I fell in love with Saint Petersburg so deeply that I came back to the beautiful city the following month. As the saying goes, “Happiness is multiplied when shared,” so I will share with you the best places to go, ways to get around the city, tips and tricks to save your rubles, and more.

St. Petersburg is the second largest city after Moscow, with a population of just over five million. It is often called “the Venice of the North,” like the other six cities (Amsterdam, Bruges, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Manchester, and Stockholm) because it has a network of canals. Located on the Neva river, which flows out to the Baltic sea, the city was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703. Like Venice, St. Petersburg is renowned for its arts and culture.

Before we dwell into the gems of this Venice of the North, I have to warn you: it’s very easy to fall prey to the changing weather here. One day it’s 12C (53F) degrees, sunny with blue skies, and you can walk around with a t-shirt, but the next day it’s -9C (15F), freezing with snow covering the streets and sidewalks. As a result, I got sick twice. Make sure you dress appropriately.

Here are seven tips to enjoy the most beautiful city in Russia—if not in the world:

1. Always take the metro 

The fastest and most convenient way to get around the city is by metro. It’s pretty clean, cheap, fast, and better than being stuck in traffic. It will get you from A to B in no time. A single journey ticket costs less than $1 dollar or 45 rubles, but you’re better off with a 10, 15 or 20 trip multi-use card. You can buy a 10 trip card, which lasts for seven days for 355 rubles or $5.89. All stations have English information boards and ticket machines where you can refill your card using cash or credit card.

The underground stations are a piece of art. Make sure you give yourself enough time to appreciate the beauty of the Russian architecture. The only downside is that the escalators are like a stairway to hell. It takes at least 2-3 minutes in each station to go up or down. Russians dug the underground tunnels way deeper than you can imagine. In fact, the Saint Petersburg Metro is one of the deepest metro systems in the world and the deepest by the average depth of all the stations. The system’s deepest station, Admiralteyskaya, is 86 meters below ground.

2. Visit The State Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. It was founded in 1754 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. The Hermitage consists of five main buildings: the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and Hermitage Theatre.

The ticket cost for adults is 600 rubles ($10) and there are guided English tours every two hours. If you are a student, you get in for free. It’s also free on the first Thursday of every month and it is closed on Mondays. There are many rooms with a wide range of art exhibitions, like Egyptian history, Roman Empire, and Russian history.  It would take days, if not weeks, to explore each room.

In this video, I give a tour of the museum:

They serve a good range of international foods like pasta, wok, fish, grilled skewers, salad, etc. It will be tough not to drool, trust me. The best part is…your bill will never exceed $10! Most dishes cost between 200-350 rubles (around $3-$5).

The daily lunch is available on weekdays from 12 to 4 p.m. The daily menu includes buck wheat or rice, either chicken, beef or fish, coleslaw, delicious soup with sour cream, and the choice of Compote or Morse fresh Russian juice.

4. Visit The Saint Petersburg Mosque

5. Coffee Break at Biblioteka in Nievsky Prospekt

Everyone has a sweet tooth, even the people on Paleo, vegetarian or carnivorous diets. If you are on such diet, make sure you put it on a pause until after you finish your visit to St. Petersburg. Everyday, I explored coffee shops and I found Biblioteka to be one of my favorites.

Translated from Russian, “biblioteka” means library. The most unusual thing about this place is that it’s not just a cafe or a restaurant. On the third floor, there’s also a conference room, and a few bookstores. If you wish, you can spend the entire day in this space. At the cafe, try the Dutch Apple Pie with fresh cream or the Cherry Tart. Accompany that with their green tea with fresh mint leaves. You can always ask for a refill. They also have a variety  of soups—my favorite was the mushroom soup with sour cream and lemon.

6. Visit The Church of The Savior on Blood

The city’s architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood goes back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism.

The architecture will take your breath away. The colors on top of the dome look like a carefully painted canvass. It will be difficult to understand how humans could build such beauty.

It’s closed on Wednesdays.

