Category Archives: Everyday life

Russian strip clubs

On my travels across Russia I stumbled upon many things – strip clubs being one of them. This sex shop featured sperm in their logo. But this sign for ‘VD One’ was just a clothing store.

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Newsagents: then and now

Here’s a traditional newsstand on the Kiev Metro. And the modern equivalent in Moscow – a bank of newspaper vending machines. Given how the internet has decimated traditional print media, how long until even the vending machines disappear?

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Диггерство – the urban explorers of Russia

In the English speaking world the practice of exploring tunnels, drains and abandoned buildings is known as urban exploration. Russian speakers have their own term – Диггерство – which translates to ‘digger’.

Inside a trashed office Continue reading

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Clearing icicles from the streets of Moscow

Growing up in Australia, icicles are something I’ve never had to deal with. But over in Russia they are deadly serious for anyone standing below when they fall.

Deadly looking icicles hang from the eaves Continue reading

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Get your Crapdogs and VD in Kiev

There are plenty of foreign names that look funny to an outsider – I found a few in Kiev.

What looks like 'Crapdogs' is actually 'Stardogs' Continue reading

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‘You break it, you buy it’ at Russian restaurants

Restaurant menus around the world are usually pretty simple, but in post-Soviet countries some restaurants include something extra – a section titled «бой посуды» (“battle dishes”).

'Killfish Discount Bar' doesn't sound dodgy at all! Continue reading

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Mobile coffee trucks on the streets of Kiev

Before I visited Kiev I never thought that it would be a city that takes coffee seriously, but it appears that the local residents love to drink the stuff – coffee carts fill the streets.

Another mobile coffee truck in Kiev Continue reading

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Smoking in the former Soviet Union

Cigarettes are dirt cheap all across the former Soviet Union, hence why smoking is so prolific. In Kiev I found cigarette packs for sale between 7 and 30 Ukrainian hryvnia – about US$0.85 to US$3.70! And cigarette displays were in […]

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Icebreakers on the River Neva, Saint Petersburg

During cold Russian winters the River Neva through Saint Petersburg becomes covered with ice, with icebreakers required to keep the waterway open.

A few more chunks of ice to go Continue reading

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Learner drivers in Russia

A few times in Russia I spotted an odd sticker affixed to car windshields – an exclamation mark inside a yellow box. But what do they indicate?

Exclamation sticker on the windscreen of a Russian carContinue reading

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