Though the Red Stars Hotel is more than a mile from Nevsky Prospekt and the other major tourist sights, I still recommend it to those who don't mind a little walking. The staff spoke very competent English, a relief at the end of each long day. They ordered taxis for…
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The Kissing Bridge
Never kiss your sweetheart on a drawbridge. If the two sides can pull apart, so can the two of you. On the other hand, sharing a kiss on a solid cast bridge will give you an extra dose of luck and longevity. The Potseluev Bridge in St. Petersburg spans the…
On Spilled Blood
Driving along California's endless freeways you're bound to see a memorial. Heaps of fabric flowers, ragged under the hot sun, ragged in the windy backwash of speeding cars, clinging to chain link fences and sign posts. A simple cross. Faded plastic icons. Candles that can't hold a flame. How long…
Wishing I could read Russian
It took less than a minute after the plane landed on the tarmac in St. Petersburg for me to realize that this vacation was going to be drastically different than the rest. All I had to do was get through passport control. I froze. My eyes flicked wildly from wall…
My Birthday Wish: Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre
Photo: St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre. Photo via RussianTourism.com. Sometimes I'm such a girl. When Jonathan asked me what I wanted to do for my 30th birthday, I told him the truth, even though it felt like a pipe dream. I wanted to attend a ballet at St. Petersburg's legendary…
A Guide to Oslo - Restaurants
Last year, Canadian Travel Website Cheapflights commissioned me to write an Insider's Guide to Oslo for them. I've found my calling. Researching restaurants (eating out) and researching bars (drinking beer) and researching museums was a good gig. Along the way, I wrote a little more than necessary for their purposes.…
Setting: An Exercise
Sulfur taints the air at first breath. A thousand decaying things. The ground is dry and yellow, cracked and caked with mineral deposits, covered with the solid, round clusters of animal scat. It is a hellscape. Mud pots belch and splash off the edges of the boardwalk. Gray-brown mud hot…
Engebret Cafe: Oslo's Oldest Restaurant
"You are American? Yesterday, Martin Sheen was here." The waiter placed our drinks on the table and looked up to gauge our reaction to the name drop. Despite the non sequitur , neither of us flinched. "Martin Sheen. You know... the American actor. West Wing." I'm not really one for name…