Russian Travel Guide

The bastion of emperor Paul

Russian Emperor Paul the First was so fascinated by the period of knights and the Middle Ages that he had a real castle built for himself – called BEP (the Bastion of Emperor Paul) — complete with a moat, drawbridges, narrow windows and high towers. Centuries later the historical building, located just outside of St. Petersburg in the suburb of Pavlovsk, has become a design hotel. The castle’s rooms in which the Emperor himself once stayed have become elegant apartments. The hotel has about two dozen rooms, each which is unique in its own way with the décor lending to an atmosphere of the gloomy yet romantic period the Paul loved so much without imitating its style. RTG TV presenter Evgenia Altfeld set off to learn about the artists who helped create this historic design hotel and discovered just why the Emperor insisted there be secret staircases as well as the explanation behind the na...

Коллекция Russian Travel Guide. Животные. Камчатка

Traditional Cuisine of Deerherders

Reindeer have always been considered one of nature’s greatest gifts to the Nenets, Khanty and Mansi peoples. These animals are used in many parts of their daily life. They use their hides to make clothes and build places to live, as well as use the creatures as a means of personal transport and to move heavy loads. These indigenous peoples make one of the main tools they use in reindeer breeding and herding, the «arkan», a type of lasso, by braiding together strips of deer hide. They carve knife handles, along with other household items, out of the antlers and use their tendons as a type of durable thread used to make snares and nets. In the olden days, parents even made toys for their children out of reindeer antlers. The animals’ meat and blood also play a primary role in these people’s traditional cuisine. RTG TV host Nadezhda Lebedeva travelled to Andreyevsky Lake, located 25 kilomet...