I’ve been really lucky in my life to have visited some amazing places. One of the most unusual being Russia. I visited St Petersburg in 2008, on a student exchange trip which meant I really got to grips with what it was like in Russian life (isn’t that why we travel- to explore other cultures?). I stayed 2 weeks and found both positive and negative things about the place itself.

Firstly, it is one of the prettiest places, seriously- you have no idea. Their hospital was like the British Museum in London! All of their buildings were beautifully painted and decorated to attract more tourism. My exchange student told me that a lot of their tax money went into restoring and keeping their historical buildings as beautiful as they were. The only thing with having the city centre being so attractive was that there was the polar opposite of this- the Russian living areas were the total opposite- large blocks of flats. This seemed to be the norm to them, and they admitted themselves they could not afford more as the tax for these buildings in the centre was so high. I suppose this had its upside and downside.

Secondly, if you like being pretty alone as a tourist- it’s brilliant. I didn’t see any tour groups, or any other people who looked like they were travelling (no tell tale signs of big cameras and maps). However, this did mean that if like me you walked around buzzing like a tourist you were given some funny looks. I’m not quite sure what their policy is on tourism, but as a tourist- I felt a little ‘solo’.

Thirdly and lastly, if you like History then you HAVE TO visit. I had been studying the Tsars, and my word it all came to life when you went around the palaces. Not only did it have heaps of history from their royalty, but also their involvement in the War and the aftermath of Stalin and his  (original) ‘five’ year plan.

If you’re looking for somewhere different- then Russia is great. Their food is also really unusual! It gives you a taste for something new! You must have a VISA to enter Russia- but we did all of this before arrival making it much easier to travel.

Visit Russia today and contact me for any advice.

Violet

The Andrew Earle Team