Peterblog

[LAman]

'Migration card' - the slip of paper anyone who is a visa national signs accepting the terms of your entry, at passport control ...

 I have just come back from Russia - having entered there twice, in two weeks via different cities - ALWAYS - been given this vital slip of paper - over 11 years travelling there.

It is requested if stopped by the Police, necessary for registration and must be handed back when you leave-at passport control...

been a few years now but I always carried my migration card with me, stamped at my hotel. It was the first thing the police wanted to see when I was questioned( I suppose to see if I was legal)...and I was stopped many times.

[jone]

been a few years now but I always carried my migration card with me, stamped at my hotel. It was the first thing the police wanted to see when I was questioned( I suppose to see if I was legal)...and I was stopped many times.

Haven't been stopped once.  Been here for almost three weeks already.  But, then, if you're walking dogs or pushing a stroller, you don't look too suspicious.  I do have migration card with me now, stamped by authorities and a new passport with only entries into Russia, no other countries. 

It is really interesting in that I walk the dogs, usually, at 5:30 AM.  I am absolutely the only person on the street at that hour.  You'd think a city like Peter would be waking up.  I guess Gogol was right.  The city sleeps in until school starts.

[LAman]

Haven't been stopped once.  Been here for almost three weeks already.  But, then, if you're walking dogs or pushing a stroller, you don't look too suspicious.  I do have migration card with me now, stamped by authorities and a new passport with only entries into Russia, no other countries. 

It is really interesting in that I walk the dogs, usually, at 5:30 AM.  I am absolutely the only person on the street at that hour.  You'd think a city like Peter would be waking up.  I guess Gogol was right.  The city sleeps in until school starts.

My God Jone....I thought your girl was much  younger than you but I had NO idea!!!!!   

[jone]

My God Jone....I thought your girl was much  younger than you but I had NO idea!!!!!   

Yup.  Gives new meaning to the term "Robbing the Cradle".

[KenInUtah]

Jone, I was at the Hermitage back in April and what you are describing is great but like you said, you cannot explain it without pictures.  Just walking up that staircase near the entrance with all the gold EVERYWHERE is jaw-dropping.  There is just so much to see there, you cannot possibly take it all in in one day.

If you like Sushi, there is a real good place as you walk up the main drag back toward the Sapsan station on the Right side of the street a couple blocks before the river.  The sushi was really good and about 1/2 the price I pay here.  There was another restaurant on the way back, its called Штолле and it is closer to the station that had the best pierogi.  We had the salmon and the meat and the eggs with greens and I would highly recommend it

[jone]

Jone, I was at the Hermitage back in April and what you are describing is great but like you said, you cannot explain it without pictures.  Just walking up that staircase near the entrance with all the gold EVERYWHERE is jaw-dropping.  There is just so much to see there, you cannot possibly take it all in in one day.

If you like Sushi, there is a real good place as you walk up the main drag back toward the Sapsan station on the Right side of the street a couple blocks before the river.  The sushi was really good and about 1/2 the price I pay here.  There was another restaurant on the way back, its called Штолле and it is closer to the station that had the best pierogi.  We had the salmon and the meat and the eggs with greens and I would highly recommend it

Sorry, Ken. 

I'm in Los Angeles and look out over the Pacific.  My definition of good sushi is a little different than someone who lives in Salt Lake.    I have never had good sushi in Russia or Ukraine.  Did have some good fish eggs on occasion.

[KenInUtah]

I'm comparing it to sushi I've had in San Francisco and Boston, not SLc per se.  Have you tried Штолле?

[Slumba]

Can you take photos inside the Hermitage?  I assume if so, no flash or tripods are allowed.

There is a beautiful movie about the Hermitage, called "Russian Ark", in Russian with English subtitles.  Used to be on Netflix, not sure if it still is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Ark

[Faux Pas]

Sorry, Ken. 

I'm in Los Angeles and look out over the Pacific.  My definition of good sushi is a little different than someone who lives in Salt Lake.    I have never had good sushi in Russia or Ukraine.  Did have some good fish eggs on occasion.

