My trip to Russia (2, 3, 4)
2. Fly to St. Petersburg
1, Love in Russia
11 At 5 on the afternoon of 27, we took a Hainan Airlines flight taking off from the Capital International Airport and expected to pass nearly 8 Hours long flight, you will arrive at St. Petersburg Pulkovo International Airport.
At five o'clock in the winter in Beijing, the sun was about to set, and the plane flew westward in the direction of the setting sun. However, the plane cannot outrun the sun after all. After a while, we can no longer see the shadow of the sun. Thinking that I was flying over the two continents of Europe and Asia, and would soon arrive at the second largest city in the world, which was the largest in terms of territory and was the first socialist country, I felt extremely excited and I didn’t feel sleepy at all. .
So, my mind started to wander. If you don’t let go, you won’t know. But if you let go, you will make new discoveries. It turns out that Moscow and St. Petersburg are really destined for me in this life.
Moscow, I knew it first. The reason I know this is because I "eavesdropped on the enemy station" when I was a child. When we were children, not only were we lacking in material needs, but we were also lacking in spiritual entertainment. We had almost nothing except textbooks. The little book in the hands of some playmates was our favorite. Because for ordinary families, even the expenditure on buying a few "little people's books" is not within the family budget. The money for selling eggs is exchanged for daily necessities such as firewood, rice, oil and salt, and most likely for selling pigs. Parents buy it for you. However, my father was a public teacher in the village, and his home not only had a "little book" but also a semiconductor radio, which was the most modern home appliance in the village at that time.
If I have time, I'll listen to it. Sometimes we turn on the radio, and occasionally "Radio Moscow, now broadcasting in Mandarin to Chinese listeners..." comes out. This strange and mysterious voice makes us curious; several of our friends will look at each other in shock, vaguely If you feel that this is an enemy channel and you cannot continue listening, turn it off or change the channel immediately.
From that moment on, the name "Moscow" remained in my heart. Moscow is one of the earliest foreign cities I know and remember.
Moscow street scene
As for St. Petersburg, it also has a special meaning for me. So far, I have only one letter from abroad, and this only letter from abroad is from St. Petersburg, Russia.
One day in the mid-1990s, I suddenly received a letter written in Russian on the envelope. I was very surprised because I had learned a little Russian in high school. I thought to myself, how could there be a letter from Russia?? I opened it with excitement and confusion, and it turned out that it was my classmate from elementary school to high school. He went to St. Petersburg to study as a senior visiting scholar sent by the state. , which he sent me from St. Petersburg.
Later, this letter became my only letter from abroad.
At that time, reform and opening up had not yet deepened, and small counties in remote areas like ours were still very isolated. Foreign countries seemed very far away from us, but this letter suddenly brought me closer to Russia. From then on, St. Petersburg, a strange Russian city, left an impression in my heart.
Some people say: "Fate is an unexpected encounter." My trip to St. Petersburg and Moscow is the best interpretation of this sentence!
2, "Have more children, drink less"
Some people say that tourism is about enjoying the beauty of the destination; traveling is about enjoying the process of going to the destination. Then I would rather treat this tour as a trip, because I don't want to ignore every detail and every process. After sitting in my seat for more than three hours, I felt a little uncomfortable.
So, I got up and left my seat. In order to disturb less people, I simply stood in the dining car at the back.
At this time, I saw two passengers talking to the waiter. There are two passengers, a man and a woman. The man should be Russian and the woman should be Chinese. She looks about 70 years old.
The Russian saw liquor in the cabinet of the dining car and wanted to buy a bottle to drink with a few other buddies, but the stewardess refused to sell it to them for fear that they would get drunk.
The flight attendant looked at me and said, "Look, what will happen if he gets drunk and goes crazy!" I smiled noncommittally.
Later, they finally reached a gentleman's agreement: they would only sell one bottle, but each person could only pour a small cup, and the rest would be kept by the stewardess and returned to the original owner when they got off the plane. The Russian young man also proposed that the total amount would be a small cup per person, but he asked the stewardess to pour the drinks into the small cups for them three times, and pour more drinks into the small cups for them to top up each time. This means I can drink for a while longer.
When the Russian young man saw me standing here, he greeted me with a smile and said "Hello!" in Chinese, and I quickly responded with "Hello!" in Russian.
