U-Can Travel!

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2009-10-09T11:28:00.000-04:00

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Switzerland

2009-10-02T13:19:00.002-04:00

I hear that Switzerland is pretty expensive. Can we really afford to go to Switzerland?

Sure U-Can! I just came back from Zürich and Luzern, two of the most expensive cities in Switzerland.

(*Note: American tourists do not need a visa to visit Switzerland, all that's needed is a valid U.S. passport. Also note that countries can decide not to accept older American passports up to six months before the passport's expiration date, so check your passport.*)

Keep your plans flexible -- if you're flexible, you'll be able to experience Switzerland for less money than you thought. That's the best way to take advantage of what cities you want to explore and the reason why you'll be able to afford going to Switzerland in the first place -- to get a taste of the country.

When I went to two of the most expensive Swiss cities, Zürich and Luzern, I quickly learned how expensive it was for locals to live there when I saw the prices in their restaurants' menus.

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Zürich

2009-10-02T13:17:00.004-04:00

I discovered that the City of Zürich was hosting a large soccer event during my proposed stay. I planned my itinerary to be in Zürich for only two days. I knew I had to get out of the city before the week of the soccer events to escape the ascent in hotel rates, and the problem of finding a hotel at all. I knew that every European soccer fan was ready to descend on the city to witness the matches. I chose two days to stay in Zürich, at least four to five days before the week of the soccer events. That was my window of opportunity to stay in Zürich without spending a fortune.

If you're planning to visit Switzerland, start with just a few cities if you just want to get a taste of the country and head for a few cities where you know what their high and low seasons are, and plan your stay away from any city events. Make your plans around that information.

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Walking Tour of Zürich

2009-10-02T13:16:00.004-04:00

Don't follow any walking tour published in travel books! Just get the gist of the city tour and conduct your own tour. Use the tour map as a simple guide and make your own discoveries. I found this out when I tried to follow Zürich's tour in a travel book. When you try to find street names (supposedly on the sides of buildings - not all the street names are posted and some are hard to find), it becomes not only a maze of streets, but you become disoriented as to which street is which in Zürich. Just go in the general direction using the book's map and discover things yourself.

Along the way, I discovered a most beautiful window display of flowers, and in one square next to a church, a junk art car. The car, (parked next to a sign posted for "taxi" rides) was undoubtedly an art piece, made to make people laugh. There was no body parts on the car, only a rusted chassis, with rusted engine parts, and a farm wagon seat with a pillow placed on top of a short log. People gathered around it, laughing and taking photos.

Down along a street next to the Aare River, I heard a string quartet playing a classical piece of music for a small audience as I peered through an open window covered with an iron grid. You can find a large assortment of the arts present in Zürich's nightlife.

I walked up along pathway to a hilltop park which had a great view of Zürich's skyline next to the Aare River. It was the essential place to take photos of the sun setting on the city's skyline next to the Aare River. In the park, men where playing a Swiss style of bocce ball, and another group of students where huddled around some art paintings while they listened to an art instructor.

On my last evening, on walked down Zürich's famous shopping street (Bahnhofstrasse) known as Switzerland's equivalent of Rodeo Drive. Every fashion designer you can think of is located on this street. Even as a window shopper, it's worth a view. As the sun faded and the street lights came on, I still felt safe walking along the Bahnhofstrasse's sidewalk.

Near the end of my evening walk, I crossed the Quaibrücke Bridge and saw Zürich's large lake, Zürichsee. On the other side of the bridge were a couple of large white tents, glowing with lights across the bridge. In red lights, the letters "KNIE" are posted over the tents. It was undoubtedly a children's park of rides and amusement. The tents were located on a small triangular park surrounded by roads of traffic next to the lake. Find this amusement center just north of a lakeside park known as Sechseläuten Platz.

Back toward my hotel, I continued my walk along the eastern side of the Aare River and heard what I sounded like a church organ concert when I saw a large church (Grossmünster Kirche) and two tall bell towers further down the street. The closer I walked to the music, I discovered an archway over the sidewalk, part of the lower foundation of the Rathaus (Old Town Hall. The building actually "sits" in the Aare River.) A large crowd was gathered around two amazing accordian players, playing everything from Mozart to popular tunes. Further down the embankment, next to the river was a white, inflatable "disco" club with colored lights shining through the white inflatable "pillows." Zürich was certainly alive with music at night, definitely a lively town!More...

Zürich Restaurants

2009-10-02T13:15:00.005-04:00

For me, restaurants in Zürich were pretty expensive after I discovered how much a typical meal would cost. Because I was only staying in Zürich for two days, I opted for cheaper grocery stores. There's a Co-op store on the Bahnhof Brücke Bridge spanning the Aare River, near the bahnhof (main train station).

Migros: A little farther south of the bahnhof, there's a Migros grocery store located on the east side of the Aare River. When you see the Migros sign, there's a restaurant on the top floor and the grocery store is downstairs. It's a short walk east of the Rudolph-Brun-Brücke bridge. In the grocery store, you'll easily be able to afford a cheap lunch including snacks, as well as fruits and vegetables. I found everything I needed for lunch, except I couldn't find one bottle of cold pop/soda after I searched the entire store. I wound up buying a one-liter bottle of grapefruit soda (at room temperature), which was 1.40 CHF = $1.31.

Location: Mühlegasse, #11, at the intersection of Niededorfstrasse.

Migros Restaurant: Located on the top floor.

Starbucks: To get free WiFi Internet, I ordered an "Iced Americano" coffee for 5.30 CHF = $4.93! The reason why I'm giving a mad review is because the coffee preparer behind the counter does all this show, putting ice in a cup, blending it, and then putting hot coffee in a cup with the coffee-making machine that makes all this loud noise. It really is a "coffee show" to make sure you feel as it you're getting your money's worth by spending $5 on a cup of iced coffee, which you could probably get cheaper at McDonlad's. After I watched the show, I paid my for iced coffee and asked for an Internet password card (free, with any purchase). When I sat down and opened up my laptop to email home, by the time I picked up my iced coffee (and it wasn't that long), there was no ice in my $5 coffee!! What a rip! I used to drive office-worker-ladies to Starbucks when I worked as a limo driver. They just had to have Starbucks! Save your money people -- save your money for better things than "iced coffee" with no ice!

On Saturdays, many small food tents are set up in Zürich's main bahnhof station. I bought a baguette sandwich for 5.50 CHF = $5.14. The sandwich was good, the only let down, no cheese! OXIMORON! How do you buy a sandwich in Switzerland with no cheese?? Cheese seems to be treated like an expensive delicacy. These small food entrepreneurs seem to be telling me, "Cheese? You want cheese with your sandwich? Oh, that's extra. . . " In response, I have to ask, "In SWITZERLAND? You have cows here?"

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A Day Trip to Appenzell

2009-10-02T13:14:00.003-04:00

I also chose to see the beautiful countryside of Appenzell, a region pushed on television travel shows and travel books. For me, it was good to see Zürich and the expensive living conditions there, but I also wanted to get away from it all and see the real Switzerland.

I found a good price for a roundtrip train fare from Zürich to Appenzell (about $60.49 for less than a two-hour ride, second class). This time, the train to Appenzell wasn't exactly packed. It was nice to get away from the large city of Zürich, even though I was only going to be spending two days there. Appenzell was a very pleasant way for me to breathe the fresher country air and escape the larger hustle and bustle of Zürich.

