From one day to the next...

I realise I'm behind on a couple of days posting. To be fair at this stage in the course, my days are beginning to blur one into the next. I thought my previous introduction to study in the city was intense but that was before I was faced with the prospect of afternoon practical lessons following a full mornings theory in the classroom.

Its often only the following morning, when through sleep my head has a chance to organise all I've absorbed, that I begin to appreciate what I've learnt. At times of course it can feel that all the new stuff is simply pushing out the old stuff, but thats inevitable with the complete immersion in the language I'm experiencing.

In this absence from updating, I've neglected to mention a visit to the Russian ballet, an experience that didn't quite match the sumptuous display of setting and sound at my first visit to the Russian opera but was nevertheless memorable. To be fair we opted for cheap student tickets and a less prestigious venue than the Mikhailovsky theatre - which was enjoying the opening of the new season and proved inaccessible at such short notice - though we took advantage of the opportunity to shift across to a better view as the lights went down. What else could we opt for than 'Swan Lake', the perfect introduction, which for me was as memorable for the music as the athletic dancing on display.

I can only conclude by saying if you're in the city, go, find a ticket vendor (lining Nevsky Prospect, they're not hard to find) and pay as much as you can afford. (Whether that's £8 or £80!) Its amazing to think the level of access that can be enjoyed here in contrast to the expense you'd find in England.