I’ve just returned from one of the most incredible holidays I’ve ever had. When I told friends and colleagues that I was going to Russia for my summer holidays they were confused why I’d chosen such a destination. I was even more nervous when people responded that I was very “brave” to be venturing to Russia on my own and not with an organised tour. I did manage to learn some basic Russian and to read Cyrillic, and I think I would have had a very different experience had I not done so. But learning some of the language only heightened my experience and enriched it.<BR><BR>We booked our independent holiday through Intourist, despite having heard some negative reports about them. Although there is a steep mark-up on train tickets, hotels, transfers, etc I would definitely recommend booking through them for a first time visit. We did not have any problems – the operation was slick, vouchers were readily accepted, taxis arrived on time and even some of the hotels had an Intourist office on the premises (though well hidden!) where we could confirm our travel arrangements along the way. However, we did meet a couple who had booked through Intourist in Australia and arrived in St Petersburg expecting a 5 night stay to be told they had a room for 1 night only. So perhaps we were just lucky that things went smoothly!<BR>

Pasting the pieces of your trip report "together" for you - - otherwise, the parts scatter like the wind.<BR><BR>My "independent" holiday to Russia - part 2 (Moscow)<BR> <BR>Author: Andrea ([email protected])<BR>Date: 08/23/2002, 11:33 am<BR><BR>Message: We started our adventure in Moscow where we stayed for 5 days. We stayed at the Hotel Ukraina, a Stalinist Empire State-like building. We had a renovated room which was very pleasant, though there was some building work in some of the rooms which might have disturbed us if we’d wanted to sleep past 9am. The corridors are long, dim and moody, the bar filled with well-dressed prostitutes (like all the hotels we stayed in) and it’s a good 10 minute walk to the nearest metro, Kievskaya. But the breakfast is hearty and the hotel very atmospheric. Although it might be more convenient to stay somewhere more central, the hotel makes up for it in atmosphere. Taxis were always stationed outside if you chose not to walk to the metro. <BR><BR>Moscow is a bit of a rough diamond and you have to work quite hard to find its beauty. But we loved it. It has obvious poverty and social problems but it’s also vast, impressive and exciting. You need to be a bit on your guard but we never felt threatened, though if I’d been standing about trying to work out Cyrillic metro links we might have felt more vulnerable. Red Square and the Kremlin are bigger and better than any film or photograph can convey. The Novodevichy Monastery is delightful with its moving cemetery containing the resting places of Stanislavsky and Chekhov (and don’t miss Restaurant U Pirosmani across the pond). The Pushkin Fine Arts museum is a must for art lovers and is a friendly size (versus the enormity of the Hermitage). A river trip along the Moskva is also wonderful – with no loud commentaries!! For arts and crafts and well made souvenirs don’t miss the Ismailovsky Park market (close to the metro station of the same name). The old circus was spectacular (despite the bears) and the performances absolutely thrilling and slick. <BR>

Continuing...<BR><BR>My "independent" holiday to Russia - part 3 (Vladimir & Suzdal)<BR> <BR>Author: Andrea ([email protected])<BR>Date: 08/23/2002, 11:35 am<BR><BR>Message: From Moscow we caught the train to Vladimir (the original capital of Russia). Finding the platform at the Kursk station in Moscow was a little stressful and confusing. We were so obviously tourists with our suitcases on wheels (the only thing close to wheels are old-fashioned trolley racks)! But generally people were very friendly and helpful, and eventually we found our train. We met some people from the Netherlands who were travelling to Vladimir and they had been put on the right train by an Intourist guide, so I guess this is always an option if you are worried about getting on the wrong train!! The seating class in the train was clean and the trains seemed very efficient. The train ride is about 2 and a half hours long. Vladimir will not exactly set the world alight, though the Assumption Church is historically very important. But it’s a good introduction to provincial Russian life. The pace is much slower than in Moscow and it’s generally much more old-fashioned with a lot less Western branding. We stayed at the Hotel Vladimir for one night which was adequate though there was no hot water on arrival, the electrics seemed very dangerous and breakfast was served to loud pop music by scantily-clad waitresses (depends what you like). But it was fine as a stop-over on route to Suzdal. We had a very good (and cheap) meal at the “3 Fish” restaurant, a block away from the hotel.<BR><BR>The taxi ride to Suzdal is about 35 minutes and one immediately finds oneself in the beautiful never-ending Russian countryside. There are local buses which can take you from Vladimir to Suzdal (I don’t know how regular or safe they are), but we opted for a pre-booked taxi. Suzdal is a little piece of heaven on earth and our trip to Russia would definitely have been lacking if we’d not visited Suzdal. Wild flowers gently blow in fields surrounding the numerous churches with their gold onion domes and the river gently flows through the town, reflecting its charming architecture as it wends its way. We stayed in the gorgeous Pokrovskaya Monastery in which there are old-style wooden izbas. From one’s bedroom you could watch the nuns go about their daily work and the peacefulness of the place was astounding. The beauty of Suzdal is best appreciated from the outside – the interiors of the churches are lovely but not nearly as spectacular as cathedrals like the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. We were lucky enough to be there for the summer folk festival in which local groups performed, blueberries and honey was sold on the main square, and dozens of shashlik kebabs sizzled away. Horses were for hire to explore the Russian countryside a little more. We had a delicious meal at the restaurant in the Suzdal Kremlin – watch out for the potent medovukha or mead which is sold along the roadside! <BR>

