Mar 16th, 2009 at 2:00PM: What's going on in Moscow? If you have any valuables in your luggage, they may not be there when you get to the hotel! Well, maybe the odds are better now that police at the city's main international airport have arrested several luggage handlers suspected of sifting through bags and pocketing the good stuff. The thefts began in early January at Sheremetyevo Airport. It seems that a daily flight ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
moscow posts
Moscow luggage handlers lighten load
Mar 16th, 2009 at 2:00PM: What's going on in Moscow? If you have any valuables in your luggage, they may not be there when you get to the hotel! Well, maybe the odds are better now that police at the city's main international airport have arrested several luggage handlers suspected of sifting through bags and pocketing the good stuff. The thefts began in early January at Sheremetyevo Airport. It seems that a daily flight ...Will secretary Clinton help or hinder travel to Russia?
Mar 13th, 2009 at 11:00AM:
Travelers around the world are waiting for the day when the borders to Russia open wider to visitors. Although the formerly Communist country does and will accept tourists, the application process is long and expensive -- you don't just wander up to the border to Russia, get your passport stamped and mosey down to Red Square, no, before visitors to the Red State are even allowed to apply for a ...Amazing Race Season 14: Recap 4, Siberia looks like fun
Mar 9th, 2009 at 4:00PM: During episode 4 of this season's Amazing Race, the teams headed off in the middle of the night from Bucharest to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia via Moscow. Unlike getting to Bucharest from Salzburg, Moscow from Bucharest is a piece of cake. Flights went through Munich, Frankfurt and Sofia, Bulgaria. Half the teams were on one flight and half on another once they reached Moscow. After the teams landed in ...Join the 13-mile high club in a MiG
Dec 25th, 2008 at 3:00PM: Incredible Adventures wants to push you through the sound barrier. Step into a MiG-29 and prepare to be thrust past Mach 1 in the fighter jet that caused Rocky to fight Drago. Or, find your way to the edge of space in a MiG-31. Find your way to Russia to get started, and then leave the Earth behind.
To pass the speed of sound, Incredible Adventures takes you to Nizhny and gives you a choice: the ...Travel read: Around the Bloc
Dec 21st, 2008 at 11:00AM: I stumbled upon Stephanie Elizondo Griest's writing on a stopover in New York City. She was reading from her third and most recent travel-related book, Mexican Enough: My Life Between the Borderlines, at Book Culture near Columbia University. I was immediately struck by her engaging use of language and her savvy presence. It's a pleasant sight to behold a young, female traveler and writer who is ...Amazing Race 13 recap 10: People in Moscow sure are generous
Dec 1st, 2008 at 5:00PM: At the end of last week's episode of Amazing Race 13, Andrew and Dan were penniless and in last place, but still in the race. Moscow almost did them in. Because it was a non-elimination round, they were granted a second chance. Luckily, with the Amazing Race and reality television, each new day brings a new beginning and more money.
When these frat boys opened their first clue, they found $326 ...Amazing Race 13, recap 9: Russians don't laugh at you, they laugh with you
Nov 24th, 2008 at 10:30AM: With Terence & Sarah eliminated, and Starr & Nick coming in 1st four times in a row, it was any one of the team's game during episode 9 of the Amazing Race 13. As the teams headed off to Moscow, Russia from Almaty, Kazakhstan, I was curious what would trip up Nick & Starr and if Andrew & Dan could dump their status as the team with the most trouble with tasks.
Moscow was shown as ...Bolshoi in Russia: Getting a visa is not for the faint of heart
Jun 4th, 2008 at 6:00PM: It's not that getting a visa to Russia is the hardest thing you will ever do as a traveler. It's just one of those things you wish you didn't have to do. But since the US makes it difficult for Russians to get a US visa, the Russians do the same. Hence, you end of with a painful process called Obtaining a Visa to Russia.
