16 MAY - Friday

Friday, May 16, = = (St Petersburg City - Maps)

I wake up to soprassalto, I have to leave on 21 / 5 I saw the ending and for that day should be on the border with Belarus, which part exactly the same days of the expiry of the Russian.
I prepare quickly, as in, I recall with nostalgia the good times passed the night before. Announcement you have memories, dusk in the car, but here's the unexpected .... Does not start, I open the bonnet trying to see what happened but I can not understand why it does not start, a few tens of meters is a distributor, corro to seek help again.
The gas station is available to give me a look but I ask anyway, if you know a mechanic who knows the type of car that I have.
Telephones do not know to whom and after about twenty...



minutes, while trying to find the fault, shows a man with a van, qualifying as a mechanic to the dealership brand of my car, shooting a sigh of relief when the man inside the traffic the engine compartment.
They spend about ten minutes, turn the key of the car and my diamond that is a pleasure, had gone short circuit in a cable is put into motion, I also change the plugs and filling the oil gap. Everything in order, thank you very much and paying the due greetings and childbirth, destination Luga.
Flat landscape, through forests of conifers and without that little houses, carts drawn by horses and cows, with huge loads of hay, cars loaded up all'inverosimile of merchandise of all kinds, overflowing from the windows without glass, poultry starnazzanti , cross the road suddenly, making do dangerous maneuvers to avoid them.
Halfway a small town, Divenka. I stopped to put something in your teeth, it seems to be in another world, a farmer can ask where to eat something, I am suspicious is approaching and after having understood from the face, relaxes flooding of words, something unusual for a Russian.
I make mention to follow at the small house nearby, and pointing to a chair in it, gives me happy cheese and bread, and I agree with gratidudine making company, we eat together with the poor taste but sincere offering.
One hour of rest and it comes time to divide.

42 km = Gatcina 94 km arrival in Luga = (tot 136 km)

Luga Maps population = 40,000 =

Small industrial city, nothing important to see, if not the Luga river flowing nearby. The journey up to here, I route all calm and I arrived that it is already late afternoon.
I do not see Hotel, I suggest, however, a Dacia, scrostata and colors faded by time where renting a room for the few travelers who want to stop, to spend the night.
I am lucky, a few euros and are placed in a room in which hangs a pungent smell of wood, they tell me that was restored a few days, this has a strong odor of fresh wood.
I spend the evening having dinner with the family that hosted me, composed of four persons, a young woman, an old, a boy and a man from the undefinable.
After dinner the two women and I, we settled at the fireplace, that although May is already required on why the night is still cold enough and need to stiepidire the environment.
The seats are comfortable but marked by time, as well as throughout the interior of the house, carpets, furniture, paintings give a sense of old, or maybe it's better to say abandonment.
The exchanging pleasantries are required and despite the reputation that the Russians were sullen, tough and reluctant to give confidence, the two women are willing to tell their life and spend time in these places.
The young woman is married but her husband lives in St. Petersburg to work and only once a month back home, not enough money ever, I say that this is a common thing in the whole world smiles with sad eyes:

"You do not picture what our people have suffered and still suffers despite what the current economic situation is improving but still only for the few, the disintegration of the country is a fact that the institutions have made large, leaving room for profiteers, faccendieri, mafia , the same men who had the duty to manage the economy and justice, we have left to ourselves and have only their interest. Our people had been educated in respect, if not in fear of the old institutions, which made us vulnerable to them, your authority is legitimized by a democratic vote, so you can not understand our past or our present. "

The reply:
"Democracies are imperfect, each nation tries to set rules for a possible coexistence more just and less confrontational as possible, this does not mean it is all roses.
Our history, our internecine wars, the political and social demands in the past centuries that still do, they took us to an economy based more rich but poverty, discrimination, injustice, the Mafia have it, though to a lesser extent, we also us.
We are the richest individual of you but as a humanity, culture, sincerity, seriousness do not have anything to envy.
The peoples of Europe, have the good fortune to still have the social and human values in the West that we have almost lost, are you able to preserve these valuable treasures, which are difficult to regain once lost. "

Aside man has heard, although seemed lost in his thoughts, comes close to us and almost talking to himself:

"I had a good job, years ago the factory closed, I tried another job, bussai all the doors, I adattai to do anything that could help me to live, nothing to do, if not outrageous and inhuman things. Confidence in myself, my physical and intellectual strength, honor, values, I was taught, I lost. Now my only thought is how to find Rubli I need to buy Vodka or his surrogate. And you talk to me Justice? Come into our broken and poor countries, with joy and superiority, as if andaste zoo, come to our rubarci women, you say "easy", come by showing your false wealth. I believe in the ideals of our country, now you are the winners and winners displayed as your trophies, dazzled with the ephemeral prosperity that show, our simple people. "

That no answer ... ... .. lie to the reader to draw his remarks.

> (DIARY DAY FOLLOWING MAY 17 )