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Things to do in St. Petersburg Russia

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

While you're in St. Petersburg, take time to explore the Hermitage Museum. This museum is one of the world's greatest treasures and features more than 3 million exhibits. And that doesn't include the impressive building itself or its beautiful furnishings.

Other Fun Things to Do:

	Explore the sights of St. Petersburg, including Peter and Paul Fortress, birthplace of modern St. Petersburg; St. Isaac Cathedral, the world's largest domed cathedral; and Palace Square, the rallying point of the 1917 Russian Revolution.
	Visit Peterhof, the summer home of Peter the Great. Built under the supervision of the French architect Alexandre Le Blond, this town of palaces, fountains and parks rivals the great palaces of Versailles.

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Russian Cuisine

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Typical Russian dishes include borscht, a beetroot soup; beef stroganoff, thin slices of beef braised with mushrooms, onions and sour cream; and the famous chicken kiev, chicken breasts wrapped around garlic butter, usually breaded and sauteed. The Russians are also famous for their caviar, often served with finely chopped hard-boiled egg and onion on blinis (miniature pancakes).

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Creative Packing Tips

Monday, September 21, 2009

Please share some of your unique ideas!

Bring an extra bag for souvenirs. It’s always handy to pack an empty collapsible suitcase or duffel bag with you. It doesn't take up much room and when returning home you can fill it with souvenirs and even dirty laundry.

One color scheme: When packing to travel, it's helpful to use one color scheme, like black or brown, and maybe just one accent color. It’s much easier to coordinate your wardrobe this way.

Preventing Wrinkles: Place individual items of clothing in dry cleaners’ plastic bags. Your clothes won’t wrinkle! It sounds too easy but it really works. If you’re using a hanging garment bag, prevent creasing of suits and garments on hangers by placing a small rolled-up towel on the inside, where the garments fold. This will prevent the horizontal crease caused by the fold.

Save Space: To keep shoes and boots in shape, fill them with socks. Ladies, consider putting your shoes inside your husband's shoes. They'll be protected and won't take up more space.

A dryer fabric softener sheet in your suitcase will keep your clothes smelling fresh while you travel. Slide a dry fabric softener sheet over your hair to calm down static-electric flyaway hair.

Beauty products that are good for 2 or more uses are great. Elizabeth Arden's 8-hour cream works as a facial moisturizer, lip balm, hair tamer, and sunburn soother all in one. Shampoo can double up as travel wash, and those chubby make up pencils from Clinique can multi-task for lipstick, eye color, and blush. Oil of Olay Daily Facials cleansing cloths are dry, and they remove makeup, cleanse, and moisturize without taking products.

Make-up tricks: Use a stick foundation instead of a liquid. The texture is light, and many of the new sticks are oil-free. The foundation can also double as a concealer and an eyeshadow base. Look for perfume in a solid form as well. The containers are small enough to fit in a purse, yet smell strong. Kiss my Face makes shave lather in a tube – no aerosol cans. Invest in a good lipstick palette with a variety of colors. The palettes are small, and give you a good variety of colors for all skin tones, and cut down on the number of bulky tubes.

Earrings: To bring a selection of earrings on your trip, get an inexpensive felt square at a fabric store (they sell them pre-cut) and simply fasten earrings through the felt and fold. Fasten the roll with a rubber band.

Necklaces: When packing your necklaces, place each one in a straw, by threading one end of the necklace through, and clasping it closed. This prevents the necklace from tangling up. (Use longer straws for longer necklaces, and cut the straw to exactly half the length of the necklace, for shorter ones.)

Creative packing tips from Perillo.

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Russia Travel Tips and Information

Friday, July 24, 2009

Moscow, the capital of Europe, is best known for Communism, vodka & caviar. It is the largest country in the world in terms of land mass, but much of the country lacks the right soil and climate for agriculture.

The official currency of Russia is the Rouble (R). Money may be exchanged at the currency exchange desk in most hotels. House vary. You must always have your passport and currency control certificate with you when exchanging money.

Climate and Weather:

Weather conditions are varied due to the size of the country. Summers are generally short and for the most part, comfortably warm. In all other seasons you are advised to pack some extra jumpers or cardigans as it is cold.

Food and Drink:

Specialities include traditional borshch soup (beetroot soup served with sour cream), beef stroganov (creamy beef stew), pelmeni (meat dumplings) and kasha for breakfast (porridge). Russians have a very sweet tooth so try their desserts, especially ponchiki (hot sugared doughnuts). Vodka is popular and is often served straight or can be flavoured with herbs and spices such as zubrovka (a variety of grass) and pertsovka (hot pepper). Russian brandy (known as cognac) is produced in Georgia and Armenia and is well worth trying. There is also nalivka which is a sweet liqueur made from fruits. We recommend that you only drink bottled mineral water, which is always the carbonated variety.

Best Buys:

Traditional matryoshkas (painted wooden dolls within dolls) and dymkovskaya igrushka (pottery figurines based on folklore characters) make excellent souvenirs. Engraved amber, cameras, vodka, watches and Faberge eggs (although you may have to settle for a reproduction!) are also a good buy.

Public Facilities:

Doors are usually marked M for men and X for ladies, or may also be advertised by the letters WC. Public toilets may be in short supply, so try places like McDonalds which are free of charge. It is advisable to carry packs of tissues in case no toilet paper is available.

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St. Petersburg

Saturday, March 14, 2009

While no longer the capital of Russia, St. Petersburg still reigns as the heart of its culture. Founded by Peter the Great and inhabited by the likes of Dostoyevsky and Tchaikovsky, it celebrates the best of Russia. Called the Venice of the North, St. Petersburg's Neva River and many canals are lined with magnificent granite bridges and grand accompaniments. The first stop of art enthusiasts is the extravagant Winter Palace and the adjoining Hermitage, considered by some the finest art museum in the world. Even the historic city center is a World Heritage Site. St. Petersburg's ballets, symphonies and Russian Orthodox churches make visitors feel light as a feather, while its monuments, statues and imperial palaces set its legacy in stone.

Russian River cruises along the Volga river have become very popular over the years with travelers. Many of these cruises begin or end in St. Petersburg and allow for overnight stays on the ship, or at a hotel included in the package.

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