tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26571038966876474732025-05-26T03:31:04.452+03:00Life & Travels in Russia & BeyondAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-56664681460096635622015-02-08T02:00:00.000+03:002015-02-08T02:00:03.525+03:00

The main road near our apartment is torn up!  And I need to vent! This is a main, center city road along the Neva River.  Traffic is limited to one way.  It adds 15-20 minutes to any drive to or from our apartment, because you have to cross the river, turn around on the island, and re-cross the bridge back into town.  Here's the alley outside our apartment.  It

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-49270044072468975332015-02-05T14:30:00.000+03:002015-02-05T14:30:03.148+03:00

If you read my blog, you know me.  I'm restless and need to travel.  And I can only tolerate hanging around my apartment in Russia SO MUCH!  Especially on the weekends.  We went to Berlin during our 1st weekend back to Russia after the New Year holidays.  In our defense, Pat was traveling & wasn't going to make it back home, so a trip somewhere in Europe ("in the

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-9574756070924538732015-02-02T12:00:00.000+03:002015-02-02T12:00:09.036+03:00

Walking to work one morning a little later than normal. For a city of 5 million people, the city center can be really quiet some days The tourists and international business travelers are gone.  Because it's Winter, but also because of political and economic circumstances But I don't mind the quiet.  Sometimes living in a city can be too much Although I prefer the

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-78354983222982665382015-01-30T15:00:00.000+03:002015-01-30T15:00:10.426+03:00

Hello friends, I'm back!  Sorry to have been away for so long.  January kicks me in a A.. every month.  I really hate winter depression.  Stay tuned for some upcoming posts.  In the meantime, these pictures make me feel happy, so I'll decided to share them.  Happy Friday!!!! I love the lighting on this one I love the Bronze Horseman, and can never walk by

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-7175329439734684962014-12-19T11:44:00.000+03:002014-12-19T11:44:00.185+03:00

More from Krakow....   Let's start with lunch!  Homemade pierogies, so good!!!   Archdiocesan Museum of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla - in other words, the Museum for Pope John Paul II.  He lived in this building twice during his life, as a young priest and later as a bishop. Protesters?  I think so, but it's hard to confirm.  They seemed rather happy

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-66028754820741614402014-12-15T23:00:00.000+03:002014-12-15T23:00:02.116+03:00

  I'm FINALLY getting around to posting these pictures from the 1st weekend in December.  The end of the year is just crazy.......   So I was in Krakow by myself a few weeks ago, for work and play.  Pat was in the US (Disney!!!).  If you ask me, I got the better end of that deal   Florianska or St. Florian's Gate, which takes you into Stare Miasto (the Old Town

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-65602988161856690292014-12-02T19:30:00.000+03:002014-12-02T19:30:00.961+03:00

It is the city of mirrors, the city of mirages, at once solid and liquid, at once air and stone. ~ Erica Jong Someone recently asked me about Venice - if I would recommend it to visit, how do I compare it to other cities in Italy.  Venice is unique.  "Hauntingly Beautiful" was the description I used.  Nothing else in Italy compares.  You won't get the best food of Italy&

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-68928002400620599282014-11-24T23:00:00.000+03:002014-11-24T23:00:05.085+03:00

If you read a lot, nothing is as great as you've imagined. Venice is - Venice is better." ~ Fran Lebowitz It's very grey and drab here in St Petersburg, so today let's go to a happier place.  They call St. Petersburg the "Venice of the North" because we have a few canals.  And in a way it is (although I would give that title to Amsterdam).  But it's sort of like 

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-48981235714720809332014-11-12T22:00:00.000+03:002014-11-12T22:00:00.181+03:00

'It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside' - Sherlock Holmes I am a BIG Sherlock Holmes fan.  Especially of the books, but also of the old movies, and definitely (I must admit) of the current BBC series.  I love Benedict

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-82531887374927456612014-11-02T10:43:00.000+03:002014-11-02T10:43:00.482+03:00

It's getting cold.  The tourists are gone.  Business travelers are noticeably less, due to various reasons both politically & economically.  So you'll notice not many people in my pictures from this past weekend.  It's not intentional.  They just around there The fountain near the Hermitage Museum is freezing over I kind of like the Palace Square when it's

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-8684531059391118492014-10-31T03:00:00.000+03:002014-10-31T03:00:06.879+03:00

The only Halloween decoration I saw all week.  On my neighbor's door.  What do we know about our neighbors?  Not much.....  He's Spanish, she's Russian.  They're quiet.  He leaves for work every day at 7:45am, and gets home around 6:30pm.  She often doesn't leave the apartment, but sometimes plays the piano (and it's quite nice).  They keep to themselves

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-63821298814653267912014-10-19T03:00:00.000+04:002014-10-19T03:00:01.951+04:00

The Cloisters In Sea Island, Georgia.  A beautiful place that we visited recently for work.  But that's not what this post is about....  it's about fishing.  For Bull Red or Red Drum.  We went just off of the coast of the GA barrier island (technically in the Atlantic Ocean, but not far from the shore) The Wilczynski's and Cuevas's.  This was good

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-15358424714452647012014-10-16T02:00:00.000+04:002014-10-16T02:00:01.099+04:00

I think we lucked out, and caught the last nice (i.e. dry and not too cold) weather this past weekend in St. Petersburg.  Snow is expected by Thursday & Friday of this week, and then even colder temperatures (mid 30's) next week The leaves should fully change and start to fall this week.  The rain has started I do miss the red leaves of the Northeast US.  The

