Reading signs in Cyrillic

[mendeleyev]

Excellent point, Misha.

Today's exchange rate is 32.25 py. to the US dollar so essentially in your head assign a dollar to every 3 rubles to get an idea of what an item or service costs.

If online, and cafes like these have free wifi, check your menu prices by using a converter like www.xe.com

I've had good service experiences and their desserts are excellent however concur that they are overpriced. Chains like this one are in good locations and therefore easy to meet for business purposes, etc.

[Misha]

The deserts are good, but based on my experience, you do not want to go there for lunch and expect a warm meal if they have a lot of clients as the manager explained that they did not have enough people to serve everybody. Everybody next to us was grumbling, but I was the only one who actually complained... And, yes, I voiced my displeasure in Russian 

[SANDRO43]

The deserts are good,

Only if you like sand .

[Misha]

Only if you like sand .

Touché!

[OlgaH]

The deserts are good, but based on my experience, you do not want to go there for lunch and expect a warm meal if they have a lot of clients as the manager explained that they did not have enough people to serve everybody. Everybody next to us was grumbling, but I was the only one who actually complained... And, yes, I voiced my displeasure in Russian 

I looked through the reviews about the cafe chain, the reviews are pretty much mixed, some people are happy and some people complain that the cafes sometimes reminds a "public thoroughfare" with high prices, cases of food poisoning. Also reviews depend on a cafe's location.

100 gram muffin (3.5 oz) and 100 milliliters (3.38 oz) espresso with no cream will cost you $6.23  ($1=32.12 rub)

[Faux Pas]

Excellent point, Misha.

Today's exchange rate is 32.25 py. to the US dollar so essentially in your head assign a dollar to every 3rubles  to get an idea of what an item or service costs.

If online, and cafes like these have free wifi, check your menu prices by using a converter like www.xe.com

I've had good service experiences and their desserts are excellent however concur that they are overpriced. Chains like this one are in good locations and therefore easy to meet for business purposes, etc.

Mendy, wouldn't that be assign a dollar to every 32 rubles?

[mendeleyev]

FP, thanks for catching that. I was thinking of 100 rubles in thirds but writing something else and of course you are correct. 

[ML]

FP, thanks for catching that. I was thinking of 100 rubles in thirds but writing something else and of course you are correct. 

Now you see why some 'foreigners' are hoping for a 10 to 1 FX for Ukraine/USA currency.  Move that decimal point!!

[Ooooops]

Can you identify the juices pictured here?

Mendy, those are not juices, they are "фреши"!    Now tell me how poor foreigner like me suppose to know what the hell is it???   

[Gator]

FP, thanks for catching that. I was thinking of 100 rubles in thirds but writing something else and of course you are correct. 

You must be from the old school.  I recall during my first trip that the official currency exchange rate was:
 
                                         1.5 dollars = 1 ruble.
 
The ruble was more valuable than  pound sterling.  On the street, the exchange rate was 10 rubles = 1 dollar.  However, one could get into trouble. 

[Vasilisa]

Mendy, those are not juices, they are "фреши"!    Now tell me how poor foreigner like me suppose to know what the hell is it??? 

Oooooops, exactly the way a poor local is supposed to understand that.
"Die hard" marking

[Ooooops]

The ruble was more valuable than  pound sterling. 

Yeah, good luck trying to exchange it anywhere outside of Russia.   

[Ooooops]

"Die hard" marking

What is it?   A parking garage? 

[OlgaH]

You must be from the old school.  I recall during my first trip that the official currency exchange rate was:
 
                                         1.5 dollars = 1 ruble.
 
The ruble was more valuable than  pound sterling.  On the street, the exchange rate was 10 rubles = 1 dollar.  However, one could get into trouble.

Here is the history of the currency exchange rate

Dollar: http://opoccuu.com/kurs.htm

Pound Sterling: http://www.opoccuu.com/kurspound.htm

1791–1896 - 6.25 rub = 1 pound sterling

1929–1934 - 9.46 rub =  1 pound sterling

1985  - 0.914 rub =  1 pound sterling

1991 May - 0.996 rub = 1 pound sterling

July 1, 1992 -  220.73 rub =  1 pound sterling

1997 - 9991.34 rub  =  1 pound sterling

August 16, 1998 - 10.22 rub =  1 pound sterling

September 9, 1998 48.6984 rub = 1 pound sterling

[Vasilisa]

What is it?   A parking garage?

Yes, and even some native speakers like me have problems reading and understanding signs in Cyrillic.
(Russian signs from  Americans movies about Russia)
For example I had no idea that "Хуетйд" means "user ID" in Russian and that Gulina Gulnara is a male's name translated as Viktor Navorski or that "Головка пальца ноги" is a trailer or something...

[Ooooops]

Yes, and even some native speakers like me have problems reading and understanding signs in Cyrillic.
(Russian signs from  Americans movies about Russia)

I think those are lame attempts at humorous Photoshop       This is how Bourne's passport looks like in the movie

[Vasilisa]

I think those are lame attempts at humorous Photoshop       This is how Bourne's passport looks like in the movie

Not sure which picture is Photoshop, because I remember watching this movie in the US with Americans long time ago and they were showing that movie to me and I remember that I noticed the same thing that it was just a combination of letters and was surprised, too and it was looong time before I saw that picture:)

[SANDRO43]

Yeah, good luck trying to exchange it anywhere outside of Russia.   

You mean I could have problems exchanging these, after hoarding them for so long ?

[Ooooops]

Not sure which picture is Photoshop...

Turns out that neither one is!      Grabbled name is from "Bourne Identity" and the correct one is from "Bourne Supremacy".   I guess they got better in translating later in the sequels.   


But it is not the same as the case with "Любимые Фреши".    There is no such food item as "fresh".   "Freshly squeezed juice" - yes.   I'm siding with Zhirinovski on that!   

Депутаты от ЛДПР внесли в Госдуму законопроект, запрещающий использовать иностранные слова, если в русском языке есть их аналоги.

http://lenta.ru/news/2013/02/21/fine1/

[Ooooops]

You mean I could have problems exchanging these, after hoarding them for so long ?

Where did you get them???   Cool!   No, these you will have no problem exchanging.   

[SANDRO43]

Where did you get them???

They were brought over by my granny in 1916, almost 100 years ago .

[Ooooops]

They were brought over by my granny in 1916, almost 100 years ago .

She couldn't exchange them back then either?      Where was your Granny from? 

[SANDRO43]

Where was your Granny from?

St. Petersburg: http://www.floriani.it/nonnaeugenia-eng.htm.

[Ooooops]

Very interesting!   Thank you for sharing, Sandro.      

[Anotherkiwi]

They were brought over by my granny in 1916, almost 100 years ago .

She couldn't exchange them back then either?       Where was your Granny from? 

St. Petersburg: http://www.floriani.it/nonnaeugenia-eng.htm.

Wow!  What a romantic story  , leading to our first known Russian MOB!!!