Then you're missing out Mr. hoity toity LA sushi.    Piter has excellent sushi and I've eaten supposedly the best, also. I spent two weeks in Piter years ago so the name escapes me but it is a chain because I ate sushi in several of them while I was there. It has an orange motif and there was one on Italianaskaya just two blocks from my apartment. Literally some of the best I've ever eaten and all prepared by Russians. There is good fish also coming out of the Baltic sea and North Atlantic there guy

edit to add: There was a restaurant on Nevsky not too far from that sushi joint called Aʙrikosov' is the best translation I could get it looks like Абрикосовъ. A little pricier I suppose because it's on Nevsky but still really affordable. Great wines food and service. Back on Italianaskaya but farther down was Kavkaz Bar. More rustic but the food was unbelieveable.

[KenInUtah]

That might be the one I'm thinking of because it was on Nevsky Prospekt.  It was really good with a great beer/wine selection.  Small place, maybe only 8 tables and definitely more upscale.

[ML]

Jone, two points:

1) Aren't they still charging 'feriners' more than locals to get into the Hermitage and other such sites?  How is this noted on the ATM type ticket dispensers?

2) Did you know that most all the original paintings have been stolen; and what you are viewing in the Hermitage are forgeries?

3) The collections in the Smithsonian museums make the Hermitage look like a flea market collection.

[ML]

Jone, here are some restaurant ideas for you.

For economy with a good quantity of food; Chinese Restaurant at corner of Fontanki and Belinskovo.  This is across from Circus.

CAT; probably my all around favorite at 24 Karavannaya.

Really fancy and elegant; Demidov at north end of Fontanki near Summer Palace.  Try to get into the far secluded room with a big table for 10 or so.  This will only work if you go mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner crowds.

Kalinka Malinka on Italianskaya ulitsa.  Cosy with nice atmosphere.

Camelot at 22 Nevsky, but entrance is actually on east side of Bolshaya Konyushennaya.

Milano on Karavannaya.  Nice, but fairly pricey.

Atrium at 25 Nevsky.  This is great place for cakes and pastries; not for a full meal.

Poseidon out on the large island.

You may have already had your fill of Russian singing and dancing shows, but . . . a pretty good Tourist Trap show can be viewed at the Nikolaevsky Palace.  It starts out pretty doggy, but it gets better as it moves along.

[jone]

Then you're missing out Mr. hoity toity LA sushi.    Piter has excellent sushi and I've eaten supposedly the best, also. I spent two weeks in Piter years ago so the name escapes me but it is a chain because I ate sushi in several of them while I was there. It has an orange motif and there was one on Italianaskaya just two blocks from my apartment. Literally some of the best I've ever eaten and all prepared by Russians. There is good fish also coming out of the Baltic sea and North Atlantic there guy

edit to add: There was a restaurant on Nevsky not too far from that sushi joint called Aʙrikosov' is the best translation I could get it looks like Абрикосовъ. A little pricier I suppose because it's on Nevsky but still really affordable. Great wines food and service. Back on Italianaskaya but farther down was Kavkaz Bar. More rustic but the food was unbelieveable.

Hoity Toity I am.  But thank you everyone for all the wonderful restaurant suggestions.  I really appreciate them.

[jone]

Jone, two points:

1) Aren't they still charging 'feriners' more than locals to get into the Hermitage and other such sites?  How is this noted on the ATM type ticket dispensers?

2) Did you know that most all the original paintings have been stolen; and what you are viewing in the Hermitage are forgeries?

3) The collections in the Smithsonian museums make the Hermitage look like a flea market collection.

The answer to your first question is that there is no difference in pricing that I could find.  Of course, I originally went to the Russian version of the website and it was there that I received my instructions of when and where to go to get tickets.  We never interacted with anyone except the guy who checked the front and the back of the ticket when we presented it.

Many of the paintings at the Hermitage were admitted forgeries.   They now document which ones are and aren't on the audio tour.  I was there for the royal trappings.   I could easily see Alexander the 1st dispensing advice on the Napoleonic wars to his generals from one of the throne rooms or the arrests of the ministers in 1917 leading up to the overthrow by the Red Army and the Bolsheviks.  I have spent my life reading about these things.  To be able to relate to the trappings and the location is the reason that St. Petersburg was on my bucket list.

[mendeleyev]

Trivia time:

Q:  Why did Catherine choose the French name "Hermitage" for the Winter Palace?

A:  It is quite a large place with 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms and 117 staircases. At the time she named the palace, Catherine had only 300+ staff and so she felt lonely, like a hermit, at times. She was known to often remark that she lived in a house suited for hermits, and thus the name stuck--Hermitage.


