No breakfast today, we were off to an early start. As our destination was outside of the city centre, we couldn’t get there by walking, as we had for the past few days – in fact, we were worried our 10-trip metro pass wouldn’t pay off (it did in the end, just barely). Waiting opposite…
Russia ’16 – St. Petersburg Day 4
We got a few Pirozhki pieces (different jams as filling) for breakfast from the very popular, upmarket chain cafe Штрогель (Strogell, look for the swirly apple logo). Mr K had an amusing language fail. They didn’t have any change so they suggested we add черни́ка instead. Husband couldn’t figure it out so he insisted that…
Russia ’16 – St. Petersburg Day 3
After walking past it several times, we finally managed to actually visit one of the most iconic cathedrals in StP – the Church (of the Savior) on Spilled Blood. The interiour is even more spectacular than the (eye) candy jar exteriour. There was a free tour in Russian at the time of our visit, too,…
I’ll be back!
Just a quick heads-up, this blog has been inactive for a while because I was swamped with work and thesis stuff. I do, however, have detailed write-ups of our past trips up my sleeve, as well as guides to off-the-beaten-track destinations in China. In addition, I’ll compile a few reports and insights to share about…
Russia ’16 – St. Petersburg Day 2
We started our first full day at Kazansky Cathedral. Unlike the more touristy Cathedral of Spilled Blood – which got its name from being the site of Alexander II’s assassination – it is an actual place of worship. As such, there is no entrance fee, but of course you should behave respectfully. That includes covering…
Russia ’16 – St. Petersburg Day 1
Flying Aeroflot from Berlin, we chose to spend one night in the capital before embarking on our Russia trip. Many attractions (and restaurants) close on Mondays and we’ve been to Berlin before many times, so we simply walked from our hotel near the Kurfürstendamm shopping street to Kreuzberg, where we visited the Veganz store (no…
Otaku Style: Alternative Japan – Dark Edition (under construction)
A guide to alternative Japan with focus on special interests (“otaku”), this time, everything dark and mysterious. Featuring music and fashion (Gothic/Lolita/Visual Kei) and generally places with a darker backstory. This post is under construction (as are all the others) and will be fleshed out with detail later on. If you have any recommendations or…
Down-to-Earth Osaka
Part 4 of our 2014 trip to Japan Osaka seems to be little more than a transit place for most people, but we actually liked the city better than e.g. Tokyo. It felt more down-to-earth, more approachable to us. We arrived in the early morning after the Willer Bus trip from Hiroshima. A little dazed,…
Kansai Region Day Trips – Deer, Tea and Monks
Part 3 of our 2014 trip to Japan Places visited: Kobe, Nara, Koyasan, Uji Of course, our time in the Kansai region did not start with various day trips. We spent a week each in Osaka and Kyoto, which is a lot to write about, so I’m starting with the more manageable accounts of the…
Chugoku – in the past targeted, in the present oft-overlooked
Part 2 of our 2014 trip to Japan Places visited: Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kure, Okunoshima Hiroshima greeted us with a heavy thunderstorm. It even caused a massive mudslide north of the city, as we would find out later. When the lightning had abated a bit, we rushed through the rain to our hotel, wearing our disposable…
Japan’s Hot-Spot Kyushu – Volcanoes, Fireworks and Onsen
Part I of our 2014 trip to Japan Kokura, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Aso, Shimabara, Obama Onsen, Unzen, Nagasaki We arrived at KIX in August, just before Obon. Customs went smoothly, although the officer was amused/taken aback by the roll of toilet paper on top of my luggage, leftovers from a . As we stepped out of…
How China (kind of) took over my life
When your CV includes the line “Chinese – fluent in speaking and writing”, I can almost guarantee that you’ll be asked why on earth you would want to learn Mandarin, at least to that level. In my case, the honest reply is – because I had nothing better to do. Boredom can be dangerous, as…
Trails of Red 