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Summer 2003 cycling
Russia...and after
Agelasto2004-05-18 19:58:10
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Has anything changed from your first trip? asks Olga, my St. Petersburg guide for a Dostoevsky walking tour (http:www.peterswalk.com). The bread's the same is the only thing I could think of, but I subsequently learn that in Soviet times the variety of baked goods was limited because all the shops had to carry the bread produced by the central factory. When factory output changed (and Russia has too many breads, many black, to enumerate) so did a shop's inventory. Now, small kiosks stock various loaves every day, and if your favorite kiosk doesn't have the version you desire, head over to the next one.
In these post-Soviet times (marketization is the century's buzz word) the market place is full of competing stalls. Even what looks like a single shop -- that is, merchandise under a single roof -- could have 5 or more cash registers, each covering a few meters of shelf space. There's no single check-out, so you queue, receive (goods are behind counters out of arms' reach) and pay for your butter, then queue again, receive and pay for your bread, and then do the same thing for fruit, toiletries, canned goods, etc. Probably not the most efficient system, but it works for now in this country still undergoing changes in mindset (If you don't queue for it, how do you know it's any good?)
Food in markets and kiosks is generally cheaper than in other industrialized countries I've visited, but given Russia's low salary structure (teachers earn $100 a month along with non-cash benefits), this country must have one of the world's highest cost of living, relative to wages. People have very little money for non-essentials. Petersburg's streets may seem jammed with BMWs and VWs, but the average Russian takes the subway for US $0.25, or much less with a concession or monthly pass. Museums and monuments and cultural activites are priced low for Russians although foreigners pay 10-20
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See photographs from:
Russia Gallery
