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Getting ready to go to Russia soon for a while for a research paper on cyber security. If you hear of a Suffolk man being detained for spying; send some cheese.
In all seriousness though, I have never been to Russia, a lotttt of admin work is having to be done before even getting a ticket, so if anyone has some advice on the country having been, preferably beyond sporting events visas, that would be fantastic.
Probably one of the best decisions you've ever made too.
It's a faff. I was due to go once to do some work for Gazprom. All the travel/visas were arranged for me luckily. Didn't go in the end as my mum passed away a couple of days before I was due to fly out. Understandably, I was distraught...
Pronouns: He/Him/His.
"Imagine being a heterosexual white male in Britain at this moment. How bad is that. Everything you say is racist, everything you say is homophobic. The Woke community have really f****d this country."
Went on a school trip in 1980.....via Berlin on a train.....not much use for tips now but cigs were great for trading back then and never ate as many meatballs before....been vegetarian since now I think of it. Came back on a boat to London from Leningrad...not bad for school !!
"They break our legs and tell us to be grateful when they offer us crutches."
People in the West have such a negative opinion of Russia. I've been many times as we had an office in Moscow. Both Moscow and Petersburg are beautiful - especially in winter if you can handle the cold. So much to see and do in both but Petersburg is by far my favourite, and a much more 'European' city.
Russians are very hospitable too. Then again, I'm a straight white bloke. A black female friend I went with once didn't have the same experience.
Everything is cheap, buy in dollars. Vodka costs less than bottled water and many restaurants serve good food. Western peeps who take a dim view of the place don't deserve to go anyway. Enjoy!
(Oh, and Russkies don't really smile very much- don't take notice of it, they're actually quite happy :) )
P.S. If you want to razgovarovat about things to smotree, dyelat and yest don't hesitate to ask dear old uncle footers :)
[Post edited 15 Mar 2019 18:08]
footers QC - Prosecution Barrister, Hasketon Law Chambers
Probably the last decision I ever make on 18:04 - Mar 15 by BanksterDebtSlave
Went on a school trip in 1980.....via Berlin on a train.....not much use for tips now but cigs were great for trading back then and never ate as many meatballs before....been vegetarian since now I think of it. Came back on a boat to London from Leningrad...not bad for school !!
Is that when you were radicalised?
“Hello, I'm your MP. Actually I'm not. I'm your candidate. Gosh.”
Boris Johnson canvassing in Henley, 2005.
Probably the last decision I ever make on 18:06 - Mar 15 by footers
People in the West have such a negative opinion of Russia. I've been many times as we had an office in Moscow. Both Moscow and Petersburg are beautiful - especially in winter if you can handle the cold. So much to see and do in both but Petersburg is by far my favourite, and a much more 'European' city.
Russians are very hospitable too. Then again, I'm a straight white bloke. A black female friend I went with once didn't have the same experience.
Everything is cheap, buy in dollars. Vodka costs less than bottled water and many restaurants serve good food. Western peeps who take a dim view of the place don't deserve to go anyway. Enjoy!
(Oh, and Russkies don't really smile very much- don't take notice of it, they're actually quite happy :) )
P.S. If you want to razgovarovat about things to smotree, dyelat and yest don't hesitate to ask dear old uncle footers :)
[Post edited 15 Mar 2019 18:08]
This.
I lived in Moscow for 3 years and it's an amazing city.
I've never been to Russia but have spent a bit of time with Russians. Just be very careful about ever drinking vodka with them! They've got a completely different idea of a quiet night out.
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0
Probably the last decision I ever make on 21:14 - Mar 15 with 2233 views
You can get a boat from the centre to Peterhof and it's a nice trip. You can get a bus or a train to Pushkin.
There are loads of churches although the best ones are probably the Spilt Blood and the Kazanskiy, they are about 5 minutes walk apart off the main street Nevsky Prospect.
Unfortunately my knowledge of the nightlife is a bit out of date but now that Georgian restaurants have been allowed to reopen (all were closed during the "war") you should really try it - lovely meats and the red wine is excellent. My favourite thing was to grab a beer and a julienne in the pubs when it was cold (it's mushrooms in sour cream topped with cheese and then cooked it the oven in starter sized portions).
You can get to Finland and Tallinn direct by train (about 4 and 6 hours I believe) for weekends.
The town of Pskov is one of the oldest in Russia and has a Kremlin (about 100km away):
Footers is right that the people are nice but the police are horribly corrupt and the men can be nationalistic in some areas. As long as your sensible you'll not have any problems though and have a great time. It's an interesting place and St. Petersburg is a beautiful city. It's also nice to experience proper cold if you're there over winter, can be -35C on a really cold year. I think the city is nicer in winter.
Enjoy!
SB
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Probably the last decision I ever make on 22:01 - Mar 15 with 2191 views
As someone who went through the process about 14-15 months ago I can agree that the visa process can be a pain, however a visa company can be hugely helpful. The pain in the @55 is that you have to visit the Russian visa office in London for all of 5-10 minutes in person to hand the documents over and have your prints taken.
As for getting in and out of the country (Moscow) and getting around then it’s pretty much the same as any western country provided you respect any local customs
Probably the last decision I ever make on 22:01 - Mar 15 by Ely_Blue
As someone who went through the process about 14-15 months ago I can agree that the visa process can be a pain, however a visa company can be hugely helpful. The pain in the @55 is that you have to visit the Russian visa office in London for all of 5-10 minutes in person to hand the documents over and have your prints taken.
As for getting in and out of the country (Moscow) and getting around then it’s pretty much the same as any western country provided you respect any local customs
It's much easier than it used to be. You used to have to actually go to the consulate down near Notting Hill at 8am and wait for about 2 hours, usually in the rain.
SB
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Probably the last decision I ever make on 22:52 - Mar 15 with 2153 views
Probably the last decision I ever make on 22:47 - Mar 15 by StokieBlue
It's much easier than it used to be. You used to have to actually go to the consulate down near Notting Hill at 8am and wait for about 2 hours, usually in the rain.
SB
To reply to your much shorter post than your much longer one to save space, please do visit the Piskaryovskoye cemetery just outside of St Petersburg. 600,000+* Russians are buried there as a result of the siege of Leningrad. It is probably the most humbling human experience I have ever had.
Not sure I need to say more than that.
*Not to willy-wave, just context - there were 800k Brits who died during WW1. This was one city.
[Post edited 15 Mar 2019 22:56]
footers QC - Prosecution Barrister, Hasketon Law Chambers
Pronouns: He/Him/His.
"Imagine being a heterosexual white male in Britain at this moment. How bad is that. Everything you say is racist, everything you say is homophobic. The Woke community have really f****d this country."
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