Vyborg Walking Tour

We’re leaving the castle now. Please turn left and walk along the Castle Bridge. We’re entering Krepostnaya Ploshad, the former Tyrglis Knutson square, and now we’re walking through the gate marked by two female figures placed opposite each other. The figure on the right symbolises trade; the one on the left depicts industry. You can see a statue in the middle of the square. It is a statue of Tyrglis Knutson, the founder of the castle.

The building right behind the statue was built in the 17^th century to house Vyborg’s Town Hall; later it was rebuilt several times and finally it was turned into a block of flats.

We are now walking up Krepostnaya Street and we’re then taking the first turning to the right. We can see the ruins of the old cathedral. Its oldest parts probably date back to the end of the 15^th century. The bell tower that you can see behind the ruins is one of the most important landmarks in the city.

We are now going back to Krepostnaya Street. Let’s walk up it and turn left. Going down the street, the building on your left is the former Vyborg Roman Catholic Church named after St. Hyacintus. The small natural stone house in the middle of the site on the right, opposite the church, is one of the town’s oldest buildings.

We go on walking down the street and stop at the crossing. The street on the right leads to the Round Tower, which was built in 1547-1550 to protect one of the gates in the medieval wall of Vyborg. Nowadays it is a very popular restaurant and contains original interiors.

Tapescript (track № 5)

So Chris, this isn’t your first tour in Russia. How do you like it?

I haven’t had the chance to explore the country. Even though I’ve been here twice, I haven’t seen much except airports, hotels and concert halls. I’m either gigging, being interviewed, or I’m in a hotel room.

Have you given local musical culture a try while being here? Played a folk instrument, for example?

I haven’t played the balalaika, If that’s what you mean. There was a guy at the gig yesterday night, in the third or fourth row, waving one at me. He probably wanted to give it to me as a present afterwards. I haven’t seen him since. The backstage security looked threatening. Like the monsters in The Fifth Element, you know.

So you don’t even have a balalaika?

No, as I said.

Chris, in the world of music you can be described as being very successful. What are you rubbish at?

Driving. I’ve never been a very good driver. I haven’t driven a car in Russia, though. I think the driving style here is similar to mine. Maybe I’d be a champion driver in Moscow or St. Petersburg. You know that in England we drive on the left, and that’s what the guys seem to be doing here. But I’ve been told that it’s quite different in other towns across Russia.

Would you like to see that for yourself?

Well, I’m not much of a traveler myself. Touring gives you enough of that, if you ask me. So I haven’t taken a trip across Russia, and I’m not planning to. Sorry about that.

Not even a camping tour in the forest by the lake, with a guitar and round-the-fire singing? This is real tourism in Russia.

By no means. I’m sick of singing to friends. Leave that to Sir Paul McCartney – he likes it, they say. I do a lot of singing on tour, and that is what I call Compson tourism. I don’t need to do extra gigging for free, thanks all the same. And I haven’t been camping in the forest at any time in my life.

What is your honest opinion of food and weather in St. Petersburg?

As for the food, open your eyes. I go and eat in Irish pubs all over the world. And I haven’t tried borsch here, or bought Russian dolls for my parents! The weather – when I was an English southern boy, I took notice of it. Had emotions. Now I’m a world citizen, and I don’t care about the weather. Anything’s fine with me. Rain or even snow – it makes no difference. I am an interior sort of person. I listen to the voices inside.

Tapescript (track № 6)

About 10 years ago I was a naughty boy. I believed I was the boss among my friends. I fought with other boys almost every day and sometimes I fought with my elder sister. I was 5 or 6 years old when I saw Superman on TV for the first time. It seemed he could do everything, so he became my idol. I really wanted to be a Superman. Finally, I made up my mind to become a Superman. So I called up all my friends and said in front of my house, “Is there anybody that can jump from the second floor*?” My friends remained silent. I said, “Yes! And if I do it, you’ll give all the sweets that you have. But if I fail, I’ll give you all my sweets. Agreed?”

They said, “OK”. I went up to the second floor with my Superman costume on, stood on the window ledge for a few seconds, and took a deep breath. What a brave boy I was!

I jumped with my arms extended like Superman. During the flight, though it only lasted a second, I could see that eyes of my friends were getting wider and wider.

“Crash!” I fell to the ground. And I was knocked out for a moment. When I opened my eyes slowly, I could see my mum’s nose. I had to go to the hospital with my mum because a part of my tongue had been cut in the crash. But I got the sweets later on, and I became the leader in my group of friends.

*Second floor – третий этаж

Tapescript (track № 7)

A

It was my first week at this school and I was competing in a 500-metre race. I was in my starting position and everyone’s eyes were on the track. When the gun went off, I lost my balance, fell forward and practically rolled across my lane. When I fell, the crowd went, “Ohhhhh”, and then laughter followed. I was so embraced, but I got up and finished the race, even though I came in last.

