My Russian Experiences

Discussion in 'Travel & Vacation' started by Terry Page, Oct 25, 2015.

  1. Bonnie Thomas

    Bonnie Thomas Veteran Member
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    I learned Russian when I was about 5 years old. My material grandmother raised me and she couldn't speak English, or just barely. I came over to her side. :) (She came to the US when she was 16)..

    And my grandparents used to get newspapers from "the old country", but that was beyond my comprehension.:D
     
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  2. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I never really learned reading and writing but can struggle and somewhat read and write but it takes forever.
    It's a difficult alphabet. :)

    It was my parents and grandparents who came to the US, so my first language was Hungarian. Being a child, I learned English quickly in kindergarten.
     
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  3. Tom Locke

    Tom Locke Veteran Member
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    I think it's probably fair to say that St Petersburg is the only place where I have seen a Baroque public toilet.

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  4. Bonnie Thomas

    Bonnie Thomas Veteran Member
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    I guess I mentioned before, elsewhere, about my traveling aunt and a book she put together of Red Square and her travels to Moscow and the countryside.

    Although the book and pictures are all pre-Internet quality.

    I guess the movie Dr. Zhivago set them off in their dream trip to Russia, and mostly their desire to travel across Siberia. But they didn't go during the winter. It was June 1972. The Trans-Siberian train trip took them across 5,600 miles, over 7 days/nights @ 30 mph, with 83 stops. Leningrad, Kiev and Moscow.
    I know they went to Red Square at night, wanting to see the lights & changing of the guard.

    Very funny customs problem .. even back then ...
    they had packed some Woolite in little baggies for clothes washing. It was examined by three officers and they wrote up a very detailed statement about the laundry soap. They said they would have to analyze it ... more officers were called in .... they suggested testing it in a bottle of water. Sure enough, foam!
     
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    Last edited: Feb 23, 2016
  5. Tom Locke

    Tom Locke Veteran Member
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    I knew I had a photo of this excellent restaurant somewhere. The Idiot...

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  6. Terry Page

    Terry Page Supreme Member
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    Yes Tom I have passed it when out walking, but have never actually dined in it, there are so many restaurants here now, over 8,400 on Tripadvisor alone, we have been to one called Ukrop which is across the road here, it's nice but nothing really special about it. Vegetarianism goes against the tradition of Russian cuisine, but there are a lot more vegetarian restaurants these days, because of tourists demands. Our favourite Georgian ones also do vegetarian dishes and of course Lobio a common one is meat free,

    Ukrop

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    Lobio

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  7. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I love the interior of the restaurant, Terry.
     
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  8. Tom Locke

    Tom Locke Veteran Member
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    We didn't get to many restaurants in St Petersburg. The Idiot was just across the canal from our hotel, so was an easy choice, having a good vegetarian menu. There was quite a decent Indian restaurant quite close as well, which was fairly cheap. In fact, the beer was pretty cheap there, too, even if it was just the dreaded Baltika. One place that didn't sound ideal for vegetarians was Meathead, though it might have been amusing to go to The Idiot and Meathead on the same day. We liked the Craft Bier Cafe in Gagarinskaya. Not sure I remember much about the metro journey back, though...
     
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  9. Terry Page

    Terry Page Supreme Member
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    Yes Chrissy it is in a bright cheerful way, but I am more drawn to dim atmospheric careworn places :rolleyes:;)
     
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  10. Terry Page

    Terry Page Supreme Member
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    Like this the interior of the Idiot
    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I like that one also, Terry! Depends on how I'm feeling. If I was on a first date, I'd take the Idiot, the lighting is more flattering. :)
     
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  12. Terry Page

    Terry Page Supreme Member
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    We finally made it to the Frida Khola exhibition, and enjoyed it, I was surprised to be so affected by the painful emotions Frida has captured in some of her works.
    She had a serious traffic accident in her teens and married the artist
    Diego Rivera twice, both times the marriage didn't really work and caused much emotional pain.

    The palace housing the exhibition is beautifully restored and houses the Faberge museum.

    A few photo's I took below.



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    The Mask of Madness
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  13. Terry Page

    Terry Page Supreme Member
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    A couple more photos

    The impressive staircase

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    The walk back was cold this is the frozen Fontanka canal

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    .....and our local bakery

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  14. Terry Page

    Terry Page Supreme Member
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    We went on our No 16 tram ride and walked in the park, though it was a tad cold a few degrees below freezing all day, the meal at the restaurant in the park was warming though and washed down with wine and beer.
    We both had a dish called "The Soul of the Monk" based on pork with a side dish of chips (fries)




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    Some snow sculptures
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    Last edited: Mar 3, 2016
  15. Ruby Begonia

    Ruby Begonia Supreme Member
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    @Terry Page , yes I saw the movie sometime ago.
     
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