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In this issue we are highlighting yet more hotel discounts in both Moscow and St Petersburg together with an introduction to Plios, a small town on the Golden Ring that Princess Michael of Kent referred to as "A perfect hide-away, a nest of dreams".
Sincerely,
Helen Isaeva
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Some great deals in St Petersburg
After three years of renovation and expansion the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics is now open. Located under one of Moscow's most iconic monuments, 'To the Conquerors of Space' a 100m high titanium sculpture gracefully shaped as a rocket taking off, the museum is packed with over 3,500 exhibits.
The interiors are fantastically atmospheric and covered with constellations, star clusters and distant universes while the museum itself exhibits the most important Russian and Soviet achievements in space exploration, from the launch of the first artificial satellite and the first manned space flight, to the first moonwalk.
You can see and sit inside Space Station Mir, together with a Soyuz Spaceship, a vehicle for research on the surface of the moon, landing apparatus, cosmonauts' space suits (including Gagarin's) and even sample food for the astronauts.
A new floating river boat restaurant has opened in Moscow. The River Palace fish restaurant has the Michelin three star chef Jan Legar in charge offering the finest seafood dishes while cruising the waterways of Moscow.
Plios - A taste of luxury in the Russian Countryside
Sobornaya Sloboda is a boutique hotel comprising a number of 18th and 19th century merchant's houses
of differing styles which have been recreated into a single hotel. Some are of wood while others are in stone, but all have been completely renovated to exacting standards.
Activities in the area include visits to Levitan's museum and the museum of medieval Russian family life. There are walks and picnics on the banks of the Volga, a traditional Russian banya or steam bath, fishing, boat trips, vodka tasting, painting classes and an opportunity to learn the art of Russian cooking. Additionally there are jewelry workshops and a traditional linen factory.