of art and history in the hermitage. They aren't me. It only took me about half an hour to get bored. It took twice as long in line for the restroom, and from there I made a bee line to the internet cafe. So here I am! I will say that what I did see was amazing. They say Americans are extravagant spenders but really, how many throne rooms did the Romanoffs REALLY need in one building!?

 

St. Petersburg has generally been much more pleasant than Moscow. The weather is cooler, which I didn't expect. Another woman we met at the hostel described the countryside outside the main city as small Alaskan towns. Our hostel is a bit outside the city center, but as a result it's also a LOT less expensive. Today we're walking up and down Nevsky Prospect, a street with a million things to see and do. It's a bit exhausting when you think about it all at once. I enjoy culture in smaller, more digestible portions. For example, looking at a painting by Pablo Picasso is very cool. Looking at 45 paintings by Pablo Picasso doesn't have 45 times the same effect on me. For those econ majors out there, I believe its called decreasing marginal utility.

Thanks to everyone who is commenting and emailing! We'll be on the internet every day until Tuesday. From there we're headed to Irkutzk on a 3 day train ride, so we'll be out of touch for a bit. Just in case... Happy Fourth of July! Yay USA! Eat a burger for me.

Posted by Nelle at 05:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

First impressions: Green. Vast. Largely undeveloped land. So many trees! The greenest grass. My dad would probably kill for that kind of lawn. The temperature is high 70s with a nice breeze. Really heavenly, despite some random torrential downpours that have occured. In general, Moscow is not very tourist friendly compared to other countries I've visited, but even just walking around Red Square or riding a boat along the Moscow river has been great. There is such beautiful and whimsical architecture.

 

     The greeness is so vast. It struck me immediately. Especially looking over the land from the plane, my entire conception of Russian land changed on the spot. It's more vast forest than I have ever seen before. I can't wait to see the Siberia countryside from the Trans-Siberian Railway. It refreshes me to see the world still so green at least in some places. From what I saw of the city of Moscow however, the environmental movement is NOT well...moving. The water quality is very poor, and as everyone smokes everywhere, the indoor air quality is less than stellar as well. It's a big city, so there's going to be pollution, and I'm sure I'll see worse throughout my travels.

This may be the culture shock talking but Moscow is not very...friendly. Except for this amazingly sweet waitress at TGIF's, we've had a very hard time getting information. For example, the woman at the information booth tried to convince us that the metro from the airport was much too confusing for us and that we should definitely take a taxi. Only when I asked her VERY assertively would she tell me where the bus to the metro station was located. Did mention that the metro cost about $4.50 USD for the three of us whereas a taxi would have cost $96 USD!! of which I'm sure she'd have gotten some percentage.

The language barrier is intense, especially with a different alphabet (cyrillic). Gesturing goes a long way. My few interactions with people have been at the Godzilla hostel where we are staying. It's cool to see how open and friendly all of the other travelers can be. They offer advice, swap stories, and brag about their traveling exploits. I'd have to say though, my best experience so far was waking up early, walking to Red Square, and sketching St. Basil's Cathedral. I sat in front of Moscow's signature church. I practically had Red Square to myself. I sketched it out for a watercolor painting (hopefully I can scan into the computer some time soon). The normally packed square was serene and quiet, and St. Basil's just makes everything around you all whimsy and magic.

I opted to skip viewing Lenin's tomb complete with his embalmed body on display. First because...that's creepy. Second, his philosophy and leadership were responsible for communist Russia, and I didn't want to honor that. Of course, I seemed to be the only one of that opinion because the line for his tomb was about a NYC block long! I've heard the line for Mao can get crazy long also, and I DEFINITELY don't want to see that. Feel free to comment!

Final comments: The days here are long. The metro is crowded from before 10am to well after 10pm. It doesn't even get dark until about 11. It's very strange and kind of wonderful. It gives you a lot more time to sight see, which explains my very sore feet. Well, that's all for Moscow. See you in St. Petersburg!

Posted by Nelle at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't think I have ever been as ready for anything else in my life as I am for this trip. It's been about two years since the thought first dawned on me that I had to get out and get some time to think about what I really want to do with my life. And damn, that time couldn't have come a day too soon. I left Princeton pretty burnt out and wanting for a change of scenery.
I've collected all necessary visas and tickets, meticulously packed my clothes and equipment in ziploc bags and rubber bands, checked and rechecked to make sure my toiletries items will not burst due to decreased pressures in the airplane, and scrutinized every website and guidebook for last minute tips and and tidbits I forgot, all with the zeal of one who has dreamed of this very moment for way too long. I need to get on that plane and go. Now. I don't mean to sound obnoxious, but let's get this show on the road! Motherland here I come!



I've been very fortunate in my life to have two loving parents who have been able to spoil and privilege me with a passion for travel. As most of you reading probably know, my Dad works for Delta Airlines, and as a result we went on some pretty sweet vacations growing up.  

Initially I thought I would set out alone for solitary enlightenment, but I soon realized that to do so would risk the best thing going in my life these days. Not wanting to leave behind any of my favorite travel buddies, I later thought it might be cool to try traveling with Nelle, my Dad, and my best friend from home, Eric Bausewein in different installments.

Months of hemming, hawing, thinking, reconsidering, stressing, and brainstorming later, we arrived at the trip's most recent (and final) permutation: Nelle and I are traveling together indefinitely and my Dad, Walt Prescott, is joining us during the first month of the trip during the journey across Siberia to Mongolia and China.

No worries, of course, that I will fall off the face of the earth and never be heard from again. As detailed on the contact page I will be hopefully be regularly available via email, this website, and internet chat and phone.

Anyway, I am ready to go out and think and do and be for myself. My life on my back, the world at my feet, and a beautiful woman at my side. How could it get any better than this? I just took my last glorious 45 minute shower for the next 12 months, and had my final drink of true 2% milk for breakfast. I am ready.

...Go!

Posted by Aaron at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Hello world! I've never kept a blog before. In fact, I'm not particulary used to the idea that other people will be reading my writing without grading it. So bear with me if at first my entries sound more like Lit 101 essays, or worse, Chem 201 lab reports. I'll get the hang of it eventually! First, I offer a few parting thoughts to my friends and family.

I am so blessed to have so many people to love in my life. Thank you for all of the fun and fabulous times! Keep in touch with me through this website, Skype, IM, email (nelle@indietravelers.com), or any other way you can think of! I love everybody.

Now. The trip technically begins on Saturday when I take the non-stop from Atlanta to Moscow, but I'm flying to Atlanta tomorrow morning so today feels like my last day. I had planned on making this first entry a dialogue on global perspective. The world seems incomprehesibly vast in space (more on this when I ride through Siberia), yet so inevitably interdependent in terms of environmental issues, and so connected with today's communication technology. Sigh. You may already be bored, but the good news is that the chaos of packing, last minute errands, laundry, cleaning, and getting cavities filled at the dentist (yes, my face is numb) has left little time to reflect on the journey I am about to take. Suffice to say, "it's a small world after all." My goals for this trip are to have fun and gain some perspective. Not too ambitious, but definitely EXPENSIVE. If you're interested in doing something similar to this year (hopefully) of extended, independent travel...my advice is to start saving.

Posted by Nelle at 05:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)