Continuing with your part four... and then its replies, and then your part five...<BR><BR>My "independent" holiday to Russia - part 4 (St Petersburg)<BR> <BR>Author: Andrea ([email protected])<BR>Date: 08/23/2002, 11:37 am<BR><BR>Message: We then took a taxi back to Vladimir in time to catch the overnight train to St Petersburg. We booked soft class or first class which is a 2 person coupe. This was very comfortable (though we were forced to pay an extra amount for bedding – this is not included in your ticket price). There was an eating coach that looked like a tacky Hawaiian bar which we avoided, and chay (tea) and kofye (coffee) were freely available in our coupe for a nominal amount. The journey was fairly bumpy for most of the journey and our coupe rattled and squeaked throughout – I constantly thought we were being attacked by Tartar invaders, despite the locks and extra piece of string we’d put around the handle of our door. The toilet facility was adequate (about 5 coupes to one toilet). An added extra is that at about 8am you are woken up by softly piped Russian pop music (nice change from the loud Western pop music that greets you in most restaurants/breakfast rooms!).<BR><BR>The station in St Petersburg is much lighter and friendlier than the Moscow station and one is immediately struck by the English writing on many of the signs. We walked down the Nevsky Propect to the gigantic concrete mass of the Moskva Hotel which was swarming with tour coaches and tour parties. Strangely enough, although we saw many tour groups at the main attractions in Moscow, we only saw Russian tourists in Suzdal and heard virtually no foreign accents on the metros/streets of Moscow. St Petersburg was more obviously geared up for tourists, with many more people speaking English and a lot more queues which we’d not encountered prior to arriving there. At first it did not seem as Russian, though should you wander off the main tourist drag you’re once more very much back in Russia. <BR><BR>St Petersburg is definitely the grand dame of Russia. Its faded elegance and regalness can’t fail to charm you. The only shame were the amounts of scaffolding and road works in preparation for next year’s tri-centennial celebrations which did affect our ability to appreciate St Petersburg’s grandeur. Highlights include the Hermitage (beyond your wildest dreams in splendour and works of art), the Russian Museum (which houses a fascinating collection of Russian art) and Peterhof palace. We caught the hydrofoil to Peterhof (or Petrovarets) which runs regularly during the summer (until about 6pm) and the fountains were absolutely magnificent. The queues for the palace were formidable though. Also we were luckly enough to see the Kirov opera at the Mariinsky Theatre in a production of Eugene Onegin. It was superb with an outstanding French design and excellent cast. The theatre itself is also not to be missed. We sat in the third balcony and could see everything perfectly. Of course we were forced to buy our tickets on the black market – there is a ticket shop on the corner of Mikhailovsky ulitsa and Nevsky Prospect outside of which we met someone selling Mariinsky tickets for triple the price. The tickets were not too badly priced in our equivalent pounds (approx &pound;14 each which is much cheaper than opera tickets in London!), though Russians can go to the Kirov for hardly anything at all. Make sure you get a yellow foreigner ticket otherwise you’ll have to pay an extra amount to exchange your blue Russian ticket when you get to the theatre. The ticket tout, Vladimir, agreed to go to the theatre on our behalf to exchange the tickets so I guess it wasn’t too bad a deal (the prices at the ticket agency in the Hotel Moskva started at about $35.00). Anyway it was one of the most memorable evenings of our life – an experience no-one should miss. <BR>