 7. Dinner at Katyusha, the most traditional Russian restaurant in St. Petersburg

If you want to travel back in time to the old days of Russia, an authentic Russian dinner at Katyusha is a must. Make sure to try Borscht soup. The waiters are all stunningly beautiful Russian women dressed in traditional jumper dresses. The interior design in charming—the tables are made of high quality oak wood and there are comfortable, colorful couches. For your entertainment, every night a singer comes in at 8 p.m. and performs while walking between tables. Prices are reasonable, around 2000 rubles, approximately $40 for dinner.

 

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Demi Vitkute contributed to this post.

The post I fell in love with Saint Petersburg, Russia appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

After learning about a few tips, I have been loving the London life more than I could have imagined. Never been so grateful for such a wonderful city to be calling my home.

Every day I meet great people, go to various events, places and restaurants. Make few friends and most of all, I learn about different tricks to help me survive in one of the most expensive cities in Europe.

You too could live like a king regardless of how low your income is by simply switching your expensive thinking habits into an efficient saving ones.

One thing I am grateful for is I am staying at my brother’s where I pay low rent and I am truly very thankful for him. However you can find cheap rents around London if you put the effort in searching.

Working in the streets of London all day long, I  discovered numerous ways through trial and error that made me save so much and still enjoy my day.

Here are 10 tips I came up with to help you save time, money and effort which guarantee to contribute to an easier more enjoyable life in London.

Buy your groceries late at night

I always go to supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi an hour before they close (some times I am asked to leave as I am still shopping beyond opening hours). At such a late hour, every store has a reduced section and you can find all your daily food needs at 30 to 50 % off.

Whether you’re a healthy eater or not, you’ll find foods that suit all sorts of diets. A tip; the cheapest place for raw nuts is Lidl. At £1 per 100 grams for most types of nuts; you’d be nuts, nut shopping somewhere else.

Take the bus instead of the tube and train

Mr Sadiq Khan, London’s best Mayor since the age of empires, has imposed a new bus fee where your 2nd bus journey within an hour of your first will be free. I pay for a single journey to reach my destination £1.50 compared to the tube journey which could go up to £4 one way.

Next time you plan a journey on google maps, make sure you press options and tick the ‘bus’ box. Your journey could be a few minutes longer but your wallet will stay harmless.

Get a bicycle

I use my bicycle everyday for work. It’s the fastest most economical way to get around the busy city. Plus it’s only the initial cost of the bike then your excess fat will take care of running it. Almost forgot you will be healthier fitter and you’d save on those ££££ gym membership fees.

You can also use Santander street bikes and your daily commute could cost you only £2.

Eat sardines and coconut for lunch

I eat a tin of sardines in water or olive oil and raw coconut every weekday. Got the tip from Tim Ferris, Author of the 4-Hour-Work-Week; since then I have gotten rid of my Nivea cream, been feeling more energized and people say I look younger.

Sardines are great source for Omega 3 and Vitamin D which you hardly get from the sun in the winter. Also, they have age defying properties which will leave your skin hydrated even during the coldest roughest days and you will ditch spending money on those moisturizers.

A pack of fresh coconut from Sainsburys or Tesco costs only a £1 and they are loaded with numerous vitamins. They are also high in healthy fats which will keep you full for a good few hours.

Your lunch could cost you only £1.40 for 750 of healthy calories. Could you think of a cheaper healthier meal to beat that price? I didn’t think so.

I struggled to find cheap tins of healthy sardines, by that I mean only in water or olive oil, but after a bit of supermarket shopping I found them at Waitrose, don’t panic, they are priced at £0.40 and £1.00

Turn off all your notifications and check your apps only 3 times a day

Our phones have taken control of our lives and we have to put an end to the agitation and addiction.

I have now turned all my notifications off and only receive calls. Even messages. Nothing urgent is going to come through an SMS. If someone wants to get a hold of me they will call.

I would check my phone 3 times a day for messages. You can have a look in the morning (but not right after you rise cause when you check the news first thing in the morning it ain’t a nice start), in the afternoon and say farewell to my phone at 5pm.

Make it a habit and stay away from your phone after 5. Only if you get a phone call, but try and let people know that you have a life and don’t like to be disturbed after 5.

This way you’ll have time for yourself and those around you.

