One month in Russia; a small trip report

Hi Everyone, Russia at 70 rubles to the US dollar is an excellent time to go! I had a great time; I loved it. I last visited 19 years ago, so everything felt very new, obviously.
The visa was a complete pain (my favorite question: list all the countries you have visited in the last ten years), and expensive for Americans, as you probably know. I got rejected in the Munich, Germany visa office but was accepted in Bern, Switzerland, even though technically I should have been allowed to apply there as I am not a resident. Only 30 days single entry, though, which is nothing in Russia. I stayed all 30 days in Pskov, Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Suzdal, also checking out Sergiev Posad and Vladimir.
I did Couchsurfing twice, Airbnb thrice, and hostels twice among other hotels. Airbnb can be a good way to go as a private room can cost the same as a hostel dorm bed, especially in Moscow and SPB, while also being central.
One of the coolest things I did was see a pro hockey match in SPB with SKA, the best team in Russia, for only 50 rubles a ticket!
I wrote a lot for my website about it. The practical information is at the bottom of every post, if you are interested:
http://thedromomaniac.com/category/russia/
Feel free to ask questions, if you have them.
-Kent

Nice website you have :)

Thanks! I try.

Hi!

I would love to chat more with you about Russia. I'll be visiting for 1.5 weeks in December and want to know what it's like there. I'll be going to Saint Petersburg and Moscow.

Thanks!

December?! Wow, I can't imagine the cold. You will love it, though. What would you like to know?
You can write me through my website if you like

If you like winter, it will be beautiful! I was there for a month around 7 years ago, from mid january to mid february. Cold, but very nice. Next to my flat you could walk on the frozen sea :) And another plus is that there are hardly any tourists, so that means (at least when i was there) no lines at all at places like the Hermitage.

Hey! Thanks for the information. I'm actually going for Christmas and New Years..so it might be more crowded there Im assuming.

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