This started out to be a very typical day, but I ended up in the Twilight Zone.  Ate my two hard boiled eggs for breakfast and went to school from 10am until 1:30pm. It was a good lesson and I have improved my listening skills a lot since I arrived, but I still have a long, long way to go. Above is what I had for lunch. Mushroom/chicken blinis at a fast food place. I may pay the price in the morning, but they were very, very good. 

In the afternoon I went to the Pushkin Art Museum and saw the impressionist exhibit. It was a small, but incredibly impressive gallery. You walk into rooms and are surrounded by countless paintings by Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Degas. I spent a couple of hours at the museum, then went to the gym for about an hour 

My first medical conference is tomorrow. It is a course on Capsule Endoscopy and is being held at the Korston Hotel, which is  within walking distance from Gorgy Park, south of the city centre. I got reminiscent of the time I was there with Arleigh a couple of years ago. Since I am staying at the hotel tonight,  I thought I would check it out on tripadvisor.com.  Here are some random reviews:

“the worst of the russian style”

Reviewed 5 weeks ago

employees don't speak english, the quality of breakfast is very cheap, the rooms are very poor, the beds are terrible and very uncomfortable making rest impossible, is full of hookers at night, prices are very expensive for what you get.

“A pretty much expensive hotel with poor service and unfriendly staff”

Reviewed August 19, 2014

I stayed in Korston Hotel for 3 weeks for business and had the chance to see 3 different rooms. The summary is still the same, very expensive rooms, poor quality of sleeping, very retro style of the room (not to say its old), aircon not always working, bathroom small and with some smaller issues
There are also construction works going on, which can be very annoying.
The staff is unfriendly, especially one lady at the breakfast buffet:

"Do you have other cereals than this? (they had 6 buckets, 5 times the same)...
"NOT TODAY!"
"Do you have green tea"?
"NOT TODAY!"

Well, all in all, I had to stay there. Being on vacation, I would never go into this former casino now brothel complex.

Room Tip: Its a brothel!

“a 3 stars Brothel with criminal faces going around”

Reviewed August 8, 2014

The Hotel itself wouldn't be so bad, the breakfast was ok while the rooms a bit too little however average. The problem with this hotel is that is a place for gambling, prostitution and criminal's faces going in & out of the door. "Professional girls" are quite pushy with foreign hotel customers and the atmosphere is broken by the vulgarity of people attending the lobby. You expect a gun killing or a mafia attack every minute. A mention a part deserves the top floor restaurant, good but expensive. 

I was not disappointed. Here is the entrance. It used to be a casino.

You have to go through a metal detector when you walk through the door

This is  the lobby. It is definitely like being in Vegas in the 60's.

I thought this was the fitness centre! Unfortunately, they would not let me take pictures inside (just kidding, Arleigh)

This is Men's club number 2, also attached to the hotel.

This is club # 3 in the hotel, a "business club". I thought I would go in to find out about internet access. I think it is interesting that all three clubs have their signage in English.

There are many women relaxing in the hotel lobby

I hope this guy's wife is not following my blog!

Tomorrow: my first conference (it will be in English and Russian).