B

I was running in a girl’s cross-country race. We ran last, which meant that the markings on the ground had worn away. At one point, I took the wrong path. A girl from another school also took the same turning and we ended up lost together. After everyone else had finished the race, our parents wondered where we were. A coach and two team captains went out looking for us. They found us and guided us back to the course. When we finished the race, the spectators cheered for the “lost girls”.

C

My partner and I were playing in a tennis tournament when one of my serves went in the wrong direction and hit my partner on the back of the head! He immediately fell to the ground (my serves are over 80 mph). But after a few minutes, and an ice pack, he was able to keep playing – though he stood a little further out to the side than usual!

D

I was getting dressed for a running competition when I realized my aunt hadn’t done the washing. I had to wear my cousin’s shorts, which were two sizes too big. So while I was competing in the 50- metre sprint, they fell down. But I still managed to jump out of them and win the race!

Tapescript (track № 8)

A

A plane was forced to land after a bad-tempered cat attacked the pilot. Gin was travelling to a cat show when he escaped from his cage after his owner fell asleep. He found his way into the cockpit, where he took an instant dislike to the co-pilot, reports Sky News. The cat was “very aggressive and scratched the co-pilot”, forcing the crew to return to the airport, a SN Brussels spokesman said. The plane, carrying 62 people from Brussels to Vienna, had been in the air for 20 minutes when it was forced to turn back. The passengers were put on another flight to Vienna, without the cat and its owner, who had to take a separate flight there.

B

A man from Brazil threw £10,000 in cash and cheques into his office bin. Alfredo Weyne from Fortaleza said that he thought the bin would be an ideal place to hide the money. But the cleaner at Mr Weyne’s company was not aware of this “ideal hiding place” and threw all the contents of the bin away. He is appealing to anyone who finds the money to return it, and he is offering a £2,000 reward.

C

An absent-minded Olympic champion managed to forget about his two gold medals when he left Athens. Nicolas Massu, Chile’s gold winner in the men’s tennis singles and doubles, left the medals in his bedroom. Rodrigo Banados, who was sharing a room with at the athlete’s village, found them. He said: “I called him straight away to avoid the fright that a situation like that could bring about.” Massu’s doubles partner Ferenando Gonzales, who had stayed in Greece for an extra day, took the medals to Miami where Massu is staying his family.

Tapescript (track № 9)

I don’t think the news scares me that much, and it can often be interesting. However, I think broadcasters get away with too much on the news. Many of the images I’ve seen on the 6 o’clock news seem quite graphic and should really only be shown after the watershed. I suppose, though, it makes us more aware of what some people in the world must face every day.

Most of the news is about depressing facts. I sometimes get really scared when kids get kidnapped since you then start to realize that it could easily happen to you! The news always paints a black picture. Surely there must be good news to report. Why do we not hear good news? This would make people feel better and happier.

I don’t get scared by stuff hear on the news because most of it rarely happens and I don’t think there is any point of living in fear. When it’s on the news, it sounds as if it all happens more regularly, but there’s probably no more than there was 10 or 20 years ago. Just go and have some fun since you only live once.

It scares me to death. Not just about all the wars and bombings and stuff, but the amount of children that go missing. It’s scary knowing what goes on in the world. Recently I’ve had two nightmares about trying to defuse a nuclear bomb, which then blows up in my face. Sometimes the news makes me feel ill, seeing how people have died etc. The news websites go into so much detail that it makes you want to cry. And it’s all real stuff – it’s not the movies.

I get scared sometimes about the news, things like terrorists. Like the other day, I had a nightmare that the sniper terrorizing Washington, DC came over to my place and started shooting – and it makes me think how horrible it must be to be there.

I don’t get scared by news stories because now I realize that it is just destiny. It may seem stupid but it’s quite true. If something is going to happen, it will and we can’t stop it, no matter how hard we try.

Tapescript (track № 10)

Announcer:

Imagine you were going on a very long car trip. The first thing you would do is find out about the place you are going to. You might get pictures to see what it looks like, and weather reports to see what kind of clothes to wear. You would check to see if you need snow tyres on your car or a four-wheel drive for bumpy roads. Once you were ready, you’d get lots of snacks, pack the car, and go.

Going to Mars is just like going on a car trip, except that nobody’s ever been there before. As space research scientists we’d like to visit Mars as soon as possible, but we have a lot of learning and packing to do first. Over the next 20 years, we are going to send more and better robots to Mars. Those robots will send back better pictures, maps, samples and weather reports. There is a limit to what robots can tell us, though, so eventually we will have to send people to study the planet.

