St.Petersburg Russia

oldman said:
Just a few more questions. Who pays to build the churches? I can see a lot on money being spent. What is the primary religion in Russia? Do you ever get stopped to have your papers checked like we see on TV?

My uncle invited me to go with him to Russia maybe 15 years ago on his dime. He wanted to go in the summer when it would have also been warm over there. Unfortunately, that is also the busiest time of the year for airlines and it's tough to get just one week off let alone the two weeks that he wanted to stay. Thankfully for him, he got one of his golfing friends to go along and as he tells it, they had a really good time.
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The primary religion in Russia is the "Russian Orthodox" and in fact the majority of Russians of all ages are religious, which surprised me I must admit. The story goes the Russian people chose the church in the 9th century from the Greeks rather than from Islam, as it would enable them to continue drinking alcohol :)

The buildings are renovated by the government if of architectural interest, and from donations from the local congregation as well. The priests here are quite rude and arrogant in general, not approachable at all.

I have never had my papers checked, even when wandering around the Kremlin, I think its a bit of a myth, but the traffic police are always stopping cars and checking drivers papers, which doesn't affect me as the driving looks terrifying so I wouldn't dare attempt it.

I can get to Russia for £180 any time of the year via Germany, or to Moscow for £60 with Easyjet; as you say the best time for weather is summer when its warm or hot even!!
 

That is definitely cheap enough. I am a retired pilot for United and have the opportunity to fly free. That would be a long flight for me and I would need to upgrade to business or first class, just so I could be more comfortable. At 6'4", being trapped in coach on a long flight like that would really be painful.
 
merlin said:
The primary religion in Russia is the "Russian Orthodox" and in fact the majority of Russians of all ages are religious, which surprised me I must admit. The story goes the Russian people chose the church in the 9th century from the Greeks rather than from Islam, as it would enable them to continue drinking alcohol :)

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Well when you are looking at an endless parade of cold wintery days and nights, maybe the priority is to find something to fill the time. Getting loaded goes a long way towards passing time I guess!
 
Debby said:
Well when you are looking at an endless parade of cold wintery days and nights, maybe the priority is to find something to fill the time. Getting loaded goes a long way towards passing time I guess!
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I've always understood that life in Russia has always been so dreadfully hard for the ordinary citizens, one thing that helps get them thru the day is their vodka. During WWII, the troops had run out of food but never vodka. It's not only a good way to pass the time, but a way to keep warm and deal with life's miseries.
 
Great pictures. I have often thought about going there and to Africa on a photo safari. Where in Russia would you suggest for a first-timer?
 
911 said:
Great pictures. I have often thought about going there and to Africa on a photo safari. Where in Russia would you suggest for a first-timer?
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It depends what you want really, Moscow is the capital, with the Kremlin, Red Square and a few historic churches and monasteries, its good if you want to go clubbing and dance through the night and shop till you drop, with a big city buzz. But it’s also one of the most expensive cities in the world.

St.Petersburg is a cultural city with a lot more sights for exploration and photography, it’s also a lot calmer and the people are more pleasant. It is a European city though, designed by Peter the Great,and the architecture modelled on the cities he visited, and the canals of Venice, and it is only 300 years old.

Moscow is more Russian and over 600 years old, though not many of the old buildings are left, most being demolished to build huge shopping malls and blocks of luxury flats.

If you go at all, I would fly into one go by train between the two and fly out of the other.

A link giving more differences http://is.gd/MVCvj9

I have never been to Africa, that would be a great place for photography I imagine

 
Cookie said:
I've always understood that life in Russia has always been so dreadfully hard for the ordinary citizens, one thing that helps get them thru the day is their vodka. During WWII, the troops had run out of food but never vodka. It's not only a good way to pass the time, but a way to keep warm and deal with life's miseries.
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I know drinking to excess is a Russian stereotype... but how accurate is it ?

Alcohol excess is dangerous, especially for babies born to mothers who drink [fetal alcohol syndrome related birth defects.]

Since Russia has a demographic problem anyway, one would think the government would promote healthy babies.
 

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