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Another interesting topic we haven't touched is the Cyril alphabet used in Russia. IE, a "N" is a Latin "i", while a "H" is a "N", but a "T" is a "T" and so on. I feel like it was made by someone who knew the Latin alphabet, but forgot how a few were pronounced, and just scrambled it up, and then added some new characters for a few letters they completely forgot. I would highly recommend any visitor to a Cyril based language country to learn a few Cyril to Latin conversions. Even for only our few days in Russia (and hopefully in Bulgaria, Romania), Cyril proved highly useful. You won't have a chance to understand street signs, restaurant names, hotel names, etc. without this understanding, as many places lack English/Latin characters (and the people on the streets may or may not know them). It's interesting, because there were probably as few people speaking English here as there were in China, but with the Cyril to Latin understanding, things went pretty smoothly for seasoned travelers. On our way in to Moscow, the two Hungarian guys who helped us out said we might have a tough time in Moscow, as there's even less people who speak English in Moscow than St. Petersburg. With a little Cyril knowledge, and running into the right people when we needed to, we made out pretty well.
We took our final ride on possibly the world's best designed subway (150 stops - although the trains are quite old) to the end of the line. We then caught a mini-bus to the airport for $1pp (although we had to pay an extra fare as we took up an extra seat with our bags. But for $1, it wasn't a big deal).
After an hour of waiting, we checked-in. The check-in counter wouldn't help us with our mileage accounts, and after calling her boss, the lady said she entered them in, but clearly did not. While this has happened before, it's different when she's yelling to you and looking very mean (as opposed to people who say they will add them very kindly, and don't). Oh well - we plan on rectifying all of our missing miles when we get back. The flight to Turkey went by quick. The flight staff were so kind - we were happy to have good customer service again. We landed in Istanbul a little late, due to airport congestion in Istanbul. We paid for our $20 visa stamp, and made it through immigration relatively easily and quickly, only to have to wait for our bags. Most hotels will pick you up at the airport if you stay 3 nights there. Thus, we had a person from our hotel waiting for us as we departed through customs, and after picking up money from the ATM, and a map from the tourist office, we were on our way. Our driver spoke good English, and we had a great conversation on the way to the hotel. It was great to be able to really talk with the locals again. The hotel was only a 30 minute drive from the airport. We entered the old district of Istanbul, with narrow winding cobble streets and beautiful apartment buildings as we neared our hotel. After checking in, we took a walk down the street to the neighborhood store and bought crackers, cheese, and 3 drinks for $2. The guy didn't speak English, but was extra friendly. We came from Russia, but not so sure with love. We probably won't be singing, "Back in the USSR". We were happy to be in Turkey. Final thoughts on Russia: Food: The food in Russia was pretty bland. But their love of Italian architecture must have influenced a bit in their cuisine as well, as there were endless Italian restaurants on every block (thus our numerous pizza and pasta meals). Beer of Choice: Невское (Nievskoe)
People: Hard to qualify the people of Russia. When we saw people in the street, they had this grim look on their faces and looked as if they did not want to be disturbed. However, when we approached them, their frown would usually turn in to a warm smile, and they'd really try to help (of course with exceptions). On the other hand, people at any desk in Russia were incredibly mean! Especially if they worked behind a glass counter! It was frustrating, as this kind of customer service becomes annoying very quickly. Overall, it seems there's a mixed bag in Russia, with overtly friendly people once you initiate a conversation, while there's also just a bunch of cranky people.
Climate (June): Pretty chilly. Our last day was close to 80, but otherwise, it was mostly 60's and the wind made it feel even colder. There were endless hours of sun (maybe only 4-6 hours of darkness in both Moscow and St. Petersburg).