Before you arrive in Appenzell, you'll notice the land is on higher elevation and there are many more hills, distant mountains, and fields, tailored to the Swiss farming lifestyle.

A few miles before reaching Appenzell, your train might stop at Jakobsbad, where there is a kids/family outdoor activities area of rope climbing and luges, a restaurant, a cable car ride, and camping facilities. If you have a family, it's going to be a great must-stop.

When I arrived at Appenzell's train station, I wanted to rent a bicycle to quickly see the town. I think the bike rental was about $18 for six hours, which was a lot more economical than taking a taxi. (They place a deposit on your credit card for the bike. They also show you how to lock your bike with a key.) Most of the southern part of Appenzell village is small and uphill, so touring the village by bicycle is very easy to maneuver because the rentable bicycles have many gears to make any hill climbs less exhausting. The village offers taxi service next to the train station and across the street, there is also a tour bus company that offers local tours of the region.

My second stop was to head for the village's tourist info (located next to the town hall on Hauptgasse) center where I could learn what I wanted to do since I was only going to spend one day in Appenzell. The tourist info brochure gave me a quick picturesque guide around the village with a listing of museums to visit, other local information, a list of swimming pools and spas, cheese demonstration dairies, information about purchasing an Appenzell tourist card toward a special gift (for three-night hotel stays), a listing of public festivals, a map of the outskirts of Appenzell, which features restaurants, hiking trails, and area cable car excursions. The brochure also contains an area train time table and destinations. On the last page, there's a colorful map of the village, with many of the houses, businesses and restaurants displayed. With this map, you have a quick bird's-eye view of where you would like to stay, which restaurants you would like to visit and other museums and site locations.

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Appenzell Experience

2009-10-02T13:13:00.004-04:00

The small village is very touristy, but it wasn't too crowded most of the day I visited (in the early summer). You do however have to watch out and stand next to buildings to let large tour buses closely slide past you through the village's most narrow streets. You just can't believe the large buses can turn the hairpin corners, but they manage!

There's a unique stench in the village, further west down Hauptgasse. You could swear the gas is coming from sewers that drain from the dairy farms into the city's sewer system, and I don't have to tell you what you'll be smelling, but it's accepted because you're walking along and enjoying many decorative buildings adorned with beautiful artwork on the front façades, small tourist shops and interesting tafeen, hanging signs which display the types of goods found inside the shops. In Swiss cities as well as Appenzell, you'll find these picturesque hanging signs to be a picture-tells-a-thousand-words type of sign for those who may not know the local language. One store has a large light-bulb sticking out of the building, which of course tells shoppers it's an electronic shop. In front of this store was a tall display carosel, which resembled R2D2. Other tafeen displayed hanging eyeglass frames where you can find an optician, etc. On the west-side of the village, see if you can find a hardware store's unique tafeen, displaying men carrying ladders and tool boxes. (In the brochure, the word tafeen was derived from tavern, which originated the practice of using hanging signs in town.)

I visited the Museum Appenzell, which gave me a quick lesson on the region's customs, culture, costumes, embroidery, and handicrafts. You could explore other museums in the village or cheese demonstration dairies. As I took photos of the area, I explored other restaurants and the village's large Catholic church, with an interesting and very scenic cemetery next to it.

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Appenzell's Two Mysterious Sites

2009-10-02T13:12:00.001-04:00

Near the Catholic church, on Adlerplatz, there's a round piece of asphalt in the middle of the road. You may just witness a group of people standing on it, posing for a photo, while they're slowly turning in a circle. What does this round piece of asphalt symbolize? Think about it, you're in Switzerland -- what is Switzerland famous for?

When you cross the Adlerplatz bridge, look back toward the church. On a lower portion of land next to the Sitter River, there's a mysterious aluminum platform that raises up (it seems to be every five minutes) and shoots two streams of water into the river. What is it? Ask a local for the answer to this one, but make sure to actually visit Appenzell to make it fun to discover what these two mysteries are for yourself!

So what is the reason for these two mysteries?

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Appenzell Restaurants

2009-10-02T13:11:00.001-04:00

You'll find some menus and prices conveniently and logistically placed near the front entrance doors of restaurant's. What does that tell you? It tells you "Beware tourist! You better know the prices before you come in here." Thanks for the warning . . . After I looked at a few menus, I found most prices ranged from 16 CHF = $14.74 to 21 or 22 CHF = $20.27 for full dinners, but you'll have to consider adding other al carte items, such as salads, drinks, and soups 7.50 CHF = $6.96. (For a bowl of soup?!? Are you nuts? I can make a whole pot of soup for 47¢ back home! Why should I pay you $7? Because I'm a tourist?) I remembered paying $7 for a bowl of fish soup in Moscow, and that was back in '97.

The posted dinner selections on the menus were too high for me, a cost-conscious traveler!

I chose Restaurant Bärli after I looked at their menu posted outside their door. The restaurant seemed to have a reasonable price range for lunch. TV travel hosts always tell you that you shouldn't eat at places in tourist areas; they tell you to eat in restaurants "off the beaten path." That's what I chose (or what I thought I chose) after I saw the location of Restaurant Bärli, just across the Adlerplatz bridge.

I also chose Restaurant Bärli because two other restaurants a young librarian recommended were higher in price (in the last page of the Appenzellerland tourist brochure, #30, Restaurant Sonne and #27, Restaurant Marktplatz, which seemed to be closed.) Some of their prices posted next to the entrance doors for lunch started somewhere around 16 - 17 CHF and up.

You walk upstairs to Restaurant Bärli and what's the first thing you see? A narrow hallway, with a sink and a mirror on the right side. What does that tell you? It tells you, "Wash your hands!" After you wash your hands, there's a door on the right side of the sink. Since there's nowhere else to go, I walked in and found -- a small room with some old cabinets. (Where's the restaurant?) Across the room was another door. I opened that door, stuck my head in and said "Grüezi!" to an old lady and a man sitting at a table in a small seating area. (This must be the restaurant . . .?) In English, I said, "I would like to have lunch," as the lady pointed for me to select any table.

I ordered #16, the Plate Appenzell or Assiette d' Appenzell. She asked me what I wanted to drink. The man was having a beer, so I decided to try my first beer because it had been a long time since I've actually drank an entire bottle of beer. Of course Appenzelle beer (locally brewed right down the river) was the only kind she served, so I asked for a light lager.

The lady brought me a variety cold plate of thinly-sliced dried smoked beef, slices of Bar-B-Cue beef and some local fromage (cheese). She also brought me an Appenzell "Hell" lager beer, which was very robust for a light beer. I downed the light meal as quickly as you could say "Appenzell." (I'm usually a slow eater, but although the medium plate was covered in thin-slices of beef and cheese, there wasn't much there to begin with. "What else ya got?")

Another local man came into the restaurant. We had some beer toasts and traded photos of ourselves having a good time. -- just nice local folks. The old lady also gave me about four Appenzell beer coasters for souvenirs, showing the different kinds of beer the factory made.

On the table in a basket were some chocolate bars and some pastries. I took a fig pastry and a chocolate wafer bar. I assumed they were free. (What did I know, I'm a stupid American tourist!)