First, you have to get an invitation letter. Yeah, it is kind of a problem, ...Bolshoi in Russia: Lenin, Stalin and other marketing icons still alive and kicking
May 31st, 2008 at 5:00PM: I have always wanted to see Russia. Growing up in a satellite communist country, with the Soviet Union--the occupying force--pitched as the Evil of all Evils, it took me a while before I thought I could honestly visit the country with an open mind. Nineteen years after the end of communism in Central Europe, to be exact.
Needless to say, I grew up imprinted with a lot of stereotypes about Russia ...Gadling TAKE FIVE: Week of May 24--May 30
May 30th, 2008 at 4:00PM: Although, finding deals are still on our minds (poor Iva in Moscow is having little luck), food and drink has been one topic of interest this week.
Iva, for example, has found some solace in the vodka. She's discovered loads of it, and all brands are not the same.
Aaron has clued us into saying good-bye to free peanuts--even though they cost peanuts-- and has told us where the best ...Bolshoi in Russia: How to turn Prague into Moscow in 7 easy steps
May 29th, 2008 at 7:30PM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
Needless to say, the similarities between Prague and Moscow have been on my mind lately. With a group of friends, this is the summary we came up with over a few drinks.
How to turn Prague into Moscow:
1) Turn back time at ...Bolshoi in Russia: Train to St. Petersburg and other excuses for obscene vodka-drinking
May 28th, 2008 at 9:30AM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia.
There are two ways to travel between Moscow and St. Petersburg and they cost about the same. Either you fly--and you have to be prepared to fly Aeroflot or worse--or you take the train. They cost is about the same: $100 one-way. It was ...Bolshoi in Russia: How to get women to drink more vodka
May 27th, 2008 at 10:30AM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
I have never seen a bigger vodka selection than a vodka isle in any supermarket in Russia. There must, literally, be hundreds of vodkas to choose from. The selection ranges from bottles with generic titles, costing as little ...Bolshoi in Russia: Driving like it is the last time ever. It could just be.
May 26th, 2008 at 12:00PM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
A few things to know before driving a car in Russia: avoid it if you can. The traffic is terrible. I suppose anytime you have a country where half the people own fast, luxury cars and the other half owns piece-of-junk Ladas, ...Bolshoi in Russia: No hot water for three weeks...makes you stronger
May 25th, 2008 at 5:00PM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
One of the joys of life in Moscow in the summer is that they turn off hot water for up to three weeks for maintenance. The energy company does this every year. They switch off hot water in different areas of the city as they ...Bolshoi in Russia: Stray dogs in Moscow's metro
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:00AM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
Just as I was wondering why there are so many stray dogs everywhere in Moscow (including the subway), this Wall Street Journal article came to my rescue. Moscow estimates the population of stray dogs at about ...Bolshoi in Russia: Moscow truly is a ridiculously expensive city
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:00PM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
Moscow has been ranked the world's most expensive city for two years now. Still, it's one thing to see the ranking in the newspaper and another thing to actually be here and pay the prices. In an average bar or restaurant, ...Bolshoi in Russia: American celebrities aka hookers in Moscow?
May 20th, 2008 at 5:00PM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
This sincerely made me laugh today.
At breakfast, I am sipping my morning coffee at a coffee shop, reading The Moscow Times. There it is in the classified section: an ad for an exclusive escort service featuring Jessica ...Bolshoi in Russia: Is this the world's ugliest statue or what?
May 20th, 2008 at 11:30AM: Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
Moscow is an incredibly vibrant city. New buildings are popping up everywhere (and one can only hope they will soon cover a lot of the other buildings I've seen). Russian architecture is a mixed bag. There are some real gems, ...Bolshoi in Russia: Moscow museum night is free (hence popular with hipsters)
May 19th, 2008 at 5:30PM:
Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means "Big" in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.
Moscow held their 11th annual Night of Museums (or Long Night of Museums) on Saturday, May 17. I haven't seen as many people in one place since visiting China. I shouldn't be surprised. It was, after all, a free event. The ...
