For our visits to St. Petersburg and Moscow, I selected bed and breakfasts suggested by Way to Russia. In St. Petersburg, we’re staying at the SwissStar, and were picked up at the airport by a good-looking young man who said almost nothing on the ride. We were greeted by Lena, who spoke not very muchContinue reading “A word about our lodging”
Category Archives: food
Autumn at the Russian Versailles
Today was a relaxing day, by comparison. The plan was to take the hydrofoil to Peterhof to see Peter the Great’s palace. But when we arrived at the pier with the big Meteorboat to Peterhof sign (in Cyrillic), it was deserted and the guy at the coffeeshop said there were no boats. “Because of theContinue reading “Autumn at the Russian Versailles”
The Rasputin Conspiracy
When I was in St. Petersburg in 2001, I wasn’t able to visit the cellar where Rasputin was murdered. Who even knows why I wanted to, except that I like macabre stuff. In my travel story, I said that it’s worth seeing the rest of the Yusupov Palace even if you can’t do the separateContinue reading “The Rasputin Conspiracy”
Lessons from St. Petersburg
When you’re used to visiting cities the scale of Florence or Prague, you look at a map of St. Petersburg and think it’s an easy walk from your B&B to the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood. It is not. Take the metro. I’d forgotten, but that was the advice I gave in aContinue reading “Lessons from St. Petersburg”
Detour in Florence
We slept late our first morning in Florence, and weren’t particularly hungry, even though the last time we ate was crepes in Amsterdam. We’re staying with a friend of Rob’s who’s teaching at NYU here, and lives in a sweet penthouse in Piazza Pitti. The area is crawling with tourists, even though Florence’s main sightsContinue reading “Detour in Florence”
The problem with produce
Rob’s not a huge fan of most fruits and vegetables, so he was keen on using a juicer for a rapid infusion of nutrients. We borrowed one from his parents and enjoyed a week of concoctions that were mostly quite tasty. But the Jack LaLanne juicer is a bitch to clean and for every twoContinue reading “The problem with produce”
What’s to eat?
I became a vegetarian in 2000, and now I feel bad about eating bananas. I’m reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I suggested it to my book club after we read a dystopian downer called The Windup Girl, which had something to do with food being an endangered species controlled by Calorie Companies. I didn’t care forContinue reading “What’s to eat?”
Free meat
I think it was my dentist who told me a few years ago that I should get a second dog, because it’s really no different than having one dog. Except for the cost of food. Never mind how untrue that first part has wound up being so far, but oh my gawd, the two dogsContinue reading “Free meat”
Keeping it real
All is not as well as I so optimistically declared last week. My foot still bothers me and my TMJ has gotten bad again. Active release therapy for TMJ is not as much fun as having my foot rubbed, and I feel sore after. I’ve had two treatments and I hope that it’s working, becauseContinue reading “Keeping it real”
Cranky pants
Things have been going pretty well of late. My foot is on the road to recovery, and I have resumed some of my exercise classes. Summer is near, etc. etc. Even in the face of “going pretty well of late,” sometimes I accidentally put on my cranky pants. I don’t even realize I’m wearing them.Continue reading “Cranky pants”
Kari Neumeyer 