After we took photos, I told everyone, "Auf wedersen," and headed for the door, but the lady pointed to my check. I slapped my head and said, "Sorry. I forgot the most important thing!" Just then, the lady pointed to the basket, saying something like, "Oh, you had two pastries . . ." I left the fig pastry wrapper on the table and pulled the chocolate wafer bar out of my pocket to show her. She added up my two deserts, which came to a total of 33 CHF ($30.73 for lunch. Without a doubt, the most expensive lunch I ever had!), and I didn't leave a tip! (In most Switzerland restaurants, tips are usually included in your bill as a gratuity -- at least that's what the tourist books tell you . . .)

When I saw my bill, the first item written on top, the order for #16, the Plate Appenzell or Assiette d' Appenzell all of a sudden turned from 18 CHF into "20" CHF= $18.62(!), instead of what it said on the menu, "18" CHF. Under the "20," she wrote down 5.50 CHF (for the beer?) and 2.50 (probably for local tax), which came to a total of 28 CHF. Maybe my bill was padded because I was the only customer (besides the lady's two beer-drinking buddies) in the place? Did she pad my bill? Or did she forget to update the menu? I guess I had to pay for the restaurant's location, which gave me a great view of area mountains, (but the windows were covered in white lace curtains), so prices are as high as the mountains! Whatever the deal was, I wasn't going to argue with her in her native tongue, I'll just post this on the Internet so people know what to expect. People always thought Lt. Columbo (from the 60-70's TV series, Columbo) wasn't so bright, but he was pretty smart in the end. What goes around comes around!

As far as taste, there wasn't anything of artistry needed to prepare my meal. All the old lady had to do was cut the slices of smoked beef and cheese, which were something I could have bought in the local Coop grocery store, and I know for a lot less!

Although this restaurant had very nice hosts, I doubted I would "Bärli" return for a future visit.

Restaurant Bärli: Rated: RRRRRRRRR! for not recommend, unless you want to show everyone what a big American spender you are!

(#16 in the Appenzell brochure, across the Adlerplatz bridge.)

After I left the restaurant and felt burned by the high price, I remembered what the TV travel hosts always recommend, "pick something off the beaten path." I guess Restaurant Bärli wasn't off the beaten path enough!

Since I only spent one day in Appenzell and bärli had time to visit a few restaurants, I would suggest to check out restaurants on Weissbadstrasse (#21, Café-Konditorei Laimbacher is within a very short walking distance of Adlerplatz, heading southeast, and parallel along the Sitter River) and #28, Restaurant Rössli, further down Weissbadstrasse. Which either restaurant (Konditorei or Rössli) has a covered outdoor patio of tables and chairs (I'm sorry, I can't remember which one it was), they have a very inexpensive menu, especially for lunch. Further down the same road and out of Appenzell, (if you rent a bicycle, it's about a 5 -10 minute ride), there are some other roadside restaurants, but I didn't check out their prices. They may or may not have menus posted on the outside next to the front doors. If you take a bike ride down Weissbadstrasse out of town, pass some railroad tracks and keep going until you see a lonely church set in a fantastic panoramic area for getting some great photos of the nearby mountains. (Nearby, you'll also see a street sign with directions to different villages.)

Coop to the rescue!: I found a Coop north of the city (it's all downhill by bicycle), which saved the day. For hardly any money, I bought a chocolate bar and a bottle of fruit juice. There's also a small snack bar where you could get a cheap lunch. The Coop is located on Zielstrassen, which can be found at the top of the map on the back page of the Appenzellerland tourist brochure. Just left of the red dot, #13, a B&B location, you'll find the Coop store. Right across Unteres Ziel street, there's also a Migros store, but the store looked more like a home supply store than a grocery store.

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Trains

2009-10-02T13:10:00.002-04:00

Switzerland is known to have a very good train transit system. Again, if you're flexible, you'll be able to take advantage of the some good offers on Swiss trains. It's almost as if you have to plan your stay backwards, depending on when you want to go, where you want to go and when the sale for the train fares will save you the most amount of money. When you decide what days you'll spend in what cities and you take advantage of the train fares, you'll be able to take advantage of Switzerland's good offers when you want to go!

If you accept the fact that you're only going to stay in a few Swiss cities, and you find some good train fares, that's when you'll see if the airline's are offering you good fares to visit your chosen cities at the same times when you're booking your hotel and train fares. For those of us who just want to spend a week or two to get a taste of Switzerland, you won't have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a "deal."

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Luzern

2009-10-02T13:09:00.002-04:00

My next destination was Luzern, a city I fell in love with, and a city I wanted to visit after I had researched photo sites on the Internet. You can see enough photos today on the Internet to compile a wide imagination in your mind before you ever set foot in any city. The images certainly painted a romantic setting for me in my mind and I couldn't wait to see what the city had to offer, compared with the images I was seeing on the Internet.

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Purpose

2009-08-07T12:00:00.002-04:00

The purpose for my blog is to help inspire and aid those who want to travel but don't believe they can. . . to help those who don't want to spend a fortune to stay in hotels, or eat in expensive restaurants.

I want to help people explore the world and travel regardless of their income. If you have enough money saved up to pay for a flight to Europe and you can save that same amount for a week's stay (per person), then you can take advantage of traveling to foreign countries just like I have!

Here are the countries I have visited over the years: the good old USA ("God bless America!"), Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Mexico, and Switzerland, but I've visited Russia the most times. I consider myself a good source for travel to Russia, but I admit I don't know it all, no one can.

What's that? You say you can't afford to go? Stop paying monthly Internet connection for your house. What do you pay per month? $20? $40, $80 for reliable fast-speed Internet? What's that add up to in a year? $20 per month adds up to $240 in a year, that will allow you some nice tours of St. Petersburg's museums (per person -- I know it's going to be a lot less than that) or souvenirs in Russia. $40 per month adds up to $480, that's more than you could spend for a week's worth of good food in St. Petersburg restaurants. $80 a month, saved in a year's time could land you a flight in an economy seat to Russia!

After all these years, I still can't afford to pay monthly Internet services. I use the Internet at my local library for free.

For an experiment, do the same thing and keep track of how many days you visit the library researching your trip to Russia. Then compare what you're paying for Internet service at home. Can you save some money to afford a trip to Russia? Sure U-Can!

Because I ordered so many travel books and used their free Internet service, library employees quickly memorized my name! I remember them snickering at me when they saw me use their computers everyday, but they weren't snickering when I told them I went to Russia. Those library employees make better money than me, but did they go? I didn't hear too many of their travel experiences and they were laughing at me! Sure, you only have limited time on a library computer, but write down how many days you go to the library to do your research and how many days you do it at home. Which is more? Which is less? I'll bet you really don't spend that many days on your home computer searching for your trip to Russia, but then again, you're paying a lot of money for days when you don't search the Internet at home. Save that money for your trip to Russia.

One of my college teachers wanted to go to Russia. In all the years I kept returning to Russia, my teacher still hadn't gone once. Where were my teacher's priorities? Certainly not in travel. A college teacher makes more money than me, but yet I kept returning for years. How was that possible?

