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hall who can take you wherever you wish. They are paid in advance so no surprises on the cost, and they will accept credit cards. Avoid the drivers touting for business at the barriers. They are unlicensed and there is no guarantee of either a fair price or a safe vehicle. Incidentally, don't be surprised if even the official taxis have cracked windscreens this is a common sight in Russia.

Official cash transactions are conducted with roubles which can be bought at any of the kiosks showing the sign "Obmen Valyuty". They can be found on street corners or inside shops. Dollars, euros and sterling are all accepted, but ensure you have new banknotes. If your money is marked or damaged it will be refused and can only be exchanged at the bank.

Credit cards are accepted in many, but not all, hotels; in most restaurants; and in some shops. MasterCard or Visa are much more likely to be accepted than American Express.

The two cities that most people visit are Moscow, austere and moody, and St Petersburg, beautiful Venice of the North. If you get a chance, though, there is much more to this country, such as Kostroma on the banks of the Volga, where the Tsarist dynasty started, Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountains, where it foundered, and Vladivostok far to the east, home of the Russian fleet.

Russia is a country of many extremes and no more so than in its weather. In winter, the temperature can fall to -13F in Moscow and considerably lower in some parts. Russians are so used to this that they don't use the minus when referring to the temperature in winter. However, if you have the right clothes, the cold is no problem. You need a thick coat, gloves, scarf, boots (flat-soled if possible) and of course, a hat. No Russian goes outside bare-headed between October and April. All public building have efficient cloakrooms for stowing this excess clothing once inside. Municipal heating systems are so efficient that the only problem is turning them down.

At the other extreme, summers can be in the mid-nineties. If you are going into the countryside, take your insect repellent. I have seen mosquitoes that can bite through several layers of material.

Russia is not known for its cuisine, but do try its specialties such as blinis with caviar, borscht (beetroot soup) or herrings under the blanket (salad of herrings and potatoes with beetroot and mayonnaise).

Let's finish as we started, with the people. Many of the young will speak some English, but most of the older people will not. Their public face is stern and the language sounds harsh to an outsider. Shop assistants and hotel staff will not fall over themselves to help. Bureaucracy is still rife and economic problems mean life is still hard for many people. But in private, Russians will be friendly and generous. They are proud of their country and their heritage and want to share it. Their hospitality will encompass visits to Tsarist palaces and Soviet monuments, to the sauna and to the ballet. You will dine in noisy restaurants with more time spent dancing than eating and they will drink your health in cognac or vodka at ten in the morning or ten at night. Few people say their first trip to Russia will be their last.

Learn more about this author, Elizabeth Ducie.
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