St. Petersburg, Russia: Day One, Part Two

Eliseyev Emporium

Perhaps to cheer me up from my disappointment, Tatiana has Slava drop us off back on Nevsky Prospekt, right in front of Eliseyev Emporium.  A chocolate-lover’s dream!  And what decoration!  All mirrors and gilt and draped silk!  You can choose from all kinds of pastry here, including eclairs that would make a French baker green with envy.  You can even enjoy some as you rest on velvet seating wrapped around a huge pineapple décor.  Or you can buy some to take home.  Perhaps a white chocolate bust of Lenin?  It’s just a few blocks from my hotel, Tatiana tells me.
       Before dropping me off, she takes me to a currency exchange office near the hotel.  It’s small and in a semi-basement (as all of them will turn out to be).  Having no idea how much things cost here, I ask how much I should change for my four-day stay.  She tells me a ridiculously low amount, but then I learn that one euro is worth 65 rubles and suddenly I’m a millionaire!

Tired, but seemingly rich, I check into my hotel, which has been chosen within walking distance of the Hermitage because I don’t want to have to negotiate the subway or buses in Russian (which I don’t speak) and in the Cyrillic alphabet (which I don’t read).  The room is small and not very soundproof (I’m on the main floor, just a few rooms down from the front desk) but with a view of some courtyards.  Although the mattress is almost as thin as the ones on last year’s Volga trip, the bathroom is clean and has all it needs, the heating is good and there’s a TV, although all the stations are in Russian (except one in Chinese).
       One large problem is noise.  With a space under the door, I can hear all the to-ing and fro-ing from the hallway, and sometimes even voices from the front desk area.  And then there’s the closing of doors, the flushing of toilets, the extraneous coughing from the room next door. It gives me an idea of what it must have been like to share an apartment with four other families in the good old days of the USSR.
       In the bathroom, there’s a sign that says “PLEASE DO NOT DRINK THE TAPWATER!”  I hadn’t been warned, so I’m happy for the Heads Up.  Nothing like trying to see a city when you need to go from public restroom to public restroom!
       I’ve already perplexed the front desk by saying I didn’t need anything for a phone or a computer.  First I arrive with just a carry-on suitcase.  Now this.  They look at me, confused and surprised. And suddenly I’ve sprouted a second head and become some kind of Thing You Write Home About.
       More tired than hungry, I eat the leftovers from the plane.  Not up to going out tonight.  It’s been a full day, plus a two- hour time difference between Paris and St. Petersburg, and not in my favor.  I use the time before my eyes close to study my two maps of the city and get some ideas about what to do tomorrow.