hey there fellow travelers mark here
with Walters room today we're in st.
Petersburg Russia for the 10 things that
are gonna shock travelers when they come
here to Russia so let's get started and
the first thing that shocks people when
they come here are the people and some
of it is the service when you hear or
lack of service yes don't expect a lot
of service when you come to Russia it
can be shockingly bad and time-consuming
and just frustrating and yes sometimes
it seems like they don't care they don't
smile back and that kind of shock some
people but look they're not me they're
just reserved and the thing is when you
get to know Russians and they open up to
you they can be some of the most fun
people ever I mean I've had so many
great parties and great dinners and
great times with my Russian friends I've
made around the world I mean have you
been at a party and then when you go to
sleep someone tries to sew you into your
bed yeah that's the fun stuff that
Russians do and what I've had a chance
to meet the people you know and when
it's really helped is just you know in a
few words of Russian can turn that stone
face into a hey you could be a friend of
mine kind of thing and it really makes a
difference so do try to learn a little
bit so you can meet the people cuz I
can't tell you how many cabbage rolls
I've eaten over the years from babushkas
grandmas that are near the ground was my
friends like Oh mark he saw him alone he
needs friends so don't be like bring him
over you know I've had times where it's
hey Mark my friend Max is his mom's like
Oh Maxie copes like my mom my grandma
said you have to come over because you
need to eat because they were worried
about me
I'm the people really are super Hospital
when you get to know them that's why you
should take the time if you're gonna go
on the trans-siberian highway bring a
deck of cards and something to drink so
you can share and play cards and Gamble
and stuff like that because you will get
to know the people and it is quite fun
to hang out with them and that's why I
really want to say is it shocks people
that yes that service can be so bad but
this people can't really be wonderful
when you get a chance to actually meet
them so if you get a chance to do meet
them alright now the second thing that
shocks people when they come here he's
actually deciphering the language
look Russian is the Cyrillic alphabet
you will not understand anything and it
shocks people when they come and think
oh well I'm sure they know some English
or something like that no look
Russia is one of the largest countries
in the world and population size and
things like that and so they focus on
Russian just like in the US it's all in
English here it's all in Russian and
finding people that speak English is
sometimes hard to find outside of you
know some of the major cities and even
in places like st. Petersburg and Moscow
you don't always get a lot of English
around that even in the tourism industry
so make sure you do know a little bit
remember what I told you knowing a
little bit of Russian can really warm
people up so spasiba you know thank you
and uh you know you know a people over
for a beer or hey hey let's get a a
p-value let's get a drink oh hey you
know some stuff it really opens people
up and yes does yes and there is no and
things like that but it is one of those
things and I'd also say yeah we're
that's one of the things you should know
but it is really cool and the thing is
though it is really hard to decipher the
letter so before you come make sure you
least try to get an idea of what the
letters sound like like the backwards R
is a yeah and then there's a D that
looks weird and you got the you think
it's a P but actually makes an R sound
it can get kind of confusing and when
you're taking the metro and you're
looking for places and you can't figure
it out it can get really shocking and
scary for people so I do recommend get a
Google Translate app and download the
offline version so you can just take a
picture of things and it and translate
it for you it will make your life a lot
easier but you'll be shocked how you
have really no clue when it comes to
Russian language now the third thing is
going to shock you are the churches
specifically the Russian Orthodox
churches on the outside you know with
the onion domes and all the colorings
but for me it's the insides of the
churches so you don't go to st. basil or
with a spilt blood church here in st.
Petersburg they're just gorgeous with
the icons inside the gold is silver and
all these things it is truly amazing and
you go in like wow I mean you don't you
go into so many tricks we just go WOW
and you get shot by that beauty so don't
skip the churches when you come here go
and enjoy them because they really are
shockingly beautiful now the fourth
thing that shocks people when they come
to Russia is they realize that wait
there's more than st. Petersburg and
scout yes you can go to the Kremlin in
Moscow but you know what you could go to
the Kremlin in kazan kremlin means
citadel that's where the church in the
walls and all these things are and you
can really see it in lots of different
places and russia has a lot of great
places to check out
yes saint petersburg with a hermitage
and the Winter Palace and and the river
here and all these kind of things are
super awesome to do and in Moscow the
Kremlin red square and scene then it
gets great but getting out and exploring
Russia is really a fantastic thing so
you know for me I know when I was doing
my research I'm like mad cuz I'm with
the moths there and the this it and the
Kremlin there just looks gorgeous and I
really want to check it out go on a
Volga River cruise something like that
you said all these things that are
really amazing so don't be shocked when
you realize that it wait it's not just
st. Petersburg in Moscow no this place
is huge and that leads to the next shock
is how insanely huge Russia is look get
it Russia goes from one side of Asia to
the other side of Asia and then into
Europe okay it's huge and that train
stop you're in highway he's got their
side that trans-siberian railroad will
take you days weeks maybe a month to go
through it all so you really need to
realize the size of this place is
enormous and especially if you're going
to even the cities like Moscow st.
