Moscow Souvenirs - What can I get?

In my recent travels to Moscow, I've discovered a few souvenirs, that may be of interest.

1- Black Vodka - It sells in one of the DME Duty Free shop's, the one between gate 9 and 10 (photo enclosed). It sells for about $16 dollars a bottle and it's pretty cool. And yes, it's not made in Russia, but in England and it's really black but with out any flavour (I don't know how they make it black). However, if you purchase it in the UK, you will pay about $36 Pounds per bottle, clearly, way more!

2- Matroska cases for wine bottles - They are just like the matroska dolls, but taller, and open up to encase you liquor bottles. They make wonderful gifts, different enough to get a wow from any recipient. If you want one, you can find them in the souvenir shops in Arbat street and they cost about $20 dollars or less a piece.

3- Old Revolution Posters - These are amazing sets of re-printed historical Russian posters from the communist days that come encased in a nice cardboard jacket with about 10 to 12 small posters inside. Well, I say posters, but they are not the size of posters. I imagine the originals were larger, but these have been re-printed in a smaller format - about 12x16 . They would make a great gift and would look wonderful framed as a collection. They sell them is the lobby gift shop of the Metropol Hotel for about $20 dollars a set. I particularly like the series on the Olympics, for they depict the sports they so avidly sought gold medals for.

4- Old Russian Medals and Pins - There's and old gentleman that sells his collection of old Russian military medals and revolution pins near the entrance of the Red Square. He sets them out over the ledge of the driveway of the red building that sits right behind the statue of the "Man on The Horse". His prices are reasonable and his selection, extensive. It's fun to check them out. If you go, let me know what you think.

If you have any other suggestions, please write to me at postcards@me.com.

Moscow - 24 Hours in Moscow

This past week, I flew to Moscow for work. During my short stay, I decided to visit one historical Russian site, the amazing Czar's Museum ( better known as The Armoury Collection). It's one of the top five "must-see" tourist stops in Moscow, right after the Red Square and the Kremlin.

To enter the museum, I first find the ticket office, just outside of the Kremlin (photo enclosed). I arrive around 1:45pm at the booth and I notice that the place is crowded and chaotic. People seem confused because it's unclear which line one must take to purchase tickets.

I join one of the three lines available with our knowing if it's the right one. The language barrier does not help me and I discover 10 minutes later, that I''m in the wrong line. The ticket booth lady directs me with hand signals, to stand in another line.

A few minutes later, at around 2pm, my line is motioned to step up to the sales window. We're supposed to merge with the Kremlin line, one at a time. Yeah right! The plan may be reasonable in London, where people obey line rules, but here in Moscow, it quickly turns into a push and shove situation where shoulders, arms and bodies fight to get ahead. Great!!! what should I do now? Not knowing what to say in Russian to defend myself verbally, I decide to push back.

I extend my arm in front of the next aggressive person in the opposite line trying to get ahead of me and say NO, firmly. I quickly step ahead of this person and reach the front of the line. Eureka! I try to remain focused on the purchase of my ticket as I speak to the ticket lady in English, but she only speaks Russian. Oh no, I apologize with my hands, and say "Armoury Museum? please?" she understands!! What a relief! She hands me a ticket and motions me to go in the direction of the Kremlin pronto. With my ticket in hand, I exit rapidly with out looking back and head to the museum.

The entry ticket to The Armoury has "a time of admission" printed next to the date. One is only allowed in at this time. It's 2:05pm and my time of admission is 2:30 pm. I have to find the entrance door of the museum very rapido!! Not an easy task in this city with few signs in English. I press on as quickly as my tired legs can carry me, and I enter the Kremlin (the museum is inside this complex). Right after the entrance gate, I see some people standing in a line. Could this be my line for the Armoury? according to my map, the Armoury building should be just there, so I join the line and take a chance.