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-34154124998762990692014-10-13T23:30:00.000+04:002014-10-13T23:30:00.597+04:00

3 nights, 2 days to be exact.  But it was enough time to enjoy NYC, one of the greatest cities in the world (if you ask me)! And the weather in late September couldn't have been better for this gloomy-sky, rain-soaked couple that isn't used to wearing shorts and not carrying an umbrella this time of year.  One of my favorites.... the Chrysler Building in East Midtown.  One

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-23715584403202896362014-09-30T17:40:00.000+04:002014-09-30T17:40:00.531+04:00

My final post on Croatia......and it's a long one.   More of Dubrovnik, and some pictures from our day trip to Peljesac Peninsula for wine and oyster tasting. So let's get going! One of the main local beaches by the city, Banje Beach. I did get in the water - not at this beach, but at our hotel.  Despite my still-recovering ankle!  It was around 22-23, so warm

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-48543877281239862682014-09-27T15:59:00.000+04:002014-09-27T15:59:00.268+04:00

We had a beautiful view of the old city and Adriatic Sea from our hotel, the Villa Dubrovnik.  I wrote a rave review of this place on Trip Advisor, and recommend it highly.  Here I am on their rooftop bar   All of the rooms have balconies facing the sea.   My favorite of the numerous sunsets photos were took The city looked amazing at night.  Here is the

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-2822064886525206562014-09-23T22:00:00.000+04:002014-09-23T22:00:02.402+04:00

As in Croatia.  Former member of Yugoslavia, declared independence in 1991 after the fall of communist rule throughout the region.  But in war conflict with the Serbs from 1991-1995 in their fight for independence. A great place to visit.  We loved it. Quick geography lesson.....  Here's the former Yugoslavia countries, with Croatia in yellow    

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-12569847931996160502014-09-15T08:00:00.000+04:002014-09-15T08:00:00.089+04:00

Hi there! Yes, these are some old pictures!!!  I intended to post an update on our beautiful July weather back when it was current.  But I lost motivation when I hurt my ankle.  But anyway, they are still worth sharing because they show a different part of the city than I've shared before.  So here it goes........ We decided to walk Northeast along the Neva River, to the

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-59391477417731823732014-09-12T21:00:00.000+04:002014-09-12T21:00:03.298+04:00

Hi Friends & Family, I know, I haven't posted anything since early July.  As most of you know, I broke my ankle while running on July 8th (to be exact).  And I spent July sitting in my Living Room, wishing I was outside enjoying one of the few nice months of the year.  However, that was not to be...... But it's time to try to get back into the groove of blogging about my

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-45056262639823945362014-07-15T11:00:00.000+04:002014-07-15T11:00:00.795+04:00

Yes, I know.  This post is REALLY late.  Because this would be a May birthday!   I was doing so well with my posts.  They were timely, frequent, on point.  Then I left for the US for a few weeks, came home, and I've fallen behind.  Then it was raining for 2 weeks straight (and only 60-65 degrees F), so I wasn't taking any pictures.  And then, I broke my ankle

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-87278570870668826932014-07-02T15:47:00.000+04:002014-07-02T15:47:00.423+04:00

  As I mentioned in my last post, we have plenty of restaurants to chose from.    We don't really go to any typical "Russian" places.   There are a lot of places called a "Stolovaya", which is a basic, cafeteria-style restaurant that was "popular" (i.e. pretty much all that existed) in Soviet times.  They are still pretty popular with locals -&

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-12245795877033699692014-06-28T11:00:00.000+04:002014-06-28T11:00:07.973+04:00

Sorry I've been away for a while.  But after all of those posts on Israel, I needed a break!  Plus, I was on a trip that took me from Brussels to Paris to Memphis to Pittsburgh (and then back home) in less than 2 weeks.  I'm working on a post from a trip that we took to Prague over my birthday (over 1 month ago).  But in the meantime..........................................

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-54264200179986542382014-06-11T18:00:00.000+04:002014-06-11T18:00:07.175+04:00

In late May, I decided to work from our Imatra (Finland) office, which is right across the border from our IP Mill in Svetogorsk Russia.  It's less than 7 km away.  A much nicer (although small) town, nice hotels, good restaurants.  But I don't normally bother to go there because those 7 km can be the longest 7 km - border crossings can be brutal! But it's

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-27832111638167058542014-06-08T18:00:00.000+04:002014-06-08T18:00:06.137+04:00

My final post on Israel.  I know, there were a lot of posts (probably too many).  But, so many pictures and so many stories........   So we'll wrap this up with a few days on the beach, in Herzliya, and a day in Tel Aviv.  By this point in the trip, we were "toured out".  No more history, no more guides, no more facts.  I just wanted to relax, walk on the beach,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657103896687647473.post-50669608480842687862014-06-05T23:00:00.000+04:002014-06-05T23:00:04.343+04:00

"Once a year go somewhere you have never been before.” – Dalai Lama Enough of the city.  It's time to go to the desert!  We spent a day traveling east to the Dead Sea through the Judean Desert.  Along the way, we visited Masada and Ein Gedi.  Of course, it was the hottest days of our trip (around 40C, or 100F)  We also drove past Qumran, which is where the Dead

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944197373085205174noreply@blogger.com2