Replies (to part four)...<BR><BR>Author: Mel ([email protected])<BR>Date: 08/23/2002, 01:00 pm <BR><BR>Message: I was just in St. Petersburg and toured the Hermitage, the summer palace at Pushkin and Peterhof. Over the 2 days we were there we drove around a lot and saw a great deal of St. Petersburg.<BR><BR>Other than the old pre-communist buildings such as the Hermitage the architecture is the most depressing and dismal construction I have ever seen. If you like drab concrete buildings then St. Petersburg is for you. I've never seen a city in such a state of disrepair and this includes not only the buildings but the roads (potholes everywhere, especially where the trams run), weeds growing everywhere, trams which have never seen a wash or paint brush in 30 years and parks with few if any flowers or fountains or any of the things that we take for granted in a nice city. <BR><BR>It looked like a 3rd world country. I'm still in shock. I had no idea how dismal it was. I think it reflects well on the Russian people that they can soar to such heights in science and music and theater and literature while living in such an environment or maybe it's that environment that turns them towards these other endeavours. <BR><BR>Author: Marc David Miller ([email protected])<BR>Date: 08/23/2002, 01:33 pm <BR><BR>Message: Mel, if you stayed on a cruise ship docked on Basil's Island I am not surprised that you have such an impression (traveling through a largely industrial area on the way to tourist spots). But if you went around more of central and better surrounding areas of Petersburg you would be amazed at the variety (and quality) of architecture. Pick up one of William Brumfield's books on Russian architecture and you'll undertand this. Although you are correct on the conditions of the streets in central St. Petersburg you should have seen more of the parks. <BR>

(more) replies (to part four)...<BR><BR>Author: Oldtimer ([email protected])<BR>Date: 08/23/2002, 02:23 pm <BR><BR>Message: Mel, please explain to me how you overcome decades of neglect and decay of both public and private buildings without putting up scaffolding and netting? We just returned from STP and found it to be breathtaking "work in progress." With its 300th birtday coming up next year, STP is undergoing the most amazing, gigantic, and interesting renovation of any city we can think of at this time. We can't figure out how all this work can possibly be completed by 2003. Putin, a hometown guy, is putting on a full-court press to get this work done, with the national checkbook in his hand. We gave the citizens of STP a high-five for their long-overdue efforts! <BR><BR>Author: Mel ([email protected])<BR>Date: 08/23/2002, 03:24 pm <BR><BR>Message: Oldtimer<BR><BR>If you thought St. Pete was a "breath taking work in progress" you have an imagination totally unlike anyone I've ever met. It was a sad, dismal city of concrete buildings with little if any aesthetic appeal....other than the old Tsarist constructions.<BR><BR>Go across the Gulf of Finland to Helsinki and you see what a modern city should look like. People in pedastrian mall areas with kids eating ice cream or sitting at tables outdoors having lunch or coffee. Lovely buildings put up with a thought as to their aesthetic value and it's affect on the people who see it and use it. Clean streets with clean, modern looking trams. Beautiful parks just overflowing with flowers, as they should be on a summer's day in August. The contrast was incredible. I'm still shocked at the difference between St. Pete and Helsinki or Stockholm or Oslo.<BR><BR>The Russian people were abused by their Tsarist leadership and equally by their Communist leadership and no where is that more apparent than in the appearance of their cities. Where did the wealth of this nation go? Not to the cities...that's for sure.<BR>