U-Can do the same things I did. What's the matter? You don't want to invest the time? Then you don't have a priority for travel. Tell you what, put Russia and travel out of your mind, then you can sit at home, complain about the economy, grow old, be depressed, OR, you can see the world that's waiting for you.

I haven't had a good day-job for years, but I put my priorities into traveling.

I've been to Russia more than a dozen times. Imagine that. Now that's years of priority. . .

St. Petersburg, Russia

2009-08-07T11:55:00.004-04:00

How about a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia?

What's that? You say you're afraid to go to Russia? Why?

The "Boob Tube"

2009-08-07T11:50:00.001-04:00

"Oh, my God, don't go to Russia, they're blowing up apartment buildings!" That's what people told me a few years back. Yeah, and years ago, someone launched some kind of a small rocket into the American Embassy in Moscow. Just don't hang out in front of the US Embassy and you'll be fine. . .

Here's the Real Scoop

2009-08-07T11:45:00.002-04:00

If you take a train from St. Petersburg to Moscow (like I have), before you arrive at your Moscow station, you look out your berth window and see about an hour's worth of hundreds of apartment buildings. So tell me, which apartment building are they going to blow up? Pick one. Do you think they'll blow up the one you're staying in? Highly unlikely. Here's a fact to consider: Moscow has more than 13 million people. Where do they live? How many apartment buildings is that? And you don't want to go to Russia because terrorists are blowing up apartment buildings? Please. . .

Don't let the "boob tube" tell you what's happening in the world. Go and see for yourself. Then you can learn what I learned about Russia and how nice some of the people can be. Most Russians don't ponder about current politics between our countries, they have too much to worry about. Don't think they hate Americans or anyone else who comes to their country bringing in tourist money. Most Russians concentrate on worrying about paying their rent and making a living, just like Americans.

Since things have calmed down, you should be going to see the treasures of Russia in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Now's the time to go since the "boob tube" hasn't told you (for a while) that "you shouldn't go to Russia because. . ."

The "Age of Communication"

2009-08-07T11:40:00.002-04:00

Don't let the media make you a boob! Go to your window right now, open it up and yell. . .

This is supposed to be the "Age of Communication"! So why aren't we communicating? Throw your TV in the lake, travel to other countries, communicate with people and learn what's really out there.

Now are you brave enough to go to Russia? Or are you just going to pass it up because you're afraid? Just remember, I went to Russia more than a dozen times, and most of the time, by myself. I'm still here!

Questions & Answers

2009-08-07T11:35:00.002-04:00

Did you go to Russia with a tour group?

Hell no! Did you take that vacation in Florida with a tour group? No? Then why do you need a tour group to hold your hand and charge you an outrageous amount to go to Russia? That's why I was able to go to Russia.

No wonder you don't think you can go to Russia. Most people think you have to go on those tours that take you down the Volga, and then to St. Petersburg and Moscow. You suffer from this mentality that tells you, "Oh, going to Russia is too expensive. I'll never be able to afford to go." Nyet! U-Can go. . .

Of course everyone thought I kept visiting Russia by taking tours, but I was first introduced to St. Petersburg and Moscow by meeting some Russian friends a long time ago. After I stayed with them a couple of weeks, they told me I could always stay in a youth hostel, which seemed lower than my standards. I sucked it up and lowered my standards for numerous visits, just so I could return to St. Petersburg again and explore the large city.

Did you go to Russia alone?

Not at first, but my return visit to Russia and St. Petersburg (by myself) was an enlightening one to say the least. When I stayed with the Russian couple in St. Petersburg, the husband picked out some female college-age tour guides who weren't very expensive. The only problem was we had to walk and take public transportation since the college student guides didn't own cars. They knew a lot about their city and spoke with the "Queen's English" accents. I thought I was in England!

Most of the collage-age guides advertise in Russian newspapers, not the English ones. If you're looking for a college-age guide, have your hotel/hostel set you up with a reliable one. You can email some guides before you go to Russia by searching for them in the St. Petersburg Times online, (on the left column, click on Classifieds and then Guides) or when you get to Russia, phone them to see how much they charge per hour.

If you want to find guides with cars, there are some are listed in the Times. When you arrive in the city, you'll find the free St. Petersburg Times in hostels, hotels or newsstands.

See my post about "Russian Female Guides with Cars." They use some money-making tricks you have to watch out for. . . Also checkout "Taxis." There are drivers who play got-your-money games as well. . .

Did you stay in a hotel?

No, I didn't stay in hotels, I stayed in less-expensive youth hostels. Yeah, I know, if you're an adult like me, hostels have loud teens making noise in the hallways at night. Use earplugs if you're a light sleeper. If you think hostels are just for college kids, you're wrong. There were Russian adults staying in the hostel, so you won't feel out of place if you're an adult that can't afford a hotel.

Just do your homework on the Internet and see what hostels you can find. For months on end, I went to the library and studied, studied, studied everything I could find about St. Petersburg. I read through travel books, copied maps, metro maps, I sorted through different hostels, all of the museums to visit, when they were open, when they closed, etc. I researched ATM locations, banks, trains, public transportation, and places to eat. Just do your homework!

Helpful St. Petersburg Web Sites

2009-08-07T11:30:00.001-04:00

One of the most helpful sites I've found (and a good site to start with) is "The Traveller's Yellow Pages On-Line, Best In Moscow and Saint..." You can pick between St. Petersburg, or Moscow. You want train information, or taxi company information? Just click on "T". Don't forget to read the additional, helpful information about the listings at the top page of each section, like Train Information.

You can choose hotels or hostels located near Nevsky Prospekt (the city's main avenue for shopping, etc.) and the Hermitage. There are other hostels located around the city, but you'll have to do more homework to find their locations, availability, and prices.

You're Going to Russia!

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This section is dedicated to advise you on what you need to know

Before you go!

Time considerations before you go to Russia

When you want to take a trip to Russia, timing is everything!

This is the kind of timelines you'll have to consider: First, you have the desire to go to Russia, then you have the money saved up. You have to decide when you can go, high season, or low season. Without a doubt, the high season in St. Petersburg would be later spring through the fall. Then the low season would undoubtedly be in the winter, the cheapest rates are possible then, but don't freak. I went to St. Petersburg in January one year and the temperatures were relatively just as cold as in the northern U.S., sometimes the temperature went down to -10℉. Hell, it's been colder in the U.S.!

Next, you need to get a passport. You've got to get four passport photos taken (two for the passport and two for your Russian visa), fill out a passport registration form (available at any U.S. post office), send two of your passport photos and mail Uncle Sam your money. It can take a month or two to receive your passport in the mail.

Then you have to get a Russian visa by getting a visa form from a Russian Embassy (in the U.S.), then you'll mail your other two passport photos with the Russian visa registration form. But the trick with the visa is you have to get a letter of invitation from a St. Petersburg hotel or hostel of your choice first. When you contact them, pay for one or two nights (with a credit card), and for the invitational letter. Make sure you know your arrival and departure dates, which has to be compatible with your Russian visa information.When that's faxed back to you (IF you don't have a hard time contacting them) or emailed to you, then you mail your passport, Russian visa information form and invitational letter to the nearest Russian embassy (in the U.S.) to get your visa.

Hopefully, you've done this in enough time before you have booked your flight. When you get your visa and passport returned to you and you have your flight tickets, make sure to make copies of your most important documents just in case you might loose something. Now you're ready to fly to St. Petersburg, Russia!

