Russia visit dominates cruise thoughts

Egypt. She dominated my thoughts as I prepared for my six-country eastern Mediterranean cruise last December.

Russia. She now dominates my thoughts as I prepare for my seven-country Baltic capitals cruise, coming up in a week.

In preparation for my trip, I have immersed myself in the study of Russian culture, history, way of life, traditions, customs, tourist attractions, current events, government, and currency. I even watched Dr. Zhivago and we'll watch three more Russian films next week. During my reading, I came across this interesting summary of cross-cultural perspectives on Russia:

Writing a book that includes everything about contact with Russians would be extremely difficult. Russia, like any other country, has many different facets.

Americans like the scale of things in Russia and the Russian soul, but are irritated by the lack of service.

The English are drawn to Russian culture, but the inability to stand in a queue makes them indignant.

The Germans like Russian hospitality, but do not welcome the dirty streets and public places.

Italians like Russian friendship, but are not comfortable with the familiarity.

The Chinese like the Russian countryside, but cannot understand why things are done so slowly.

I look forward to my journey.

World Happiness Rankings--What Are The 10 Happiest Nations?

Where in the world do people feel most contented with their lives? Last year, I posted a Forbes article about world happiness. Here is a summary of the 2009 study.

A report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based group of 30 countries with democratic governments that provides economic and social statistics and data, used a Gallup World Poll conducted in 140 countries around the world. The poll asked respondents whether they had experienced six different forms of positive or negative feelings within the last day. The poll was scored numerically on a scale of 1-100. The average score was 62.4. Denmark ranked # one with a score of 90.1. The US, with a score of 74, did not crack the top ten list.

The study reveals that factors contributing most to contentment are: economic health, work-life balance, and low unemployment.

Here is the top ten list of happiest countries:

Country Score
1.Denmark 90.1
2.Norway 85.9
3.Netherlands 85.1
4.Sweden 82.7
5.Iceland 81.1
6.Canada 78.0
7.Switzerland 77.4
8.New Zealand 76.7
9.Norway 76.5
10.Belgium 76.3

BTW, several research projects around the world that attempt to measure happiness by country all place northern European countries in the top. What’s more, Denmark usually tops the list in all the studies.

Another European City Bans Burqas

The BBC.com reports: The Catalan town of Lleida announced a ban on Islamic veils last month Barcelona has become the first large Spanish city to announce a ban on the wearing of full Islamic face-veils in some public spaces.

The ban was designed to include any head-wear that hindered identification, officials said.

At least two towns in Catalonia, the region that includes Barcelona, have already announced bans.

Belgium and France have both recently taken steps towards restricting the use of full veils in public.

Barcelona's city council said the ban would be largely symbolic, since it was uncommon to see women in the city wearing the full veil.

"Barcelona will forbid the use of the burqa, niqab and any other item which hinders personal identification in any of the city's public installations," a council statement said.

The ban would cover public spaces such as municipal offices, public markets and libraries - but not the streets.

The mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu, said the measure was aimed purely at ensuring people could be identified, and would therefore include balaclavas, motorbike helmets and ski masks.

"In no way does it target religious belief," he said.

The ban is scheduled to take effect in Barcelona after the summer.

The Conservative Popular Party (PP) called for the ban to be extended to all public places, including on the street.

Full veils have already been banned in public spaces in the Catalan towns of Lleida and El Vendrell.

Others are reported to be considering similar measures.

12 Etiquette Tips for Visitors to Russia

Here is a helpful list of etiquette tips about how to be respectful of Russian culture, while there.:


1.Shoes are always removed upon entering a private home (and are sometimes removed upon entering Russian museums). Slippers may be given to guests to wear.
2.People should never show the soles of their shoes to Russians; this is considered grave disrespect. Tourists should always sit so the soles of their shoes face the floor.
3.A small edible gift (wine, pastries, fruit) should always be given to hosts when people are invited over for dinner.
4.When Russian people give flowers, they never give them in even numbers (even-numbered bunches of flowers are reserved for funerals).
5.Visitors to Russia should try to refrain from smiling too much to avoid attracting attention.
6.Americans in particular should speak a little lower than they would in their home country; Russians often remark that their American friends seem to be shouting when they speak.
7.Russians follow European table manners--fork in left hand, knife in right hand.
8.Single women should avoid sitting at the corner of a table; this is considered bad luck.
9.During train travel, it is considered polite for travelers to share all they have with the people in the carriage: food, drink and cigarettes.
10.At outdoor markets, there is quite a bit of jostling; this is normal.
11.When standing in line, tourists should get up quite close to the person in front of them. Failure to do so will lead locals to believe that the tourist is not in line at all.
12.A little bit of knowledge of the Russian language will go a long way. At the very least, tourists should learn to say "Please" (Pazhalsta) and "Thank You" (Spasiba).

Things to Keep in Mind When Touring Russia
It's a little hard to get around in Russia without knowing some of the language, but in major metropolitan centers like Moscow and St. Petersburg, there are many people (generally of the younger generation) who have learned to speak English in school and more than happy to help wayward tourists.

It's not necessary for tourists to be on pins and needles for fear of annoying or insulting Russians. Russian locals are very forgiving and are accustomed to Western visitors. Most Russians will go out of their way to help tourists visiting their cities. It's not uncommon for a pair of visitors to be surrounded by dozens of Russians, each of them eager to assist.



Read more at Suite101: Russian Etiquette: 12 Etiquette Tips for People Visiting Russia http://russia-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/russian_etiquette#ixzz0qS5xCYLy

Cross Cultural Humor

Last month a world-wide survey was conducted by the UN.
The only question asked was:-

"Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions
to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"

The survey was a huge failure because of the following:

1. In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant.
2. In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant.
3. In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant.
4. In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant.
5. In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" meant.
6. In South America they didn't know what "please" meant.
7. In the USA they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.
8. In Australia they hung up as soon as they heard the Indian accent.

Baltic Capitals Cruise on the NCL Sun---- June 28-July 10

I decided to take another 12-night European Cruise in less than one month.

Specifically, I will visit 7 COUNTRIES: Denmark, (East) Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, England, and Russia (overnight stay). 3 countries are new to me: Russia, Finland, and Estonia. Visiting East Germany will also be a first for me.

I am happy I will only have ONE flight—a direct Miami-London flight. The ship leaves from Dover, a port 2 hours from London.

I will take guided tours in St Petersburg and Berlin with a tour company recommended on Cruise Critic boards. In Stockholm, Copenhagen, Tallinn, and Helsinki, I will tour on my own. I am also signed up for the Meet&Greet onboard the NCL Sun, along with 64 others who are posted online. I have read many opinions and suggestions from 16 pages of posts.

I am especially excited to visit Russia for two days.

Interestingly, although 6 of the 7 countries are part of the European Union, only 2(Denmark and Finland) utilize the Euro.

Baltic Capitals Here I Come!!

White Nights in Russia

The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice in June in areas of high latitude during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The White Nights are a time of celebration in areas such as Saint Petersburg, Russia, where the Sun does not set until after 10 p.m., and the twilight lasts almost all night.

The White Nights Festival in Saint Petersburg is famous for spectacular fireworks and Scarlet Sails, a massive show celebrating the end of school year.

I look forward to seeing this July 4 and 5 in Russia!