The continuation (conclusion) - - hoping that other additions to this report and thread go here:<BR><BR>My "independent" holiday to Russia - part 5 (tips & conclusion)<BR> <BR>Author: Andrea ([email protected])<BR>Date: 08/23/2002, 11:38 am<BR><BR>Message: Something else worth noting is the situation with exporting anything vaguely arty. In Moscow we found the most fabulous old political posters (in the shop attached to the Museum of the Revolution, Tverskaya). However, we weren’t sure what the situation would be with customs and the shop assistants were not very helpful, so unfortunately we didn’t buy anything. However, when we got to St Petersburg we bought a couple of contemporary paintings and visited the Ministry of Culture to get them evaluated. The situation at the moment is as such: a piece of art (including jewellery, musical instruments, icons) dated from before 1909 is considered an antique. These are much more difficult to take through customs and must be evaluated by the Ministry – I think the tax is much higher on antiques. Books before 1975 are also considered tricky. However, an amount of about 600 roubles can and must be paid on any other work of art and a certificate is issued for when you go through customs. The Ministry were very professional in their evaluation procedure (though it is a bit time consuming) and we had absolutely no problem taking out our paintings when we got to customs.<BR><BR>On our final night we treated ourselves to some luxury at the Grand Hotel Europe -definitely not cheap but very luxurious with a lot of attention to detail. It’s a very romantic and relaxing place after a two week runabout Russia, with a number of excellent restaurants and bars to chill out in. I think we must have had the best breakfast ever, including champagne, caviar, smoked salmon and anything else you can imagine. What a way to end one of the most memorable trips of our life. If you are an avid traveller you will have failed in your mission if you don’t go to Russia. Don’t get stuck in an organised tour – there is so much more to experience on the backstreets, so much more to see than the main sights. The people are generally very friendly and proud of their country. It is also a country in transition – falling somewhere between its old Soviet way of life and its new-found capitalist aspirations. I raise a glass of vodka to Russia!<BR>

now rex can't just reply to people, he has to customize their postings so they fit his image of the world. REX STOP IT!

Well I for one would have never seen all of Andrea's post if Rex hadn't put all together.

Here here!<BR>

ttt<BR>

Mel........sorry you were there for only two days and missed so much. My first visit in St. Petersburg was for two weeks a long two years ago........I am returning this September for a whole month because I just love "those drab concrete buildings". Architectural details are of particular interest when I travel and St. Petersburg has some of the most beautifully designed buildings.

I thought that there were more flood deaths in Russia than in all of Prague, Germany and Austria put together. Where <BR>were the floods?<BR>

The recent flood deaths occurred in the far south, near the city of Krasnodar, when vacationers and their vehicles were swept into flooded streams. In all, about 55 were drowned.

One writer above was taken to task for admiring the efforts of St. Petersburg citizens for sprucing up their neglected city, calling it a "work in progress." I have to agree with him inasmuch as St. Petersburg has suffered so badly during the 20th century from neglect, war, and bad building practices plus the damage done by a government that spent so much of the people's money on the military. St. Petersburg is fortunate in that its central core remained fairly intact during its long siege during WWII. Some damage was done by Nazi shelling and bombing, but many of the Czarist-era buldings remained whole or only slightly damaged. Case in point: The Hermitage. Almost one out of every four citizens, however, died from starvation and disease and the bombardments. When the war ended, the city was a wreck, especially on the outskirts. Apartment blocks went up to house the people, and these apartment blocks were awful eyesores and remain so to this day. Poorly designed with crumby materials and no maintenance, they extend for miles and miles of gray concrete. But it is the heart of the city that captivates the eye. And the people are doing a marvelous job of rehabbing these structures. Contrast this with the undamaged and prosperous city of Paris and its godawful excesses -- the Pompidou Center, the National Library, and the<BR>La Defense area. These vandalisms were self-inflicted. At least both cities have had the good sense to preserve their old centers largely intact (exception: the Montparnasse Tower). Both are surrounded by dreary miles of suburban blight. When will we ever learn to preserve the good and rebuild the hastily-conceived and badly-built?

up<BR>

Rex, thanks for gathering up Andrea's posts. Andrea, thanks for a wonderful trip report. I've always wanted to see St. Petersburg, but I don't think I would ever have the courage to take off and see so much of Russia on my own. I raise a glass of vodka to you, girl.

Sue, I speak a little russian (took a year in one summer, 30 years ago, but haven't kept it up) - - if you ever decide to try a trip east of Vienna somewhere - - and would like to consider trying the "safety in numbers" concept, let me know. It's as good an idea as any for a Fodorites' trip.<BR>

Hi Andrea,<BR><BR>I was glad to read your post. We are planning an independent trip next spring. What did you think about your hotel in St. P?<BR>We are also planning on taking the overnight train from St. Pete to Moscow.

Russia is also on my dream list, but I had assumed that even though we have always travelled independently we would have to do the typical cruise Moscow/St. Petersburg because everything I have read says that it is nearly impossible to arrange hotels etc. on your own. I've also read that there is no in-between as far as hotels go--there are the real dives or the super expensive tourist hotels. Can you fill me in a little on prices? We are usually more the Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel types and am wondering if that type of travel is doable. About how much is lodging and food. I know that in many Eastern European countries there are huge mark-ups for western tourists even though living on the economy itself would be cheap.