Travel Guide St. Petersburg Environs

 

If St. Petersburg is the star of the show, then its suburbs are the supporting cast without which the story could not be told. For every aspect of the city's past—the glamour and glory of its Imperial era, the pride and power of its military history, the splendor of its architecture, the beauty of its waterways—there's a park, a palace, a playground of the tsars somewhere outside the city limits with a corresponding tale to tell. From the dazzling fountains of Peterhof on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, to the tranquil estate of Pavlovsk to the south, to the naval stronghold of Kronshtadt—a quiet town with a turbulent history and a still-Soviet feel (and once completely closed to foreigners)—what surrounds St. Petersburg is as important to its existence and identity as anything on Nevsky prospekt. It might seem odd to exhort you to get out of the city almost as soon as you have arrived, but you'll understand why once you have seen the suburbs for yourself, wandered through the palaces imagining what it would be like to call them home, and strolled through the grounds in the footsteps of the aristocrats and officers who made Russia a world power.

Easiest Countries to Travel Through

Some countries just get it. They like tourists; they want to have them visit. So they do everything in their power to make it easy for people to holiday there.
It doesn't necessarily mean they're the best destinations in the world – there's something to be said for taking the time to discover a place that doesn't really care if you're there or not.
But if you're after a trouble-free holiday, or are just new to this whole travel caper and are looking to ease yourself in, then these are the countries you want to be heading to.

 

(This is the first in a two-part series. Next week: the world's hardest countries to travel through. Send your suggestions to me via email.)
United Kingdom
Let's get the obvious one out of the way early. They speak English, for starters (even the Scots, apparently). Plus, everything in Britain is ridiculously close together, the public transport system is reliable (although not cheap), and the whole country is politically stable. It's a breeze.
New Zealand
The Kiwis are onto it. They know tourism is a major industry for them, and they do it properly. Like Britain, it's a small country that's easy to drive around and see all of the sights (and if you get lost in NZ, there's something seriously wrong). Plus, friendlier people you will not meet.
Hong Kong
If you want to go to China, but you're a bit freaked out about going to China, Honkers should be your first port of call. Westernised enough to make it easy to travel around, yet Chinese enough to make it interesting, it's a great gateway city to the East.
Germany
I remember hesitantly approaching the ticket counter at Munich train station: "Sprechen sie Englisch?" The guy laughed. "Of course!" Germany is clean, safe, beautiful, and a piece of cake to get around. Even if you can't work out the simple Deutsche Bahn train system for yourself, someone will be around to help you.
Netherlands
Most Dutch people speak better English than I do, which is both mildly annoying and very impressive. The country's tiny – people commute daily from the Hague to Amsterdam – and it's the sort of place where you'll never feel threatened. You'll feel short, yes; but never threatened.
Malaysia
OK, so it's not as easy as, say, New Zealand, but if you're after a hit of South-East Asia and want to do it with relative ease, Malaysia is the place to head. Kuala Lumpur, in particular, feels a bit like Asia Lite – all the good stuff (food, shopping, culture), with few of the difficulties.
Canada
It's a huge country, which doesn't make Canada the easiest to get from A to B, but the real ease of travel here is how friendly everyone is. All you have to do to get help is pull out a map and look slightly confused – people will fight for the chance to point you in the right direction.
Denmark
If your idea of "easy" is "inexpensive", then Denmark's not the place for you. However, if your idea of easy is a clean, orderly, safe place where English is widely spoken, accommodation is comfortable and transport is simple, then Denmark should be on your list.

See Before They Disappear Place

Many of the world's most wondrous and beautiful destinations are in danger of being destroyed by a combination of environmental and social factors: a warming climate, pollution, strained resources, bulging populations, and booming tourist traffic. Below are some popular locations worth visiting before they disappear.

Glaciers, Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park

United States and Canada

Glacier National Park contains some of the most beautiful, primitive wilderness in the Rocky Mountains. There are more than 200 glacier-fed lakes, high peaks, sheer precipices, large forests, waterfalls, much wildlife, and a great variety of wildflowers. However, temperature fluctuations have caused glacier growth and depletion. Ten thousand years ago, the area of Glacier National Park was covered by ice up to one mile below sea level. The latest warm period has caused the number of glaciers to decrease from 150 in 1850 to 26 today. If current global warming trends continue, there will be no glaciers left in Glacier National Park by 2030.

Venice, Italy

With as many as 40 floods per year between March and September, Venice is slowly sinking at an estimated rate of 2.5 inches every 10 ten years. Venice, a city of beauty and charm, was built as a collection of 118 separate islands, relying entirely on a canal system of about 150 canals, mostly very narrow, crossed by some 400 bridges. A severe flood in December 2008 brought renewed attention to Venice's vulnerable state and imminent fate as an underwater city.

The Dead Sea

Border between Israel and the West Bank (W) and Jordan (E)

Known as one of the saltiest water bodies in the world and the lowest dry point on earth, the Dead Sea is fed by the Jordan River and a number of small streams. Because it is located in a very hot and dry region, the Dead Sea loses much water through evaporation, causing its level to fluctuate during the year. However, inflow to the Dead Sea has been greatly reduced by the increased use of the Jordan River by Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians, who have growing populations and increased agricultural needs, resulting in falling water levels. Currently, the Dead Sea recedes about three feet each year.

Mexico City, Mexico

In the past 100 years, Mexico City has sunk more than 30 feet. The original city was built on the site of a former lake—the Aztecs built the city on a series of aquatic platforms, but when the Spanish conquered the city, they drained the lake, causing it to sink. As the city population ballooned and the demand for water increased in the 20^th century, the government began pumping much of the city's supply out of the underground aquifer that once fed the lake, causing the city to sink further. No practical plan has been made for the future to provide the 22 million inhabitants of Mexico City with the water they need without destroying the city.

Taj Mahal

Agra, Uttar Pradesh state, India

A mausoleum in northern India on the Yamuna River, the Taj Mahal is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian Islamic architecture. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ordered it built after the death of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The building, which was completed between 1632 and 1638, is visited by three to four million tourists each year. The crowds and air pollution, however, have caused irreversible damage to the building's façade, prompting tourism officials to consider closing the historic site to the public.

Pyramids of Giza

Giza, Egypt

One of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pyramids of Giza, located outside modern Cairo, consist of three magnificent royal tombs guarded by a Sphinx. The Pyramids have been a heavily trafficked sightseeing area for centuries, but the pollution and magnitude of visitors has taken its toll on the ancient structures, which are not protected by Egyptian officials. Although camel and horseback tours are now banned from the site, the structures are still difficult to see through the crowds and vendors.

Little Green Street

London, United Kingdom

Located in the center of London, Little Green Street, is one of only a few surviving streets from Georgian England. Lined with about a dozen 18^th century homes, Little Green Street only stretches a city block in length, but has survived the Blitz in World War II and three centuries of construction. As a perfect example of Regency London, it has been featured in poetry, photo shoots, and music videos, but today it is threatened by construction. Although an attempt to acquire the property failed in 2008, developers' appeals continue, and the threat of Little Green Street's destruction looms ahead.