Lost in Saint Petersburg: A Data Dump & Deep Dive

okay, so i don't even know where to start with this. i stared at those numbers - 2122104 and 1643129247 - for a solid ten minutes before even thinking about what they meant. probably flight numbers? or just…randomness. it’s St. Petersburg, Russia, and the weather right now? it's brutal. i just checked and it's…bone-chillingly cold, there right now. hope you like that kind of thing. the temp is negative 8.94 Celsius, feels like a solid -15.94. humidity’s a weird 77%, which makes everything feel damp. i'm pretty sure my fingers are permanently frozen.

“Don’t trust the pigeons,” a grumpy old woman at a cafe told me. “They know things.”

this city is…something else. it's like stepping into a faded photograph. the buildings are grand, but you can see the years etched into the stone. i’ve been wandering around for a couple of days, mostly getting delightfully lost. i ditched the usual tourist traps pretty quickly. the Hermitage is impressive, yeah, but it was packed. i'd rather stumble upon a hidden courtyard or a quirky little shop.

my neighbors are…well, they mostly keep to themselves. there's a lot of quiet dignity here. but if you get bored, Tallinn is just a short ferry ride away. i heard that the best dumplings are at a tiny place down a side street near the canals - someone told me to look for a faded blue awning. and apparently, the local beer isn’t to be sniffed at. i’ve been mostly relying on Google Translate and a whole lot of pointing. it’s a surprisingly effective combination.

i’m staying in a little guesthouse near the Nevsky Prospekt. it’s charmingly cluttered and smells faintly of cinnamon. the owner, a lovely woman named Irina, keeps offering me tea and telling me stories in Russian that i mostly don't understand. she smiled knowingly when i asked about the numbers i wrote down. “Interesting numbers,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye. “Perhaps a sign?” i think she’s a bit of a mystic.

i’ve been trying to capture the light here. it’s diffused and a bit melancholic, which suits the city’s vibe. i’m not a professional photographer, don’t even know what an aperture is half the time, but i’m having fun with it. i’ve been wandering around with my trusty old Canon, trying to get that perfect shot of the canals reflecting the buildings. check out my slightly blurry Instagram if you want - link to instagram profile. it's a mess, but it's my mess.

someone told me that the best way to experience St. Petersburg is to just wander without a plan. and honestly? they're probably right. i'm off to find that blue awning now. wish me luck (and warm socks). you can find some helpful tips on navigating the city on TripAdvisor and if you're hungry, check out some local reviews on Yelp$. and if you want to book a tour, GetYourGuide has a pretty good selection.

“Beware of stray cats,” another local warned me. “They have their own agendas.”

i'm starting to think that's just the general vibe of this city. a little bit mysterious, a little bit unpredictable, and definitely unforgettable.