Foreigner's point of view

I've experienced it myself.

When I was learning English and Spanish and was asking weird questions (weird for those who learn a language in the childhood so think less about nature of concrete words).

I still see this around: today my friend tweeted that "die Vorsicht", caution in German, is feminine.

And then I saw the same but in reverse. The deepest thought about one Russian word, гулять - to stroll in any direction, both physically moving and mentally having good time.

Here is that nice article about this particular Russian word by Tyler who lived in Moscow for nine months and learned Russian. Enjoy:

http://tylerjonesinmoscow.blogspot.in/2012/12/blog-post.html

Russian trains, the description

I've stumbled upon my next favorite travelog and also suddenly found there amazing detailled explanation of taking Russian train (luckily for this blogpost, it was written in English).

So if you would like to take one (would it be simple Moscow-St. Petersburg trip or the whole week-length Transsiberian adventure), go read this post:

http://www.fivefeetflat.net/2012/09/tips-for-the-trans-siberian-railway.html

(and follow this girl for excellent reading she produces)

Dacha explained

Nice post from my friend Elena on "dacha" term: 

Since the 18th century, Russian people have rescued themselves from the suffocating city summer by going to their dachas – country houses where the whole family went for a few months every year, while only the poor father of the family had to travel back and forth to the city for work. Since then, everything has changed in Russia, but Russians still spend their summers at their dachas.

http://m.rbth.ru/arts/2013/08/31/the_dacha_where_russians_disappear_to_in_summer_29385.html

Guardian article on unusual things to see in big Russian cities

Two decades after the fall of communism, Russia remains a mystery to many foreigners. And from a distance, the country's most visible aspects – showy oligarchs and an overbearing political system – hardly seem alluring.

But scratch the surface and a different story emerges. For the past year, I've been working with a London-based gallery to develop the Calvert Journal, an online guide to creative Russia. The journal is inspired by a generation of creative talent who are starting to remake the country in their own image.

You can feel their influence in Moscow and St Petersburg, where chic bars and&nbsprestaurants and dynamic cultural centres are springing to life. But the mood is even more striking the further afield you go from those two principal cities. Until recently I'd have given you a blank stare if you'd asked what was happening in Yekaterinburg, an industrial city in the Urals. Now I know it as the site of a critically regarded contemporary art biennale, the centre of a burgeoning dubstep scene and the home of Timofei Radya, a street artist whose grafittied buildings and billboards have won him a reputation as Russia's Banksy.

Within Russia, the provinces have traditionally been regarded as a creative desert. But that view is hard to sustain anymore as initiatives bloom. Often working collectively and on low budgets, artists and designers are taking over disused factories, workers' clubs and aristocratic 19th-century mansions to create galleries, shared work spaces, shops and studios. New festivals of architecture, art and photography are helping the regeneration, providing a platform for local talent and attracting international partnerships.

All of this makes it a great country to visit, and a country that, in cultural terms, looks like it has its best days ahead of it. Here's my pick of the highlights:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/apr/05/russia-creative-revolution-moscow-st-petersburg

Shaking hands... or not?

Nice post by Andy on the subject of shaking hands in Russia.

As a woman, I can choose and I do not like to shake hands while men prefer to do that all the time. Cultural stuff.

http://andyfrecka.blogspot.ru/2012/12/how-not-to-shake-hands-in-russian.html

Cheap guided tours by locals (St. Petersburg)

I found new nice startup for those who come to St. Petersburg and want to take a guided tour in English but not too touristic one.

By the way, I myself took such tours in Berlin last weekend: from New Europe and Alternative Berlin.

Here you can have the same in St. Petersburg: http://www.sptnik.com/

For example, roofing (walking on the roofs) experience for $ 21 or futuristic buildings for $12.
I'd say it's a good catch.

SpottersByLocals come to St. Petersburg... not without my help!

Lately I've been thinking a lot about making the life of the foreign tourist in my fav city better and easier. That's why I started this blog. But also that's why I ran into the twitter post 'Spotters needed in St. Petersburg' and joined SBL team in Russia. Yesterday our cityblog went online and I'm so proud.

This is it: Experience Saint Petersburg like a local.
The website is all about exploring small treasures of a big city, sharing experiences and making yourself comfortable in a cyrillic-based space. There are three girls (so far), including me, who write for the St. Petersburg's blog. And we compete a little because there are cool places to tell about and each of us does hurry up to be the first to write them down!

And that's my profile with all my articles (wait, there will be more; now it's about twenty something, I worked on them during this summer).

Links for learning Russian

I'm a member of Benny's forum as it helps me learning Spanish right now. There are people learning every language I think and those who learn Russian share some links: http://www.fluentin3months.com/forum/resources-2/looking-for-resources-in-russian/#p6007