I don't have a specific photo, but what I did want to tell you here is that I noticed there were a whole lot of people eating ice cream. I didn't see where they were selling it although that wouldn't have made a difference because we were strictly forbidden to purchase anything from the people on the street anyways.
The Russian ice cream is called Morozhenoe and apparently everyone is absolutely crazy for it. All year round. Its creamier than Western brands and hey - its also cheap (32 cents American). The most popular varieties are Plombir and Stakanchik; usually served in a wrapper or a cup shaped wafer. They say the creme brulee and sweetened condensed milk flavored are the best.
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| Poppy seed pavlova with berries and sabayon cream |
Since I can't find you an ice cream photo (you'd think I would have one or two) - I'm going to show you what I was able to eat for my dessert once I got back on the ship. I would have ordered it just to take a picture of, because it was so beautiful - but believe me - it tasted as good as it looked! It was fabulous!
Pavlova (meringue topped with a type of whipped cream and fresh fruit) was named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova - who was known for her airy style of dancing, thought to be similar to the texture of the dessert.
Anna was born in St. Petersburg in 1881. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet (having been accepted in their school at age 10). Her classmates called her 'the broom' because she was tall.
She became most recognized for the creation of the role The Dying Swan. She had pet swans and even had a formal studio portrait of her with Jack (her favorite). She was the first ballerina to tour ballet around the world.
When she was 49 years old, while touring the Hague, Pavlova was told that she had pneumonia and required an operation. She was also told that she would never be able to dance again if she went ahead with it. She refused to have the surgery, told them to "get her swan costume ready" and died of pleurisy within days. In accordance with old ballet tradition, on the day she was to have next
performed, the show went on as scheduled, with a single spotlight
circling an empty stage where she would have been. Awww. How dramatic. That would be pretty sad to sit through wouldn't it?