Ulysses

Cold weather, cold people, they say! Even Russian people say this about theirselves, but of course everybody can understand that if someone doesn't smile at the moment you meet him, it doesn't mean they can't smile or that they don't have a big heart! I couldn't stand the Russian cashiers, who, without starring at you, were only saying "??????" (shoping bag?), but I found a lot of people on buses or along the streets that talked to us so many times beacuse they heard a new language...and this is also because I was in Tula, a city 250kms south from Moscow, with 500millions of people but considered by russians "???????". And it was, a countryside city, because there there were still real russian people, not the new russians, but old people, like those old women (with floral shawles on the head) who sold their products on the road. Me and my friend loved to take our bus and... be lost somewhere. We loved the relation with different cultures: we were with russians, but also with someone from Turkmenistan, someone else from Tajikistan or Turkmenistan or Afghanistan or India or Vietnam. We danced together, we saw their traditional parties and their costumes, ate their plof and a whole "baranà" (sheep) foundIdon'twanttoknowwhere, never mind if sometimes a Head (of the university, of the collage) was worried about these european girls among muslimans. If you want to meet russian people don't forget that the best way is always using the transports (I already told something about it): a night from Tula to Sankt Petersburgh and you will see how much they love to talk (thats' incredible!) to someone only because they have to pass 6/7 hours with him... just think to Anna Karenina who knew everything about Vronskyj just beacuse she met The mother in train. Sankt Petersburgh was AMAZING: the dawn walk down the Neva to the Ermitage makes you feel in peace. But I must confess that Peter was too much Europe for me...and after that and after Moscow (MOSCOW! Once in life, but you have to see HER), my mind was projected to my countryside Tula. Cold people? No, you can handle it. The true is that Russian people can be divided (no offense to anybody, I'm sure is not necessary to be said) into: the boring and the crazy one. The crazy ones are... yes, crazy, funny, different, with all their magic and big russian soul visible. But you have to know them to understand.
By the way, my suggestion is: DO NOT eat caviar for breakfast!