You may be wondering how this tip will save me money. Honestly it will save you something way more valuable, Time.

If you add app all those worthless minutes and hours you stare at newsfeeds without actually gaining any input and value you’d kill your phone, if not yourself.

Instead work on your business or your hobby and once you master them, money will flow like you’ve never imagined.

Ask for discount and be a better negotiator

I listened to a podcast for Chris Voss titled; “This is what I do for a negotiation.” It has saved me so much money and I have become a better negotiator and not in any way disrespectful or sounding like a beggar.

Voss explains ways to win almost any negotiation and one of the ways is to slow down while you’re talking. You can listen to the podcast here.

For example, when I go to a coffee shop, I’d ask the cashier how they are, compliment their shirt or simply say what a lovely day it is; then I’d have a sandwich to pay for and say ‘will you treat me for a free coffee today? Or a 10% off’ Most of the times it works. If they ask why? I’d say because the smile on you’re face shows how a kind and nice person you are. Now you have them trapped and will give you a treat if they can do so.

Don’t sign up for a gym membership

If you open Google now regardless of your location, you will find a park nearby. All parks I been to in London have a kids area with monkey bars, ropes, benches, etc.

You don’t need weights to be in good shape. Your body weight is what you should train with.

Our ancestors did not have Fitness First; but they had bricks, rocks, each other’s to use as weights.

Have a look at the statues scattered all around the world for the Roman Empire and you will see how fit and defines those people were.

Scrap the expensive membership for a free app called “Carrot” it has HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and circuit exercises that will get you sweat out all those excess fats in days.

All you need is 20-30 minutes of your time a day and you will be fitter in no time.

Book ticket events way in advance

A great app to find all about concerts and performances in London is called bandsintown. It emails you with dates for events you will be interested in. They are very good at algorithms. Once you like an artist on their platform they will email you relevant concerts.

Also Southbank centre website or magazine are great places to know all about London’s hustle if not bustle.

The good thing is that those apps announce the shows before anyone else so you can get an early bird ticket as cheap as a bag of peanuts.

I got to attend the London ATP Semis for only £19. Get in touch if you want to know more about cheap tennis front row ticket.

If you have to travel outside of London for business or pleasure don’t buy the journey ticket in one go instead buy it in chunks of sectors and it will work out cheaper. Same for if you’re flying out of Europe.

For example, if you’re booking a journey to Manchester and there will be a stop in New Castle. Book Lon-New Castle ticket then another one from New Castle to Manchester. You’re welcome!

Get in touch for more details if you’re stuck.

Don’t work on the weekends no matter how much you could make.

Ask yourself, Why am I in London? Why did I come here and not any other city? Because London is one of the most exotic and vibrating cities in Europe; if you work on the weekend, thinking that brining more money will be of better value than going and checking all those great places in the city, think again.

If you don’t start enjoying life in London now, you never will.

The below tip is an added bonus to thank you for reading the whole post; Make sure not to share this exclusive tip with many other wise Starbucks will up their coffee prices.

Choose your coffee right

Do you like Starbucks? I don’t either, but you can still enjoy a cup of coffee for a fraction of what you’re paying for those ‘Vanilla Latte Cuppa thing”

I like just plain simple black coffee so I always ask for a filter brew also called Pike (from Pike Place market in Seattle where starbucks was originally created).

One, because it’s cheap and two because it doesn’t give me stomach cramps.

But if you’re a fan of those frappe creamy chaos which could go up to £5 a cup, simply ask for a filter coffee with steamed milk on top. This will save you £££ on your future coffee purchases. Many times they’d say “Would you mind waiting 5 minutes to brew a fresh one” and you should reply with “I don’t really have time” then they’ll charge you for a filter at 1 pound and offer you an Americano, which is priced at 2 pounds.

Edited by Ivy Joseph

The post 10 simple tricks to enjoy London under a budget appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

1. Ginny and Caro

After being in great careers within large companies for over 20 years, Ginny and Caro decided to quit and start a new life where they could better spend their time serving their communities with wild food.