Petersburg when you look at a map for
Berlin or a London you think oh it I can
walk that a room I can walk that st.
Petersburg when you see these things you
go man that is too big too you don't
realize it's you can't really walk those
distances it's so big so make sure you
do use that public transport because it
is very helpful it goes lots of places
it makes a big difference and yes you
can bring your kids here too it's not a
big deal and with that size you really
need to plan ahead with flights and
transportation because of the distance
and time it takes it really is more
helpful to have a better idea when you
get there so you're not trying to go a
place to place a place you really need
to plan it out beforehand because the
now nothing's gonna shock you who come
here is the weather and I'm going to
tell you the weather is no joke
sometimes you can have great you know
summer nights like we are here the white
nights here in st. Petersburg and that
is really cool that daylight through the
summer is fantastic but when winter
comes
it is dangerously cold and you need to
be careful when you are here all right
so when you want to coming to make sure
you bring clothes to layer up bring
those warm clothes even in the summer
make sure you got those layers because
it will get chilly once the Sun doesn't
really go down but once it starts to
hover near the horizon you want to be
careful with that now there's some thing
that shocks people that come here is
safety can be an issue whether it is
pickpockets in st. Petersburg or Moscow
or it's getting ripped off by taxi
drivers or it's people trying to rip you
off just in general these things do
happen to tourists and it does shock
them how often these things happen and
it's not just in the tourism industry
and stuff like that
I've got shook down by police when I've
been in here these kind of things do
happen and so you want to be prepared so
make sure if you're not I mean evenings
finish up and head back to your hotel
ask your hotel where you should go or
shouldn't go you do really need to pay
attention with these things and I would
say with the safety kind of thing I
don't recommend you know don't take
pictures of the police don't take
pictures of government buildings well
like you know like military abilities
and stuff like that I mean you could
take a picture that kind of those things
but you do want to be careful when you
are here and probably the most shocking
of all those safety things is the
traffic when you'll see I mean when you
go on YouTube you'll see the traffic
dashcams around Russia and you'll be
like oh my god these people drive crazy
they do drive crazy and when you're in
the crosswalk it's like they're aiming
for you you got to be really careful
with that okay so just heads up on that
one the a thing that's gonna shock you
when you come here is sticker shock
Russia is expensive whether it's getting
your visa cause hotels restaurants for
tourists it can be quite expensive
proposition coming here and you will be
shocked at some times there's two prices
one for the locals and one for travelers
so you will have to pay more for museums
or other things so just just be ready
for that don't be shocked by just
realize it can happen and don't get
don't try to trick them because you'll
be shocked will they'll realize dude
you're not Russian okay
now the ninth ins gonna shock you you
come here is the hassle and the pain and
the button is of getting your Russian
visa you gotta I mean this is one things
you got me planners like a month in
advance you know it's not something you
can do last minute to come you really
have to think about this so because it
can take with an agency you know like
four or five days or it could take up to
a month you're doing it on your own and
getting the invitations the hotel stuff
oh it's shockingly frustrating to do so
just a heads up on that okay and the
tenth thing it's gonna shock you is when
you're in Moscow
yes you really can see Lenin's body no
you probably can't take pictures when
you are there but you can see him so I
hope you like your tint shocks if you
want to learn more about visiting Russia
things you're gonna love and hey what
you don't do when you come here check us
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Saturday so please do subscribe and have
a great time here in Russia it is a lot
cooler than you expected you will be
shocked how much more fun you'll have
than everyone seems to tell you well bye