Russian Souvenir

22/08/2020

Partly European, partly Asian — there lies a giant cultural ecosystem propped up and pockmarked by historic events. Is there a unique Russian approach when it comes to magical fables? How much does the symbolism we’re used to have in common with other mythologies and traditions? On the (neverending) quest of exploring Russian identity, we went to the exhibition dedicated to Russian folklore and fairy tales. And here are a couple of snippets and an article by the Tretyakov Gallery about the event.

https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/exhibitions/russkaya-skazka-ot-vasnetsova-do-sikh-por/

Are you familiar with Russian fairy tales? Do you have a favourite one? Share your favourite stories from other cultures in the comments!

01/08/2020

Being a multinational country with a rich history, Russia has absorbed a tremendous amount of various cultural trends throughout the years. Fashion, art and architecture have been no exception to all the shifts and changes. But is there an original, distinctive Russian style? Let’s find out in the article down below.

Bright colors, openwork ornaments, primitivist, animalist and floral motifs – all these are features of a distinctive Russian style. But where did it come from?

20/07/2020

View from the rooftop of Children's Central Store, Teatralny proezd 5/1, Lubyanka metro station

18/07/2020

One of the most mysterious and alluring locations in Moscow is the Armory Chamber. Being a part of the Grand Kremlin Palace's complex, located in the building constructed in 1851 by the famous architect Konstantin Ton, Armory Chamber is both - a treasure house and a truly wonderful museum.

The museum is named after one of the oldest Kremlin's treasury. It preserves ancient State regalia, ceremonial royal garment and coronation dresses, vestments of the Russian Orthodox Church Hierarchs, the most extensive collection of gold- and silverware made by Russian craftsmen, West European artistic silver, ceremonial arms and armor, carriages and horse ceremonial harness. Armory Chamber's collections are based on the precious items that had been kept in the tsars' treasury and the Patriarch's vestry for centuries. Some of the exhibits were made in the Kremlin workshops; others were accepted as ambassadorial gifts.

The museum presents more than four thousand applied art made in Russia, European and Eastern countries from 4th to early 20th century. However, there's one nuisance - taking pictures in the Armory Chamber is strongly prohibited. Thus your options of seeing all the treasures are limited to visiting and looking around all you want OR studying it in detail via new book published by the museum. The following article focuses on the ten most precious museum items. Please, enjoy it.

The Armory is the main treasury of the Moscow Kremlin Museums. It houses the attributes of the supreme power of Russian rulers from the 14th to the 17th centuries: from thrones, icons and ceremonial collars to crowns, scepters and orbs. You can study these treasures in detail in a new book published...

14/07/2020

Attention, dear travelers!
The latest news on the post-COVID 19 traveling scene.

Russian authorities will consider lifting international flights ban after July 31, 2020. This basically means that foreign tourists can plan their visit to Russia as early as October-November 2020.

Tourist facilities have begun to open and prepare their services for the guests. Hotels in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, lake Baikal, and Kazan are back in the business, ready to provide accommodation for groups in the usual mode. However, wearing a mask and keeping a distance of 1,5 m is still a must. Breakfast is served via "room service". A buffet is available at the VEGA hotel in Moscow. There are sanitizers at the entrance of each hotel, the guests' temperature is measured, and daily treatments are carried out in the hotel with specialized solutions. Employees are checked for the disease's presence, take tests, and measure the temperature regularly.

Restaurants in Moscow are open both indoors and outdoors. Seating no more than five guests at a table with a distance of at least 1.5 meters in Chinese restaurants and 2-3 people in European restaurants is required. Meanwhile, Kazan and Saint Petersburg's restaurants are only allowed to open their patios. Restaurants in Murmansk and lake Baikal are still closed.

Sightseeing. Moscow museums such as the Kremlin territory and the Armory chamber, the Tretyakov gallery, the Cosmonautics Museum will start working from July 3. An organized tour group of no more than five people is allowed to visit, with a short break of 30 minutes between groups for safety purposes. Historical, Pushkin Museum, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, St. Basil's Cathedral, Victory Museum, Kolomenskoye, Zaryadye Park, Lavra in Sergiev Posad: are all open to the general public. Wearing a mask, gloves, checking the temperature at the entrance, and keeping distance are still required. Radisson Cruise serves in the usual mode, and the on-board restaurant is opened, wearing masks on board is highly recommended.

Saint Petersburg's museums are closed except for the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and Smolny. Starting from July 3, park zones in Peterhof Lower Park, Catherine and Alexander parks (Pushkin), Oranienbaum, Alexandria, and Pavlovsky Park are open for visiting. Murmansk, however, remains closed for tourists until further notices.