Inspired by “fruits, nature and culinary heritage” they built Wild at Heart Foods in 2011, a start-up that manufactures and sells traditional homemade accompaniments for meats and cheeses.

“We realized wild things had became very trendy but people were scared to pick things for themselves, and we wanted to help people eat wild things,” says Ginny while she kindly offering me a cracker dipped in their new wild garlic mayonnaise.

Their range of products includes natural and wholesome chutneys, wild garlic pesto, mayonnaise, relishes, preserves, jellies and fruit cheeses. You can buy their products at Lakeland, Selfridges or online.

2. Froosh

Inspired by everything fruit; Froosh specialize in 100% fruit bottling and nothing else. All natural fruit smoothies with no additives, no sugar and not from concentrate.

Froosh Smoothies is an independent Swedish company with more than 60 percent market share in Scandinavia. According to their website, Froosh Smoothies “give consumers a convenient, delicious and healthy way to get more fruit into their diet and make it a little easier to live a healthy life.”

After being offered a sample of the Starfruit &Yuzu, I could taste the ripeness of a mix of tropical fruits as if just freshly squeezed off the trees. A must have for healthy eaters and drinkers who want to save time and effort with an instant smoothie.

Among their combinations are mango and orange, pineapple, banana and coconut, blueberry and raspberry, and orange, carrot and ginger. Plus there are fruits you’ve never heard of, like Yoozo – a citrus fruit from Japan. The complete range can be found here.

Find Froosh in specialty retail stores like whole foods and Harvey Nichols or contact them directly at info@froosh.com

Froosh not only specialize in award-winning smoothies but also in helping developing nations. They base their business on the trade not aid concept. “We want to purchase products which come from the developing countries and bring them out of poverty by buying their products,” says Christian Iönne, Froosh’s Export Manager who’s bringing a new definition of healthy smoothies to the UK market.

3.  Pulsin

“We started off just making energy balls in one of our mums’ kitchens in Gloucester; replacing bad confectionary snacks with healthy foods,” Andrew Powell, Business Development Executive at Pulsin says.

Tired of looking for an all natural and all healthy snack? Be tired no more – a protein bar from Pulsin will ensure you are stocked with enough energy for a hectic day. According to their website they use the best quality, natural non GM or ingredients, shaving minutes off your next healthy snack search at the food store.

They make a wide range of plant-based protein bars that promise to “give you sustained energy release, strengthen your immune system, make you feel fuller for longer, support healthy body function, boost your brainpower and enrich your life.”

But that’s not all. The good guys at Pulsin didn’t forget about the next generation, and have created a variety of delicious, healthy bars for kids. Also if you are a busy gym goer and want a quick whey protein boost during a golden hour, Pulsin have got you covered with their muscle recovery drink

Check their website to buy directly or go to Wholefoods or Planet Organic.

4. Nomnom Chocolates

What does it take to turn an old deserted factory into a successful business? A team of youngsters all under the age of 25 have built a start-up around their passion and favorite snack: Nomnom Chocolates.

“We like our confectionary bitter and our companies sweet which is why we want our little company to be owned by the people that enjoy our chocolate,” Liam Burgess, Nomnom Founder says.

These guys are so dedicated that everything is done by hand, from blending the best cacao beans in the world to even the wrapping. The bars are hand wrapped individually in a golden thin foil to seal ridiculously good chocolate.

After a taste of the orange marmalade filled chocolate; I couldn’t help but finish the whole 110-gram indulgence in under a minute.

Order today here or on Facebook, for yourself or someone you care about. The taste will take you to another level of chocolate consciousness.

5. Dark Woods Coffee

Particular about your morning coffee? Ever thought about having a relationship with coffee that isn’t via Starbuck’s or Costa? Have you wondered what separates good coffee from real good coffee? Dark Woods Coffee does exactly that.

“When we started, we wanted to go down the middle. Mid roast designed to have the freshness and fruitiness of quality coffee, which would work better with milk but not a roast so dark as to destroy the character of the coffe,” says Paul Meikle-Janney, Managing Director, who has been making coffee for 18 years. While he brewed me a long black expresso, the smell was so good that I’d picked up a bag of the Good Morning Sunshine blend before I’d even tasted it.

