Russian Railways to Begin Female-Only Cabins

by Neil Woodburn on

Russia is a vast country which often requires many days of travel on local trains simply to get anywhere. Sometimes this can be a wonderful experience, other times it can be a nightmare.

We posted recently about the horrors of traveling across Russia in third class carriages. I’ve often traveled in second class and quite enjoy it. Of course, one must consider that I am a male when I make such a comment. There is quite a bit of drinking on such journeys and it is not always the most wonderful of places for female travelers who must share a four-berth cabin with total strangers–many of which are men.

Women have complained over the years, and now their voices have been heard. Russia Railways has started selling tickets on eight long-distance trains whose compartments are designated as male only, female only, or mixed.

Currently, the gender-based tickets are on a trial basis and if the reaction proves positive–which I’m sure it will–Russian Railways is expected to expand the service.

The Craziest Drivers in the World Are…

by Iva Skoch on

How does one define a “bad driver”? In a good portion of the civilized world, we tend to think of it as someone who drives fast, passes without seeing what’s ahead, doesn’t stop for pedestrians, honks impatiently … and frequently breaks the law.

This definition does not apply in other places. Take Eastern Europe: Bad driver is typically seen as someone without the skills to drive a bad car 100mph on icy roads, someone who frequently slows down traffic by driving the speed limit or someone who doesn’t take off within exactly one second of the light changing. This school of thought automatically makes every person above 55 and 95 percent of women bad drivers. Really, the only “good drivers” would be single, childless men between 18 and 30. And, according to some, good drivers would definitely not be Australians.

Some say that the people of Rome are the world’s worst; others think Buenos Aires is crazier. Several sites are dedicated to the awful drivers of the Arabian Gulf (aka Persian Gulf). A few Mexico Cities, LAs, Rios. And finally, one study shows that Russians are the worst in Europe, with 25 percent admitting to having sex while driving.

I cast my vote for the drivers in Egypt, the world’s most enthusiastic honkers.

Enjoying Moscow’s Winter

by Neil Woodburn on

Everyone thought I was crazy four years ago when I went to Moscow to celebrate New Year’s Eve. I thought so as well when I first stepped out into the Moscow night and nearly froze to death.

I’ve never felt as cold in my life and now truly understand how the Russian winter so thoroughly stopped Napoleon and Hitler. It is harsh and unyielding, but also magically enjoyable in a strange sort of way.

Winter brings an entirely different face to Moscow, blanketing the city with snow and covering up some of the uglier portions of town. Winter transforms the residents as well who disappear into Moscow’s many bars and cafes to warm up and have fun.

The strangest thing about visiting Moscow in the wintertime is the festive mood which descends upon a city that’s notoriously known for being unpleasant and un-festive. Part of what contributes to this air of pleasantry is the fact that most Russian don’t work the first two weeks of January. The holiday period kicks off with New Year celebrations and then carries on for another 14 days after that. It’s almost as though Moscow assumes an entirely different personality during this time–a time that is well worth visiting as long as you’re not an invading army.

Touring the Hermitage via Russian Ark

by Neil Woodburn on

I just finished watching a fascinating film about the Hermitage.

The Hermitage you ask? What is the Hermitage?

Sadly many westerners have never heard of this phenomenal St. Petersburg museum despite it being one of the very best in the world, behind only the Louvre and the British Museum.

The Hermitage disappeared from the cultural radar because it was locked behind the Iron Curtain in Leningrad for so many years. Now that communism has fallen, it is much easier to actually visit. Unfortunately, the museum still remains rather anonymous to many of us in the West.

Fortunately, Russian director Alexander Sokurov has composed a visual masterpiece, Russian Ark, which now brings the museum to your living room. The story follows the character of Astolphe-Louis-Léonor, Marquis de Custine, who seems to have passed away and is now roaming the halls of the Hermitage. Custine was a French aristocrat who visited Russia in the early 19th century and wrote a book about it entitled Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia.

His character in Russian Ark takes the viewer on a grand tour of the famous museum, passing through different galleries at different periods of time in Russian history and interacting with famous historical figures. We see Catherine the Great (back when the Hermitage was her Winter Palace), a few of the Czars, some concerned comrades during Stalinist times, and a hodgepodge of others that eventually make up a cast of over 800 people featured in the film, all in various period dress.

What’s truly amazing about the film is that entire thing was shot in one 90 minute take. Once the camera turned on, it followed Custine for the next hour and a half without a single cut or edit.

The movie is visually stunning and provides a wonderful glimpse into the treasures of the Hermitage and the opulence of the Winter Palace. Unfortunately, it’s horribly slow at times and rather esoteric as well. It is still very much worth 90 minutes of your life, however–especially if you don’t plan on visiting Russia any time soon.

Exploring the Soviet Fleet in Murmansk

by Neil Woodburn on

I’ve had the good fortune to travel to many places in Russia but there are still many more I want to see. One such place at the top of my list is Murmansk.

Murmansk rests in the far north of Russia near the tip of Norway and Finland and is the country’s northernmost ice-free port. Throughout most of the Soviet era, the city was heavily militarized and off-limits to foreigners. Today, it still remains a strategic military port but tourists are now allowed to visit certain portions of the town. Many military facilities still remain closed off to the public, such as the notorious port where decommissioned nuclear submarines lay rotting in their berths. (side note: this is a huge environmental time bomb just waiting to explode).

Such secrecy and tight security, however, can’t stop us from visiting the more sensitive areas of Murmansk thanks to Google Earth.

EnglishRussia.com, a great site I’ve been checking out lately, has posted a number of satellite photos of the Murmansk region and all that it has to offer the curious tourist. It is quite a frightening peek into the recent demise of the Soviet Union’s once mighty military.

I wonder how many of these “graveyards” are accessible on foot. I also wonder how many are pulsing with radioactivity and probably not a very good place to explore on your own.

Thanks to Google Earth, we can now do so from a very far, and very safe distance.