Visiting And Shopping Inside And Outside The Former Soviet Union.

[Al-muell]

Well, I've decided I will go back packing through Russia and eastern Europe in a year or two.
I'll try and get a pal to come along with me, but otherwise its just me on my lonesome trudging through the land!

So.
Any suggestions?

OK,
If You go to St.Petersburg, You should make a reservation in a hotel in advance, as finding acommodation tends to be troublesome.
Also, I don't know if this applies for all, or only for citizens of some countries, but when I was in Russia, they required everybody to fill in a form with information such as: where You are going, why, and at what adress You are to stay in Russia. Than You had to get the hotel stamp on that paper during the check-in, and within three days bring it to the local MVD delegature (altough the hotel staff would take care of that).

Be sure to check the laws of the countries You are to visit - e.g. You can't take soviet awards from Russia, from Ukraine You cannot take anything that is still in use by the Ukrainian army (also be carefull with protective stuff, like gasmasks - A friend of mine had to wait few hours, as the customs officers found radar maintanance crew coveralls in his luggage, and they had to check wether it wasn't radioactive - no surprise as this things look like something taken directly from the zone of Chernobyl), from Poland You can't take anything older than 50 years (in theory).

And a general rule:
Everything is possible in the eastern Europe. Everything.

Suggestions for places to go or ...? I have 2 suggestions for you...trains leave at the exact time it says on the ticket

This may work in Russia. But in the rest of the eastern Europe (I have heard Hungary is an exception, but I don't know for sure) timetable is not somethig train drivers and (to even greater extent) bus drivers pay much attention to.