Letter to Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, August 29, 1895

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August 29, 1895

I received your letter a few days ago, Mother dearest, and today I also got a letter from Mark to whom I am writing a short postscript.

I am still living in the same way and am so far pleased with Berlin. I feel very well—perhaps the regular life [I got tired of moving from place to place and, travelling like that, I did not manage to eat properly or regularly], the bathing and so on, according to doctor’s orders, are having their effect. I am still working in the Königliche Bibliothek and in the evenings I wander about studying the Berlin mores and listening to German speech. I am now getting used to it and understand it somewhat better than before, but still very, very poorly.

I am lazy about visiting the Berlin Sehenswürdigkeiten ; I have little taste for such things in general and in most cases have seen them only by accident. In general, I much prefer wandering around and seeing the evening amusements and pastimes of the people to visiting museums, theatres, shopping centres, etc.

I do not think I shall be staying here long—“visiting is all very well, but there is no place like home”.

I am going to remain here for a while, however, and to my great horror see that I am again in financial “difficulties”; the “temptation” to buy books, etc., is so great that the devil alone knows where the money goes. I must again appeal for “philanthropy”; if you can, send me from 50 to 100 rubles.

Mark writes that your housing situation is tragic—there is nothing at all to let. In this respect Moscow, it seems, is worse than St. Petersburg. All this bother about a flat is very unpleasant. I hope you soon get it settled.

Regards to all,

Yours,

V. Ulyanov