Well, it would have been too easy if I had picked the right line, that's just how it is in Russia. But off course, I'm in the wrong line. I learn this as I reach the door. This is getting old folks. I'm in the line for The Diamond Fund Collection (sigh). I ask the guard where I should go, he points me to nearby line, just a few steps away. So there I go.

Could this finally, be the right line. I have to wait 15 more minutes before I'm allowed inside the building to find out. It's 2:15 pm and the hot summer sun burns through my clothes with no shade in sight! Ugh! I'm very tempted to leave before I melt, but I remain in place. People begin to gather behind me. Everyone appears stressed by the sun. I later learn that there is no need to stand in this wretched line. Everyone with a ticket, gets in with out delay, even if you show up at the exact time of admission printed on your ticket. Lesson learned, don't wait in line, just get there on time!

I enter the museum through a basement door, pass a large coat check area on my left, the souvenir stands on my right and left and the desk that rents Pre-recorded guides in English (and other languages) of the collection. Get one if you go!! I didn't and was very sorry I passed it by.

Finally, I reach the museum. It's two floors of dazzling royal gems, fancy Faberge Eggs, gilded Carriages and Sleighs, elaborate Armours, eye-popping Jewel encrusted Crowns, hand painted thrones, ancient tapestries, and surprise, surprise, Catherine The Great's Coronation dress embroidered with silver threads. Darn, how I wish I had the recorded guide. The collection is fascinating.

After I finish visiting the Czar's collection, I learn that I can opt to also visit the The Diamond Fund Exhibition Collection for an extra 500 Rubles with leaving the building. It sounds very tempting - royal jewels, no lines, ...humm, I think that's a yes. I pay up and march right in. The exhibit, unfortunately, is disappointing. It consists mostly of cut stones from the Urals, gold and silver mammoth nuggets from local mines and VERY few royal jewels. I anticipated more Czarist's Bling! Oh well, my advise to you is, save your money for the more impressive Royal collections like the The Tower of London in England, or The Topaki Palace in Istanbul.

Finished with the museums, I leave the Kremlin and walk through the Alexander Gardens (right along the Kremlin). When I reach Sbarros Pizza and McDonalds, I discover there's an entrance for a subterranean mall. Surprisingly, it's a large mall with three underground floors. Who knew! such a large place underground, right next to the Kremlin.

In the basement, I discover an interesting food court. It has a nice variety of international foods, all of them, extremely well priced. I see a Sushi, Sbarros Pizza (these I recognize). I also see Russian Blinis and Middle Eastern Food. Some places, I can't make out, because the writing is in Cyrillic. I purchase some wild rice and vegetables from the Middle Eastern stand and my meal, plus a drink costs me less than 10 dollars. An awesome deal in Moscow, I swear!

After my satisfying, but unmemorable meal at the mall, I head to the glitzy, trendy, scenic rooftop lounge (photo enclosed) of the Ritz Carlton-Moscow - the O2 Lounge. Wow, what a view! You can eat sushi or just have drinks, as you take in the stunning views of the Kremlin. Really, it will take your breath away... and so will the prices on the menu. Stay and have a drink so you can enjoy the view and the beautiful people. Don't forget to take pictures of the gorgeous views. I hear these views are particularly memorable at night, when the Kremlin lights up like a Christmas tree.

After I finish taking my pictures from the O2Lounge, I head for the cozy, quieter lobby lounge of the Ritz. It's tea time, I'm thirsty and my feet need a rest. Twenty dollars and three cups of delicious tea later (served in gorgeous china), I decide it's time to head back to my hotel. I'm exhausted. I've seen bling all day - ancient bling at the Armoury and Noveau bling at the Ritz. Time to pack it up and go to sleep.

If you decide to go to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, it's located right behind the National Hotel with it's main entrance, facing Tverskaya Avenue.

Dosvitana! (see ya later!)

Discount Cruises ? DARGAL

Heard of Dargal ? It's a popular discount interline web-company that offers a variety of cheap cruises around the world. For more information on these deals, visit their web page www.dargal.com of click here, and be sure to sign in to become a member.

