Going to Russia next month. Any advice appreciated.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

I am taking a tour to St. Petersburg Russia, Estonia, Finland and Latvia next month. I have family in Latvia, so I will stay there a week after the tour ends to visit with them.

Has anyone been to these countries lately? Did you have any problems with money exchange, credit cards or ATMs?

Any hints you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

[wakeme2008]

1. bring your own TP

:)

[tinfoilinfor2005]

2. I've heard that.

:)

[YOY]

8. Russian Toilet Paer is 'John Wayne'

Rough, tough, and doens't take shit from anyone.

[bluedog]

3. my son has went twice once in Aug 2005 and then in Jan 2006

the only problem he had was that the agents at the entry gate in Moscow double charged him to entering.they said his ticket said he wouldn't be there until the next day..our booking agent screwed up......so he had to pay an extra 75 bucks.......that was the 1 st time.

he traveled to Orinberg by train and had no problems at all.......he doesn't speak Russian at all .....and said people were really nice to him....they must have used sign language or something.but....to make a long story short..he married Irina in Jan....and now we have to make out a ton of legal paper work to get her here....

this romance has been on going for years..as she was in the states for awhile.......

so..enjoy....but watch your money exchange.......remember our money goes a long ways there.....people think you're rich when you get a wad of money..which when coming back .you have to turn in for US money

[tinfoilinfor2005]

9. The Visa is now over $200. This is the only country where it was

required and we'll only be there four days.

My husband bought me one of those translating machines for simple sentences and it appears to be fairly simple. I speak, read and write Latvian, but not a word of Russian.

[MuseRider]

4. St. Petersburg about 10 years ago

and I hear it has changed quite a bit since then.

It was lovely and we loved it. We had been in Moscow before St. Petersburg so it was delightful after that. Moscow was really cool and very interesting but St. Petersburg seemed a lot more free and was more European influenced. We were not nearly as restricted in St. P where in Moscow we were not able to take off on our own.

All the touristy stuff there is well worth your time and do not miss the Rembrandt room at the Hermitage, do NOT miss that room. The Winter Palace is amazing and it really puts into perspective how the people lived VS the wealthy ruling class.

Have fun.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

6. We have an entire day at the Hermitage scheduled as one of the

tour activities. Thanks for the heads up on Rembrandt since I hear the Museum is huge, and lots might be missed.

See, this is why I love my DU friends...they know all the good stuff. :)

[wakeme2008]

11. When I was at the Hermitage we were told

there are 13 miles of walking to see everything. They said we (the group) did 3. :)

[tinfoilinfor2005]

16. I'm going to the gym everyday, just to build up stamina for all the

walking. I did that last year before I went to London and Paris, and I was able to outwalk all the youngsters. People in Europe walk all over the place, and we are so spoiled with riding everywhere.

[MuseRider]

17. I got very tired

of all of it after also doing the Armory and all that in Moscow. It stuns your eyes and your senses and really makes you wonder.

There is also a small pieta of Michelangelo, very easy to miss. I believe (I was so jet lagged but better by the time we hit St. P) it was very close to the Rembrandt room.

One little suggestion. This may not be true now but when I was there everything was run and controlled by Babushkas(that was the name our tour people called them), older women who tended to grab you and move you around a lot. It was odd and kind of off putting at times. In our entire group, all music people or parents with the kids who were there performing, I was the only one who was interested in our trip to the Kirov Ballet. One of the babushkas grabbed me and sat me away from my family, away from my group in a corner behind the stage. Everyone was trying to trade spots with me because I saw maybe one toe during the entire performance and the little babushka would not let me trade and she stood there the whole time with her arms crossed tapping my shoulder saying Het Het (no no). Happened in the Hermitage too. Just stay a good distance away from things because those ladies have all the power and they will throw your ass out in a big hurry. I say this with a lot of amusement not anger.

It is a beautiful city with very kind people but watch out for those Babushkas, they run the place and are as strict as the little grandmothers they are named for.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

19. Before you go, rent "Russian Ark"

2000 Actors. 300 years of Russian History. 33 Rooms at the Hermitage Museum. 3 Live Orchestras. 1 Single Continuous Shot.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009NHAT/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318034/

[tinfoilinfor2005]

21. Wow! The reviews look awesome. I wonder if Netflix might have it

since I am a subscriber. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

[tinfoilinfor2005]

23. Netflix has it and I ordered it. Should be in Friday.

Really looking forward to it!

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

31. Excellent! I hope you enjoy it. (& your trip) nt

[nickinSTL]

5. not recently...

Back in about 1990 or so.

Of those countries, I was most impressed with Estonia. Of course, that was after spending a few weeks in Russia...and Estonia was doing much better due to economic cooperation with Finland at the time. So, it may have been more of a contrast sort of thing.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

12. We will be staying in Tallinn for several days.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. We will ferry over to Helsinki for one day.

[nickinSTL]

13. Tallinn was really nice

(for one thing, the hotel we stayed at actually had TP in the PUBLIC restroom, which believe me, was a HUGE thing after weeks in Russia)

There was a really cool city wall, just generally quite pleasant.

I hope it hasn't changed too much for the worse in the last 15 years.

[YOY]

7. Most ATMs are fine these days, but watch for the assclown who stands t

too close.

