Friday, September 29, 2017
How to Plan a German Christmas Market Trip
Last year, I spent a week hopping around Germany’s Bavaria region in December, exploring several different Christmas markets. What a great trip! I knew I’d have fun, but I was genuinely surprised at what a relaxing and delightful week it was. How could you not enjoy a week of holiday spirit, mulled wine, and delicious food?
At the time I wrote a post showcasing my favorite parts of the trip, but I pointed out that it was December and it would make more sense to publish a trip planning post in September or so. And here we are!
Why plan a German Christmas markets trip?
I’m not super-big on Christmas. As an American, I find that most of our country’s Christmas events revolve around two things: children and consumerism. If it’s not about Santa and reindeer taking center stage, it’s about trying to get you to spend as much money as possible, stressed-out shoppers swarming as cheesy Christmas music blasts in every direction. (I like exactly one Christmas song and it’s “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway. “Dominick the Donkey” can jump off a cliff and die.)
If you’re looking for an adult-oriented Christmas activity, your two choices are watching Love, Actually and drinking your face off at an office Christmas party.
That’s not the case in Germany. German Christmas markets are located in virtually every town. Though they have their share of children’s sections and goods for sale, these markets are first and foremost for adults looking to have a good time. They’re about eating delicious food, munching on lebkuchen (gingerbread) and drinking glühwein (mulled wine) or kinderpunsch (nonalcoholic fruit punch). They’re about spending a jolly good time with your friends — but they’re not about getting drunk.
My German friends tell me that starting in late November, nobody goes out to bars — everyone just meets at the market!
Here are my tips for planning a German Christmas markets trip:
Spend time researching the best Christmas markets in Germany.
If you’re planning a Christmas markets trip, make sure to hit up one of the best ones. I encourage you to do your own research and see what appeals to you personally, but here are some of the notable ones:
Nuremberg is home to the largest Christmas market in the world.
Dresden is home to the oldest Christmas market in the world.
Berlin has more than 60 different Christmas markets; Munich has more than 30.
Konstanz is famous for its stunning location on the banks of Lake Constance, the Alps in the background.
There are LGBT-oriented Pink Markets in Munich, Frankfurt, and Cologne.
Plan a trip for late November through December 23.
Germany’s Christmas markets usually start around November 20-25 or so, and the final date is almost always December 23, as Germans celebrate Christmas on December 24. Double-check the dates before you book your trip. Whatever you do, don’t come to Germany and expect markets to stick around after Christmas!
Concentrate on one region in Germany and explore it in depth.
As tempting as it may be to cover Germany from corner to corner, I recommend planning a trip concentrated on one region. Distances will be shorter, but there will still be a lot of variety in the cities and towns you visit, and you’ll get to know the nuances of a region and the slight variations in the different towns.
I recommend basing from two or three cities and using the train to make day trips.
Get a German Rail Pass.
Take it from me — the best way to travel Germany is by train! I absolutely love traveling Europe by train and Germany has some of the nicest trains on the continent.
Getting a German Rail Pass can be a great way to save money. You can either get a pass that covers 3-15 days of unlimited travel or get 3-15 days of train travel within a month. I recommend the latter. For my trip (see the itinerary below), a pass for 5 days of rail within a month would cover all the trains I needed.
In Germany you don’t need to book reservations on most trains, so you can simply show up at the station, hop on a train, and show your pass to the conductor when he or she comes by. That’s a big difference from France or Spain, where you often have to book trains in advance and pay a supplemental fee, even with a pass.
Even so, it’s a good idea to plan out your journeys in advance and price them out on bahn.de, Germany’s rail site. It might be cheaper to buy tickets individually or just buy the rail pass to cover the long journeys while paying for cheap short journeys out of pocket.
Visit small towns as well as cities.
Over the years I’ve noticed that American tourists visiting Europe tend to travel from major city to major city, concentrating on the big names and ignoring the smaller towns. European tourists are different, however — they tend to visit one major city and travel around the surrounding region. For exploring Christmas markets, take the European approach.
Many of my German friends tell me they prefer the Christmas markets in smaller cities, as they tend to be less congested.
Don’t think that for a Germany trip you need to visit Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg. You could concentrate on Munich and visit Augsburg, Regensburg, Passau, and Nuremberg. You could concentrate on Berlin and visit Potsdam, Leipzig, and Dresden. You could concentrate on Hamburg and visit Lübeck and Bremen.
As much as I enjoyed Bamberg and Passau, I haven’t visited as many small towns in Germany as I’d have liked to — some high on my list Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Quedlinburg and Trier.
Try each town’s local delicacies.
Each German town has its own food specialties, whether it’s a certain kind of sausage or a baked good you’d struggle to find elsewhere. Try them all! Any dish that has the name of the town in it is usually a local dish. Not sure? Ask! Most Germans speak at least a little bit of English and all Germans are eager to show off their towns.
Each town has its own handicrafts, too. The prune people, pictured above, are a specialty of Nuremberg and can be found throughout Bavaria.
Dress warmly and wear good shoes.
The forecast might not look too cold, especially if you’re used to freezing winters, but the cold compounds when you’re outside for hours at a time. Likewise, you’ll be standing for hours, and you’ll want your feet to be as comfortable as possible. This is a trip for your heaviest winter coat, gloves, scarves, hats, thick socks.
I am a huge fan of Speakeasy Travel Supply scarves, which have a secret passport pocket and are ideal for travel. Get 10% off with the code ADVKATE.
Consider investing in smartphone gloves, which allow you to keep your fingers warm while Instagramming away.
For shoes, you don’t have to wear sneakers — but wear shoes that are warm and have good support. I wore knee-high leather boots most days.
Collect the glühwein mugs!
Glühwein is the primary beverage of German Christmas markets, and each year, the cities create new designs for their mugs. When you order glühwein, you pay a small deposit for the mug — usually around two euros. You can return the mug if you’d like and get your deposit back, or you can keep it! They make great souvenirs to bring home.
I would love to have a Christmas party at my place this year. We’ll see if that actually happens, but if I do, I am going to have everyone drinking out of my glühwein mugs!
If you see something weird…buy it!
You’ll see the occasional weird and awesome item for sale at a Christmas market, buy it! Don’t assume you can find one in the next town — you might not see another one again. And I guarantee you will find a use for it, or a friend for whom it’s a perfect gift.
One of my regrets is that I didn’t buy any of the hunky merman ornaments for sale at the Pink Market in Munich. At the time, I told myself, “What are you even going to do with that, Kate?” Well, I bet you I would have found a use for it!
My Bavaria Christmas Market Itinerary
Last year I traveled around Bavaria, which is a beautiful part of Germany. I joke that Bavaria is the “Texas of Germany” — it’s home to traditions like beer steins and lederhosen that people tend to associate with all of Germany but happen to be Bavarian, not German. You see lederhosen in Berlin about as often as you see cowboy hats in New York — it’s not a thing there.
