Jaunted - ru

Airport Connections: Improving at Moscow's Sheremetyevo

amandak — 2008-07-16T09:11:30-05:00

Moscow might be a blossoming tourist destination with pricier hotels than nearly anywhere else, but until now getting into the city from any of the airports has been a bit of a nightmare. But things are looking up.

With a tongue-twister of a name, the Savyolovsky Station--Sheremetyevo Airport Rail Link has just opened, whizzing travelers from Sheremetyevo into downtown Moscow in just 35 minutes--half the time it used to take on the bus.

Of course, now you miss out on sitting on that smoggy gray traffic jam known as Leningradskoye Highway, but don't worry, it'll still probably take you ages to get through the immigration line.

Related Stories:
· Moscow Sheremetyevo Gains New Rail Link [Business Traveller]
· Moscow Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jystewart]

Russian Spa Erects a Bronze Tribute to the Enema

Hunter Walker — 2008-06-20T14:00:01-05:00

Here's a tip: When you find yourself assuring reporters that the $42,000 bronze monument you've put on display involves "no kitsch or obscenity," your art project was probably a bad idea. The statue in question is a tribute to the enema that was unveiled at a spa in the Russian city of Zheleznovodsk on Wednesday. The Botticelli-inspired monument depicts three cherubic little angles holding aloft a bronze syringe bulb that's used for anal cleansing.

The sculpture was presented to the public this weekend at a celebration featuring models and a banner bearing the charming Soviet slogan "Let's beat constipation and sloppiness with enemas." The owner of the spa said enemas are "almost a symbol" of the Caucasus, dotted as the region is with retreats offering visitors the opportunity to get local mineral water sprayed up their ass. (Hey, Zheleznovodsk does mean "Iron Waters.")

Maybe when the spa gang realizes how ridiculous this makes them look they can change that butt bulb into an onion?

Related Stories:
· Russian Spa Opens Monument to the Enema [AP, via Yahoo]
· Spas coverage [Jaunted]
· Russia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Reuters]

Russian Weather Control Planes Bomb Moscow House

Hunter Walker — 2008-06-19T09:20:01-05:00

A house in the suburbs of Moscow was hit with a nearly sixty pound bag of cement after the Russian Air Force dropped it in an attempt to control the weather. The house-bombing accident occurred while planes were trying to secure good weather in advance of Russia Day celebrations on June 12.

No one was injured by the falling concrete, but the house was badly damaged. Russian Air Force officials told Reuters:

A pack of cement used in creating ... good weather in the capital region ... failed to pulverize completely at high altitude and fell on the roof of a house, making a hole about 80-100 cm (2.5-3 ft)

The accident was apparently the first mishap in over twenty years of Russian weather control activities.

Related Stories:
· In Russia, Sometimes It Rains Cement [Reuters]
· Moscow Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: IMDb]

Artsy Travel: Winehouse Warbles for Moscow's New Museum

egw — 2008-06-17T09:00:01-05:00

Amy Winehouse said yes, yes, yes to a private gig at a new gallery in Russia this weekend. The "Rehab" singer was paid a reported $2 million to sing at the opening of the Center for Contemporary Culture, a new art museum in Moscow operated by the wife of entrepreneur and football team owner Roman Abramovich.

In its past life the CCC was actually a bus garage designed by famous Russian architect Konstantin Melnikov, before Daria Zhukova saw its potential as a loftlike gallery space.

We bet Amy's powerful pipes rang out from there to Odessa--unfortunately, after the singer's return to London she ended up making an unscheduled trip to the hospital amid rumors of a collapse.

Related Stories:
· Russian Capital Gets New Gallery in Melnikov Bus Depot [The Art Newspaper]
· Amy Winehouse Was "Very Happy" at Gallery Performance [ICYDK]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: The Superficial]

Russian Manufacturer Gives Birth to Superjet

amandak — 2008-05-21T08:45:01-05:00

Russia's new plane, the Sukhoi Superjet, may be running behind schedule, but apparently it does actually fly. The manufacturers arranged the first test flight earlier this week in secret. The CEO said it was all hush-hush because:

The Superjet is our child, and its birth is sacred. A pregnant woman would never invite the press and guests to watch how she delivers her child.

Others suspect the company was afraid something would go wrong. The 75-95 seat planes are being produced to replace the Tu-134s used by some Russian airlines, since they're so noisy they've been banned from EU countries.

Aeroflot already has its hand up for the first Superjet, which now looks like it'll enter service in early 2009, at a cost of $29.9 million. That's one hell of an expensive child.

Related Stories:
· Superjet Makes First Flight in Secret [Moscow Times]
· Airplanes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Jerome K]

Hot for Summer: Far-Eastern Russia

djk — 2008-03-24T09:15:01-05:00

Man, are we ever scared of the Russian Far East. We cower in fear when we fly over the Bering Sea on our trans-Pacific flights. Apparently it's not all nuclear waste and oil-soaked deep sea creatures over there, though, because Russia's Right Coast is just on fire for the 2008 summer season!

Strangely, we mourned for a second or two when adventure cruisers Quark Expeditions canceled their 2007 trip to the Russian Far East. Yes, we were morbidly ogling the itinerary. But picking up where Quark left off, Abercrombie & Kent has added a July sailing of its Clipper Odyssey ship from Alaska to the Russian abyss and back (if you're lucky).

And for the cruise-averse, Vladivostok Air will launch non-stop flights from Anchorage, AK, to Petropavlovsk, Russia, also in July. Scheduled passenger service between Alaska and Russia has previously been offered by Alaska Airlines and the mysterious Magadan Air.

Related Stories:
· Russian Far East and Kamchatka [A&K]
· Direct flights to Russian Far East offered this summer [The Arctic Sounder]

[Photo: leolo2u]

One Reason Not to Visit St. Petersburg

amandak — 2008-03-07T10:00:01-05:00

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]