Before people can visit Mars, we need to invent a spaceship that can take us there. Mars is very far away. Depending on where Mars and Earth are in their orbits around the Sun, it could take between six months to a year to get there.

The Moon is much closer, and people were there 25 years ago. Over the next 10 years, we are going to work on building a new spacecraft that can go to the Moon. Using this craft we will practice the skills we need to go to Mars.

Once we return to the Moon, we are going to build a station so that people can live and work on the Moon for months at a time. This is important so that we have a place to start from when we want to visit Mars, but it is also important because it gives us practice of living away from the Earth.

By the time you are old enough to be an astronaut, people will have spent months on the Moon. By the time you are old enough to be a commander of a space mission, we will have taken several trips to Mars. By the time your kids are old enough to be astronauts, people will be living on Mars. Wouldn’t it be cool to get a postcard from someone who was building a house on Mars? Wouldn’t it be cooler it was you who sent the postcard?

Tapescript (track № 11)

1 (How do you beat stress?)

Leslie Fox, 31, executive director: Every day, I receive forty phone calls, ten faxes, twenty e-mails, and fifty letters. All demand immediate responses, so I’m under constant pressure. Plus I manage a staff of 16 people and organize special events. To beat stress, I worry only about things I can control. Before going to sleep, I read novels. And on weekends, I visit my nieces. At 4 and 5 their top interest is what to build with Lego. They put everything into perspective for me.

2 (What inspired you to leave a good job and start your own business?)

Kate Spade, 33, handbag designer: As an editor of a women’s magazine I had the job of choosing fashionable bags, so I knew what was out there - and what wasn’t. In mu opinion, the market lacked bags for career women. So I decided to fill the gap by creating bags that combine function and style. I quit the job and started my own business. I was very naïve about all the hard work a businesswoman needs to do, but I’m glad I didn’t change my mind.

3 (What are you New Year’s resolutions?)

Timo Salonnen, 40, chef in a famous and prosperous restaurant: To continue learning about food. Last year I was in Spain for a few weeks sampling olive oil and cheese, to get a better understanding of Spanish cuisine. This year I’d like to learn more about goat’s cheese. No matter what your field is, life-long learning is very important for real success. Besides, it keeps the job interesting.

4 (What’s the secret of your success?)

Lisa Caputo, 32, press-secretary to a famous politician: I never let my age hold me back. Within two weeks of completing my master’s degree in journalism. I got a job as a press-secretary on Capitol Hill – the very job people said I wouldn’t get because I was only 23! I’ve found that if you’re willing to work really hard, you’ll be judged not by age but experience and skills.

5 (How do you deal with rejection at work?)

Cedric Pernette, 30, president of a TV and film production company: I get upset when things don’t go my way. Rejection hurts. But I give the rejected idea some rest, and then I try again and again. I believe rejection is a part of professional life. You shouldn’t feel sorry for yourself – just make changes and have another try.

Tapescript (track № 12)

Craig:

- Are you ambitious, Craig?

- Yes, I think I’m quite ambitious, but I keep changing my mind. I wanted to be a music journalist for a couple of years. But now I don’t think I have decided yet.

- Why don’t you want to go into the same job as your parents?

- Because it is not really right for me, but I haven’t decided yet.

- So?

- I want to get good grades in school, then go to university and do well there, and receive a MA degree. University is a good way to help you achieve your ambitions because you need qualifications and need to know what you’re doing.

- What’s more important to you – earning lots of money or having a job that you enjoy?

- They are both as important as each other.

Phillip:

- What made you choose the army as a career?

- When I was 13, I started the Army Cadets and learnt all about the army and handling weapons and all that. I enjoyed the life. A lot of my friends went in and said I was good.

- How have your parent’s jobs affected your career choice?

- They haven’t.

- What do your friends and family think about your chosen career?

- It is fine by my parents, if that is what I want to do. My male friends are quite supportive. My female friends are amazed.

- What’s more important to you – earning a lot of money or having a job you enjoy?

- Having a job that I enjoy, because there’s no point in being in it for the money if you don’t enjoy it.

Katie:

- So you are going to be a pop star, aren’t you?

- Yes, that’s what I dream about.

- Why don’t you want to go into the same career as your father?

- Because what my Dad does is what everybody does nowadays, working in an office, managing staff…

- How have your parents’ jobs affected your choice of career?

- My Mum thinks I have got a good voice and maybe I could do it, but my friends aren’t really bothered.

- What career would you definitely not like to do?

- I wouldn’t like to be a doctor because I don’t like blood and I don’t like seeing the insides of people.

- How much do you want to earn?

- Oh. Did you see in the newspapers about Jennifer Lopez getting a million pounds for a two – hour show? I’d like to be on that sort of money.