Bavaria is absolutely gorgeous, though. Rolling hills and rivers in the countryside. Pastel-colored old towns. Gothic churches. And plenty of biergartens and beer halls! Bavaria by no means represents all of Germany, but if you want to concentrate on one region, it’s a terrific choice. Here was my itinerary:
- Two nights in Munich spent at a conference
- Three nights in Nuremberg, including a day trip to Bamberg
- One night in Regensburg
- One night in Passau
- One more night in Munich
This itinerary worked well, but I’m not the biggest fan of switching accommodation frequently, so I would recommend spending two nights in Regensburg and doing a day trip to Passau instead. Another Bavarian city that I love is Augsburg; I recommend adding it to your itinerary if you have extra time.
Essential Info: I flew in and out of Munich and traveled by train throughout Bavaria. My tickets were purchased a la carte, but you might save money with a Eurail (non-EU resident) or Interrail (EU resident) pass or the German Rail Pass, which is strictly for Germany. I recommend pricing out your legs and comparing the total cost. Don’t forget day trips! Germany is one of the best countries to use rail passes because you almost never have to pay additional reservation fees for the fast trains, unlike France, Italy, and Spain. Plus, if you’re over 26, you’re automatically in first class.
For a Christmas market trip or a trip where you’re doing lots of day trips, I find it best to stay in a hotel within a short walk of the train station (especially in small towns) because it will make your life a million times easier.
In Munich I stayed at the Hotel Präsident, a good, central three-star close to the main train station and in walking distance of a lot of Munich attractions. Rates from 192 EUR ($199). I also stayed at the Westin Grand Munich Hotel, an excellent five-star business hotel, but it’s not in the center of town; it’s well connected by U-bahn though. Rates from 438 EUR ($516). Find more Munich hotels here.
In Nuremberg I stayed at the Congress Hotel Mercure Nürnberg, which I do not recommend because it’s isolated and far from everything (11-minute walk to U-bahn or 14 EUR ($16.50) taxi to the train station), and one night the front desk gave my key out to a stranger who barged into my room. (Always double-lock your door!!!) The manager was good about making things right, but I wouldn’t stay there again because of the location. Rates from 94 EUR ($111). Find other Nuremberg hotels here.
In Regensburg I stayed at the Hotel Central Regensburg City Centre, which was spacious, comfortable, close to the train station and a short walk from the old town. Rates from 84 EUR ($99). Find more Regebsurg hotels here.
In Passau I stayed at the IBB Hotel Passau City Centre, a good mid-range hotel, which was right across from the train station and a short walk from the old town. Rates from 75 EUR ($88). Find more Passau hotels here.
Don’t visit Germany without travel insurance. I use and recommend World Nomads. On this trip I had to visit the hospital after hitting my head and sustaining a concussion. The ER I visited in Munich, Klinikum der Universität München, charges non-EU insurance-holding residents 300 EUR ($353), but because I use World Nomads, I got that money refunded!
Have you been to Germany’s Christmas markets? What tips would you give?
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Presidents Cup 2017 Friday Four Ball Matches and Tee Times
Presidents Cup 2017 Friday Four Ball Matches and Tee Times
The Presidents Cup format consists of five foursomes matches on Thursday, five four-ball matches on Friday, Four foursomes and four four-balls on Saturday and twelve singles matches on Sunday.
Four Ball is a match play format played in teams of two, with each team member playing his own ball throughout the holes. Four players; four balls. At the end of each hole, the team’s low score is counted to determine who wins the hole.
Here are the matches for the Friday (September 29, 2017) Four Ball matches.
Four-ball Matches and Starting Times
Current Presidents Cup Score: United States 3.5, International 1.5
Match 6 11:35 AM
US Team
Jordan Spieth United States
Patrick Reed United States
International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Japan
Adam Hadwin, Canada
Match 7 11:50 AM
US Team
Rickie Fowler
Justin Thomas
International Team
Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa
Branden Grace, South Africa
Match 8 12:05 PM Phil Mickelson United States
US Team
Kevin Kisner
Phil Mickelson
International Team
Jason Day, Australia
Marc Leishman, Australia
Match 9 12:20 PM
US Team
Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman
International Team
Charl Schwartzel, South Africa
Anirban Lahiri, India
Match 10 12:35 PM
US Team
Dustin Johnson
Brooks Koepka
International Team
Adam Scott, Australia
Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela
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Beagle Driving Golf Cart Figurine
Beagle Driving Golf Cart Figurine
Ridiculous Golf Item of the Week
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5 Tips for Practising without the Piano
I regularly contribute to Pianist magazine’s newsletter, which wings its way into our inbox every other month. My article always takes the form of ‘5 tips’ and last month’s were designed for those who fancy taking their practice away from the instrument. I hope they are of interest.
Practising away from the instrument can be a beneficial practice technique. Taking the music off the page is a most valuable facet for any pianist. If you’re able to hear it, imagine playing it, and visualise or recall any passage, you are more likely to be at ‘one’ with the music, thereby producing a performance of integrity and musical depth.
1 Instigate a happy positive mind-set before practice begins; it’s amazing the effect this can have on learning capacity. Before practice commences, aim to sit at the instrument with a relaxed posture; shoulders down, hands hanging freely by your side, breathing slowly, and thinking positively.
2 Consider the piece you are about to practice; how does it make you feel? Feelings take on a new meaning when practising away from the keyboard, and this may be what produces deeper expressivity. As you observe the score, note what happens in each hand; the movements, fingerings and gestures required to play the patterns. It can be particularly helpful to pay special attention to the left hand here too. Aim to do this without the piano.
3 Some find it helpful to write the piece out on manuscript paper (recalling it from memory). As you work at the piano, begin to test your memory during practice sessions; by repeatedly returning to the same phrases and passages over a period of time, the thought responses become stronger and clearer. Now do this away from the instrument, hearing each passage in isolation.
4 Play the piece through in your mind. The effort and assimilation required can come as quite a shock, but once accustomed to the relevant mind-set needed, a calmness and stillness is acquired, and it becomes possible to ‘think’ through the music increasingly accurately. And you can do this anywhere at any time!
5 Visualise watching yourself play your piece at the keyboard, as an image in your mind. It can be a good idea to envisage every detail; fingerings, movements, and everything necessary to play the piece from beginning to end successfully.
If you can work at some of these suggestions frequently, memory and visualisation skills associated with practising away from the keyboard will gradually develop, and this method could eventually become a worthwhile part of a practice session.
You can read the original article here.
My Books:
For much more information about practising repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece.
If you’re thinking about learning to play the piano, my guide-book, So You Want To Play The Piano? (Alfred) is full of useful help and support.
The Faber Music Piano Anthology (Faber) is also a valuable resource for those who desire a collection of standard repertoire from Grades 2 – 8, featuring 78 pieces in total.