Visit online: http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/

[Faux Pas]

Trivia time:

Q:  Why did Catherine choose the French name "Hermitage" for the Winter Palace?

A:  It is quite a large place with 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms and 117 staircases. At the time she named the palace, Catherine had only 300+ staff and so she felt lonely, like a hermit, at times. She was known to often remark that she lived in a house suited for hermits, and thus the name stuck--Hermitage.


Visit online: http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/

I did not know that. Thanks Mendy

[Faux Pas]

Hoity Toity I am.  But thank you everyone for all the wonderful restaurant suggestions.  I really appreciate them.

I believe it in order for you to try some Piter sushi and post a review.

[mendeleyev]

You are welcome, FP.

[mendeleyev]

On of the unique features about the Hermitage is the "cat patrol." Yes, in true capitalist form, some of the best kept cats in all of Russia, make their home at the Hermitage in Piter.



It was Empress Elizabeth who first opened the Doors of the Winter Palace to cats, by an imperial declaration no less of calling for cats with good rat hunting abilities to be sent to Saint Petersburg. Later, Catherine the Great issued a decree that included care for the Hermitage kitties to be in the federal budget. Catherine even gave them an official title, as protectors of the palace against rodents. Today, 3 human employees are responsible for caring daily for the Hermitage cats.

As you can imagine, word of such a prime employment opportunity travels fast in the animal world, and so the kitty population at the Hermitage seems to be always expanding. Thus, an annual event each year at the New Year holidays includes a chance to adopt a Hermitage feline. The event is conducted by the "Republic of Cats Cafe" which allows the museum to keep the pussy population at manageable numbers.




Oh, and yes, there are tours to see the cats just in case those gold trimmed staircases and priceless art exhibits are not enough for your entertainment. Just inquire at the cashier for information on a daily "Tails of the Museum" tour.

[jone]

Okay, we made it out to dinner tonight with little fuss.  Without the recommendations of the participants here, we tried a different restaurant. 

The name of it was Schengen.  My woman says it is because it is near a consulate, thus the name. 

We paid less than we should have for the meal we were served and the service we received.  As stated in a previous post, I have been underwhelmed by the service from surly Russian waiters.  But this place was exceptional. 

First, I found it on Trip Advisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.ru/Restaurant_Review-g298507-d4297899-Reviews-Restaurant_Schengen-St_Petersburg_Northwestern_District.html

Second, we walked there, having left the little one with a sitter. 

Third, we wound up having a waiter that one remembers through the ages.  He was attentive.  We were served our opening drinks within a minute of being seated.  His suggestions were spot on and he did everything he could to make our time special and unique. 

Cost of a meal with drinks and desert?  Around $50.00 US.  That included a huge bottle of the Bubbly.

Am sure all of the posters have had favorite places to eat in different cities.  This now rates number one in our book.  And the place was three quarters empty!  Go figure.  We walked past a couple of the above suggestions.  They were all full up.  This was not.

[ML]

I forgot to mention, there is (or used to be) a Kentucky Fried Chicken on Nevsky not too far east of Fontanki.

[jone]

Quick note:

We tried some sushi at a place just off of Nevsky.   We paid a lot and did not get our money's worth.  The Sushi was bad and the Avocado was like carrots it was so under ripe.  Sorry, I have high expectations for sushi.  My woman says the same thing.

[jone]

Entry 9:

We did that and saw that.  My dream of spending a good amount of time in Piter is now satiated.  My fiancee has a great desire to see her home town of Chelyabinsk again.  So we cut our visit to Piter short by a week and decided to catch a plane. 

Because she had different flying arrangements to get to Piter originally, she had to make changes in her flight.  She did that through Tickets.RU.   Eventually they came through and we had a day lag and were on our way.  Unfortunately, the timing was so tight I could only get my ticket at the airport, once we knew that she was okay to fly.  A short note, it cost us 2000 Rubles to change her flights, or under $30 US.

When we got to the airport, we were flying Ural Air and had to get the dogs on the plane too.  Anticipating that we would not be able to get the larger dog on a crate under the plane, we bought an extra 'in-cabin' carrier and arranged to have them both on the flight.  Didn't we look like the goofy family with all of our carry-ons and two dogs!

Once on the plane, which was relatively empty, we let the dogs out of their undersized carriers and they promptly went to sleep, as did I.  It is a two hour fifty minute flight to Chelyabinsk.  And two time zones.  I can't remember a thing.  The dogs did mention that they thought the service was adequate but asked about business class on their next flight with a couple of good looking poodles to serve them.