The Russian young man immediately became excited, thinking that I could communicate in Russian, and said several words enthusiastically, but I couldn't understand a word of the rest. In fact, I only know a few words: Hello, thank you, I am Chinese, I think..., I like Russia, etc. These are just a few words I went to the library to look for relevant information before coming here.
Because I didn’t understand, I had to smile. When the Chinese lady saw my reaction, she told me that she wanted to invite you to drink with them. Could you please?
Oh, that’s it. I quickly explained the situation to the lady. After hearing this, the Russian young man spread his hands, smiled, and left.
The Chinese lady and I were still standing there chatting. It turned out that she used to work as a Russian translator and had retired long ago. This time she was traveling to St. Petersburg specifically. I met those young Russians at the airport. They were going to Shanghai. After traveling around Hangzhou and other places, I returned to Russia. Because I wanted to drink some wine, I asked her to "mediate" and buy some wine.
It seems that Russians just love drinking. Maybe drinking has also affected their fertility. No wonder Russian President Vladimir Putin advocates to his people: "Have more children and drink less."
3, an unforgettable scene on the plane
After sitting at the restaurant station for nearly an hour, I returned to my seat and continued to watch the 3D animation of the flight.
At this time, the display screen showed that the plane was flying over Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal - this "God's last tear", what appears in front of me is a blue sky, which is fascinating.
Looking at this wonderful scenery, my heart suddenly skipped a beat: Lake Baikal! Isn’t this the legendary place where Su Wu shepherded sheep? This used to be our land in China!
This freshwater lake, which is the oldest in the world, has the largest freshwater reserves, the deepest depth, and the clearest and most transparent (it is said that the transparency exceeds 40 meters), was once within the territory of China. But the incompetent Qing government signed several useless treaties such as "Nerchinsk" and "Kyaktu" with others. A few pieces of black and white writing on China's "North Sea", It has become the "Lake Baikal" of Russia.
Lake Baikal satellite map
Su Wu's descendants could not continue to herd sheep there, and the legend of Su Wu's sheep herding finally became a "legend". And now we can only hum the song "Lake Baikal":
...many years later, wandering like clouds,
The changing pace makes it difficult for us to hold hands...
Lake Baikal on the screen is getting further and further away from me, and I am getting further and further away from Lake Baikal...
At this time, the few Russian young men sitting not far away were drunk and chatting happily and loudly while drinking. A Chinese young man sitting on the right side of me suddenly stood up, turned around and faced the Russian youths, speaking Russian fluently without being arrogant or humble.
I took a closer look and saw that this Chinese young man was of medium height, well-dressed, handsome, with a high bridge of nose and a pair of bright eyes.
After finishing speaking, he calmly turned around and sat down. I looked at his face carefully again. It was an elegant and noble face, showing a sacred and inviolable expression.
At this time, the voices of the Russian youths immediately dropped. They said they were still talking, but as soon as they heard it, they could feel that it was a low voice made by deliberately controlling their excitement and lowering their voices.
The behavior of this Chinese young man aroused my great interest and curiosity!
After a brief chat with him, I learned that his surname is Wang and he is from Nanjing. He is 22 years old this year. He has lived and studied in St. Petersburg for six years and is now a second-year graduate student at St. Petersburg State University studying international relations. .
Xiao Wang told me that just now, he and the Russian young people said: It is your business to drink and have fun, but you should not talk loudly, because at this "point", many of us Chinese people need to rest, so please Keep your voice down, don't disturb us!
While I deeply admire this Chinese young man, I am still worried that those Russian youths will come to him to "settle accounts". If so, how should he deal with it, and what should I do as a neighbor?
In fact, my worries are completely unfounded. Because, after arriving in St. Petersburg, the voices of those Russian youths never became louder again. Even as they gradually approached St. Petersburg, their voices became quieter and quieter.
I suddenly remembered a saying: Russians are barbaric, but also civilized.
A meek scholar who is only about 1.7 meters tall0, facing several tall and powerful foreign men, the "sword" in his hand can never be called "sharp" , but he actually showed it; his spirit of daring to show his sword made me sincerely admire him!
Think about it, more often than not, we don't lack the "sword", but the spirit and courage to wield the sword.
3. The soul of Russia
1, the glory of St. Petersburg
The plane arrived at St. Petersburg Pulkovo International Airport on time after a flight of nearly 8 hours.
When we got off the plane, it was drizzling in the sky. Under the light, the raindrops were like silver needles, shining and twinkling. It seems that I was right to bring an umbrella. It turns out it rains here in winter.