My Compositions:
I have written a selection of educational piano music (both solo and duet) and you can hear it and find out much more here: EVC Music Publications.
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Thursday, September 28, 2017
Sorry I'm Late, But I Suck At Bikes
.@NYCMayor, who doesn't bike, answered unsafe infra concerns by saying it's untrue, blaming the victim, and excusing w/ 'too much traffic' http://pic.twitter.com/xzHzlprKR3— Jonathan Warner (@Jaxbot) September 27, 2017
And finally, speaking of Bicycling, it looks like its parent company, Rodale, is being bought by Hearst:
The surviving Rodalians are said to be rejoicing that Hearst appears to have beaten Meredith in the bidding war. “Hearst is the only publishing company to actually come to Emmaus [the remote Pennsylvania town Rodale calls home] to try to learn about the corporate culture,” said one source close to the company.
“They spoke with editors and wanted to learn about their process and their vision for their brands . . . Meredith showed up and was only interested in the bottom line. Didn’t speak to a single editor.”
I have no idea what this means for Bicycling, but Hearst was very brave to travel to Emmaus, a place from which few people have ever returned.
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Explaining Four Ball – Presidents Cup Edition
Explaining Four Ball
One of the “official” golf formats, Four Ball also is known as Better Ball or Best Ball. The game consists of two teams of two players, each of whom plays his own ball on each hole (thus, Four Ball). At the end of each hole, the best score of each pair becomes the score for that team. In a match play format, the pair with the lowest score wins the hole. In a stroke play format, the lower number is recorded as that team’s score for the hole.
Example: On the first hole, the US Team scores a 5 and a 4; the Internationals get a 6 and a 3. The US’s score for the hole thus is 4; the International score is 3. In Match Play, the Europeans win the hole.
On the course in a four ball match, the partners need to keep a good eye on how the other is doing. If player A has hit a ball to a safe spot, his partner might be able to attempt a riskier shot. If the risk fails to produce reward, the other player at least has a good chance. I like this format because, played well, it encourages a gambling style of play.
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Explaining Foursomes – Presidents Cup Edition
Explaining Foursomes – Presidents Cup Edition
With the Presidents Cup here, here’s a primer on the Foursomes game:
While the proper term is foursomes, most US golfers refer to this format as alternate shot. As defined in Rule 29 of the Official Rules of Golf, Foursomes are played between two teams of two golfers, each of which plays just one ball. Players on each team alternate teeing off, and then alternate each shot thereafter.
Example: Player A tees off while his partner, B, watches. Player B then hits the ball from where it lands after A’s shot. Then it’s A’s turn until the ball is in the hole. On the next hole, Player B tees off, even if he took the final putt.
Foursomes can be scored as either match or stroke play.
A couple of special rules apply:
In Foursomes match play, if a ball is played out of order—that is, if A takes a stroke when it’s B’s turn—the hole is lost.
In Foursomes stroke play, a ball played out of order results in a two stoke penalty. The offending team must correct the error before playing from the next tee. That is, if A accidentally took a stroke on B’s turn, A must hit again, with a two stroke penalty to get back into the proper order.
If the error is not corrected before the next tee shot, the offending team is disqualified.
For coaches and captains, Foursomes presents a dilemma: do you combine players with similar, or contrasting skills?
In a foursomes, the first instinct is to combine players with dissimilar, but complementary skills. You might, for example, combine a long hitter with a short game specialist. Taking a look at the course, a captain then can identify the hole that confers the biggest advantage to the long hitter and assign her to tee off on that hole. This then determines who tees off on all the others, since tee shots are alternated between team mates.
Teaming players with different skills also can help to minimize the damage on any one hole. If a short hitter tees off, then the longer hitter can hit a higher numbered iron into the green, where, presumably, the short game player can make a good putt.
The problem with this, however, is that it takes a player out of her usual game. If the bomber is used to taking wedges into a green, she will be uncomfortable hitting a longer iron after a wedge-and-putter player’s tee shot. So, the other approach to foursomes is to combine players with similar styles. This ensures that players generally are hitting shots that are familiar.
For the pros, there’s also the question of whose ball to use. With games as precise as the world’s best, some consideration may need to be made for players with disparate ball preferences.
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Presidents Cup 2017 Thursday Foursomes
The Presidents Cup format consists of five foursomes matches on Thursday, five four-ball matches on Friday, Four foursomes and four four-balls on Saturday and twelve singles matches on Sunday.
Here are the matches for the Thursday (September 28, 2017) foursomes matches.
Match 1 1:05 PM
International
Hideki Matsuyama, Japan
Charl Schwartzel, South Africa
United States
Rickie Fowler
Justin Thomas
Match 2 1:17 PM
International
Adam Scott, Australia
Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela
United States
Dustin Johnson
Matt Kuchar
Match 3 1:29 PM
International
Si Woo Kim, South Korea
Emiliano Grillo, Argentina
United States
Jordan Spieth
Patrick Reed
Match 4 1:41 PM
International
Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa
Branden Grace, South Africa
United States
Brooks Koepka
Daniel Berger
Match 5 1:53 PM
Internatioal
Jason Day, Australia
Marc Leishman, Australia
United States
Kevin Kisner
Phil Mickelson
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Presidents Cup Match Play Formats
Presidents Cup Match Play Formats
Like the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup consists of Four Ball, Foursomes and Singles matches. Thursday consists of five foursomes matches. Friday has five four-ball matches. Saturday has four foursomes and four four-ball matches. Sunday has twelve singles matches.
In Foursomes, players form two teams of two, and play one ball per team. Players alternate shots and alternate on tee shots. The team with the lowest score on each hole wins that hole for the team.
“Four Balls” sometimes also is known as “best ball,” in that the best ball on each hole wins. A “Four Ball” match is played in teams of two, with each team member playing his own ball throughout the holes. sometimes also is known as “best ball.” Four players; four balls. At the end of each hole, the team’s low score is counted to determine who wins the hole.
In the twelve singles matches, individual players are
Match Play in general also deserves an explanation.
Match Play can be conducted either in teams or as individuals. The Presidents Cup uses both. In Match Play, golfers are concerned—not with the field—but with beating the players they are playing against directly.
The most confusing part of Match Play is in the scoring. Each hole in a Match is a separate event, and is taken in isolation. The team or player who finishes the hole in the fewest strokes wins the hole. The one who wins the most holes out of eighteen wins the match.
The hole-by-hole format means that it’s possible (and probable) that one team or player will get far enough ahead that the other has no chance of winning. For example, if the International and American teams finish the 16th hole, and the Internationalss have won three more than the Americans, there is no need to continue. At best, the Americans could win both remaining holes, and still would be one hole down to the Internationals. So the match is called at 16. The final result would be Internationals 3 and 2. That means that the International team won because they were up by three holes, with two holes left.