Do not use the exchange rates in the center of town. In the center of major towns there are always inflated exchange rates waiting for tourists. Better yet, exchange your money BEFORE you leave at someplace.

Do not use credit cards. Unless staying at a major hotel and using them there, you ARE ASKING FOR TROUBLE. Use cash. It works fine but you'll have to mourn the points you could have used later.


That said, Russia in winter? Are you MAD?

My knowledge is just from Russia a few years ago. Of course Finland will more likely be more civilized than here.

Have fun, but as anywhere, be careful.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

14. We will be at the Hotel Pulkovskaya and that is already prepaid

by the tour group. Looks to be a very big and nice hotel, but it is several miles outside of the city.

I live in the tropics so a winter vacation is a treat for me. I will be going back to palm trees and 80 degree weather directly after.

Too risky to use credit cards in the shops in downtown St. Petersburg?

[YOY]

27. As an American/Western tourist you have a potential target mark on you

Use your credit card as little as humanly possible. Especially is small shops and restaurants!

[tinfoilinfor2005]

30. Well, that will drastically cut into my shopping.

My husband thanks you.

[The Stranger]

10. Try the vodka.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

15. I'm more excited about the caviar!

But if I'm forced to drink vodka, I'll just have to grin and bear it. :)

[MuseRider]

18. We went somewhere, I will try to find it

and PM you the name where they did a long concert/folk dance performance. It was WONDERFUL, the musicians were so talented and the dancing, well it was the best. At intermission you go into a large room with long tables filled with little shots of Vodka or Champagne and all the caviar you can stuff yourself with for the price of the show.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

20. Oh, that sounds wonderful. The lady I'm traveling with (we met on

another tour of Paris last year) would really get into that too. Please let me know if you find it.

ps - I will look out for the Babushkas. Both of us are Babushkas as well, so they might have to go aways to intimidate us; especially my traveling companion who is a fearless five foot tall Italian grandmother. :)

[MuseRider]

22. Ahhh that is perfect!

A fearless five feet!

I wish I had been a bit older, more ready for the tremendous jet lag and not taking care of a group of children (2 of my own). We had to be so very careful in Moscow and on the train. I missed a lot just counting noses and grabbing hands. We had to have armed guards on the train, it was so odd.

You are going to have a wonderful time. I wish I could tag along. I hope to go back one day.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

24. The travel group I've been using is Go Ahead Vacations at

goaheadvacations.com . They are unbelievably reasonable. Click on destinations and then St. Petersburg and the Baltics. If it wasn't for this group, I couldn't afford to go to these places. A friend of mine turned me on to this group and I've been all over the place in the past few years.

Jet lag kills me too. There is supposed to be a special diet you can follow for several days before the trip that is supposed to be very helpful. I am looking into this for my trip next month.

[MuseRider]

25. Wow, thank you!

That is great, I will bookmark that site. I hate tour groups usually but when you are going to a place where you do not speak the language they can be very helpful. I got in a little trouble (not legal) in Mexico with my two very young sons and my Spanish was passable so I am nervous about going when I know nothing about the language. I know lots of people who go anyway and they manage but it makes me nervous. (I got totally lost in Mexico City and both my boys were under 10, it was a little scary being lost like that)

I appreciate the info on Go Ahead Vacations. There are so many places I would like to go.

[MuseRider]

26. I just sent you a PM

telling you that I have no idea where I put all my Russia info but I think this is what I was talking about for the Folk Show with the Vodka and caviar.


Folk Show at the Nikolaevsky Palace


Address: Truda (Labour) Sq.,4

The Nikolaevsky Palace was constructed in 1853-1861 by famous architect Andrey Stakenshneider for Emperor Nikolay I's son Grand Duke Nikolay. The classic-styled residence was set in Annunciation Square (the Square of Labour nowadays) in the prestigious and costly district of Saint Petersburg, not far from the Admiralty and Palace Square. After the Grand Duke's death in 1891 the Palace was given over to the Women' Institute named after Grand Duchess Xenia, sister of Nikolay II.
The Revolution of 1917 made the Palace the property of common people and their representatives - local trade unions. In accordance with the communistic traditions it was renamed the Palace of Labour. Today the walls of the carefully restored Palace preserve the memory of the more than century city's history. Its lavishly decorated halls have witnessed the daily life of the Grand Duke's family as well as the meetings and celebrations of the Soviet authorities.
The Palace houses the Nikolayevsky Art-center that is aimed to represent the unique Russian culture to guests and residents of Saint Petersburg. Every night the bright folklore show that is comprised of the best folk companies' performances is held in the Concert Hall (the former ballroom) of the Nikolayevsky Palace.

[politicat]

28. Learn to swear.

Street Russian is heavily laced with profanity. If you know at least the rudiments, you'll be better able to cope.

I exchanged my money in the US before I went, but at the time, the rates made more sense to do so. (And I was on a very tight budget, being a college student.)

[tinfoilinfor2005]

29. I guess they can cuss at me all they want

because I won't understand them anyway. Last year I went to France and learned enough of the language to get by, especially since most of the younger folks spoke English. But I don't have time this year to learn Russian, and I'll only be there four days.

Thanks for the tip, but I think I've decided that I'll probably do ATM transactions in each country, since the four countries I will be visiting all deal in their own money. Even Latvia and Estonia haven't yet gone Euro. And I'm told that dollars are still accepted in most of the four countries, even though change is given in the local coinage.