We hope you are well, and we can't wait to see you in Russia 🇷🇺❤️

11/07/2020

Last weekend, starting from July 3 to July 5, Moscow hosted an international festival of contemporary art called EverArt Weekend 2020. Located in the very heart of the city — on the 3rd floor of the GUM department, this event brought together 30 galleries and museums, 300 artists and nearly 10 000 pieces of art. The project is aimed to prove that art is not a luxury, but yet another form of cool and affordable entertainment.

The key theme of 2020's weekend was "art on a distance" — a tribute to current events and global digitalization that prompted a bunch of questions to our future. Can we enjoy art through the screens of our devices? Can AI transcedent the artist's emotions? Can we get the same sensations from visiting galleries in the virtual realms, as if we were in the actual ones?

You can still have a look at the collections and art objects or listen to public talks and lectures online. Check out their website, page or Instagram account for more information.

https://everart-weekend.ru/


🇷🇺❤️

10/07/2020

The first post in the series of is sort of a myth-buster. Judging from the internet, popular search keywords, and articles, Russia seems to be famous for vodka (and tea) mostly. And while there's a variety of this spirit - both in terms of brands and flavors, and locals do drink it occasionally, there's actually a more diverse approach to drinking culture these days.

High on the rise throughout the last decade were craft beer bars. Small breweries, daring flavor pairings, and lots of unexpected collaborations have generated a lot of cool places worth visiting if you're a beer enthusiast.

Next on the list is "ryumochnye." The word ryumochnaya derives from ryumka, which in Russian means a small glass for drinking strong spirits. To put it simply, it's usually a tiny basement bar that serves rather simple cheap alcohol on tap. There are quite a few original ryumochnayas that have carried the Soviet authenticity all the way to 2020. There are also new bars that reimagined the concept. What brings them together is "nastoiki". Nastoika is a homemade liqueur, oftentimes vodka-based and flavored. Bars tend to make their own nastoiki and sell them by the shot. Make sure to try seasonal flavors and don't skip those more traditional ones, such as horseradish, cedar nut, raspberry, cherry, and lemon.

Worth mentioning are wine-centered bars and rooftop bars. The former mono-product concept has been gracing Moscow and Saint-Petersburg with an abundance of notable locations, serving vibrant wine maps by the glass or by the bottle. The latter present their quests, a pairing of high-end drinks, and impressive postcard views.

And last, but not least - speakeasy bars. Hidden in the most unexpected places, yet keeping the most mind-blowing menus and interiors. Stories behind each and every cocktail, award-winning bartenders, entrance by the reservation, and a ticket to pampering your tasting buds and insta-stories.

We have been greatly inspired by the gourmet-tours that are popular in Eastern Asia and thought about creating our own programs that would bring together the best of culture, food, and drinks to make your trip as striking and memorable as possible. Can't wait to walk you through these locations! 🇷🇺❤️

03/07/2020

Following our post from May here's a little update regardind e-visas to Russia. The associated Bill passed a first reading at the State Duma on June 23. Meaning chances are now really high that traveling to Russia will get easier as 2021 begins. For more information — click the link down below.

Every Russian city will be within easy reach for many foreign tourists starting January 2021, with the e-visa itself costing no more than $50. Here’s what we know so far about the large-scale entry visa reform.

01/07/2020

Foreign countries are cities, buildings, and history, of course. But first of all - they are people, communities and their stories. Looking from this perspective, we thought it would be great to show you Russia through the locals’ eyes. We are still going to write about the most famous landmarks and historical events; it’s just that we’re also going to add a couple of lifestyle columns.

To keep our content well-ordered and to make the navigation easier we’ve come up with the following hashtags so far (editor’s note: rs - stands for Russian Souvenir):

for posting random, pretty pictures of Russia. Mondays are hard on their own, so we thought we’d go for something simple and delightful, with no text, a little visual day-brightener to start a week.

for covering stories behind objects of cultural heritage, historical events, and well-known landmarks.

for writing about projects you most probably won’t find any information about in your tour guides. Markets, fashion, food, festivals, and more.

for pretty much any newsworthy events, interesting articles, reposts, quizzes, memes, and whatnot.

for taking you on a drinking tour and proving that Russia is much more than just vodka and tea.

for writing about art, both classic and modern, famous and not quite yet. For taking you to museums, galleries, art weekends, and all places art-related.

for showing you how to spend a wholesome and relaxing day-off, shall you have 24 hours to yourself. This one is for cafes, libraries, craft-stores, parks, shopping, thrifting, and one-day trips to suburban areas.

Please also note that mentioning any of the brands is not sponsored. Everything is purely for your knowledge and entertainment.

Truly yours,
Russian Souvenir's team 🇷🇺❤️

25/06/2020

We've taken a short break from being active on social media this week to spend some quality time creating new types of content. We've filmed a metro-tour, written a dozen articles, and decided to start a (sort-of a) weekly (or maybe monthly) column dedicated to local brands and projects that represent the modern Russian lifestyle.

With all that being said, please please please stay tuned - we are ready to shift your perception of traveling to Russia!