Once signed in, you will be able access their "airline discounted prices", otherwise, you'll only get information on the cruises, sans the prices.

I've used their services twice, with fantastic results. With their guidance, I've cruised the Mediterranean in luxury for as little as 350$ a week, including tips and taxes - hard to beat!

With prices like these, it may be cheaper to cruise, than to stay home for the week!

Bon Voyage!

The Best iPhone Travel Applications

National Geographic Adventure Magazine just published a list of 10 "Must Have" travel iPhone applications.

The application are :

Next Flight - info about flights
Urban Spoon - info about restaurants
Air Sharing - download info in this site for access while abroad
Tweetie - tweet photos
I am Here - link with a map, showing your location
World Customs - Customs regulations
Wi-Fi Finder - searches for "hot spots" around the world
The Weather Channel
Google Earth
Hear Planet - recorded descriptions of world sites

For more information on these applications, go to www.apple.com.

Cheapest Meal in Frankfurt

I don't fly to Frankfurt often, so this may be"old news" for some of you "seasoned" FRA travelers. However, it may be useful information for all the FRA "newbies" who fly there only occasionally, like me.

On my last trip to Frankfurt, I was led, practically by the hand, by this kind, more FRA- experienced Flight Attendant, into the bowels of the main train station. She wanted me to sample a great German specialty, a freshly made "bratwurst sandwich".

Dulce, my guide, led me first to the corner of the hotel, then down some stairs to cross some underground shopping streets and then up again more stairs, to surface inside the train station, right in front of the departure train tracks, amazing!

Once we got there, I noticed that we were surrounded by a Disneyland of fast food joints. These places sold a dizzying array of prepared foods - warm sandwiches, hot nuts, roasted chicken, wiener schnitzels (breaded veal), Japanese and Middle Eastern foods, fruits, pastries and best of all, mouth watering hot German sausage sandwiches on warm rolls.

Following her lead, I stepped up to the nearest Sausage stand with her and ordered the Bratwurst sandwich on a roll. I had several choices of sausage to choose from plus a couple of sauces, so with Dolce's help, I chose the plain bratwurst with German mustard. Dolce ordered a veal sausage with curry sauce, so I could sample something different while we were there.

Once we received our food, we stood by one of the "stand only" tables by the side of the stand, and ate our juicy, tasty sausages. Both dishes were surprisingly delicious! An incredible feat for "fast food" from a train station.

I loved my bratwurst sandwich so much, that I could barely wait for my return trip to FRA to re-visit this stand and repeat my order. The price of this treat? ridiculously low! just a couple of euros for the whole meal.

So while it may not be your first dinning option on every trip to FRA, a hot Bratwurst or sausage sandwich at the train station can certainly fit the bill at times, when you're aching for something warm, delicious, cheap and on the run.

Danke Dolce!

Do your have any places you can recommend in Frankfurt? Share them with us!
write to postcards@me.com

Breakfast - Buenos Aires

Whenever I'm in Buenos Aires, I always try to have breakfast at the "i Central Market", very near out downtown layover hotel. (ask concierge for directions)

Why? because it is effortless to get there and because the food is first class - It is prepared with fresh ingredients and the baked goods resemble the pastries I often see in Paris, delicate and scrumptious!

Why else? because the price is right - about $8 dollars for a full breakfast menu (unheard of for this upscale area). The price includes a fresh squeezed juice, a basket of fresh baked pastries, home made granola, home made fruit jams, fresh fruit salad, yogurt and a hot beverage of your choice (The actual selection, of course, depends on which menu you pick). All of it is beautifully presented and delicious!

What else draws me here so often? the free WIFI, baby! I can bring my laptop or my iPhone and check my emails in comfort and peace while I sip my coffee luxuriously slow...no one rushes me, even if I stay for a couple of hours daydreaming, like I usually do, gazing out their floor to ceiling windows at the canals and at the rowers that sometimes, drift by. Yes, it's a lovely way to start your day.

