Eng 214 - If I Traveled to Russia

Brianna Styvaert

M,W,F 10:30-11:20

Peralta 214

English 101

Professor Fanning

Traveling Essay

Traveling to Russia

        For as long as I can remember I have been interested in the country of Russia. When I was little I would study the history of Russia and try to learn the language. Since I couldn’t visit my favorite country when I was little I now want to visit now that I’m older I have been saving up money that I get and exchange it for rubles so that I will have cash and a visa card. A few of the places I want to visit when I’m there are to visit the Olympic village in Sochi, ride along the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok, visit the red square in Moscow, and I want to visit Saint Petersburg and learn how to ballet, which is a type of Russian ballet . There are many other things I want to learn while I am in Russia which are to make traditional dishes, start my own Russian doll collection, and learn the ways of how Russians live. Along with being in Russia I will keep up my photography blog but have a new file for all the things I will see.        

        When I start my vacation I will fly into Vladivostok, stay there a few days then take the Trans-Siberian Railway to Saint Petersburg. The train ride will take a roughly nine days. When I get there I want to visit the Mariinsky Theater, which is an imperial ballet and opera house that was built in the early 1783. After I take a tour of the place I will want to take ballet lessons inside the Marinsky Theater. I have been interested in ballet since I was a kid; I have even taken ballet lessons before. I estimate that that will take about 10 weeks, so while I am there I will visit the city and take in the Russian culture. Also I would start my Russian doll collection, also known as a Matryoshka Doll. After I’m done in Saint Petersburg I will get back on the Trans-Siberian Railway and take it to Moscow.

        When the train arrives in Moscow I will find a hotel in the heart of the city. While I am there I will visit the red square, which is a city square in Moscow that separates the Kremlin, currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from the historical merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod.  After I finish taking photos of the red square I will go shopping at the TSUM and GUM. They are both shopping malls in the Moscow City Centre. After a few days of all day shopping I will spend a few days taking photos of the city and taking part in some traditional Russian events that are going on at that time. When I’m done spending time in Moscow I will rent a car and travel down to Sochi.