Firstly, we’d like to mention the Bike to Work event - though I guess it’s more about contributing to a good cause than resting; in any case, cycling is fun and doesn’t take much effort, so why not? The event will be held on Friday - and all you have to do is just use this highly convenient and ecological means of transportation to get to university! By the way, ITMO University has its own biking traditions, so to say - if you’re interested, you can read about it here.

As for the weekend, there’s a lot to do, as well. To start with, on Sunday, September 24 it will be the Open Day at the Russian Museum of Ethnography - a good opportunity to learn more about the different cultures of the country you’ve come to study in. Russia is big, and visiting any place other than St. Petersburg is totally up to you, yet learning a bit more about it surely won’t hurt. Also, this will be a good chance to visit the museum’s treasure galleries, on this day, you won’t need a special ticket to get there.

Another curious cultural event will take place on Saturday - the Open Your Europe festival
at the State Hermitage, commemorating Peter the First’s famous journey to Europe that had a huge effect on Russian culture (and eventually led to the founding of St. Petersburg). The festival’s program will include lots of different events on various aspects of history and culture - from workshops on nautical knotting to lectures on modern Norwegian literature and classical Italian music: whatever it is you’re interested in, you’ll surely find something to your liking.

If you are not so keen on history and classics, there’ll be a whole different arts event from September 22 to 24. The LENEXPO exhibition center will host the ArtExpoSpb annual art fair that brings together artists and art lovers from throughout the world: a great chance to acquaint yourself with the current state of contemporary art and maybe even buy something - who knows, maybe it’ll cost a fortune in some ten years? In any case, the entrance tickets are cheap - only 200 rubles, and the event will definitely be worth your while.

Well, all of the above may surely be great and enticing, yet all of those events involve spending time inside - and next weekend may well be this year’s last opportunity to enjoy some good weather! So, if you’re set on making the most of your weekend, we advise you to check out St. Petersburg’s picturesque satellite towns, or make your way to the historic city of Vyborg!

 

See you next week! Yours truly, ITMO.NEWS.