Aside from breakfast, "i Central Market" also serves great lunches and dinners. They have a "take out" area towards the front of the store where they serve reasonably priced executive lunches - fresh salads and sandwiches - plus they also deliver, so next time you stop by, grab a menu for a rainy day.

They also have a sit-down area towards the rear of the place, where the food is a step up from the take out area and one orders from a menu. This is where I sit for my scenic breakfasts.

I market also has a small gourmet market that sells specialty foods designer home goods. They have colorful fresh flowers, hand made chocolates, delicate pastries, exotic teas and cheerful ceramics - Lots of attractive small items to touch and see.

If you go, check out the designer bathrooms downstairs! They are so cool. The women's lavatory has a long, wall to wall clear glass sink with ultra modern fixtures and the walls are tiled with sparkly hot pink glass tiles. wow!

Provecho! (may you eat well!)

MOSCOW - Gorky's House; Yeliseev's Gourmet; Pushkin Cafe

I was in Moscow yesterday, for that painfully short layover where one must choose to either sleep or tour the city in daylight? You know the one I'm talking about right? So what did I do when faced with this choice, I selected, of course, to forgo sleep and I take off as quickly as my skinny legs can carry me out of the hotel to check out the streets of Moscow.

Despite an annoying, persistent drizzle, I arm myself with all that I may need to hit the streets - I make sure I have the " hotel-issued guest-note" - every foreigner must have this note with them at all times, in case the authorities ask for an ID - my passport, a map, an umbrella, my guide book, the Cyrillic alphabet?... check, check, check...ready, get set, go!

My plan of attack? simple - stay close to the hotel and visit something historic, something cultural and before passing out from hunger, drag my weary body to a local restaurant, so I can sample some authentic Russian food.

Where do I go?? to The Gorky's House-Museum just a few blocks down from our hotel; to The Yeliseev's Gourmet Shop - an ex KGB food store inside an old palace, now described as "the most beautiful shop in all of Moscow"; and to the Pushkin Cafe - an old, turn of the century style cafe that supposedly, serves wonderful Russian food. All of these places are just a few blocks away from each other and no more than 4 or 5 blocks away from the hotel.

My first stop, The Gorky House-Museum. The House, is not easy to find, but I locate it by chance, only because I notice it is the only intact period-house in the area with it's original garden around it - a luxury in a city that can barely house it's own people today, in the downtown areas of Moscow.

I can clearly see from the outside, that the mansion was once a glorious structure. Today, it appears a bit tired and dusty, with it's main entrance and it's beautifully carved, wooden front doors, locked up with a huge chunky chain and a padlock.

To enter the house, I follow the street around the side of the house, to what may have been, long ago, the back door. I enter through this small door into the garden, cross the garden and proceed to another small door on the side of the main house. This door is marked by a piece of paper with a hand drawn arrow, pasted on the wall like a temporary marker for a party.

I enter the house following the arrow and continue inside the house through some dark halls until I reach the starting/entry point for the Museum. Like everything else in Moscow, finding this point, feels like a treasure hunt. I just have to remember to keep going, despite the lack of visible clues.

Inside the Museum (the entry is free), I am asked to wear this funny looking large wool-slippers over my shoes. I guess the idea is to preserve (or to shine) the wood floors as I walk through the aging house? so much care taken with the floors, when the whole house appears to be forgotten...very odd.

The inside of the house is beautiful. I can perceive through is darkened and musty interior, it's old grandeur. It has gorgeous stained glass windows, elaborate hand made brass fixtures and a majestic staircase completely carved out of limestone. It also houses an interesting collection of black and white photos of "Gorky and friends" from the days of the revolution. Sadly, I can't read any of the postings, for they are all in Russian.