In London Dark Woods coffee can be found in Harrods. It’s also available in lots of farm shops and can be purchased online.

6. Olly’s olives

One of the most enthusiastic people I met at the fair was Oliver Hiscocks. He quit his full time job and founded Olly’s olives,  admitting “I am an absolute olive fanatic.”

His daily passion for olives starts at 6 a.m. in the morning  when he gets up, heads to the production unit, gathers the olives and marinates them all by himself with no additives, preservatives or chemicals. He just makes “natural olives in fresh and flavorsome marinades.”

Olly wants to revolutionize the way we incorporate olives in our daily eating. “I was bored with olives and someone needed to jazz it up, shake it up and help olives achieve 100 percent of their potential,” says the 24-year-old entrepreneur.  He offers six different flavors – Fiery Chili, Garlic & Basil, Sweet Ginger with Chili & Spring onion, Gherkins & Pesto, Silverskin Onions & Vinegar, Honey & Lemon.

“Olives have been around for centuries and those Ancient Greeks didn’t have any chemicals at hand to quicken the process. We are following in their footsteps to make sure our olives are produced in the most natural way possible. This not only looks after them but also gives you the best tasting olives,” adds Olly.

Try a box today and don’t blame me for the addiction; blame the maker.

7.  Upwards!

Upwards! provide amazingly scrumptious, all natural gluten-free calzones oozing with delicious fillings wrapped in a perfectly crispy pizza base. The innovative packaging means they can be freshly heated from frozen, becoming crisp and crunchy in just 3 minutes flat.’ So says Geoff Hunt, Upwards Founder.

There are four indulgent flavors to make your on the go snacking experience one to remember: Hunter’s Chicken packed with olives, garlic, peppers and onions.  Greens & Grains with Kale, spinach and cream cheese. Margherita plus with tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onion. Lastly, for the sweet toothed – and my personal favorite, Hazelnut & Creamy Chocolate.

The product is about to hit the market, and you can order by contacting Geoff on geoff@upwardsfoods.co.uk or visiting Upwards Foods.

8. Nina Bakery

While cruising around the many food and drinks stands, I lay my eyes on Nina Bakery, producers of authentic stone oven Pita bread from Israel since the 1930’s.

The fresh smell was present all around the stand and I couldn’t resist trying the artisan six centimeter pita filled with cream cheese and strawberries. “Our pitas are baked according to a special slow baking process in authentic stone ovens. Both this and an old, well kept family recipe provide the most delicious pita,” a young Israeli lady at the stand tells me.

After the bread is warmed it’s so easy to cut open by hand, – no need for a knife. The bread is also firm and won’t break easily, meaning you can fill it with as much as you’d like.

The bread comes in many different shapes and sizes. “If you would like to provide your customers with an artisanal product, slow baked in a stone oven, with the best quality entirely natural ingredients, for almost 80 years according to a family recipe, you should have them experience the Nina pita” says Marlies Wolters of Nina Bakery Europe. For more details visit www.ninabakery.eu

9.  Poptang

Staying in on the weekend and watching the latest hit on Netflix? Grab some of the new – and only, tangy popcorn on the market. Poptang, a tangy, fruity flavored and yummy popcorn.

Currently Poptang comes in two delicious flavors – orange and apple, both in 20g and 70g packs. You can find them in major supermarkets but be warned, they’re surprisingly addictive!

10. Tyga

Fan of Indian food? Want to create authentic dishes yourself? Then order the new meal kits by Tyga: Beautiful spice and paste blends posted to your home so you can cook up delicious curry recipes with half the faff. Just add a few fresh items.

The recipes change every month and are created, inspired and infused by Matt Griffiths and his wife, who love everything Indian.

Matt likes to keep things simple. By following the 3 steps below, he promises to up-skill your cooking experience.

The idea is:

• Tyga chefs create mouthwatering recipes using authentic ingredients
• The ingredients are smartly packed in Tyga spice boxes and delivered to your door
• Then they’re prepared by you. Just add a few fresh items and follow the chefs at Tyga.tv

Follow their latest recipes and watch training videos on their Facebook page.