Health Issues / Before You Go

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Do I need special inoculations / shots before I go to Russia?

You can check Travel.State.gov/travel. Click on International Travel Home>International Travel Information. When you choose Russian Federation, you'll get all the information you could need. Press control / find on your computer's keyboard for "Medical Facilities and Health Information" when you reach the Russian Federation page. You'll be able to check out the latest concerns in health.

For the most part, get a check-up from your doctor before you leave. Usually, my doctor checks up on my last tetanus shot, your doctor should too. If you're sick before you book your flight for Russia, don't do it! Russia is the worst place to be when you're sick. There are emergency places in Russia like medial clinics, or dentists, but for the most part, there are many companies you'll find on the web that will "fly you to Finland, or Sweden to seek immediate medical attention." What does that tell you? Get out of Russia if you're that ill.

DON'T DRINK THE WATER!

In St. Petersburg

Some guidebooks about Russia may tell you, "You can rinse out your mouth with water from the tap after you brush your teeth, but don't swallow!"

Don't do this! I rinsed out my mouth with tap water. Never again. When I returned home, my doctor told me I had Giardia! (Giardia or giardiasis: an infection of the intestine which causes diarrhea and other symptoms.) My doctor also told me if I didn't treat the Giardia, I could get a tape worm. The treatment for Giardia is an antibiotic pill.

You can boil the tap water and drink it (like for tea), but don't drink it cold, unless you're in Hotel Europa, the U.S. Consulate, or some expensive restaurant.

*Note: the reason St. Petersburg's water is so terrible is because the city was constructed from a swamp in 1703. It's difficult to figure out how old a lot of the city's water pipes are in age. That's where the city's water problems start.

When you're walking around town and you want to buy some bottled spring water in a local store, ask for "voda." (water). But remember to ask for "Voda, bez gazza?" (water without carbonation). It helps to get a guide book about Russia to copy and study the limited words in the back of the book. It will help you out immensely, because some young people in Russia speak a little English, but most people don't.

When you're in St. Petersburg, perhaps your hostel or hotel can find a good American medical clinic in case you get sick, or need medical attention. For a week's visit, if you've had a checkup before you go and you don't drink St. Petersburg's tap water, you should be good to go. Fogidabodit!

Here's one of my stories. . .

One time in a Moscow hostel, I slipped in the shower and cut my elbow on an exposed piece of tile. When I wiped myself off, my towel had blood on it. I wrapped toilet paper around my elbow, got dressed and went to the hostel's desk clerk. I was thinking, "Great, now I'm going to need stitches. How am I going to get stitches in Russia? (the worst place to get medical attention) I'm doomed."

In the hostel's reception office, a young lady behind the desk told me she would treat me in my room. A few minutes later, she came into my room holding a roll of gauze in one hand and in the other hand, a bottle of vodka. A bottle of vodka? What was she going to do with that? Get drunk because she couldn't stand the site of blood? She padded my arm with the gauze soaked in vodka and then wrapped more gauze and tape around my arm. The vodka was a great sterilizer; it stung, but I knew it would kill anything foreign on my arm (including me). I had to spend the rest of my days in Moscow trying to sleep with a straight arm. The gauze helped, the bleeding subsided and I arrived home all right. The elbow healed a few weeks later and I didn't get any infection. . . I was glad I had that new tetanus shot at the doctor's office. . .

Booking Your Flight

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Book a roundtrip flight for two extra days more than you want to stay, say nine days. Book an extra day for your departure into St. Petersburg and one extra day for a return home. That way, you'll have at least seven days in between for sightseeing the city.

How Long is a Flight to Russia?

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What time is it? Just kidding. Well, actually not. It really is about time, like where do you live? What time is it there? If someone asked me the first question, I would tell them it takes a day. A DAY? Yeah, about a day. Russia is eight hours ahead of EST, so depending on where you're leaving from, it's going to be a l-o-n-g flight. Be sure to check out some sites on "how to deal with jet lag" information on the Internet. (Some travel books also give you tips in dealing with jet lag.)

From my destination point, it takes me about 10 hours because there aren't too many direct flights to St. Petersburg, unless you live in a big city like Chicago. I did catch a great special sale flight from Chicago to Moscow (on a Russian airline) one time, but then I wound up taking a train to St. Petersburg, which is a lot cheaper than flying.

An Important Tip for Dealing with Long Flights

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Don't drink alcohol. I did it one time to fall asleep. Bad idea. After an attendant offered me (for free) one of those small little bottles of Irish cream, I had difficulty breathing! I went to the back galley and told a steward my problem. Because I was taking high blood pressure pills, the steward told me, "You see this large bottle of mineral water? I want you to drink all of this before you land in St. Petersburg."

I did. I went to the bathroom a lot, but I thanked that steward for saving my life, and helping me breathe. The alcohol was depriving my body of fluid, but it was bad enough that I was taking a blood-pressure water pill, which is supposed to relieve my body of excess water, only the alcohol sped up the process! Never again.

You Took a Russian Airline to Moscow?

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Sure. . . I cashed in on a special price from Chicago to Moscow on a Russian airline, but I was a little leery about the airline. When I saw my brand new 767 at my Chicago gate, I was ecstatic! I learned something else about another airline that flew me to St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport. The airline hires French plane engine mechanics, known as some of the best airplane mechanics in the world. See, the Lord takes care of me!

Usually, because of the cost for me to catch a good price to Russia, I have two connecting flights, with one in Europe. From there, it's about four hours more to St. Petersburg. Make sure to have a good book to read, and don't bring a your collector's edition of War and Peace, it's too heavy. Bring a good paperback and you should be fine. Oh yeah, bring lots of activities for the kiddies so other passengers won't have to suffer from your kid crying all the way to Russia. I had one Russian airline attendant ask me, "Oh, that's your seat assignment? You're sitting by some small children. I'll put you further back away from the children." "Yes! Please do." She did a great service without asking me. I could hear the kids crying half way to Russia, but I was far enough away from them.

Currency & Currency Exchange

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The current currency rate (which changes daily) is about $1 = 30 Russian Rubles. That's close to the same rate I experienced when I had first visited Russia. This means (in some places) you should be able to have a decent, small lunch for less than $5. You can't even get that in some American fast food places today. You'll be living like a millionaire in Russia, just like I did!

Currency Exchange

Your best bet is to save money in your checking account and call your bank to be sure that your ATM card works in St. Petersburg's ATM systems. Research what ATM systems are used in St. Petersburg. Also alert your credit card companies that you'll be in St. Petersburg on specific dates and what date you'll arrive home. That's good for the credit company to immediately stop any illegal transactions should your card be stolen. It's also a good idea to take more than one credit card and to know emergency numbers to call in St. Petersburg for your credit card companies.

Exchanging Money

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Euros in Russia? We don't use no stinking Euros!

Exchange a couple hundred dollars into Russian rubles at a currency exchange place at home or order online before you arrive in Russia. If you don't . . What happens when your taxi picks you up at the airport and takes you to your hotel/hostel and the driver tells you to pay him 1,108 rubles (around $35)? Then you say, "Oh no, the hostel/hotel said they would arrange a taxi to pick me up. . ." But the driver still demands 1,108 rubles (actually, by law, he's legally bound to do that). You probably thought the hotel would arrange to pay the taxi service, but you have to pay the driver. Will you have enough to pay him?