Here is Charlie, mid flight:



We arrived in Chelyabinsk late in the day.  Okay, I have had no problems without the Migration card in Russia.  But once in Chelyabinsk it rose up and bit me firmly in the backside.  At a pre-arranged hotel, they refused us service without it.  I refused to argue with the gal behind the desk knowing Russian policy, once established, is not changing.

So we went to a much smaller, and folksy hotel on a lesser street.  (The street had no pavement and straw to keep the mud from accumulating.)  The room was okay but we were wondering about the lack of quality clientele.  After catching a nice dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, we walked back on the dusty dried mud making up the street.  Behind us comes a car that was somewhat alarming.  It followed us down the street and pulled up at the same small  hotel we were staying at.  I was truly concerned until out piled four painted ladies.  We followed them up the steps and the door next to ours opened and a short hairy man in a towel opened to let them in.

I know my fiancee was thinking the same thing I was.  What in the world was that guy gonna do with four prostitutes? 

Now knowing the 'type' of hotel we were in, we decided it was not a place we would like to stay for another night.

More soon.

[ML]

Jone, you probably know that the miniature pinscher is the most highly rated dog to have as a pet when considering several variables.

[jone]

I thought I might update the forum with more details of our month in Peter.  While neither N nor I are big on museums, we did do the obligatory trip to Petergoff.

For those who don't know, Peterhof or Petergoff (1st spelling is English.  Second spelling is Russian transliteration.) is a series of palaces created by Peter the Great as a landing place for the navy that he hoped to build to transform Russia into a naval power.  St. Petersburg was not used due to the shallow water.

To get to Peterhof, one typically takes a hydrofoil boat from one of several piers in the City Center of Petersburg.  We started early in the morning, but, true to Russian form, were forced to declare at exactly what time (and which boat) we would be coming home.  Since we were traveling with a little one, such information is not always dependable as we shall see.

The boat trip is around half an hour.  The trip takes you out in the Gulf of Finland and close to Kronstadt, an Island in the center of the bay which is inhabited by a small community.   

Peterhof is a paid attraction.  I believe that our entire fare for the visit was around $20 USD for the three of us.  There is a receiving area that is quite large, having room for probably 12 of the boats we came in on.  Upon walking off of the jetty, one gets the idea that you are walking back through history.  There is a small channel running from the main building area that is more like a slow moving waterfall.  It follows the main walk way and shows some of the thinking that went into building the area.

The walkway to the main buildings, including the Grand Palace, is probably 2km.  It is not a short walk.  Through out the entire area is a beautifully maintained woods. 

As you approach the Grand Palace, be prepared for lots of steps.  The palace building is around 16 meters higher than the approach area.  But the view, once climbed, is easily worth the effort.  The view is spectacular.  Directly beneath you are a series of fountains that, for the time they were built, were considered to be the most beautiful in the world.

Beyond the fountains is a view of the channel leading all of the way to the Gulf of Finland.

As many of you know, Peterhof was occupied by the Nazis in WWII during the Siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg).  Most of the fountains were destroyed and the Grand Palace was gutted and burned.  Immediately following the retreat of the Germans, and to this day, restoration work was begun and continues.   I have included one of the restoration depictions as one of the pictures attached. 

Now, earlier I mentioned that we had to declare when we were going home.  What they didn't tell us is that the only food that is really available here is through kiosks and it is snack food.  Not real food.  When N asked a couple of the workers they mentioned a restaurant close to the Grand Palace, but also that people had gotten sick eating there and that it did not serve good food.

This was not welcome news.  After debating for a bit, we went to a kiosk to get enough food to hold us over.  Then we went to the boat landing area to ask if we could get an earlier ride back.  We were told that we could ride on the boat only if there was enough room because we were breaking protocols.  When the boat arrived and people were getting on, it was apparent that it was less than half full.  Our officious nitwit guarding the entry to the boat finally let us on at the last minute. 

We went back to Peter and had a wonderful dinner.  For those visiting Petersburg in the future, Peterhof is a required destination for your trip.  But I would recommend spending only a morning or an afternoon there.  There is not really too much to do except to walk around.  It is a massive complex, three or four areas of visit and you are petered out, so to speak.

For more information and pictures, here is a wiki link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterhof_Palace