Thursday, August 17th, 2006
If you are planning a trip to Russia, you need to make an effort to prepare yourself. Practicing drinking vodka is a good start, but you will need to know some basic Russian terms.
Basic Russian Terms for Your Trip To Russia
Russia is a unique and amazing country. Having lived there for a year, I can tell you it is like nothing you will experience in Europe or anywhere else. The culture is entirely different as is the language. The language, in particular, is the first hurdle you will face.
The Russian language is based on the Cyrillic Alphabet. From the sound of individual letters to their combined essence, everything is different than what you are used to. If you try to wing it, you are going to be in for big trouble. To help you out, here are some basic words and phrases you should know.
The first phrase I mastered while in Russia was “ya ne gavaru puruski.†This phonetic mess can be translated to “I don’t speak Russian.†Trust me, you should learn this. I became so good at ripping it off that many people thought I actually spoke Russian, but was just being a jerk!
“Privyet†is probably a familiar word. It means hello or hi and is common greeting. The phrase is pronounced easy at the beginning and hard at the end – privYET. That being said, I mumble constantly and nobody seemed to object to just about any pronunciation.
“Tak†is a word used to buy time or give the impression you are thinking deeply. A Russian will often pause and say tak!tak!tak and then respond. It is the equivalent of hmmm in the English language. You can use it to sound intellectual or during negotiations over a purchase.
“Nuzhnik†is one of those important phrases. It is an informal term used when trying to find a toilet. Keep in mind this is very informal, as in “where is the can?†I don’t know why, but it just stuck in my mind.
Obviously, there are a few zillion different phrases of Russian you will need at some point in your trip. At least now you can you say, “Hi. I don’t speak Russian!hmmm!I need to find the can!Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com – makers of travel journals. Visit us to read more internet travel articles.
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Monday, October 24th, 2005
For elegance and old world feel, St. Petersburg is by far the best Russian city. If you go, a visit to Peterhof, the summer palace of Peter the Great is a must.
Peterhof
As Tanya and I left St. Petersburg for Peterhof, I was in a foul mood. A pickpocket had cut through the bottom of my backpack and swiped my camera. The ferry taking us was packed and the adorable child on my right had just spilled his ice cream down my leg. Why, I oughta’. My mood was soon to change.
Apparently, sensing my volatile mood, Tanya hadn’t said a word on the 20 minute ferry ride. As we exited onto a long pier at Peterhof, she grabbed my hand and more or less tugged me down to what looked like an ancient French road. This was, in fact, the Grand Canal leading to Peterhof.
The Grand Canal is a water way with two paths cutting up the side of it towards Peterhof. The canal cuts through a forested area with trees nearly forming a roof over the canal. The atmosphere is very serene, particularly since I noticed the ice cream tike on the opposite path of the canal. Walking no more than a mile, one comes upon Peterhof and the Great Cascade.
The Great Cascade is aptly named. It is a collection of fountains and statutes sitting on tiered marble levels rising to the front of the palace. After living in Russia for eight months, I was use to seeing drab, grey five story buildings. The burst of gold, white and black colors was amazing and made me wonder what Russia must have looked like before communism.
After gaping at the Great Cascade for nearly an hour, it was time to take the tourist tour of the palace. We dutifully stood in line and made small talk with two German couples behind us. Compared to the general state of decay in most of Russia, we couldn’t get over the fact the palace seemed to be in such good shape.
As the tour got underway, I kept getting the feeling there was something “off†about the palace. For a place built in 1715, Peter the Great sure seemed to know a lot about electricity. In particular, he seemed to have planned well ahead by creating some type of internal piping structure for the future electrical wires. Well, he was Great and perhaps the powers that be had done a little remodeling over the years.
Alas, one of our German friends was puzzling over the same thing. As we stood on the second floor of the palace, Jan asked our guide about the anomaly. He asked it in front of our group of about 20 people or which 75 percent were Russian. He asked in a heavy German accent.
Our guide dutifully replied the Germans had bombed Peterhof during World War II. Peterhof had been completely destroyed. The palace had subsequently been rebuilt, which explained its modern feel.
There was one of those pregnant pauses, which occur in such situations. Jan turned completely red. Taking pity on him, the tour guide immediately launched into an aggressive discussion of a particular picture on the wall while we dutifully paid attention and asked inane questions.
Oddly, the fact Peterhof is a modern structure doesn’t really detract from the experience. The palace and surrounding structures simply feel like a real palace. With many palaces through Europe, you get the feeling Disney was somehow involved in the construction.
At Peterhof, there is a definite feeling of elegance, but elegance mixed with a practicality required by day-to-day living. In short, you can definitely image Peter the Great living there in the summer.
About The Author
Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com – makers of travel journals. Writing journals are the perfect travel accessories. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com to read more travel articles and travelogues.
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