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Re: OT: Friday coming Posted by EGD [Email]  (#663) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from EGD) on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:58:13
In Reply to: OT: Friday coming, Siegfried, Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:51:31 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
If you're looking for outside impressions, here are a few observations about a trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg in March / April 2002 I made with my wife and baby...
1) We were offered lots of 'help' at the airport by Central Asians concerned about our excessive luggage. 'I will drive you and your family and my friend here will take all your bags in a separate car! Very comfortable!' We politely declined their generous offer.
2) When buying groceries we had to go to separate counters to order each item (milk, cheese, bread, sausage, etc.) and then take small slips of paper to a cashier to pay, and then we had to return to each counter again to pick up our items. Very inefficient. And there were times when the counter girls wouldn't even look at us when we wanted to order. I learned that the first thing to do was speak some English when we walked through the door and the atitude changed completely. My wife explained that Russians will treat each other poorly but will be responsive if they think you're a foreigner as they don't want foreigners to think badly of them. And Thank God she speaks Russian!
3) Russians seem to love babies and will go out of their way to help you. And the people, in general, were warm, friendly, and very hospitable.
4) Our host had to bribe the man behind the desk at the OVIR to do the job he was already paid to do (stamp our visa). We also had to 'pay' to skip a huge line at the Hermitage (St. Petersburg) and at the Diamond Fund (Moscow). Both amazing places, by the way, but my favorite museum was the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
5) Loved the Metro in both cities. Fast, clean, comprehensive, and efficient. If only it was as good in the US...
6) The food was excellent, the beer was outstanding, and the bread was even better. [I don't drink vodka!].
7) So many things I saw were incredibly beautiful (the historical sites, the churches, the museums, and especially the women!) but some things were far worse (the street-level pollution and the poor condition / cleanliness of public spaces within apartment buildings is unbelievable). I was glad my tetanus shots were current.
8) We laughed at all the SUVs with US car dealer names from the Tri-State area in the US (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut) stenciled on the paint. The same for cars with German dealer IDs. I assume they were stolen and shipped to Russia. I loved, however, rides in Russian taxis -- Volgas, I think. Pretty cool.
9) The trains between Moscow and St Petersburg (the Aurora?) were excellent but the temp inside was way too hot, and the conductor would not let us open the window even a crack -- it was locked.
10) Would love to go back someday but this time in the summer or early-autumn to see the countryside, or at New Years just for fun!
posted by 192.91.17...
, Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:03:44, Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:58:13 <-- Viewing This Message, Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:04:42
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