The thrill, the competition, the feeling of national pride. It had been on my mind for months … the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, of course. I was strolling the aisles of my favorite bookstore when my fantasy of getting to see them in the flesh became a gnawing obsession. The games, not the female athletes! Well, maybe I was dreaming I’d meet just one lovely female comrade. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I found myself in TRAVEL searching for inspiration. I had no clear plan of action but then I spied the DK Eyewitness Travel RUSSIA Guide on the shelf and hope surfaced. The glossy cover with a picture of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Kremlin’s main square convinced me I could make it happen. And when I flipped through the pages and saw the shot of the hikers in front of the snow-capped Caucasus Mountains close to Sochi, I was sure Russia was going to be in my future. I wondered about the winter temps and where I could get a good fare. I saw it all coming together in my mind but still needed some reassurance so I went back to the guide. How could this slim, super-portable travel guide help me turn my fantasy into reality? And how could all the information inside steer me toward the perfect experience?”
Fast forward
Sochi, Wednesday, February 12th, 11:32 a.m.:
Shaun White took the gold in the men’s snowboard half-pipe last night and I celebrated with a bottle of Pertsovka flavored vodka that I read about in DK Russia. I enjoyed it (maybe a little too much) and decided it might be time to ease up on the partying and get rid of the permanent hangover I’d had since arriving. Trying to keep up with the hard-drinking Russians may not have been the best idea, but boy, it was fun. I would have loved to relax at one of Sochi’s beautiful beaches on the Black Sea, but it was a little too cold for that. I wondered where else I could go to kick back and take in the day. I pulled out my DK Russia guide from my bag, flipped to the color coded, easy to find section about Sochi and the Caucus, and bam! I spotted it – RivieraPark. And the description of it just enticed me. In the park I had a few Zen moments, thankfully my hangover subsided, and I was able to enjoy the heavy Russian food and fairground rides with a little help from Valentina, my new friend. I can’t say I would have had the same great time without her … the guide, I mean.
St. Petersburg, Saturday, February 15th, 5:56 p.m.:
Is it a big surprise that I decided to make a pit stop in St. Petersburg for a few days? The variety of architectural styles in the city is legendary and the handy two-page map of the amazing Peter and Paul Fortress in the DK Russia guide allowed me to thoroughly scour the area. I was lost in the history and beauty of it all and then I looked at my watch. It was almost 6 pm and I had a ticket to the 7 pm production of The Maid of Pskov at the famous Mariinsky Theatre with no idea how to get there.
Panicking, I reached for my DK guide with the hope that it could get me out of this predicament. Thankfully, at the back of the guide was a map of the St. Petersburg metro system (and even one detailing the extensive and complicated Moscow system) that allowed me to get to the Mariinsky Theatre with time to spare. I began to think that this guide was practically my best friend here in Russia until intermission, that is, when I noticed the leggy blonde at the bar who looked an awful lot like Valentina. I muttered a couple phrases that I picked up from the back of the guide and she flashed a smile. The guide’s restaurant listings helped me sail through the rest of the night … well, through the meal, I mean.
Moscow, Tuesday, February 18th, 3:30 p.m.:
I finally made it to the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the monument that inspired my journey to Russia in the first place and it was better than I imagined. Stoked, I headed over to St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square. One of the DK guide’s illustrated two page spreads helped me get around the place like a local and I felt accomplished. I wanted to see more but I was leaving tomorrow and hadn’t even done any shopping.
Among the guide’s many useful sections is one on shopping in Moscow. It familiarized me with local customs, what to look for, and of course, where to find it. The directory even provided me with the locations and phone numbers of Moscow’s coolest stores, ensuring I didn’t get lost again. On top of that, the phrase book in the guide covered shopping, too, which made the experience a whole lot easier and let me impress all of the incredibly cute cashiers. Did I mention one looked just like Valentina?
Somewhere over Germany, Wednesday, February 19th, 7:05 p.m.:
Sitting in my seat on the flight back, I picked up my DK Russia to reminisce about the last week and the amazing cities I’d visited. It had only been a few hours and already I felt nostalgic. I got curious about other parts of Russia that I wasn’t able to see – Siberia, the city of Irkutsk along Lake Baikal, and the Kaliningrad Oblast. How quickly could I save enough to return? If I could swing it I knew two things for sure: I would definitely have to spend more time with Valentina and I wouldn’t make a move without my DK Eyewitness Travel Russia.
*Plan your trip to Russia today with this DK Eyewitness Travel Guide
From the TS Editors:
Are you dreaming of making your Olympic fantasy a reality?
Farebuzz.com offer fares as low as $1,057 round trip per person from New York’s JFK to Sochi International Airport on Aeroflot connecting via Moscow.