The scoring system in match play has some peculiar terminology. Match play results are reported by how many more (or fewer) holes a player has won, along with the number of holes left. Suppose that, after ten holes, the Americans have won four holes, the International Team has won two and they’ve tied on four others. The score is reported as the US being two up through 10. At the same time, the International Team is 2-down through 10. If both have won the same number of holes, the score would be reported as “All Square Through 10.”
If a team wins 1-up, that means that the match has gone to 18 holes. The last hole was played either because the match was all square after 17, or because a team was only 1 up, and the other could have made the match All Square on the final hole.
The term “Halve” is used when players tie on an individual hole. However, because tied holes are not counted in scoring an individual match, you’ll never see a score like US 3 1/2 Internationals 1 1/2.
This also explains why there will often be a result where the holes just don’t add up. The US could win four holes, the Internationals win three and they could tie the other 11. If you just added up the number of holes won, it would look like they didn’t play a full match.
A “Dormie” is when one is up by the exact number of holes left in the match. At this point, the best the opponent can do is to tie. So, if they’re on the 16th tee, and the Internationals are 3-Up, the match is Dormie. The best the US can do is to win the final three holes (16, 17 and 18)and make things All Square.
One seemingly strange score occurs when a player or team wins 5 and 3. On the surface, it looks as though the match should have ended with four holes to play, because one was up by five. But what actually happened was that the match was Dormie with four to go. That is, the US was 4-Up on the 15th tee (four holes to go). At this point, the International team can Halve the match by winning the final four holes. But the US wins the 15th, and the match is over. The US wins by five, with three to go, or 5 and 3.
Another interesting aspect of Match Play is that the players do not have finish every hole. Consider the following situation: Jordan Spieth hits a hole-in-one on a par three. Oosthuizen hits the green within inches of the cup, but the ball does not go in. At this point, there is no need for Oosthuizen to finish the hole, and he will concede to Spieth. Even if Oosthuizen finishes with a birdie, he still has lost the hole. And there is no need to see if Oosthuizen can make the putt because unlike Stroke Play, the score does not carry over to the next hole.
Similarly, players often will “concede” a stroke. This usually happens on a short putt. For example, if Spieth knows that Oosthuizen is going to make the tap-in, he might grant “gimmie.” The real question for that hole is whether Spieth can make the 12 footer to win the hole, or if he two putts for a halve.
There are also a couple of other major rules differences in Match Play. For example, in Stoke Play, if you play out of order, it’s just a breach of etiquette. But in Match Play, your opponent can force you to replay the shot.
The other major changes generally have to do with the penalty for breach of rules. In Stroke play, most of the penalties involve the addition of strokes. In Match Play, the rules violations generally involve the automatic loss of the hole.
For my money, match play is the most exciting form of golf
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Is America Too Stupid For Bikes?
Yep, same Fredly bikes you're used to, only with the added benefit of having to ravage the earth for lithium:
Yamaha evidently "soft-launched" these at Interbike:
“In some ways from a Yamaha global perspective, the U.S. market is sort of the place for outdoor recreation,” Trester said.
Engelmann said Yamaha will sell through IBDs and e-IBDs.
“There is a reawakening of bicycling in the U.S. right now. I would hesitate to say that it’s because of e-bikes; however, there are more non-common consumers coming into bicycle retail looking for power-assist bicycles now than ever before,” Engelmann said. “E-bikes are now giving the retailer the opportunity to win the test ride again.”
And while I'm becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of ebikes, I'm simultaneously becoming even more skeptical that Americans are capable of making intelligent decisions, especially where vehicles with wheels are concerned. That's why I wonder if bikes like these will in fact help give that "reawakening of bicycling in the U.S." a little tailwind, or if they'll wind up entombed in basements and garages just like their 10 speed forbears did.
We shall see.
Of course, it is worth noting that plenty of those old 10 speeds were subsequently exhumed by the owners' children, who then shlepped them from the suburbs into the city and turned them into fixies:
So perhaps in 20 years the e-fixie will emerge as the hot new urban bicycle and life will have come full circle.
Oh, and in other Interbike news, the co-founder of Speedplay certainly knows how to handle a bike:
Also, he's not using Speedplays:This is how Richard, our co-founder, conducts his meetings at @interbike. Designs the best pedal system & has some bike skills! #speedplay http://pic.twitter.com/cnzYPWtO02— Speedplay Pedals (@SpeedplayPedals) September 22, 2017
Busted!!!
Anyway, speaking of how dumb Americans are, remember those sport-o rape-bros I mentioned last Monday who want cyclists to die? Well here's their most recent salvo:
It really makes you angry too:. @EKANardini sold in your store. Is advocating vehicular assault part of your business model? http://pic.twitter.com/fLKa9PRIwN— Grabau (@agrabau) September 24, 2017
Until you take a closer look and realize how fucking stupid it is:
Yeah, that's a picture of bicyclist safely passing an opening car door without incident, only with the word "Don't" scrawled on it. As far as antagonizing images go it's even more impotent than they are after shotgunning a case of Bud Light.
Schmucks.
I'd love to come across someone wearing one of these t-shirts though, because needling them in public would be immensely satisfying. Sadly I don't think you'll ever see them in the wild, because the sorts of people who would wear a shirt like this would no doubt hide them under something else until they get together in their "safe space" for a "limp biscuit" party.
I think I may finally be ready to admit that America is too stupid for bikes. Even people who ride bikes have been so deeply mind-fucked by the Automotive Industrial Complex there's little hope for them. Consider this comment on Outside's Facebook page in response to my brilliant and insightful column about how driving to rides blows:
I dunno, seems like you could buy an even sweeter bike if you didn't have to make those Hyundai payments. And yes, it's true, without cars there would be no roads. Everybody knows the road was invented around the same time as the Model T, and before that people just slashed their way through the forest with machetes:
And what the fuck does he think the Appian Way was, a form of Italian martial arts?
But yes, sarcasm aside, cars are certainly responsible for paved roads, right?
Absolutely wrong:
The hard, flat road surfaces we take for granted are relatively new. Asphalt surfaces weren't widespread until the 1930s. So, are motorists to thank for this smoothness?
No. The improvement of roads was first lobbied for – and paid for – by cycling organisations.
In the UK and the US, cyclists lobbied for better road surfaces for a full 30 years before motoring organisations did the same. Cyclists were ahead of their time.
Yep, the roads were already being macadamized by the late 19th century because of our earliest Fredly ancestors and you'd better believe we were all over that shit:
And do you think the car made things better or worse? Well, when was the last time you heard Jersey described this way?
I mean sure, there's still some fine riding in New Jersey, but come on.
But yeah, by all means, if roads weren't optimized for cars there wouldn't be any more good riding, which is why the cycling in Tuscany is so terrible:
What a friggin' dipshit.
Yes, for some reason people seem to think bikes are un-American, despite the fact that even NASCAR drivers ride them:
Well, not all of them:
“I’m not sure about the whole bicycle deal,” he said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ahead of Sunday’s Overton’s 301. “And I don’t quite get those guys and the amount of money they spend on a — whatever it is — 32-ounce bicycle when all they’ve gotta do is just go on Craigslist and get a Schwinn or something like that and pedal half the distance and twice as hard and get a better workout.”