Some taxis in Moscow were charging another American with luggage and a family of four $50 to get to a hostel -- it was only a twenty-minute walk for me. That was years ago. Make sure to have at least a couple of days worth of rubles to allow yourself to pay for food, taxi, or other necessary expenses before you visit an ATM or your first currency exchange place in St. Petersburg.

Traveler's Checks

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The consensus about traveler's checks is that they cost too much. If you can get them from your savings or checking account for free, then take some to Russia, but then you'll have to pay a percentage to exchange them into Russian rubles again, more money wasted. ATMs are the best way to go, just look in travel guide books, they'll tell you the same thing. You can go to banks in St. Petersburg to change traveler's checks or currency exchange locations, but restaurants won't take them. You may be able to pay for your hostel and hotel with them, but ask first if they're accepted as payment. There are lots of exchange places around town, just don't exchange any money with people around the corner of the street, or on trains, etc. Just stay with the official currency exchange places and you won't get ripped off. (What's the reason for lots of currency exchange locations? Russians take their Russian rubles after they get paid and instantly exchange them into dollars because of the current rate of the ruble to the dollar and because the fluctuation of the dollar is more stable than the ruble.)

Luggage Packing

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If you want to experiment with your luggage, pack what you think you want to take. Find a tall building in your neighborhood with lots of stairs, like an office building. Walk up and down the emergency stairs with all your luggage, like three or four landings, not just one or two! Tired? Do you think it's time to leave some things home? Just be glad you're not in Russia yet, especially when you have to do a lot of walking the same day to get some food or to see some sights.

Make sure to get yourself some good TSA locks to lock your luggage. You'll need those locks for your checked bags (in case your airport TSA members want to look into your bag after the X-ray machine has scanned it) and for your carry-on bags. After all, there can be crooks who want to steal things from your carry-on bag as well, especially if you're carrying a laptop, or other expensive cameras, etc.

Purchase a money pouch. (NO, not a belly pouch! If that belly pouch doesn't say, "Hey pickpockets, my money's in here!" then I'm a greenhorn!) A good money pouch would hide underneath your clothing, around your waist, your chest, or your leg. Don't buy those dressy money belts with the inner zipper, how much can you actually put in those? And you can't put your passport in it. . . I made my own money pouch out of extra pants material. I used buttons and loops sewn onto a large expandable elastic waistband and I used a nylon zipper to close my pouch, big enough for me to store my passport. Don't make it out of any metal parts, or you'll have to show it after you pass through a metal detector. Then every crook on your plane is going to know where you're hiding your money. And you thought you were gonna be James Bond. . .

Electrical Connectors

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Russia uses 240 volts, with special two-pin prongs on their electrical appliances and electronics. You can search web sites with listings of different countries' power plugs. Search these sites to see what kind of adapters you're going to need, unless you want to travel light and not pack that hair dryer, laptop, or travel iron.

Remember this important tip: St. Petersburg and Russia has lots of stairs, especially in some of the less-expensive hostels. When you're taking a break on the second (third, or fourth) landing because your luggage is too heavy, remember me and what I told you: "Ha, ha, I told you so" . . . Russia has lots of stairs, unless you're staying in a swanky hotel!

There may be some newer hostels with lifts (elevators), but they're not like ours in the states. Russian (and European) lifts are usually two-person size if you're lucky.

Don't Buy Your Flight Ticket to Russia

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Until you have a passport!

Where do I get a passport?

Pick up a U.S. passport form at any U.S. post office.

Do you have a visa for Russia?

(I don't mean your credit card. . .)

Do I need a visa to enter Russia? "Like yeah. . ."

You won't get on the plane, get to the gate, let alone pass the airline's check-in counter. Don't worry about going through security, you're not going anywhere!

Let's say you've bought your ticket online. You go to the airport, find the right airline desk, and check your bags. When you hand over your paper ticket or online confirmation to the airline ticket-agent, she/he asks you, "Oh, I see you're going to Russia. Can I please see your passport?" "Oh, I don't have a passport. Do I need a passport?" Let's say you have a passort. Then you're all set, right? Well, not exactly. . .

Then the ticket agent asks you, "Oh, I see you're going to Russia? Can I please see your visa?"You say, "Visa? Oh, do I have to have a visa?" Then the agent says, "Yes sir/madam, you have to have a visa, or you won't be able to get on the plane. . ." That's when you tell yourself, "Gee! I should've done my homework. . ." Yeah, you shoulda done your homework! Too late, you fail. You spent all that money on a ticket, probably anywhere from $500 to $1,200 or more! Who's sorry now?

So there it is again folks, do your homework. Check out some travel books before flying to Russia. It's really not that easy until you've done your homework, then it's easy once you've done it. Just think, people will actually ask you when you come back, "You've been to Russia? How was it?" It will be a lifetime experience and you'll be admired, I can guarantee you that!

How to Get a Russian Visa

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How to get a Russia visa

Go online and search "visa, Russia." You'll probably get "Russian Visa: $29" . That's a site for a visa service, you'll probably find a lot more below it. Even at $29, that's a good price, but they're just an unnecessary expenditure. Why pay them $29 when you can get it for less?

I know, you're afraid and you don't know how to get a Russian visa. But just think, the visa itself is going to be more than $100 for one person and you're going to give them $29 more? For what? IF you need me to do it for you as a service, I can show you how to do it for less. But then again, I've done my homework. I'll be offering this service as soon as I get this section of my blog set up.

Pulkovo Airport: Lost Luggage!

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(Six years ago, in 2003, the airport was totally remodeled for the city's 300th anniversary.)

Did your airline loose your luggage? Don't panic. Just go to the lost luggage department: do a search for their English site: "Home - Pulkovo Airport (Saint-Petersburg)." You should be able to find out where the lost luggage department is and the phone number. Know where it is before you arrive, just in case. Be prepared. It's all about doing your homework again!

My Experience with Lost Luggage

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In Russia? Nyet . . .

Before 2003, I arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport and discovered my airline lost my luggage. It wasn't on the luggage conveyer when I arrived. A luggage clerk working for the airline told me to go file a form at the airport's lost luggage office. When I got to the office, I knew I was doomed! There was a small office, with one young lady staring into a tiny computer screen that looked like the very first computer ever made. I'll never get my luggage back!

When it was my turn, the young lady spoke a little English. I gave her my information sheet describing the lost luggage when she surprised me and said, "The luggage will be delivered to your hostel." Yeah (I thought), in Russia? Nothing works here! When I arrived on the landing field, everything looked rusted and broken down. Then when I saw her trying to work with a dinosaur computer, I was just doomed, doomed.

The next day, I walked down to my hostel's front desk to email my family back home. The young lady behind the counter said, "Oh, your luggage arrived. . ." There it was -- my luggage was shipped to the hostel for free! The Russians did it. . . See, Russia works after all -- as bad as it looks, it still functions.

Taxis

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Some taxi drivers in St. Petersburg can pull the same games the guides do. (I also experienced an American driver in my hometown that was trying to play games with me!) You'll verbally agree with the driver on a price for where you want to go. Then, when you get there, all of a sudden, the price isn't 30 rubles, it's 300 rubles! What?!? Try to write down your agreed price on a piece of paper, but I'll bet you they'll still insist you pay them 300 rubles.