Outside St. Petersburg Airport
As soon as I set foot on a foreign land, I immediately felt the strange climate of the foreign country. This indicates that the experience and feelings of this trip must be unique.
After leaving the airport and boarding the bus, I sat closest to the tour guide. The tour guide Xiaohou introduced us to St. Petersburg.
Xiao Hou said: "There is a saying in Russia: If Moscow is the heart of Russia, then St. Petersburg is the soul of Russia." It can be seen from this that the importance of St. Petersburg to Russia is self-evident.
Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia. With a current population of more than 600,000 , it is one of the cultural and educational centers of Russia. It is located at the mouth of the Neva River. The Neva River originates from Lake Ladoga in Russia, flows through St. Petersburg, and empties into the Gulf of Finland in the "Baltic Sea". In other words, St. Petersburg is on the coast of the Baltic Sea. During the time of Peter the Great, the capital was moved from Moscow to this place, and it remained the capital of Russia for the next 200 years. After the "October Revolution", the Soviet government moved the capital back to Moscow. In 1924, it was renamed "Leningrad" in memory of Lenin. In 1991, it returned to its original name of "St. Petersburg".
St. Petersburg is composed of 40 islands of various sizes. The Neva River and its tributaries and canals are crisscrossed by 70 rivers of various sizes. There are 400 many large and small islands. Bridges span it, and there are 20 multiple "opening and closing" bridges, which are a major feature of St. Petersburg and are known as the "Venice of the North".
St. Petersburg is a world-famous historical and cultural city. Its central ancient city is relatively well preserved. Therefore, St. Petersburg is known as an "open-air museum" and is listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
Pushkin, Gorky and many other famous Soviet writers and poets lived and created here, leaving behind many famous works and stories.
It is worth mentioning that St. Petersburg State University is the earliest university in Russia, earlier than Moscow State University. 30 St. Petersburg State University has trained many famous scientists such as Mendeleev and Pavlov, including eight Nobel Prize winners.
St. Petersburg State University has not only trained many scientists, but also many politicians. Current Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Medvedev (now resigned as prime minister), both graduated from the school. Therefore, St. Petersburg is also known as the "Education Capital".
2, hero city
For many Chinese, the most memorable memory of St. Petersburg is the "Battle of Leningrad." The stories handed down during that unprecedented "siege war" in human history are still touching.
Due to the long-term siege by the enemy, food was extremely scarce. For a long time, the residents of Leningrad only had a piece of bread per day. The hungry people ate up all the pets and even rats in the city.
One day, a truck full of bread sent to the front line was driving on the street. Suddenly, a shell fell in front of the truck. The driver died and the bread was scattered on the ground. Hungry people gathered from all directions.
However, a touching scene happened: I saw people picking up the scattered bread, loading it into the truck, and standing next to the truck - like sentries on guard - until another truck Come and take away all the bread. A few minutes after taking away the bread, two people fainted from hunger.
At that time, there were nearly a ton of experimental samples of agricultural products at Leningrad University. Due to food shortage, thirteen people starved to death, but from beginning to end, no one touched a single sample.
People would rather starve to death than support the front line. The only request before they died was that the living should continue to make steel, tanks, and artillery shells.
The story of Marshal Zhukov and the little girl is well known to women and children, and it is a tear-jerker.
Once, Marshal Zhukov came out of the factory just in time for lunch, so he ate bread on the side of the road. At this time, two teenage girls stared at him, and the marshal asked: Where are your father and mother? The little girl replied: We are twin sisters. Our mother was killed in the bombing and our father went to the front line.
At this time, one of the little girls said: "General, I have a request!" Marshal Zhukov said: "Please tell me!"
The little girl timidly said: "Can I catch the crumbs you dropped with my hands ? "
After listening to the little girl's "request", Marshal Zhukov stretched out his arms and took the two little girls into his arms. He broke the bread in half and gave it to the two little girls. Then he stood up and said to the staff around him: For them, we must defeat the Hitler gangsters!
With their tenacious will and unyielding spirit, the Soviet soldiers and civilians paid a huge price of more than 150 deaths, including 60 more than 100,000 people who died of starvation and freezing. After nearly 900 Tian's desperate defense finally won the victory in the defense of Leningrad on 1944 on 1 month 27.
The victory in the defense of Leningrad fulfilled Marshal Zhukov's heroic words: "It is not Leningrad that fears death, but death that fears Leningrad."