Edited by Sarah Huntington

The post 10 of London’s Most Creative Entrepreneurs Share Their Stories of Success appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

Where: Clapham London

When: Last weekend of every August

WIIFM: Music, Food, Themes, Markets

I could feel his joy through his moves; his arms reached high towards the sky; his feet stepped on different parts of the grass; his head followed along up in the air; his soul nurtured on the sounds of music and his shadow closely danced along.

Their fingers interlocked as they moved in a wavy-like way. Their eyes are closed blindly looking up at the sky. Shaking their heads to the beat of music, their bodies synchronically danced under the moving clouds.

A young man gave way to his dancing. He stepped out of the crowd and found himself a bigger space to spread his imaginary wings. While snapping his fingers to the beat, his shoulders followed the sound of the snares and he drifted away to the melancholy of the festival.

It was 3 pm on a beautiful Sunday when I got into SW4 Music Festival in Clapham in London last weekend. The event is one of the biggest in the vibrant city where a high number of local and international DJ’s showcase their best musical talents and entertain thousands of ravers and electronic music lovers.

As the sun shined over Clapham I started the day with a soft creamy ice cone with a flake from a Mr. Whippy van and a coffee from an old beetle turned hot drinks stand car.

The main stage had 4 towers of speakers that stretched a few inches above the grass all the way up towards the flying planes.

There were names such as Antz, Silver City and Amnesia Ibiza. Three circus like covered tents hosted different types of electronic music that included a long list of line up DJs.

I realised it was also a drinks and food festival when I witnessed the endless lines of food kiosks and drinks bars. There were Hot dogs, BBQs, as well as Asian American burgers, to name a few. Drinks included everything from alcohol to soft drinks, fresh juices, tea, coffee, smoothies and cocktails.

And if you thought that was not enough to entertain you, there was a sky scraper rollercoaster and a giant revolving swing that would bring back your childhood moments.

Once I filled my brain with enough caffeine and my body with enough carbs, I was ready to explore the day ahead.

The main stage was warming up with Black Coffee dropping sweet and slow beats and the crowd seemed to enjoy the free Reese’s peanut butter cups and new Mohito 7up giveaways.

I couldn’t resist the temptation, so I grabbed some and headed to Amnesia tent where Chez was performing a musical show intertwined with dancing laser lights of many colors while the frequent spraying of fog got the fans jumping non- stop. Hanging from the ceiling were octopus shaped creatures that swung to the wind as if they were actually dancing to the great house tunes.

As the music reached its ecstatic climax a group of 6 girls, dressed up in black, entered the stage in front of the DJ and gave a-one- to- remember dance performance.

I didn’t want to leave such a vibrant sexy atmosphere; it was approaching 4 pm when Fritz Kallbrenner was about to kick some German house at Antz arena.

He opened up with a live performance of his very best track Ways over water and for the next hour the crowd jumped to the electronic sounds of Berlin.

At 6 pm his brother and my all time favorite DJ Paul Kalkbrenner kicked his show on the main stage with one of his biggest tracks Gebrün Gebrün from the album Berlin Calling.

He played German techno at its best, and the crowd sang along with every track and wooed their lungs out when Mr. Kalkbrenner took his jumper off to show his love for soccer wearing his German jersey.

At 9 pm The Chemical Brothers gave an hour and half show that was worth every penny. I would have happily paid the same price for that ticket if it was only for their performance.

They played every tune live in real time and synchronized the visuals along with the sounds of the music.

At one-point green and orange balls followed the music along on the two big screens, and out of nowhere lots of massive balloons in the same color dropped from the roof onto the crowd. They went mental. At times I couldn’t hear the music because the whistles blown by the fans.

Just before closing a giant robot dropped down in slow motion behind the brothers and started dancing along; its eyes blinked, beamed and reflected different laser light colors with every beat while the arms and legs moved along to the melodies.

It was a show not to be missed.

In summary, the event was very well executed, organised and directed. All DJs started and finished on their allocated times; they gave their fans two days of absolute fun and entertainment.

Edited by Chermaine Sowah

The post Looking Back on South West Four Music Festival appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.