From the celebration, I concluded that Russians really like to throw parties. It lasted almost two hours. People sang and recited poetry they composed specially for the occasion, and two children's dance groups performed. They had a couple powerpoint presentations prepared about the history of the library, and awards and flowers were given to the library staff. I can't imagine anyone in America throwing such a party for the anniversary of a building, even if that building is 140 years old.
After the celebration, the sun came out, and it warmed up to almost 80 degress—the warmest it has gotten since I've been in Russia. So I decided I wanted to see how far I could walk by myself. I packed up some water and some cookies (I'm addicted to this one brand of Russian cookies with Jonathan Swift's Gulliver,walking among the Lilliputians, printed on them), and I set off toward the locks.
I had hardly gotten started when my phone rang. It was Tamara Pavlovna, calling me on behalf of Nina Evgenyevna. “Go home,” she said. “They're waiting to take you to Petrozavodsk.”
Now, I had mentioned something about wanting to make a trip to Petrozavodsk, but no definite plans had ever been made. So I was a bit surprised, to say the least. I hurried back home and, sure enough, they were waiting for me.
Nina Evgenyevna explained that she had called her son and daughter-in-law, who live in Petrozavodsk, and their son is away only this weekend. They said I can sleep in his bed, free of charge. That's a lucky break, considering I was expecting to have to book a hotel room for some $40-50 per night.
Even luckier, one of Nina Evgenyevna's friends was driving from Vytegra to Petrozavodsk that night to visit his son, and he take me along for free. That saved me a $10 bus ticket and having to sit for six or seven hours on a shaky, uncomfortable bus that would most likely trigger my upchuck reflexes yet again.
The friend, Yura, was planning on leaving at five o'clock, which Nina Evgenyevna found out at four. So I rushed to pack a bag for a couple nights, swallowed a bowl of borsch in about 30 seconds, and left with Yura for Petrozavodsk.
By car, it's a much shorter ride than by bus, a little less than five hours. Made lively by all the sunshine, I stayed awake for the entire ride, made conversation with Yura, and observed the courtesy among Russian drivers in the countryside. On the difficult roads out here, the drivers all look out for one another. For instance, when a car approached behind us, Yura would watch the road ahead and signal when it was safe for them to pass us.
At another point, a series of oncoming cars started flashing their headlights at us, and suddenly Yura slowed down under the speed limit and put on his seatbelt. A minute later, we passed by a police car, hidden by a bend in the road. Once it was out of sight, Yura started flashing his lights at oncoming cars to warn them of the policeman ahead. Evidently, people across the globe unite against cops.
As we drove into Petrozavodsk, I was immediately awed by the scenery and the size of the city. It's nothing like what I expected. I have a lot of exploring to do. Of course, tonight it's already late, and I'm tired from the long car ride, so I will get acquainted with this new city tomorrow.
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