It’s hard to find a nice coffee offering in Russia. The statement is sad, but still holds true. I’m a newbie in coffee drinking, but already have my own preferences about it, and apparently there is little to no understanding among the numerous fast-foods and coffee-houses of what a good cup of coffee should taste like.

This is my personal experience, though, I’m not pretending to sound/act as an expert, but here is the top 2 places I would buy a cup of Cappuccino at:

1. Starbucks. If you’re lucky enough to find a Starbucks nearby, then this is a nobrainer – go get it there! The best coffee one can find in Russia is served at this place.
2. Chockoladnitsa (aka Chocolateer). This is surprisingly good place to get a decent cup of Cappuccino. Even though the range of products is not as wide as in Starbucks, the taste still holds close to original.

Now, lets take a look at fast-food offers. Generally, you shouldn’t buy coffee there, it sucks! However, if there is no other place around, take a chance at MacDonald’s or Sbarro. And, please, never ever waste your dimes at places like ‘Rostiks KFC’, ‘Kroshka-Kartoshka’ (‘Little Potato’), ‘Teremok’ and such. You’ll get an over-burned, cheap, sometimes even chemically over-flavored drink, which has no resemblance to anything like coffee, and may be very dangerous to your stomach too!

So, if you want to drink a cup of coffee in Russia, find a Starbucks or a coffee-house, but not a fast-food. Happy Labor Day!

I’ve promised several times to myself to open up and start a blog in Russian language similar to this one. Don’t know though how should I start, or should I do it in the first place.

There are some issues to be considered first, and the main one is the content. What do I have to say to my Russian audience? Let’s face it, this blog isn’t getting any followers, it’s rather my personal thinkspace, and I don’t mind it to be one. For it’s good to practice, and this is the best I can do to this moment.

So, the question is should I practice in blogging in Russian as well? We’ll see in a month!

Albatross Puppet Theatre, the place I work at, has already began preparations for the upcoming holiday season events. There is a set of things all of us have to do in order to start the New Year’s campaign (oh, yes, it’s not a Christmas, but New Year that is so popular here in Russia).

First, some candies and sacks had to be bought. We will make presents out of them later (a day or two before the campaign starts).

Then, the script had to be rehearsed. It’s quite easy thing to do, since there are only two characters in our introductory show: Ded Moroz (sort of Santa) and Snegurochka (his granddaughter). The script is a tradition of Albatross theatre, for many years it remains the same, though it doesn’t make it boring or old-fashioned.

Then, all the technical part has to be checked and rechecked. The microphones, the sound, the New Year Tree lights. The tree itself has to be assembled and put into a right place. The hall and the auditorium has to be decorated.

The actors decide who and when is going to perform, since it is common for actors to perform other shows elsewhere (sometimes all by themselves) during this time of the year.

And that’s about it. Two more weeks and we’re starting our campaign!