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Russia Travel / Architecture / → All Tags

One Reason Not to Visit St. Petersburg

Does the beautiful Russian city of St Petersburg need an incredibly tall tower? We don't think so--its skyline is beautiful as is--but gas giant Gazprom thinks otherwise. They're responsible for the new Okhta Tower.

The building, part of the Okhta Center, will stand taller than the Empire State Building at about 1,300 feet and 77 stories, and with St Petersburg's otherwise low-level skyline, it will truly stick out like a sore thumb. The design isn't bad--sleek and shiny--but seems better suited to Dubai than the Russian Paris.

If there's a good side to the Okhta Tower, it's that the building will be "the most environmentally sustainable tower in the world." A special construction of two double-glazed layers should mean it consumes half the energy of a normal building that size.

We've got an even better idea. Build a much, much smaller building, and the energy consumption will be even lower--and St Petersburg won't be spoiled before our next trip there.

Related Stories:
· St Petersburg to Welcome Europe's Tallest Tower [Gadling]
· A Shard on the Skyline [Guardian]
· St Petersburg Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: e-architect]

Russia Travel / Museums / Art Galleries / Tours / Art / → All Tags

The Special Side of St Pete's Hermitage

Not only is the Hermitage in St. Petersburg home to silver stealers and other intrigues, it's also easily one of the most fascinating collections of art in the world.

Every guide at the museum will tell you a different tale of how many lifetimes you'd need to see the entire collection if you stood before every piece for just 10 seconds, but fuzzy math aside, the point is clear. It's no wonder that a large proportion of the paintings and sculptures owned by the gallery are actually just stored in a warehouse waiting their turn to be on display.

For those who want to fit more into their lifetime, specialist tour agencies are now offering "privileged access tours"which will take you--for a price, of course--out to the Hermitage storerooms, into the Gold Treasure Rooms at the Winter Palace and on private viewings in other areas, too. You just have to lack an appreciation for art or you'll never get through the tour in time.

Related Stories:
· Take a Private Tour of the Hermitage [UK Times]
· Espionage, Elton John and Forks at the Hermitage [Jaunted]
· St. Petersburg Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: marie-II]

Airline Hell / Women / Drunk Travel / → All Tags

Russia: Mid-Air Brawl Over Girl

Pretty young women need to be banned from flying, it seems, to prevent them from starting drunken brawls that lead to planes being turned around half-way to their destination. Last Friday, passengers trying to get from St. Petersburg, Russia to Turkey were all delayed when exactly this situation occurred.

Apparently, three young Russian men had already hit the vodka when they boarded, and one of the men took a quick liking to a female passenger. When she rejected his advances, he slapped her face several times, sparking a multi-passenger brawl that prompted the crew to turn back and land in St Petes. Six hours after the original departure time, the plane took off for Turkey, without the three drunks and without the women who ended up at the doctor. Next time she'll wear an ugly disguise.

Related Stories:
· Plane Returns After Drunken Brawl On Board [Reuters]
· Travel Stories in Saint Petersburg [Jaunted]
· Travel Stories in Turkey [Jaunted]

[Photo: daviddesign]

Museums / Russia / → All Tags

Ding, Dong, Dostoyevsky's Dead

Museums devoted to just one famous person can clutch at straws a bit for material. A photo there of the house of the neighbor of the celebrity's father at age 6 hangs next to the framed wrapper of the first piece of chewing gum they ate, and so on.

In Russia, a museum devoted to classic writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky doesn't really manage to break this mould, but is worth visiting just the same. The Dostoyevsky Memorial Museum and Flat in St Petersburg features, as is reasonable, original manuscripts from many of his novels, newspaper clippings and pictures explaining his narrow escape from death by firing squad and displays of some of the rooms of his flat as they were when he lived there from 1878 to 1881.

But to fill the flat other sentimental objects are needed which round out the character of the man, as the museum curators would say. You'll find short notes from his children ("Papa, please give us sweets"), an old hat protected by a big glass bubble, unused papers and most tragically, the very pencil stub he was writing with the day he died.

Related Stories:
· Dostoyevsky Museum, St Petersburg [Suite101]

Russia / museums / → All Tags

Espionage, Elton John, and Forks at the Hermitage

Back in the late 1700s, Catherine the Great's massive shopping spree for expensive art collections might've seemed a touch greedy and excessive to the millions of Russians living at or below the poverty line. OK, even today it seems a bit excessive, but the result is the dramatic gallery which is St Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum. Housed in the old Tsars' Winter Palace, the selection ranges from ancient Egyptian artifacts through European impressionists like Monet and Matisse and the full history of Russian art. Despite the fact that the Hermitage museum complex is made up of 1,057 rooms, it's not too hard to spot the Golden Room where Elton John once held a concert: It's the one that's really, really golden.

The Hermitage was in the news this month after Russian police revealed that a curator (who mysteriously died when checks into this problem began) had stolen and sold masses of jewelry, silverware and religious icons. Poor security and outdated record-keeping systems got the blame, along with the low salary museum staff receive. Now if you follow the curator's style and feel the entry fee is too high, you'd grab a small golden or silver souvenir on your way out to even the score. But we wouldn't encourage that sort of thing, of course.

[Image via Daniel Brennwald/Flickr]

Related stories:
Hermitage Curator Sold Museum Goods [Fox News]
Finding Lunch in St Pete's [Jaunted]

Food / Russia / → All Tags

Russian to Find Lunch

It's not always easy to find the tastiest restaurant if you're roaming clear across the Europe, and some opinions of Russian chow don't place it in the haute cuisine category. We contend, however, that anyone who can handle garlic will do just fine. Say you're enjoying the Russian glamour in St Petersburg, but your budget needs a break? Try the Laima Bistro along Kanal Griboedova, just off Nevskii Prospekt.

We found it after a local recommended it as "unexpensive". Breaking the stranglehold of the addictive (yet bad-breath-enducing) garlic rye toast is the first problem you'll face, followed by choosing from an overlong menu, but the result both for belly and wallet is worth it. Heaps of veggie-friendly food, if that's what you're up for, plus pancakes, cabbage and soups in various combinations. And your Cyrillic-strained eyes can take a rest by using the English menu. Now where did we put those mints?

[Image via Loua/Flickr]

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