He's kinda got a point.
Also, it's kind of ironic that none of them seem to know what motorpacing is:
“I guess it was probably back Talladega weekend, I offered to get a moped and cut the air for Kenseth and those guys just to kind of give them a little draft, some drafting partners, ya know?” he said. “But they haven’t taken me up on it.
They totally should.
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Presidents Cup TV Times 2017
Here are the tv times for the 2017 Presidents Cup
- Thursday, Sept. 28 1-6 p.m. ET GOLF Channe
- Friday, Sept. 29 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET GOLF Channel
- Saturday, Sept. 30 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET NBC
- Sunday, Oct. 1 12-6 p.m. ET NBC
The post Presidents Cup TV Times 2017 appeared first on GolfBlogger Golf Blog.
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Explaining Match Play For The Presidents Cup
Explaining Match Play For The Presidents Cup
With the Presidents Cup upon us, it’s time for a match play review. Match play is in my mind the purest and most exciting form of golf, and yet is relatively unfamiliar to most American golfers. Match play is scheduled for the pros only a couple of times each year, such as at the Dell Match Play and the Ryder or Presidents Cup. Worse, most weekenders will see match play only in outings — and only a poor cousin at that, with team scrambles and such. Thus, terms like like All Square, Halve, and Dormie, 1-UP, 5 and 4, might as well be from a foreign language.
For most golfers, the game is “stroke play.” In these rounds, all of the golfers play a certain number of holes, and the player who has the lowest combined total score is the winner.
In Match play, golfers—or teams of golfers—are pitted directly against each other. A player is not concerned with the entire field—only with beating the opposing golfer (or side, in team play).
In match play, each hole is scored individually, and as a discrete event. A player (or team) wins a match by winning the most holes over the course of a round. A hole is won by the player (or team) who completed the hole in the fewest strokes.
The scoring system leads to some unusual terminology. The results of match events are not reported by strokes, or by the total number of holes won, but by the differential. The scoring also notes the number of holes that have been played. For example, if after 10 holes, Jordan Spieth has won six holes and Jason Day has won four, the announcers would report that Spieth is 2-Up through 10. At the same time, Day is 2-down. If both players have won the same number of holes, the match is “All Square Through 10.”
Because each hole is played as a separate event, it is possible for one player to get so far ahead in a match that the other has no chance to win. For example, if Spieth and Day finish the 16th hole, and Spieth is 3-Up, there is no need to continue. The best Day could do is to win the 17th and 18th, and he still would lose by one hole. So the match ends right there.
The score would be reported as Spieth wins, 3 and 2. That means that Spieth won because he was up by three holes, with only two holes to play.
If a player wins 1-up, that means that the match has gone to 18 holes. The last hole was played either because the match was all square after 17, or because a player was only 1 up, and the other player could have made the match All Square on the final hole.
If the match is All Square in individual stroke play, the two players generally play until the tie is broken. In many team events — such as the Ryder Cup — a tie would result in both sides getting a half a point. This is known as a “Halve”
Confusingly, the term Halve also is used when players tie on an individual hole. Tied holes, however, are not counted in scoring an individual match. You will never see a score like Spieth 3 1/2 Day 1 1/2.
This also explains why there will often be a result where the holes just don’t add up. Spieth could win four holes, Day win three and they could tie the other 11. If you just added up the number of holes won, it would look like they didn’t play a full match.
The term “Dormie” is used to describe a situation where one player is up by the exact number of holes left in the match. The best the opponent can do is to tie. So, if Spieth and Day were on the 16th tee, and Spieth was 3-Up, the match is Dormie. The best Day can do is to win the final three holes (16, 17 and 18)and make things All Square.
One seemingly strange score is when a player wins 5 and 3. On the surface, it looks as though the match should have ended with four holes to play, because one player was up by five. But what actually happened was that the match was Dormie with four to go. That is, Spieth was 4-Up on the 15th tee (four holes to go). At this point, Day can Halve the match by winning the final four holes. But if Spieth wins the 15th, and the match is over. Spieth wins by five, with three to go, or 5 and 3.
Another interesting aspect of Match Play is that the players do not have finish every hole. Consider the following situation: Day hits a hole-in-one on a par three. Spieth hits the green within inches of the cup, but the ball does not go in. At this point, there is no need for Spieth to finish the hole, and he will concede to Day. Even if Spieth finishes with a birdie, he still has lost the hole. And there is no need to see if Spieth can make the putt because unlike Stroke Play, the score does not carry over to the next hole.
Similarly, players often will “concede” a stroke. This usually happens on a short putt. Day knows that Spieth is going to make the tap-in, so he grants the “gimmie.” The real question for that hole is whether Day can make 12 footer to win the hole, or if he two putts for a halve.
Players need to be sure that a ball is conceded before picking it up, though. In a Presidents Cup competition a few years back, Davis Love picked up a ball, thinking that Mike Weir had conceded. Weir had not, so normally a one stoke penalty would be assessed. However, because Love honestly thought he had heard Weir concede (Weir did say something that could have been reasonably misheard), there was no penalty.
There are also a couple of other major rules differences in Match Play. For example, in Stoke Play, if you play out of order, it’s just a breach of etiquette. But in Match Play, your opponent can force you to replay the shot.
The other major changes generally have to do with the penalty for breach of rules. In Stroke play, most of the penalties involve the addition of strokes. In Match Play, the rules violations generally involve the automatic loss of the hole.
Match play is very exciting golf. But one of the reasons that you don’t see it a lot on television is that it is unpredictable. Individual matches can end quite suddenly, because you don’t have to play all the holes to determine a winner. For that matter, you don’t even have to finish every hole. A network could schedule three hours for a match, only to have one player win the first ten holes. The match would be over, and the network still would have an hour of programming to fill.
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Stromberg Men’s Wintra Winter Tech Golf Pants
Stromberg Men’s Wintra Winter Tech Golf Pants
Features:
- Water resistant finish, Performance Non Iron Fabric
- Thermal layer, Mechanical stretch
- 2 Twin Jet Back Pockets, Contrast Stitching, V-Hem
- Breathable & Waterproof Membrane
- 100% Polyester
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Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Protected: Why Fall is the Perfect Time to Refresh Your Mindset and Your Wardrobe
The post Protected: Why Fall is the Perfect Time to Refresh Your Mindset and Your Wardrobe appeared first on In it for the Long Run.
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This Just In: New Outside Post!
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Visiting Russia Without a Visa on the St. Peter Line Ferry
Visiting Russia usually requires going through a grueling visa process — but did you know you can visit visa-free if you go by ferry? You can visit Russia free as long as you arrive in St. Petersburg by ferry and stay for less than 72 hours.
