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In search for peace and sophistication while in Saint-Petersburg go no further than Oranienbaum palace. I have visited 5 impressive royal residences around our Northern capital and can definitely say – this one is my favorite. Nothing compares with its tranquility, especially when you know, the crowded and hectic Petergofis just around the corner. And what I especially loved during our last visit is that you can actually bike around Oranienbaum – makes the process of exploring the enormous territory way easier.

Let’s admit it – this world runs on food! Seriously, what is always a must do activity while traveling? To try local cuisine! You might not even think of local dances, local designers or local way of shaking hands (who knows?), but you are always looking forward to some new culinary experiences. And what do we do when we’re upset? Eat sweets! Ok, some of us do think shopping works better in that case, but after hours and hours of strolling around the mall you will anyway find yourself buying a large box of donuts with some naughty plans on those bad boys, aren’t you? And finally, what do we normally get as a present when we’re unsure about the tastes of the Birthday person? A bottle of wine and candies (that is how it’s normally done in Russia, at least). Guess, you got the idea – we explore the world and create memories through food. So make sure you choose the best places while traveling. Here are my recommendations on where to eat in Hawke’s Bay.

Alex never took part in any photo competitions for reasons. Strange reasons, but still. He simply didn’t believe he could be among the lucky winners. But this time I forced him to send some pictures and guess what?:)

Those stereotypes about New Zealand as a boring and slow place make me smile every time I read another “smart” comment on my Facebook page. I mean, guys, I can’t imagine how to see and try everything even our unique Bay of Plenty has to offer, saying nothing about the rest of the country! Just have a look at the youngest Volcanic Valley in the world we explored on my Birthday a month ago – isn’t it just incredible? Any more comments on being bored to stay thousands km away from the rest of the planet?

Sometimes you just don’t feel like dressing up, but can’t allow yourself to wander around in your PJs at the same time. What would you choose for the days like these? I’m all about my let’s_pretend_leather shorts lately and I absolutely love this simple white T-shirt I got at ROMWE recently.

Being a blogger today means attending tonnes of events, meeting thousands of people from colleagues to PR-managers, designers and celebrities. It means to be everywhere and to know everyone. “No problem” would have most of the bloggers said right now, but what if you’re not living in a big city, where all the businesses and activities are located? In Russia, for example, living outside Moscow (ok, sometimes also Saint-Petersburg) automatically brings you to a second position in this tough competition. Most of the smart, talented, beautiful girls don’t even try to reach Moscow partners, being convinced they are not in the same league as the metropolitan citizens. But what if it is theirs main mistake? And those who dare really win, no matter how far is the place they call home?

Though the oldest wine region of New Zealand Hawke’s Bay looked intriguing from the very beginning, our journey turned to be beyond any expectations. I don’t know, why it happens sometimes, but something just clicks and you find yourself in the middle of the most perfect trip you could have imagined. That is exactly what happened to us in Hawke’s Bay – we were absolutely enjoying every single moment of being there. Even the one, struggling on the 5 km route around Te Mata peak, melting under the super hot sun and sweating make up (in my case) of:) We loved every corner and view, had only delicious food and met lots of amazing people. The secret behind such a wonderful trip? Plan it yourself! Only you guys know what is perfect for you. Not the Internet, not an experienced guide, it’s you! And this time we planned everything ourselves, so I decided to describe this 3 days tour around Hawke’s Bay for you to know what to start from, if you’re also planning to explore this welcoming region.

Being truly sociable lately, we’re not missing any interesting events in New Zealand, but somehow still managed to spend four months without attending a single musical festival! And you guys know, we’re a huge fans of good music and big festivals! Remember our annual trips to Alfa Future People in Russia? That’s why we were super excited about an opportunity to visit Bay Dreams in Tauranga yesterday (saying nothing about the first time to be officially invited somewhere as journalists in this country!) Definitely a moment to remember!

A lot of people like to travel by car. This is because of freedom and comfort of this kind of travel. We are huge fans of car travels and call them "Road adventures". You obviously can’t call us car experts. But we have an experience of driving a lot of cars, so we can compare them.

We are trying not only to drive these cars, but to plan a trip to beautiful places and to share a story about it. And the car is the thing that makes this trips comfortable and unforgettable. That is why today I want to recall the 10 best test-drives we had and all the trips we have done by these cars.

Happy 2017, our dearest readers! What I was thinking about today is whether this NYE turned to be really unusual only for us or everybody where kinda lacking that festive mood and excitement? Frankly speaking, me and Alex welcomed this year happily sleeping in bed:) And it was the first time for me to avoid overindulging and staying up till the early morning, what was always my favorite thing to do! So instead of sharing that missing vibes, I wanted, yes, once again discuss some food moments with you (don’t you feel I’m a bit overusing this theme lately? Seems like I’ve been really obsessed with the delicious cuisine!) – and let it be Christmas and New Year food this time.