Things to Know -- Shopping in Russia

First of all, you needn't go to a mall or a store to buy something in Russia. You can go to a stand on the street if you prefer (but they might not be able to give you change, so you'll have to pay in exact figures). Or if organized shopping just turns you off, wait a few hours. A group of people will usually show up on the street sometime in the evening, bringing whatever they have, and they'll just sell it on the pavement. It's like one big group yard sale.

If, however, you like stores and malls, there are plenty around. Some of them even have ATMs that will give you your money directly in rubles. However, as you're making your purchase, keep in mind that you will have to pay for the bags they give you. If you want to avoid that, you'll need to bring a backpack or something to carry your groceries home in.

You can find all sorts of things at the malls here in St. Petersburg. During our shopping trip today we saw many marvels of the world: gummy feet, raspberry-scented toilet paper, and chinchillas among them. They also have some rather normal things that take on new significance in Russia. For instance: 1) bottled water - which is practically the only way to get drinkable water; 2) scarves - for women to wear over their heads when going into a chapel or cathedral; and 3) slippers - because wearing your outdoor shoes inside is very much against the rules, so people usually wear slippers when they're in someone's house.

I hope to have my own pictures up on here soon, but for now I just stole one from the internet. Here's a photo of some rubles, so you can see what kind of money my wallet is filled with now.

(PS. Rubles are not as 'big' as dollars: it's 28 rubles to the dollar, so 500 rubles is really just over $17. It's not unrealistic to walk around with 1000 rubles in your pocket. It takes some adjustment, getting used to it. The first time we were looking at prices for lunch, we all freaked out to see triple digit numbers on all the foods - like, pizza for 280 rubles. But don't worry; it's really not that much money. You just have to wrap your brain around that.)