<\/p>\n
You know the drill. It’s nearing the end of
\nyour trip and you keep getting this strong urge to purchase one of those knick
\nknacks or trinkets that fill the shelves of those enticing souvenir shops.\u00a0 You ponder for days, ducking in and out of
\nshops until finally the urgency of your impending flight home forces you to
\nmake a decision.<\/p>\n
When in Russia<\/a>, that decision can leave you \n Matryoshka:<\/strong> You can’t walk down the street \n Russian Eggs:<\/strong>\u00a0 No, I’m not telling you to go out back to a \n Russian Hats:<\/strong>\u00a0 Russians know funny hats.\u00a0 Fur hats and hats with ear flaps, known as \n Military Paraphernalia:<\/strong>\u00a0 From helmets and hats to war medals, military Russian Shawls:<\/strong>\u00a0 I attended a cultural show in St. Petersburg \n If you’re short of bag space, you might \n
\nwith plenty of unique items in your shopping bag, but hopefully yours will
\ninclude one of the following great Russian souvenirs<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nwithout seeing these iconic nesting dolls in shop windows or on little
\nstreet-side souvenir stands. Although it seems that most matryoshka<\/em> sets
\nwould contain the traditional babushka face, if you step inside specialty shops
\n(or even a museum like I did in Tayga), some of the themes can include Russian
\nleaders, cartoon families, or families in different seasons of the year.\u00a0 They come as small as salt and pepper shakers
\nto the larger sizes reaching up to your knee.<\/p>\n
\nRussian cottage’s chicken coup and grab a basket of eggs! You might have heard
\nabout a Faberg\u00e9 egg before, and it was in St. Petersburg that the House of
\nFaberg\u00e9 jewelry firm was founded in 1842.
\nThey created expensive and decorative eggs, which is a style you can
\nfind in many souvenir shops today (no, not the real jewelled stuff, but that
\nstyle).<\/p>\n
\nthe ushanka<\/em>, are surprisingly not just a symbol.\u00a0 You can see a large portion of the Russian
\npeople walking around in winter wearing them.
\nA fun idea that many souvenir shops have incorporated into the
\nexperience is the ability to choose your own Russian pin to stick on the front!<\/p>\n
\nparaphernalia is a popular option for souvenir shopping tourists.\u00a0 I, myself, found it amusing to peruse the
\nstands of old war related items \u2013 possibly because I can’t think of Russia
\nwithout associating it with this strict military-minded society.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nwhere many of the dancers and performers wore traditional Russian outfits and
\nthat involved women wearing plenty of shawls.
\nThe Russian shawl can vary from a pashmina type ensemble with flowers to
\na plain, knitted cashmere wrap.\u00a0 If you
\ncan get your hands on the hand-made kind, then they are definitely worth
\npurchasing.<\/p>\n
\nwant to have a read of my article on souvenirs
\nyou don’t have to pack.<\/p>\n