Split Screen

After our trip to Finnish culture, everyday life returned. Uni, assignments, sports (Cross-Fit, Futsal), sauna, and party. Greetings to the overpriced Amarillo. We will probably avoid it for the time being... I mean, 8 euros for a beer, come on!

But the next big change was already looming. Flo and Luis embarked on a seven-day trip to Russia. Unfortunately, I had to skip it because I didn't want to go through the hardships and expenses of getting a passport and visa. Konsti stayed with me in Lappeenranta. At least for a few days. He had been planning to visit friends in America for a long time and the flight was getting closer. So, here comes a change: Two storylines within one week! Game of Thrones-style! ...well, except that one of the main characters dies. Although, who knows...

Marco's Story:
Early Saturday morning, Flo and Luis left our flat. Konsti arranged free tickets for us to a women's basketball game. The "Lappeenranta Catz" play in the top Finnish league, which increased our hopes of a high-level game. 3pm! Kick-off! The first-placed team (Catz) didn't give the guests a chance and won by about 25 points. We decided to end the evening comfortably at Lucky Monkeys. There, we got into a conversation with a few SaiPa fans (local ice hockey club) who wanted to celebrate their team's victory with a nightcap. After a few minutes, it turned out that our (very drunk) conversation partners belonged to the ultras group of the club. One of them told me that he once beat up six men in Imatra and ended up in jail because of that. After showing me his club tattoos, we acknowledged their dedication and said goodbye to the conversation and the bar.
Our Sunday was a bit calmer. I had a football session on the nearby artificial turf pitch. The classic: Germany versus Netherlands. In the evening, we had the Mega conference. Three screens. Three different sports (football, American football, and basketball). No wonder we got a headache...
Monday. First Tabata and lunch, then it was supposed to be a relaxed trip to 'MRoom' to get a fresh haircut. This plan didn't quite work out because it wasn't relaxing at all. Due to a totally shitty system that always favored members (which we certainly weren't), we had to wait for three hours. And the fun cost 30 euros. Luckily, I won't need a new haircut in Finland anymore.
On Tuesday, Konsti set off for Helsinki, from where his plane took off the next morning. Home alone!
At first, it was really weird, but after a short time, I got used to the "peace and quiet". I finished the Netflix series 'Mindhunter' that I had started and also my book ('Das Paket' by Fitzek), which I had neglected since I was in Lappeenranta. My intention to look for Christmas presents early only led to a freezing (-10 degrees, it felt like) tour of the city. Typical Finnish shops were simply not to be found. It seems things are going as usual and I'll get everything at the last minute...
My free week ended with the "After-Exam" party. Paradox, because I hadn't written a single exam yet. Greetings to the three Irish girls and their cooking skills! Late Saturday evening, the "Russia vacationers" returned exhausted from their trip.

Flo's Story:

Unlike Marco, I wanted to give myself the full dose of adrenaline during the free week. Together with Luis, I went to Russia for 7 days. More precisely, by car to Vyborg, from there by train to St. Petersburg, by plane to Moscow, and back again.

#Howtosurviveinrussia:extremeedition

Kseniia accompanied us to the Vyborg train station, and after that, we were on our own for the first time on the tour. Fortunately, the roughly 90-minute drive was uneventful, and we were able to catch up on some sleep. At the train station in Санкт-Петербург (St. Petersburg), Kirill picked us up and first organized two Russian SIM cards for us. 20GB of the best Russian network for 4 euros! Holy shit, you could get used to that. However, you have to show your passport to buy it, which is less ideal. Anyway, let's go to the hostel first. 33 euros for two nights including breakfast in a prime location. In Germany, you definitely sleep worse for that price, that's for sure. Unfortunately, we were to discover that we don't always have that much luck with accommodation in Russia. But more on that later. First, we went on an exploratory tour of the city center. Upon arrival, we were immediately invited by two Russians to take a shot. After suddenly becoming Americans (my accent certainly didn't cause that) and seeing that the stuff from the plastic bottle looked rather unhealthy, we declined and continued our exploration without any major incidents. For dinner, we went to a student pub before meeting up with a few more students from Lappeenranta and diving into the nightlife. The chosen destination was Lomonosov, a mixture of bar and club. I think you can see on YouTube how Russians can party. But that two students from Würzburg would show them what real partying means, I don't think anyone expected that. It didn't even take half an hour and the club was ours. We tested every surface from the dance floor to the DJ box to the bar and it all passed the test. Top location! Highly recommended for every St. Petersburg tourist! A little side note: when we left around 7:30 in the morning to go home and straight to breakfast, the Russians were not thinking about going home yet.

The next day was completely dedicated to the hangover before we headed to Москваn (Moscow) early on Monday.

Fortunately, the flight only lasted a little over an hour. I wouldn't have been able to stand it for any longer on my half seat anyway. The rest had been taken over by my Russian neighbor. When we arrived in Moscow at the hostel, we were greatly disillusioned. It didn't turn out the way we had imagined. Instead of a cozy room in a nice Airbnb apartment, we got a room in a worn-out apartment with eight Russian roommates. There was no choice but to change accommodation. In the evening, when the police marched in to settle some disputes - we suspect relationship problems - we knew we had made the right decision. We don't want to go into it in detail, maybe the FSB is still reading along. Anyway, we survived the night, so off to the next hostel. After a long search, we finally found one and the Moscow adventure could really begin. Sightseeing was on the agenda. Red Square, the Kremlin, and St. Basil's Cathedral were quickly checked off due to the cold (never warmer than 3 degrees). To warm up, we went to a dormitory where one of Luis' classmates was already waiting for us. Together with a few other students, we went to a few bars and ended the evening relaxed. The next day, we first went underground in Russia. Metro was on the agenda. Except for a small involuntary detour when we suddenly found ourselves at the Lokomotiv Moscow stadium, everything went smoothly and we could continue to admire the city. Unfortunately, two days are not enough to explore the whole of Moscow. It seems we'll have to come back again.

Back in St. Petersburg, I ended the evening comfortably in a bar with a Russian girl before I had an extreme sightseeing day the next day. At noon, I met up with a Russian student who kindly showed me all the sights and a few insider tips. Bol'shoye Spasibo. I also managed to send a postcard to my grandma finally. (Greetings again)

In the evening, we met up with Kirill and our Russian neighbors for dinner and a nighttime city tour. Then, I went on a tour with Kirill. First, we visited a few cocktail bars before taking a detour to a shisha bar owned by Kirill's friends around half past four. The paystation was switched on immediately, and FIFA was put on. Würzburg against Augsburg. A little taste of home.

Overjoyed to have survived the adventure, we made a quick stop at the liquor store and headed back to Finland.

Finally, I want to thank Kirill again for his help and all the other Russians for letting us live. We will definitely come back.