Turkish Lira Fun
You think you can add fast? Try math with seven zeros on each number! The Turks have a crazy money system, even crazier than Russia’s New Money. See, there are 240,000 lira to the US dollar, and falling fast. So many zeros make it hard to figure out what your…
Read MoreIstambul’s City Fortifications
For 2000 years, only twice did the city walls of Istanbul fall! A section of the wall The city of Istanbul has stood for two thousands years, falling only twice to invaders. Since it sits on a peninsula, the only way to attack the city was a land march along…
Read MoreEver Take an Elektrichka?
There is a reason they call it ‘hard class!’ I was all prepared to write about the singular experience of riding a Russian elektrichka when I read this article in the Moscow Times. Bill doesn’t exactly write in my style, I would have spoken more about the people on the…
Read MoreThe English Invasion
If I hear “bollocks” one more time! What does ‘whilst’ mean? They are everywhere, like a blight on the land, the English! You would think that Moscow would keep them away, being so far from the sea. but they are here in droves! Ok, there are some similarities, tea, bad…
Read MoreNuttin Like New Money
How much is a ruble worth these days anyway? When I first arrived in Moscow, almost a year ago now, I remember the confusion of dealing with the currency. It was about 5,500 roubles to the dollar then, and falling daily. The money was a bit confusing because you never…
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