MY FIRST DAY in RUSSIA | St Petersburg Travel Guide

[Music] hello Dobrynin what hello who is this you know who this is this Yaroslav yes how are you my friend ha I'm great thank you hey you should come to Russia we'll make great adventure okay okay see you soon nice I made it I'm officially in Russia after 48 hours of travel I am Here I am in st.

Petersburg I've no idea what to expect this is day one in Russia only getting here was as easy as one phone call truth is this is a project we've been working on for over two years when I first received the message from Yaroslav back in 2017 inviting me on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure across Russia I never believed it would actually happen and yet after countless email chains visa logistics and travel mishaps Here I am nervous excited tired and hungry so before we do anything I dropped my luggage off at the hostel and yaro takes me to a little Soviet inspired cafe for a crash course on Russian breakfast [Music] little child and I came your babushka your grandmother usually she cook that dish for you and your little child and yeah you peel your bubble casts room for so what's the name of this zippy kenka the big anchor would you want to zip your contract I'm gonna try each one of these first start out with this cheese oh this is hard almost like a doll do you like it yeah almost like rockin dough in a sugar cookie very sweet dog hmm a good crunch and a little bit cheese on the inside wow that's delicious all right next up but she's kind of cake with condensed milk on top whoa that's also very good not too sweet it's almost like a if you're from the state's you know toaster strudels and the icing that used to put on the top of the toaster strudels that's like the condensed milk on top and the inside is as hard packed but light at the same time Justin was our cake now this is what grandma used to make right all right and what's on top here that's milky cream let's try it oh wow the milky cream is so light it's almost like whipped cream yep whipped cream on top and again very similar to the Cheesecake there that's condensed hardpack very firm okay but also very moist that is delicious this might be my favorite and now what about comfort you finish off your breakfast with compote is it just breakfast or every meal every meal you can finish with compote really oh that's interesting is this the Apple one or is this that one is made from grapes this is grapes again like a grape drink not real juicy but very watery it's a good start good start to Russia Cheers what do I say nostrovia have a nice meal okay really Akram well I'm gonna have to work on that one Brianna apetito good morning I'm recharged ready to go change my clothes change my underwear we're in downtown st.

Petersburg right now and with the full crew this is yaro he is the man behind all of the plans from spoilt ropa this is Mike hello and fearless and far nice to meet you this is Reuben from EA mundo and this is our fearless guide here for this morning nice to meet you so this is the crew we've got 25 days this is the start of it here in st.

Petersburg this is the official beginning of the trans-siberian tire country we have no idea what to expect except this guy he knows everything that's it here we go st.

Petersburg is the second-largest city in Russia behind masculine is considered the cultural capital of the country so our first order of business as a team is to get a view of this sprawling city scape from above who should have exploration begins now crew stop to chop [Music] where am I going [Music] [Music] on top the first roof here in st.

Petersburg overlooking 360 degree views of the city this is awesome from the rooftops we head back down to ground level and make our way through the streets with another local guide that Victor French respect I'm not so connected people [Music] now we are in the most expensive train station in all of Russia right here in st.

Petersburg is so historical it's got details all over the place it's a beautiful building originally it was a one-story wooden building erected in 1837 for the first Russian railway under Nikolas the first and it's been remodeled and renovated many times since [Music] [Music] from much different historical attraction we visit the home of one of Russia's most notorious characters Rasputin [Music] to be completely honest I've never fully understood Rasputin's role until I watched the last SARS on Netflix he was a mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who gained considerable influence in late Imperial Russia by befriending the family of Tsar Nicholas ii the last russian mana [Music] my first reaction is this seems like a pretty modest home for such a figure regardless we hear stories of his exploits over tea with the caretaker and then press on [Music] we change gears again to get a broader perspective on our impending adventure you guys ever thought to yourself man I wish there was a place where I could see all of Russia under one nicely organized diagram to help me get an understanding of this country well guess what this is that place this is the grand model of Russia and it has every territory laid out little examples of it there's moving trains there's people there's buildings as factories this is just a childhood dream and there's also a lot of monitoring going on look at this everything being watched [Music] well it's very interesting the biggest model anything I've ever seen [Music] all right get out here back downtown we enjoy golden hour along the canals and grab a quick dinner nearby hi guys roasted meat with veggies buckwheat and some Russian pancakes or blinis just like that we're calling it an early night on day one because tomorrow we're waking up way too early good morning it is early just after 5:00 a.

m.

here on day 2 you have some people still out and about we're about to go kayaking this morning down the st.