I learned to deal with a better and more trustworthy group of taxi drivers, Taxi Slava, but I'm not sure if they're still in business. Tell tell you the truth, I would say that 99% of the time, when a driver from this company told you his price, he stuck to it when you got to the destination. That's when you know your driver deserves a tip.

I'll bet you just might see some Taxi Slava (white taxi Lada cars) taxis driving around the city. Make sure to memorize their number if you do. They had their company name and telephone number printed on the side of their cars.

Other taxi drivers want to charge you extra time to get gas (especially when the meter's running), or they want to charge you for the use of their car! Any extra charge then can charge you, they'll do it. Why? Because you're an American/English speaking tourist and most of you are rich, right?

One year, I had my Russian college teacher call Russia ahead to reserve a taxi for me at the airport. Usually, a person has to call the taxi company ahead of time, hours before you're picked up. You're given a license plate number on the taxi and the driver is supposed to know your name. I saw what looked like my taxi, but he didn't come up to the front sidewalk of the airport where I was waiting with my luggage. I had to walk to his taxi. When I saw the correct number on the plate, I knew it was my taxi, but I was mad I had to wait for him to arrive. When I got in the taxi, he already had his meter running! I saw him when he pulled up, but he did nothing to look or signal me that he had arrived. It was another tactic for gaining more money from me.

Reserving a Taxi

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If you don't speak Russian (WHAT?!? You don't speak Russian?), there's no need to worry. Most hostels/hotels will arrange a taxi to pick you up at the Pulkovo Airport and return you to the airport the day of your departure. They can also arrange for taxis to pick you up at your hostel / hotel and take you wherever you want to go.

Russian Female Guides with Cars!

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What a Concept!

Yeah. . . Until you get stung by one . . . Beware of female guides with cars in St. Petersburg. I used one who seemed professional. She had a Web site on the Internet. Very professional, but very savvy when she told me about her "extra charges" when I used her service more than once. This young female guide wanted to charge me for cell phone charges to call some kind of a traffic control office because we we sat in a traffic jam for a half hour. I told her, "No thanks, we'll just sit her until the traffic clears." After the half-hour, the traffic cleared, and I didn't have to pay her extra cell phone charge! I used to drive for a limo company and we never charged our passengers for using our cell phones.

Another young lady guide with a car (I almost hired -- luckily I blew her off) wanted to charge me not only a fuel charge, but an additional charge for using her car. Her newspaper ad didn't list any of those charges. When I talked with her on the phone before she came to pick me up, she still didn't mention additional charges. When she showed up to my location, that's when she told me her charges.

My advice, use Russian male guides with cars, but always ask about extra possible charges. Many can come up with some inventive ways to charge you more money. If you do get suckered in, just don't use them again and don't tip them, that only encourages them to rip off other tourists.

You can find some reputable guides with cars in the (online) classified sections of the St. Petersburg Times newspaper, but stay away from the female guides, unless they're college guides, who usually don't own cars. The college guides are very much worth the money they charge, but the only draw back is you have to do lots of walking and take public transportation. The only difference then was I wasn't followed by the pickpockets as much, which made me feel more at ease while we walked around the city and saw the sights.

Where to Stay

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Hostels are a great alternative when you can't afford to stay at some of St. Petersburg's classier hotels. One of the classy hotels in St. Petersburg starts around $468 per night! Another classy hotel has an "offer" on their Web site, for 3 nights, and two people it's only $13, 221.00! Sure, there are other less-expensive hotels, but if you're going to St. Petersburg the first time and you don't have much money, wouldn't you rather stay in a hostel? Then you can spend your money on other things like I did. . .

Because I stayed in hostels, I was able to afford a five-star luxury hotel's Sunday brunch. . . it cost $45 years ago.

(Waiter) "Oh, sir, here's your bill. What is your room number?" (In a whisper) I told him, "Oh, I'm not staying at the hotel. . ."

Even though I stayed in a hostel, I dressed up in my two-piece double breasted suit and enjoyed the hotel's elegant dining room for brunch. Now it's too expensive. You have to be rich to have brunch there. . . The latest price is $144.00 per person!

After my numerous visits to St. Petersburg, the price kept increasing for my luxury brunch. The last time, I had breakfast at the five-star hotel instead (a lot cheaper) to "top off my visit to the city" before I retuned home.

Arrival in St. Petersburg

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Don't think you're going to be spending everyday sightseeing! When that jet lag hits you a day or two after you arrive in St. Petersburg, you may lie down to take a quick early afternoon nap and when you wake up and look at your clock, "Is it 5 PM already?"

Passport Registration

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You've arrived at your hotel/hostel and the clerk behind the desk says, "I have to have your passport in order to register it with the local UFMS Office (Federal Migration Service Organization, which controls illegal immigration into the country). You must give up your passport and visa at your hotel or hostel. This is required! Your hostel or hotel must register all tourists with the local UFMS office. Don't panic and think that you're going to loose your precious documents. You should get them back in a few days. You're hotel/hostel may charge you 120 rubles for registering your passport and visa. "One-hundred twenty rubles? Oh my God!" Yeah, 120 rubles, that's like $3.85 . . . you big American spender!

Hostel/Hotel Security: I remember when I stayed at my last St. Petersburg hostel, they had a security guard that remained in the hostel, 24/7, so I felt safe.

After You Arrive in St. Petersburg

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Should you register with the US Embassy?

First of all, there's no U.S. Embassy in St. Petersburg, only in Moscow. There is however an American Consulate in St. Petersburg. If you're a tourist staying in St. Petersburg for a week or two, you don't have to register. But if you're staying longer (depending on your Russian visa status), visit the Consulate to register your stay with them, just to be on the safe side. But as a tourist on a one or two-week stay, don't bother.

Restaurants

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When I went to St. Petersburg, years ago, there were a few good Russian restaurant chains to pick from. Now there are still American/Russian hamburger joints, but stay away from those and find some good Russian fast food places (that serve better food) off of Nevsky Prospekt.

Don't always cater to the restaurants on Nevsky, walk down a side street off the main drag and find some Russian fast-food places. In these places, you'll find lots of photos of the food and English menus that will make your selection easier. These Russian versions of fast food places have good selections of dishes of breast of chicken, fish, served with cole slaw, potatoes, soups, bread, salads, deserts, just a good assortment of Russian-style eating without the usual burgers and fries.

The price for these type of places can be very cost-effective for people like me, who are on a budget for a week in St. Petersburg. Be aware that in St. Petersburg, during the week-day lunch, these places can be very crowded. Eat a good breakfast, usually included with some hostels and plan on a later (2PM) lunch. You'll avoid the typical working lunch crowds.

Food

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You ate food in your hostel?

