Just Win

Hope you had a good holiday in Ufa.

 

No I have never done the Banya thing...doesn't appeal to me...we have Russian friend Alex (Sasha) you lives near Durban and he has built one at his home but that is more like sauna which is ok.

 

Anyway, have you ever travelled to other parts of Russia, Elena and I want to go to Sochi but not for the Olympics...it is beautiful in summer...here is the link

 

http://justrussia.ru/page.php?57

 

all the best for 2014 for you and your family, the All Blacks, the Bokke and Les Blues.

 

The SA players with huge expectations are Patrick Lambie (Jake must just let him be and he will grow and the finer points will be ironed out. Willie Le Roux will become great and his defensive skills will become honed, Willem Alberts will confound his critics, Bismarck will have his greatest year and both Pieter Steph Du Toit and Etzebeth will begin the the best lock pairing since the days of Botha and Matfield.

I think Francois Steyn will pull his weight (no pun intended) and really become responsible, mature and get in condition, at least I hope so.

 

Seb: I was in Moscow around the year 2000 and on the way back from Ufa we spent 9 hours in St Petersburg.  We went to the Hermitage which I must say beat the Louvre in many respects. So in short I have seen very little of Russia but what I have seen I have enjoyed very much.

@dr win,

i hope u and ur loved ones stay away from russia for a while, i dont like the political climate over there at the moment.

storminged should keep out of there too, cos isnt it illegal to be gay in russia???
i wouldnt want storminged to be thrown into jail cos hes a stormers suppoter, i mean cos hes gay, sorry, slipped on the keyboard,

First summer in Moscow in year 1999 spent 5 weeks there...amazing city...Red Square, Arbat Street, Barges/Boats on Moscow River up to St Petersburg, restaurants, never ending, art galleries staggering and Boshoi magnificent...apart from Ballet heard Beethovens 9th Symphony in all it's magnificence and glory, Gum Stores the most upmarket store I've seen...stayed at Ukraina Hotel (built in Stalin era and style over looking Moskow River...now Radisson...could never afford it now but in 1999 it was only 60 US dollars which included breakfast (Russian price)...I was amazed that Robert Di Nero stayed at same hotel and was swamped by fans so the girls at reception told me and so was that guy that played the villian role alongside Kate Winslett in Titanic (not Di Caprio the other dark headed guy cannot remember his name). It was excellent value for money and the staff were friendly, spoke good English...I had stayed previously at the Rossiya Hotel on Red Square (a huge monstrosity that has since been demolished)...full of Mafia like gangsters and up market prostitutes...really quite scary.

 

I do not like cities generally as I am a country boy at heart but Moscow completely floored me...it is so fascinating and interesting...history so ancient...I just loved Moscow and to a lesser degree St Petersburg (the palace is mind boggling).

 

Going for short stay now is not the same and the prices have now shot through the roof...restaurants are very expensive. 

Seb: in 2000 I was only in Moscow on business so only walked around Red Square. I saw enough to know I want to go back but who knows when that will be.
Russia seems to be changing quickly. In Ufa you could see the impact of the private sector everywhere. There were new businesses and stores everywhere but like Warsaw there was a blend of old and new - soviet style apartments next to luxury apartments a local meet marked next to a high end supermarket. It's great to see these places in transition.