Petersburg canals there's Mike he's getting some stuff ready seems really focused it's too early for this look at this start we're gonna go on the canals have a little bit of a morning kayak here before the Sun comes up as the Sun comes out here it has this morning voice this is my rmv voice like it's gonna be Randy as to this kayaking day too strapped in got the audience here everybody alright you ready yeah let's get him you guys ready yes the waterfalls yeah I was gonna do all the work I'm just here for the ride [Music] [Applause] [Music] Saturday morning here on the canals off for a little stroll with the boys built across the marshlands of the neva river delta there are more than three hundred and forty-two bridges in the city limits of st.

Petersburg Peter the gray wanted to design the city is another Amsterdam or Venice and if you wake up early enough you can have the labyrinth of canals virtually all to yourself [Music] all right after our kayak we've got some treats here what's the name of this y'all wouldn't you Gordon Inc we got some quote an egg here which is chicken and mushrooms this little regular doll smells like onions oh wow that's not traditional dish enough for wrong they didn't party go a wedding party okay well that's nice [Music] [Music] back on dry land it's time to traverse the city as tourists first down to one of the deepest subway systems in the world it's built this way because of all the water running under the city and also as a bunker for any future Wars don't get used to it [Music] all right next up on our hit list as we explore the city is the Peter and Paul Fortress right downtown it is a beautiful campus a sprawling fortress this beautiful cathedral right behind me that's making all that noise cobblestone streets a ton of different people let's keep moving seven [Music] [Music] in this time [Music] [Music] all right now we are over at the main square here in st.

Petersburg as the Sun starts to set behind me at the Winter Palace right there monument here that's some live music going on in front of me it is a beautiful beautiful day here in st.

Petersburg this is where we end up spending our last few hours in st.

Petersburg watching the sunset and enjoying some live music truth is after our first two full-on days in Russia we actually passed out right here on the ground until it was time to go catch the train it was a perfect start to the trip we have made it to the train station here in st.

Petersburg this is where it all begins for us the trans-siberian challenge begins tonight an overnight from st.

Petersburg over to Moscow let's place it alive Saturday night here in st.

Petersburg is a beautiful beautiful night [Music] that's our train travelled us change Taurus yes they like the Train and then I can do you've nothing you got your passports okay go good thank you I'm ADA go upstairs we're going we're in room 98 oh boy let's get this up the street Oh God oh here we go [Music] 97 98 and as we can put it here so it's gonna be a little bit tight tonight ladies and gentlemen we are awful the four fearless warriors here in one closing is in the middle yes to level train so there are not so much please [Laughter] this is great we got ever heard the term ten pounds of shit in a five-pound bag due to predation all right I mean company apartamentos serger this is third-class ok there's one more class below this yeah what happens in third class it is a open space so all are sharing the space we will say you don't have to fight for space it was the tour we have towels ok they are not so big but only for your face uh-huh we have pillows ok of course we had bed linen also we have what is it to brush knife some kind of shoe spoon yes yes shoehorn wet napkin it's not a condom we just came around with snacks it look like pop-tarts oh there we go alright ladies and gentlemen that is it we're gonna get hunkered down here and our spacious cabin the four of us are really gonna get to know each other at this first leg of the trip st.

Petersburg to Moscow it was a great great start to the trip in st.

Petersburg it's a beautiful city and now it officially begins we're on the road or on the tracks I should say and I'm gonna call it a night from here hope you guys like the video give a thumbs up subscribe comment all that good stuff see you next time coming up next on this series we explore Moscow get blessed by a bishop drink a little too much at lunch scuba dive in a freezing lake go camping with some off-road pros in Siberia spend the night at a farm near the Mongolian border get treated to a traditional Russian banya and show you what it's really like traveling across Russia by train in second and third class all that much more on the way so be sure to stay tuned every Friday for a new episode.