Sure. Some hostels have a community kitchen for all guests. But, since I stayed in a single room, I bought local food at grocery stores for cheap lunches and a hot water heater, or a beverage heater (220-240 volts). In Russian, it's known as a kipyatil'nik, which makes up a cup of hot water in your ceramic cup. The heater has a plastic handle on one end and a coil to heat the water on the other. You can find smaller ones for cups, or longer ones for pots. Don't use a styrofoam cup or a waxed paper cup you got at a fast food place! The water heater will melt right through! You can find these water heaters at nearby electronics stores -- a small one should cost around $7.00. I made soup with mine, or you can make hot tea, cocoa, whatever. I brought along some of those dollar store Chinese noodle soup packets (from home), not the cups, they're too bulky to pack in your luggage. I usually packed about four soup packets for a week's stay. I broke the packet of noodles in fours, which gave me about eight days of noodle soup for lunch if I wanted it. That saved me some money for other things, like guides with cars, taxi service, and museum admissions.

Go to a local grocery store, or better yet, go to an outdoor market at Sennaya Ploshchad (square). To get to this square, from Nevsky Prospekt, anyone can direct you to the large yellow and white Gostiny Dvor, the city's largest department store. Along side the department store (on the southeast side) is Sadovaya ulitsa (street). Walk south on Sadovaya and cross three major intersections. You can't help but see this large open-air market, nearby Sadovaya Metro Station. You shouldn't have any problem finding quality food for good prices. I usually tried to buy food that didn't need much refrigeration. If you're in St. Petersburg in the late fall, you can put your items next to the your room's window to keep cool.

Walking

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You're going to be doing lots of it in St. Petersburg, so get out and walk a mile every other day for two weeks to get used to the amount of walking you're going to be doing. Even if you hire a guide, there will be some days when he'll/she'll say, "I can't make it, today. I have another client to serve."

Update

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According to one source on the Internet, there has been a decrease in the amount of reported crime in St. Petersburg since the late 1990s. Even if an amount of crimes go unreported, that sounds better than the times I was there. In addition, one of the city's prisons has been closed. It used to be filled with youth the last time I was in the city. Be careful if you see white supremacist groups, who aim their anger toward tourists and foreign students studying in the city. If you see them, avoid them. I did the same thing when I saw a large number of them near a train station in the city. A large group of city police were across the street, watching them. It's also a good idea to travel with one or two friends when you're in the city. There is always strength in numbers.

Laundry

2009-08-06T17:00:00.002-04:00

Some hostels have a laundry room, so allow yourself time to do it. If the hostel doesn't have a laundry room, take a heavy duty blue/recycle bag with you to Russia and some liquid laundry detergent in a tight-capped bottle (test it out before you go).

Here's another tip about filling bottles: Don't overfill those small travel bottles with liquids or creams. Only fill it half-way or three-quarters, allowing some room for expansion. Why? Consider what your checked bags go through in the baggage compartment of a plane's belly. The airlines never put pets down there, it's too cold and the pressures can vary drastically. Guess what's going to happen to that small bottle of hand cream you put in your checked bag when it's under excessive pressure? It's going to overflow if you put in too much. You should also put your liquids and cream bottles in a good-sealing sandwich bag with a zip top. That will prevent any overflows from getting all over your great sportcoat, pants or your favorite blouse.

You could also take a small laundry stain remover stick with you. There are small packets of laundry cleaners for traveling sold at your local store. A good mechanic's hand cleaner (placed in 35-mm film camera dispensers and placed in an extra tightly sealed sandwich bag) comes in handy for removing stains on clothes. Treat stains on your clothes as soon as possible and place them in the bag days before you do your laundry. You can do your laundry in your room's sink (if you have one). I did mine in the hostel's shower room down the hall. Just shake the hell out of that blue bag. Don't forget to rinse. Wring out your clothes and hang them on hangers, or if it's colder, place them on the older heat radiators in your room, but not on the electrical radiators. Your clothes may start a fire. ("Pozhar!")

Get Outta Town!

2009-08-06T16:55:00.003-04:00

If you've seen everything you want to see in St. Petersburg, go out to the country palaces around the city. When you're out in the country and exploring the palaces of St. Petersburg, you're just a tourist! You can feel very safe, knowing that you can walk around in the palaces and their parks, feeling safer than you did in the "dog-eat-dog" city of St. Petersburg.

You can even take tour buses (that leave from a side street next to Gostiny Dvor Department store, on Nevsky Prospekt) to the palaces outside the city. The tours don't cost much. Of course you get an explanation of what you're seeing along the way in Russian, but you're with a group of Russian tourists who aren't going to steal your money. You feel much safer in a group any way. Who cares if you can't understand the Russian guide, but you'll enjoy escaping the city for some fresh air, gorgeous parks and great palaces filled with treasures and rooms that will amaze your eyes! When you get to the palaces' parks (in the spring or summer), you'll want to camp overnight! It's like heaven. . . Just perfect blue skies, white, puffy clouds, a warm sun and a cool breeze, all including some fantastic parks, very pungent white lilac bushes, small lakes, flowers, trees, breath-taking scenery and gorgeous palaces. What a country! Believe me, you won't want to return to the city. . .

Cell Phones in St. Petersburg?

2009-08-06T16:50:00.003-04:00

Can I use a cell phone in St. Petersburg?

Sure. GSM is one of the big local wireless companies (www.gsmworld.com). In St. Petersburg, there's Telecom (TELE2 / GSM 1800). If you have your own phone, you have to purchase a pre-paid SIM card to make local calls (you may be asked to show a passport for identification) and a cell phone (used) if your phone doesn't match local standards. A SIM card will only set you back $10. To call internationally, buy a calling card that connects you with very cheap calling rates.

If you don't have a cell phone (like me), you can rent one online. There are online companies that will ship you a rentable cell phone to your house after you tell them what country/countries you'll be visiting. Search "rent international cell phones." You'll have to order your phone about a month or more ahead of your departure date.

Love in Russia?

2009-08-06T16:45:00.004-04:00

What if I meet a Russian lady/man, fall madly in love and want to get married?

I can help you with that. The first thing is, I've had personal experience in that, especially in St. Petersburg. The first thing you have to consider is that if you're an American man or woman, think of the current exchange rate between Americans and Russians. Americans are rich, even if you don't have a great job, compared with Russians. Yes, there are a lot of Russians that have more money than Americans, but most of the women or men you may happen to meet in the city are looking for the easiest way to meet an American. So let me warn you, you better be sure your relationship is for love, and not for money! After all, there were a dozen men sitting in a European airport talking about the experience with their Russian wifes. It was a sad scene, a real lonely hearts club. My fellow male companions had all failed to gain a Russian wife for love, but hey, they wanted us for our money! No problem there. So I'm warning you, consider it twice, three times if you fall in love with someone there. You really have to know their intentions. Will the relationship be for love or for money?

If you need help in getting the right forms (for a service charge), I will guide you to the proper sites you'll need to marry a Russian woman/man, especially if you've already met someone online before you go on your first trip to Russia. I've already helped someone with that.

I helped a young man arrange his marriage in Russia with all the documentation he needed. He also used me as a consultant before he took his first and second trips to Russia. The last time he came back, he told me, "Everything you told me about Russia came true." Even though things change, prices for flights, changing phone numbers (every year), the Russian currency exchange rate, museums closed because of renovations, etc., I have the years of first-hand experience to guide tourists to St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Why use my services I've listed here? Because I've have the years of experience to back up my knowledge of St. Petersburg. Who do you trust? A service who wants your money, or a person who can show you the ways to do things cheaper?

I will be setting up my services on another page in time . . .