I’ve wanted to visit Russia for a long time, but the hassle of getting a visa deterred me. But a short visa-free journey to St. Petersburg? That definitely interested me. I could go on this trip and plan a longer trip to Russia if I liked it.
This month, I bought myself a ticket and took the ferry from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and back.
I was shocked at how little information is out there about this ferry, even after you book your ticket!
The information on the web about the St. Peter Line ferry is scant at best. I avoid TripAdvisor as much as possible, but TripAdvisor reviews were literally the only place where I could read information about what this journey was like.
I couldn’t find out through the St. Peter Line website, for example, whether I was supposed to stay on the boat overnight or in a hotel in St. Petersburg, or whether I had to book one of their official hotels, or whether I could book a different hotel that they didn’t mention, or whether I had to be on a group tour the whole time. That’s kind of basic information, and it took a million TripAdvisor reviews to figure out what the answers were.
Even on board, there was no information! We weren’t given schedules or any other papers upon arrival. Even upon booking, our tickets had next-to-no information on them. The only information came from rare announcements on the ship.
Because of this, most of the passengers were walking around, trying to figure out where we debarked (hint: it was on Deck 4), what time the restaurants opened (7:00 PM), even where we got our keys (our boarding cards doubled as keys). It was the complete opposite of the Carnival cruise I took earlier this year, where they were constantly giving you schedules and falling over backwards to over-inform you.
I’m glad I took this journey, but it was confusing from start to finish. And I travel for a living! I can only imagine how confusing it was for less experienced travelers. That’s why I wrote this post — to help you with your trip.
How do you book the St. Peter Line ferry?
You book it through the Moby/St. Peter Line website here.
Be forewarned — even after you book your ticket, there is next information. That image above is what I received in my email — and that was literally it. No information on where to go, when to get there, or any information about the boat itself.
This was literally the only confirmation I received prior to checking in at the terminal in Helsinki.
How much does the ferry cost?
I booked the three-night journey from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and back. I had the cheapest cabin class — B2V — which was a private, windowless, ensuite room with two twin-sized beds, one lofted on top of the other. The cost was 168.50 EUR ($200 USD).
Prices on the website are now higher. The cheapest B2V rooms now cost 189 EUR (224 USD) for one person and 204 EUR ($242) for two people; the most expensive rooms, the LX2, cost 531 EUR ($629 USD) for one person and 546 EUR ($647 USD) for two people and include a queen-sized bed, a window, a TV, and two armchairs. Breakfast is included.
Extra fees: You must pay an extra 25 EUR ($30) per person for the mandatory City Bus Tour, which covers the shuttle service to St Isaac’s Square in St. Petersburg. There is an additional 15 EUR ($18) fee charged per person. These two fees are added on to your bill and are not negotiable.
St. Peter Line Ferry Schedule, Helsinki to St. Petersburg to Helsinki:
Wednesday, 3:00 PM: Check-in begins in Helsinki.
Wednesday, 7:00 PM: Ship departs Helsinki.
Thursday, 9:00 AM: Ship arrives in St. Petersburg. Passengers with young children may begin to debark at Deck 4 at 9:00 AM; all others begin at 9:30 AM.
Thursday, 9:15 AM-10:15 PM: Shuttles run to and from St. Isaac’s Square runs every 15-30 minutes.
Friday, 9:00 AM-5:45 PM: Shuttles run to and from St. Isaac’s Square ever 15-30 minutes.
Friday, 7:00 PM: Ship departs St. Petersburg.
Saturday, 8:00 AM: Ship arrives in Helsinki. Passengers with young children may begin to debark at Deck 4 at 8:00 AM; all others begin at 8:30 AM.
Where does the St. Peter Line ferry leave from in Helsinki?
There are multiple ferry terminals in Helsinki. The St. Peter Line Ferry Terminal is close to the West Terminal. The address is Tyynenmerenkatu 8, and if you look for “St. Peter Line” on Google Maps, it points you to the correct spot. There is a tram stop right in front of it, Länsiterminaali T1, which goes straight to downtown Helsinki.
If you’re interested, Helsinki’s infamous “Bad, Bad Boy” statue is right across from the terminal.
I got to the terminal early, and I was able to check in just before 3:00 PM for the 6:00 PM departure. I was given four small white cards, each the size of a credit card: my boarding card, my Russian arrival card, my Russian departure card, and a coupon for 10 EUR ($12 USD) off a 100 EUR ($118 USD) purchase at the ship’s duty free shop.
Upon arrival at my cabin, I had no idea how to get in; I expected that the key would be waiting in a cubby outside my door, like the Carnival cruise, but there was no cubby. An employee demonstrated that my boarding card also served as a key. Ah.
What are the rooms like on the St. Peter Line ferry?
The entire boat is dated, resembling something out of the early 90s. I found my B2V room, on the lowest price tier, to be empty and bland.
My room was very small (as is standard for any ship) and had two single beds, one on top of the other. There was a tiny desk and chair next to an outlet, which was good for working. The ensuite bathroom had a surprisingly good shower with hot water and nice water pressure.
But the fact that the boat was so old really put a damper on things. I mean, when was the last time you saw one of these?
I usually sleep well on ships, but I slept terribly both nights. The mattress was uncomfortable — I could feel the springs poking into me all night. And my cabin was located on Deck Six, just beneath the nightclub. I couldn’t sleep because “YMCA” was reverberating through my room. Earplugs did not help. I fell asleep sometime around 2 AM.
What is there to do on the St. Peter Line ferry?
This ferry is not as decked out as a regular cruise ship, but they do have some things to do. While the ferries connecting the Baltic and Northern cities are notorious for their debauchery, this cruise is far more sedate. My Eckero Line ferry from Tallinn to Estonia felt luxurious by comparison, with multiple musical acts performing on the short two-hour crossing!
The ship, the Princess Anastasia, has several standard cruise ship offerings: a casino, several bars including a sports bar and a nightclub, a small children’s area. There is a spa area with an adult pool, a children’s pool, a Finnish sauna, and a jacuzzi. You need to pay to use the pools. There is a small fitness center as well.
A few musicians perform in and around the restaurants: think smooth jazz.
There are supposedly “creative classes,” but the only description I could find was, “Each workshop is structured so it transmits practical secrets for beginners and all enthusiastic participants.”
There is a duty free shop, an exchange office, and a medical center.
I spent most of my time in the bar drinking 5 EUR ($6 USD) glasses of prosecco and reading Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. When I came back after our time in St. Petersburg, the bartender greeted me while holding up a champagne glass. I loved that!
Is there wifi on the St. Peter Line ferry?
Yes, there is wifi on the ferry, but you have to pay for it. One hour costs 4.99 EUR ($6 USD); two hours costs $8.99 ($11 USD); six hours costs 13.99 EUR ($17 USD).
The wifi was frustratingly slow and would frequently stop altogether. After my initial six hours were up, I couldn’t get back online; I faced difficulties getting online on the entire journey back.