My guidebook claims that Gorky may have been killed by the KGB on orders from Stalin when he fell from grace. True or not, his belongings remain in the house as if he still lives there - books, paintings, oriental carvings, personal letters, his raincoat, his hat and his walking stick.

Finished with Gorky, I walk back the way I came from for one block, on Nikitskaja Street and turn left on Tverskoi Bul'var (a wide avenue with a garden area in the middle). I walk this avenue for about three long blocks, until I reach Tverskaya Ave (the most popular commercial avenue in Moscow, compared often to Broadway in NYC).

Once there, I cross the street via an underground tunnel, and turn right into Tverskaya Ave (under the Rolex and Tiffany Building). Yeliseev's Food Hall is on the left side of the street , just a short walk away on N0.- 14. (A Helpful Clue - to find the entrance of Yeliseevs Market, because it's probably, also unmarked, look for a lady in a white apron, selling imported Movenpick (Swiss) items from a rolling cart from the sidewalk. She will be standing right in front of Yeliseev's main entry door).

Inside Yeliseev's, I immediately notice the splendor - old gilded columns, painted ceilings, glass stained windows and chandeliers! During the communist days, it was known as Gastronom #1 and it was "the market" for "the party folk". In the 1820's, it was the house of Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya. Today, it's a gourmet delicatessen and an excellent place to buy expensive caviar and vodka.

After taking in the exquisite architectural details of this market, I purchase a couple of muffins for my predictable 2am layover hunger attack and leave. Back in the Teverskaya, I search for The Pushkin Cafe, supposedly, located near Yeliseev's. It looks easy on paper, but nothing is easy in Russia, so here's how it goes.

I walk up and down on both sides of Tverskaya , until I feel I reach another district with out Pushkin in sight. I ask several people for directions, and they ask others for directions in Russian, but Niet! (nothing) - not a soul can tell me where the darn place is, and just as I am about to give up, and start heading back to the hotel defeated, I pay the Marriot Hotel's concierge a visit, right in Tverskaya.

What a relief, Alexis the concierge knows!! He gives me simple directions and volunteers to make a reservation for me on the first floor of the cafe, in the no smoking area. Voila, it's done! that easy! and Pushkin's is only about three blocks away, thank god! My energy is waning! my legs are about to give out and I'm about to pass out from hunger and tiredness. As it turns out, I had walked in front of the cafe, over and over again, with out recognizing it from the outside. Well how could I recognize it, if it had no markings or signs to identify it!! Grrrr...

So off I go, with directions in hand, back to Tverskoi Bul'var, the avenue with the garden in the middle, remember?, a half of block away from Tverskaya, on the left side, there it is, at N0 - 26A, the pink building (photo enclosed in case you go, with Igor standing by the door) with out a single sign to indicate that it houses the famous Pushkin Cafe inside it's doors.

The Pushkin was built in the last 10 years, supposedly, in the site of an 1800 pharmacy. It has three different floors . The first floor, is a series of wood paneled rooms that resemble the 1800's where they serve casual Russian food; The Second floor (which I did not see), serves finer, Russian dishes and, I'm told, looks like a library; the third floor is the roof Terrace, opened only during summer months.

As per my reservation, I sit in the first floor and order my traditional Russian meal - a soup and dessert (photo enclosed). The soup comes with a delicious crust of bread over the pot. What a wonderful surprise. The taste is rich, but with a very different flavor than what I'm used to (imagine that). The dessert is a disappointment, but I see other desserts go by that look amazing. I'll have to order those next time. Aside from the nice food, the cafe's setting is lovely and the place has a historical feeling of old money (photo enclosed) . Also, the long-apron waiters are very friendly and bilingual. When you're this tired, trust me, this is a real treat!!

Dosvitana! (see ya later)

Gorky House Museum
Nikitskaya ulitsa 6/2
11:30 - 5 pm

Yeliseev's Food Hall
Tverskaya ulitsa #14

Pushkin Cafe
Tverskoy Bul'var #26a
629-5590 (for reservations)