Kseniia

I know, I know, we failed completely with the updates this month… The thing is we as well failed to study properly for the first two months and now are multitasking like crazy to be back on track with the upcoming exams. Russians do never give up, huh? All we can do now is to pray that our readers are the most patient and understanding human beings ever!.. If there are any still, of course:) The one thing we definitely couldn’t miss posting about is the recent earthquake that happened in New Zealand this week.

If only I had to choose two of my favorite SPb palaces, I would definitely name Oranienbaum and Tsarskoe Selo. Visited the last one for three times and never ever got bored! This place, known not only as a hometown for many Russian Empresses, but also as a city where the most famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin lived and studied, is equally fabulous for those eager to learn more about the history of the world’s largest country as well as for those who are just looking for a picturesque place to have a walk and take a couple of remarkable Instagram pictures.

Maybe you have noticed some changes at our blog’s structure. Main menu now has new section #TSJinKIWILAND, which is all about our life in New Zealand. And we also started new series of vlogs at YouTube channel where you can find a lot of different videos about this beautiful country.

Have you ever heard, that in order to truly understand new country, you’d better get out of the capital? The real Italy is somewhere around the sunny wineries with welcoming homestyle cafes serving hot pizzas and lemonade. The real Sweden is on tiny islands surrounded by cold waves and winds, where cozy and warm hotels as small as two rooms are offering huge fresh fish and a company of the giant but kind dog. Of course, New Zealand is not like any other country in the world, but in this case there are no exceptions. But anyway, do not ignore Wellington while exploring New Zealand, cause the capital can surprise not only with its nature, but with the city attractions, that you won’t find anywhere else in the Country of the Long White Cloud. 

If Petergof was a country, it would have been world’s fifth smallest country. It means, the territory of this ensemble is 24 times bigger than Monaco! And all these belonged to the single person. How crazy is that? Not surprisingly, Petergof is one of the most (if not – the most) popular destinations in Saint-Petersburg. Frankly, its popularity is the main reason why Petergof is the last in my personal list of Saint-P. suburbs’ favorites. Just hate that crowd, spoiling all the impression of the Russian Versailles! What anyway didn’t stop me from visiting it three times. So why not to make yet another walk around, especially if it’s only virtual this time?

Tauranga is definitely not the place you visit to upgrade your historical education – it is called the most popular holiday destination for reason, don’t you think so? People come here to swim, to hike, to drink coffee outside. But if occasionally you find yourself too bored after several long days of sunbathing (like it’s even possible!), there is still something for a change. And that is the Historic Village on 17th street. Wanna have a virtual tour to begin with? You’re more than welcomed!

New Zealand might look tiny on a map, but trust me, you never have enough time to explore everything in here. Thanks to Booking.com we got a chance to have a look at yet another corner of this spectacular country – a couple of weeks ago we visited Wellington, world’s most Southern capital. Despite the shortness of the journey, it turned to be so inspiring and filled with emotions and impressions, that I even decided to divide our guide in two parts: about the city and about the nature. That is by the way exactly how Wellington looks like – wild and modern at the same time. How about starting with the wild part? Oh yeah, you know we have this thing with the nature:)

If you ever felt alone, lost or buried under a pile of important, but so unfamiliar and scary documents, while staying in a new country, then you’re definitely not an NTEC student! These guys do their best to make newbies feel comfortable and relaxed in every single moment of their life (studies, job search, communication or even groceries to name a few). Frankly speaking, sometimes I even become a little scared that they will start eat and think for us (and, gosh, you can have everything, just leave me my food!). With the great pleasure I’m showing you the photos of the place where we’re going to spend nearest year. Exited?

Did you know, that the amount of people, refusing to eat meat, fish, eggs and milk, in New Zealand increased by 27% in the last 5 years? Impossible to believe, but while Alex still can’t stand even a tiniest sip of soy cappuccino, others are happy to eat raw brownie or prepare green smoothie bowl for breakfast:) Noticing the trend, Rachelle Duffy and Little Big Events decided to organize Vegan Vibes festival in Tauranga.