My advice? Don’t rely on being able to use wifi, and definitely don’t plan on using wifi to get work done. Bring enough books to entertain yourself in case the wifi doesn’t work.
What is the food like on the St. Peter Line ferry?
There are several restaurants on board, including the high-end New York restaurant and a buffet called the Mascalzone Latino. Both nights, I got pizza at Napoli Mia, the Italian restaurant. It was decent.
For breakfast, I recommend checking out the Bake and Coffee cafe, which has hot breakfasts, coffee, beverages, and pastries for sale.
See descriptions of all the restaurants and bars on board the Anastasia here.
What kind of people take the St. Peter Line ferry?
Most of my fellow passengers were 50+, from Europe and China. The Chinese passengers tended to be part of organized tours; the Europeans tended to be independent travelers. There were a few Americans and Canadians; I did not notice any other nationalities.
Is the St. Peter Line ferry good for kids?
There were definitely some children on board. The ferry has a children’s play area and the restaurants have kids’ menus. You can definitely survive this trip with kids, but just keep in mind that this is not a traditional cruise ship that caters to families with events around the clock.
Children age seven and up require their own bed in the cabin.
How is the crossing from Helsinki to St. Petersburg?
Smooth as glass.
What is the debarkation and immigration process like in St. Petersburg?
Honestly, debarkation in St. Petersburg was rough — this was the worst part of the trip. First of all, nobody had any idea where we were supposed to get off — this was not announced or written anywhere. For the record, it’s Deck Four. Follow the crowds. Also, keep in mind that there are lots of stairs; don’t bring any luggage you can’t carry yourself.
After we debarked, it was absolute chaos at Russian immigration. While several windows were open, people did not form lines — people were just a giant blob, everyone jostling each other and trying to cut each other. Some passengers were polite, but others were quite rude and I thought a fight was going to break out.
Even so, the line moved much faster than I anticipated. It took about an hour for me to get to the desk; I heard horror stories of three-hour waits from some of the TripAdvisor reviews.
I noticed that Americans spent much longer at the counter than European and Chinese passengers; they had their passports closely scrutinized as well.
My questioning took about 20 minutes, much longer than anyone else. I was questioned about the state of my passport: I was in a shipwreck in Indonesia in 2011 and my passport spent time underwater, leading to several pages being a bit blurry. Since the shipwreck I’ve visited more than 60 countries on this passport and while some agents ask me how it got wet, nobody has ever used it as reason not to allow me in. Russia was the only country to ever be hostile over its state.
The agent called a supervisor and I was questioned several times about the state of my passport, about why I visited the UK so many times (Um, multiple boyfriends? I just said “tourism”), what I did for a living (“I run a travel website”). I don’t think the supervisor understood English well enough to know what “I run a travel website” meant. When he asked how long I was staying and I said, “Two days,” he was shocked. “The boat is here two days!” I told him and showed him my hotel confirmation.
After several agonizing minutes, he stamped me in and let me go.
How do you get into St. Petersburg from the ferry terminal?
As a condition of the visa, passengers on the St. Peter Line are required to purchase a tour. This tour, which is simply a shuttle from the ferry terminal to St. Isaac’s Square, is automatically included in your ferry ticket purchase as a separate 25 EUR ($30) charge. You don’t have to book anything else on your own.
After you finish going through immigration, walk outside. You’ll see several white vans with a sign in front of them that reads “MOBY — ST PETER LINE” or just “MOBY.” The drivers do not speak English, but just say, “St. Isaac’s Square?” and they’ll nod and point you inside the van. Some shuttles stop at the official hotels en route; others go direct to the square.
You have the freedom to spend your time in St. Petersburg however you’d like — you don’t even have to take the shuttle if you don’t want to. This isn’t like other cruise ships in Russia where you have to stick with your group. From the moment you arrive until the moment you leave, you can do whatever you feel like, whenever you feel like it.
If you’d rather book a guided excursion, you can book group tours or private tours (minimum of two people required) through the cruise. I did not take any excursions.
Do you stay on the ship or in a hotel in St. Petersburg?
You can come back to the boat and stay overnight or you can stay in a hotel in St. Petersburg. If you choose to stay in St. Petersburg, you can leave things in your cabin on the ship.
I highly recommend staying in a hotel in St. Petersburg. It will give you so much more time in the city if you don’t have to deal with the lengthy embarkation/debarkation/immigration process both days.
What’s a good hotel to stay in St. Petersburg?
The St. Peter Line Ferry recommends two hotels, Sokos Hotel Palace Bridge and Sokos Hotel Vasilyevskiy, which are stops on the shuttle’s route to St. Isaac’s Square.
My recommendation: choose a hotel walking distance from St. Isaac’s Square that is in your price range.
I stayed at the Art Avenue Hotel, pictured above, and highly recommend it. It was about an eight-minute walk from St. Isaac’s Square, which I found to be very easy while carrying a suitcase. You will see a sign for the hotel on the street; it points you into a courtyard where you find the hotel itself.
Art Avenue is a cozy, welcoming mid-range hotel. I had a private double room with ensuite bathroom. Wifi is free and excellent. There’s also access to a large kitchen where you can prepare meals if you’d like. I paid 3600 rubles, or $62.50, for one night’s stay.
It’s also centrally located and a 20-minute walk to either the Hermitage, the Mariinsky Ballet, or the Cathedral of Our Savior Upon Spilled Blood.
See more hotels in St. Petersburg here.
What are things to do in St. Petersburg?
I loved St. Petersburg. It is so grand and elegant and feels much more like Paris than any other European city.
I’ve visited every country in Europe except Cyprus, and I’ve enjoyed dozens of beautiful European cities. Many of these cities like to compare themselves to Paris — but St. Petersburg is the only city that measures up. It’s just that majestic. Plus, the locals dress really well, especially the local women.
I was in St. Petersburg for about 30 hours total, and it was nowhere near enough. My top five things to do in St. Petersburg are 1) visit the Hermitage 2) see a ballet or opera 3) check out the Cathedral of Our Savior of Spilled Blood 4) See St. Isaac’s Cathedral 5) just walk around and explore the city independently.
- The Hermitage astonished me. Imagine if you took all the art from the Louvre and decided to put it in Versailles instead — that’s the Hermitage. Every room I visited impressed me, and I soaked it all in until I could barely catch my breath.
BUY YOUR TICKET ONLINE IN ADVANCE! The line at the Hermitage was the longest I’ve ever seen, even longer than at the Uffizi in Florence. But if you buy an online ticket in advance, you get to skip that line and go into a different entrance.
The Hermitage offers only 15 minutes of free wifi, just barely enough to download the apps and audioguides if you haven’t yet. There are audioguides for both one- and three-hour tours, among other themed tours. I really enjoyed the one-hour tour and supplemented with parts of the three-hour tour. Audioguides cost $1.99-2.99 and you pay via the iTunes Store.