Therefore, St. Petersburg was later called the "Hero City".
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Just as China has designated "9 month 3" as the "Victory Day of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression", Russia has designated "1 month 27 day" was determined as "Russian Military Honor Day".
Whether China has designated the "Victory Day of the Anti-Japanese War" or Russia has designated the "Military Honor Day", although the content and time are different, their essence and purpose are the same: they are all to let future generations remember the past and not forget history.
Yes, a great nation must not only create a strong and glorious tomorrow, but also remember the suffering and unyielding yesterday!
4. The “best” of the two
1, unexpectedly
Under the detailed and touching explanation of the tour guide Xiaohou, more than half an hour passed unknowingly. We arrived at the accommodation we booked—a four-star hotel in the Old Town of St. Petersburg.
Although it is also a four-star hotel, it cannot be compared with similar hotels in China. However, commonly used toothpaste, toothbrushes, bath soap, bath towels and other items are also available; the hot water bottles and slippers we are most worried about are also available - when we came here, we heard people say that some hotels in Russia do not have these things ——Not only is there a kettle in the room, but there is also a water heater in the corridor for travelers to drink.
What intrigued me the most was the two beds, which were too small. The length seems to be about the same as ours, but the width is simply too narrow.
I thought: Do tall Russians also sleep on such a small bed? It is specially prepared for foreign tourists!
Suddenly I remembered the joke that the team leader Xiao Wang told us: Some people say that the Russian bed is too narrow, and you feel like sleeping on the bed at night, otherwise you will fall off the bed.
I lay on the bed curiously and tried to turn over, but almost fell under the bed. It seems that a "domestic-style" turnaround will definitely not work.
Except for the crib, this is probably the smallest bed I've ever seen.
2. Jet lag makes it difficult for me to sleep.
When we got off the plane, it was almost one o'clock in the morning Beijing time. After exiting the station, taking the bus to the hotel, getting the card to open the door, etc., it was already past two in the morning . (It should be noted that there is a time difference of about five hours between St. Petersburg and Beijing. The two o'clock in the morning mentioned here refers to Beijing time. Therefore, after nine o'clock in the evening on the 27th in St. Petersburg, it is already the early morning of the 28th in Beijing time. More than two o'clock.)
But the local time in St. Petersburg was only around nine o'clock in the evening. Maybe it’s past the usual “time” for rest, or maybe it’s the reminder from tour guide Xiao Wang, “Tomorrow morning have breakfast at seven and meet at nine thirty-thirty”. Suggestion, in short, I can't sleep for the time being.
I had to sleep even if I couldn't sleep, and I tried hard to force myself. My mind kept telling me: It’s already past two o’clock in the morning, so go to sleep quickly. However, almost at the same time, another voice sounded: Now, it is only nine o'clock in the evening in St. Petersburg. There are still nearly 10 hours until you get up tomorrow. This is not a lot of time to sleep. It's too long!
One voice tells you to fall asleep quickly, and the other voice tells you it's still early! This kind of inner conflict is completely unconscious, and you don't know which voice to listen to.
In this confusion, I finally fell asleep. I don’t know how long it took, but I turned over in a “domestic style” in my sleep and almost rolled me under the “foreign” bed. This surprise made my heart light up again.
The "body" doesn't dare to turn over freely. The strange thing is that the more I can't sleep, the more I want to turn over back and forth, so I have to slowly adjust my body and let's turn over! I don’t know how long it took before I fell asleep. But when I woke up, my heart gradually became "brighter" and I couldn't sleep anymore.
I looked at my phone. It was seven thirty in the morning Beijing time. No wonder Xinliang couldn't sleep. She usually got up at this "point".
However, the sad thing is: at this time, local time, it is just past two o'clock in the middle of the night, and there are still nearly 5 hours before getting up.
There was no other way, so I had to force myself to do it! I finally fell asleep again, and when I looked at my phone, it was about 4 a.m. local time. I wanted to sleep for a while longer. However, it was already morning Beijing time. Nine It's past midnight. At this age, at this time, still wanting to sleep is simply a daydream.
This night in St. Petersburg allowed me to experience for the first time: sleeping can sometimes be uncomfortable. It was around six o'clock in the morning, and I finally couldn't sleep anymore. I got up, washed up, and prepared to have breakfast, but it was still early in the day after nine.
On my first night in St. Petersburg, I saw the narrowest bed and experienced the longest night... (To be continued)