slothis · English

A Weekend in St. Petersburg: Park Vibes

2016-08-27 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

After being thoroughly indebted to Timur's hospitality, I headed back into downtown St. Petersburg. I came into the city to see another Russian friend, Oleg, and headed to the park after hearing he was slacklining there. On the way back, Timur and I talked about Russia's welfare system. He mentioned that if a married couple has two children, they receive about 50,000,000 KRW starting from the second child. This money is strictly limited to being used for a mortgage or education expenses. Originally, it was around 15,000,000 KRW, but because the exchange rate plummeted, it turned into a massive amount when converted to Korean Won. If they have a third child, they get another 50,000,000 KRW along with a consumption tax discount, allowing them to buy groceries at a cheaper price. Hearing about such practical welfare benefits gave me a strange feeling of envy, even though their current economic situation is more unstable than ours.

When I arrived at the park, all sorts of people were hanging out and enjoying their hobbies. From project performances for kids to yoga, trick bikes, and musicians, everyone was having a great time. It had the same free-spirited vibe as Han River Park back in Korea, but it seemed less crowded and had a slightly wider variety of activities. There was a lake in the middle, creating a stylish scene of people jogging with their dogs.

People are relaxing leisurely in a park with green lawns and trees.
People are gathered and spending time among the park trees with their bicycles and belongings set aside.
Walking around, I spotted Oleg and his friends hanging out, slacklining and playing the djembe.

Oleg was the only person I knew there, but he was so absorbed in slacklining that I didn't really have anything to do. Still, just watching other people focus on having fun gave me a sense of relaxation that I couldn't easily feel in Korea, so it was a nice time. Well, even if it only lasted about 5 to 10 minutes. I handed over my gift, told him I was curious about what else was going on and wanted to take a walk around, and we quickly parted ways.

People are gathered on the park lawn playing percussion instruments like djembe.
A view of a park walking path with a calm river flowing between green trees under a cloudy sky.
People are paired up practicing acroyoga and gymnastics movements on a spacious park lawn.
I'm not sure if it's yoga or cheerleading, but I never expected to see such a fascinating sight in a park like this.
People are feeding birds by the park lake, and a bicycle is lying on the grass.
Two women are standing by the lake looking at a flock of ducks and pigeons gathered at the water's edge.

Expenses

Total Expenses 1000RUB

Total Travel Expenses 525,936 KRW + 39,555 RUB + $152.26