2. If you enjoy the arts, be sure to take in an opera, ballet, or philharmonic performance. I went to see Cinderella at the Mariinsky Ballet and paid about $50 for my eighth row center ticket. Which is a bargain when I paid the same price for the cheapest seat at a discounted performance of Waitress on Broadway last month! I had a lovely time at this ballet.
Note: I almost went to the wrong theater! My ticket was actually for the modern theater, which is a huge, unmissable building just behind the traditional Mariinsky Theater.
3. The Cathedral of Our Savior of Spilled Blood is so Russian. The outside is perfect for photos and selfies; the inside is a technicolor madness that you would never expect.
4. St. Isaac’s Cathedral is worth a visit. It’s not just your shuttle drop-off point, it’s also an incredibly ornate church. You can also pay a bit more to visit the roof and have a panoramic view of the city; I wish I had time for this.
5. Just walk around and enjoy the city. There is so much grandeur and pride to St. Petersburg. Stroll along the canals, take photos, browse the shops, linger in a cute coffeeshop (pro tip: I LOVED a cafe near my hotel and the Hermitage called Bonch), and stop at anywhere that looks interesting.
How is the Russian language barrier? Do people speak English?
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! St. Petersburg is a cosmopolitan city and most people who work in tourism speak at least a little bit of English. In restaurants, there would often be one server who spoke English well, and they would send her to serve me.
I do recommend learning the Cyrillic alphabet, which is pretty easy to do. It will make your life infinitely easier when you can sound out what’s in front of you, as there are so many English language cognates in Russian. Cyrillic is also useful for trips to Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, and Macedonia, among other countries.
How do you get back to the ferry from St. Petersburg?
The shuttle picks you up in the same spot where it dropped you off in front of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. It runs from 9:00 AM until 5:45 PM.
I arrived at 3:15 PM and got a seat on the 3:30 PM shuttle. That was earlier than necessary, but I wanted to give myself an extra cushion of time just in case anything went wrong. Everything went right and I was back on the ship by 4:00 PM.
If I did it again, I would have taken the 4:30 or 5:00 PM shuttle.
How is Russian immigration on the way back to the ferry?
Much, much easier than arriving. The shuttle drops you off at the ferry terminal, you can buy last-minute souvenirs or coffee, and then you proceed to Russian immigration where you’re stamped out. Make sure you have your departure card and the piece of paper they gave you when you were stamped in.
Because of the staggered arrivals of people to the boat, there was only one person ahead of me in time.
I had a very hard time at immigration getting into Russia, but getting out only took a few minutes. They simply took a quick look at my passport and departure card and let me in.
Were there any problems being an American in Russia in the age of Trump?
I did not face any issues. I took this ferry in September 2017 — this was after the US passed sanctions against Russia as punishment for their involvement in the US election, after Putin ordered US staffers to leave Russia, after Trump did the same to Russian staffers in the US, and as Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation was taking place. None of this affected my ability to take this trip and see Russia.
Keep in mind that anything can change at anytime, and my personal experience may not necessarily reflect yours. However, based on what I experienced, I would not rule out visiting as an American.
If you’re an American who wants to take this trip, I do recommend keeping a low profile while in Russia. Don’t lie about who you are — Americans are easily identifiable based on their mannerisms and dress — but don’t scream it from rooftops either. Russians tend to keep to themselves; it won’t feel strange to be private.
The only time a Russian brought up Trump with me was a store employee as we laughed at Trump family nesting dolls. “I think he looks like Richie Rich,” he said, holding up a tiny Barron Trump doll.
Would you take the St. Peter Line ferry again?
I’m glad I experienced this trip, but I would not do it a second time. Between the short duration in St. Petersburg and the discomfort sleeping on the boat, I see no reason to do this trip again.
Do what I did: use this trip as a teaser to see whether you’d like to take a longer trip to Russia. Now I know that I want to come back with a visa, stay for longer, and see more of St. Petersburg but also Moscow, perhaps take a river cruise or even travel the Trans-Siberian Railway to Mongolia and China! Next time I’ll either fly into St. Petersburg or Russia or perhaps take the train to St. Petersburg from Helsinki.
I would not choose St. Peter Line for a longer cruise. They also offer a longer trip to Tallinn and Stockholm, but I would never do it. I could not handle living on that boat for several days. If you want to travel around the Baltic Sea, I encourage you to book ferries independently; if you want a cruise, I recommend going with a different cruise ship company.
Should you take the St. Peter Line ferry to Russia?
Only you can answer that — but I think you should! It was definitely a special journey and one I was glad to take. Exactly once.
Essential Info
The complete rules for visiting Russia on this cruise without a visa are here. Please don’t violate them; you don’t want to get deported. Note that these rules are for people who have permission to visit the Schengen Area, so if you’re visiting the Schengen Area on a visa, you’ll need a double-entry visa in order to do this trip.
I also recommend that your passport is in pristine condition and that you have a printed confirmation of your hotel stay.
Book your trip on the St. Peter Line Ferry here. You can see schedules here. The cheapest B2V rooms now cost 189 EUR (224 USD) for one person and 204 EUR ($242) for two people; the most expensive rooms, the LX2, cost 531 EUR ($629 USD). You must also pay a 25 EUR ($30) City Bus Tour fee and a 15 EUR ($18) fee.
I stayed at the Art Avenue Hotel in St. Petersburg and highly recommend it. It’s a very comfortable, quiet mid-range hotel with excellent wifi, just an eight-minute walk from the shuttle drop-off at St. Isaac’s Square. Rates from 3600 rubles ($62.50). It is not necessary to stay at the cruise-recommended hotels (Sokos Hotel Palace Square and Sokos Hotel Vasilyevskiy); in fact, they’re located a bit far from the major sites of the city. I strongly encourage you to book a hotel near St. Isaac’s Square. Find more hotels in St. Petersburg here.
If you visit the Hermitage (and you should), book your tickets online ahead of time — if not, you’ll be waiting in a grotesque line for hours. Tickets are good for any one day within 180 days of purchase. Ignore the line and go to the internet tickets entrance when you arrive; it’s on the right of the building.
A schedule of performances at the Mariinsky Theater can be found here. Remember — if it’s not in the traditional theater, it may be in the modern theater behind it.
Visits to the Cathedral of Our Savior of Spilled Blood and St. Isaac’s Cathedral each cost 250 rubles ($4). Visiting the roof at St. Isaac’s costs an additional 150 rubles ($3).
Finally, be sure to have travel insurance when you visit Russia. If you fall and injure yourself at the Hermitage, if you get pickpocketed on the metro, or if you need to cancel all or part of your trip, travel insurance can save you from financial ruin should the worst happen. I used World Nomads for my trip to Russia and highly recommend them for your trip.
Have you taken the St. Peter Line ferry? Would you like to?
from Adventurous Kate http://ift.tt/2fnRKbc