speeding the passport

[phantom]

Hello,

Is there anyway to spped up the passport process?  I was told ten weeks.  So instead of July, I'lm looking at going in September-beginning of October to Ukraine.  If anyone knows, please tell me.  I need it to get a visa to Russia, where I'll be heading after Ukraine.  Not to see women there, just the country.  Another question, do they give tours of the Kremlin and allow pictures?

[Rvrwind]

Another question, do they give tours of the Kremlin and allow pictures?

Yes, for a price!
Anything is possible in Russia if you have the money!

[jb]

You can tour those parts of the Kremlin which are open to the public.  You can't go into the government offices, or into the residence of the President.  It's not like taking a tour of the White House.  The Diamond Fund and the Armory are museums of note and are worth seeing.  I haven't done it in several years but if it can be arranged for you, I highly recommend a private English speaking guide, these guides know the history of what is displayed and can explain each and every thing you will see.

The several Churches located within the Kremlin are open to the public, but will charge a fee for you to bring in a camera.  The Priests and Nuns who run the concession would prefer you buy their pictures rather than you take your own.  You can also buy souvenir Icons and religious medals of very high quality in the Kremlin Churches. 

As Richard said, anything for a price.
 

[Daveman]

Yes, your passport can be expedited for a fee.  Go to your local post office, and pay the expedite fee and you'll get it within about 10 days.

jb's comments are absolutely spot on here.  I had one day (12 hours) in Moscow so I hired a nice lady to zoom me around to many places.  She was fantastic.  The problem that day is that most of the Kremlin was closed to the public as was the Armory and the Diamond Fund - both were allowing only private groups that day. The Tomb of Lenin was also closed.  But, the guide took me to other interesting places and really made my layover a gem of a time.  But, I have those places that I missed to look forward to on the next trip, and I'll hire the same lady again to take me there and to more interesting places as well.

Send me a PM if you decide are interested in using a guide for a tour of Moscow, and I'll be glad to put you in contact with her. She knows her stuff, speaks English wonderfully, and is a jewel of a nice lady to boot.  She can also serve as translator if you need.

I'm not much for using guides, but for a tour of Moscow, I think it really is well beyond worthwhile.

Dave

[phantom]

Thanks for the replies to this and how to spped up the passport process.  A tour guide sounds like a good idea to see Moscow.  I'll be contacting you to get the contact info.

[phantom]

Flight reservations for september, british airways.  Have a whole day in london, should be fun.  I'll be there from 11am until 940 am, the next day, then off to kiev.  can anyone recomend a good hotel in london and any good site seeing tours?

[Jet]

We've stayed at the Comfort Inn, Kensington and found it to be a nicely centralized location, without being ridiculously expensive. If you're flying into Heathrow you can take the "tube" directly from inside the airport to the Earl's Court Station and it is about a hundred yard walk. If you choose the Heathrow Express it dumps you at Paddington Station where you connect with the tube. (this is a little bit trickier, but it's a lot faster way into the city).
Get the unlimited pass for the tube and you can see the whole city in a day. When Lil and I were there, our busiest one day itinerary took us from Harrod's to Sherlock Holmes' house to the Royal observatory in Greenwich where we hopped a riverboat (next to the Cutty Sark) back down to the houses of Parliament (Big Ben), then on to the Tower of London/Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Dinner at Covent Garden and a ride past Buckingham palace on our way back to the room that night. So, you can pack a lot of stuff into one day, but it's probably best to steer clear of things that chew up a lot of time. We spent a whole day in the British Museum, and still didn't see more than about half of it.


Here's a map of the "tube" (subway)

[SANDRO43]

the Royal observatory in Greenwich where we hopped a riverboat (next to the Cutty Sark)

Scratch the Cutty off any sightseeing list, unfortunately most of its hull went up in flames a few days ago - foul play is suspected - while on shore for restoration work (http://www.greenwich-guide.org.uk/cutty.htm) .

However, if you have a fad for things naval, you can visit HMS Belfast (an 11,553-ton Town class cruiser commissioned in August 1939): she's moored on the Thames opposite the Tower of London and, being made of steel, should be still there when you visit .