Safety Rating: Recommendation to friends: 8 out of 10 for both Moscow and St. Petersburg - It was hard to give such a low rating to Moscow. For our generation and previous generations, it's interesting to see the likes of the Kremlin and the Red Square to conjure up chilling memories of the cold war. However, we were just disappointed by some of the people and their attitudes. It's cold here, and we received some cold receptions as well. The country seems to be very hedonistic, with a focus on one's own enjoyment rather than a society of right and wrong. St. Petersburg may be called the Venice of the East, but I'd still take the Venice of the West any day :). View St. Petersburg Photo Gallery Day 159 - Moscow < | Index | Photo Galleries | > Day 161 - Istanbul © 2007 Blue Ocean Studios, LTD. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Services | About | Contact Prints | Return Policy | View Cart World Travel Galleries | World Travel Blog | Links |
It was warm today - almost 80 degrees - but that didn't make a difference to Jaimie's head cold. We took it easy in the morning, and headed to a lunch restaurant just around the corner from the Sheraton. Makaroni's write up on some random Russian website wasn't so good, so we had very low expectations - more a restaurant out of convenience. Our meal turned out to be very good, bruschetta, and two fresh pasta dishes for us. It's funny, certain expectations that have been set for us "westerners". IE, appetizers are meant to come out first, right? And usually meals should be served at one time when there's more than one person dining. But our international experiences have abolished these expectations, and it seem worst here. Many of our meals have come out 10-15 minutes apart, and appetizers can come with, or after meals, never before. Strange. At Makaroni's, the appetizer was served with our main courses (pretty much making you wish you didn't order them at all :)), but at least it was delicious, and our meals were served at the same time - making for a "good review" by us :). 
At 2pm, we checked out of our hotel. We were staying at the Sheraton, and when we booked our pricey rooms online and checked in, our price was listed in US dollars. When we paid, with their conversion to rubles, they added 10% on to our bill. We complained, but there was nothing we could do. We had experienced this before, but never this absurd, of 10%. Something we're looking forward to addressing when we're back in the states. :) 
We did go to the correct airport this time (there was a choice :)). With catching the mini-bus quick, and no traffic, we ended up at the airport 3 hours before our departure. After walking back and forth between the two separate check-in counter sections, trying to find our counter, we asked an information desk who told us we could not check-in until 2 hours before the flight. So we hung out in the middle of the airport, having to consume cigarette smoke from our fellow travellers for an hour. We did finally get our documents checked by an officer who was very polite, saluted us, and asked for documents. He saw they were in order, and quickly handed them back and went on his way. 
Memories: Tiny hotels for absurd prices, smoky and noisy first night in St. Peters, our hotel under construction, sights having random closure days (like last Thursday of the month), vodka, getting our chess set, hunting the smolny cathedral after seeing it beautifully shining on the skyline, enjoying Russia's love of crepes, setting our eyes on the Red Square and St. Basils, ordering a Royal at MikkieD's, decoding Cyril signs, counting subway stops, going the wrong way in the subway twice in a row!, hunting for a movie theatre, not having a chocolate factory tour, getting gum instead of mints with your check after a meal.
Economy: Images of people lined up for bread will be scarred in our and older generations forever. These visions were true in an economy of change from socialism to free market pricing. The 1990's saw savings accounts wiped out, unimaginable inflation for a world super power, and other economic woes. A corrupt privatization of government owned businesses led to a billionaire oligarchy centered in Moscow, while many scrounged for food. Unfortunately, law enforcement seems to be nill, allowing economic related crime (ie Mafia) to run rampant (Even simple laws are not enforced. We spent a few hours at the international airport with no-smoking signs everywhere, yet many were smoking cigarettes in front of various types of police - not an economic issue per se, but very annoying!). Much of Russia's exports are made up of energy related products, such as oil and natural gas. Some say this dependence on oil prices contributes to Russia's stance with middle east turbulence, which keeps oil prices high, and the rich richer in Moscow. We found hotel prices (at least for foreigners), at exorbitant prices. Restaurant prices were similar to those you would expect in any large city - some reasonably priced restaurants, and some sky high prices here and there. 
Exchange Rate: 1 US dollar = 27 rubles