Russian and Ukrainian speaking and inflation in the Czech Republic
For several years, St. Victoria Kotlovskaya from St. Petersburg is going on vacation to the Czech Republic. And this year the tradition has not changed. But I noticed the changes in the country itself.
“Currently, the officially announced inflation rate is 17.2 percent compared to last year, and we have experienced it ourselves. Food prices have increased, now you have to spend money on food. Milk, butter, coffee, meat and flour products became more expensive. Friends who come for permanent residence also complain that the “share” and rent payments are too high. Although we rent an apartment for vacation from a permanent host for the same price as always, ”the Russian woman shared.
According to him, the prices of transportation and treatment did not change. But they grew up with subscriptions to gyms – especially in individual classes with a trainer. In addition, Kotlovskaya states that flight prices from Russia to Europe have doubled.
“If the cost of flights around Europe is the same, for example, you can fly from the Czech Republic to Italy for the same 20 euros, then getting abroad from Russia is a real quest. We have to look for workarounds and fly with transfers. And if before February it was possible to fly together to Russia for 18 thousand rubles, now prices have risen to 30-50 thousand rubles. This is in addition to significantly increasing flight time,” Victoria said.
At the same time, in the Czech Republic there are as many tourists as before, how many of them are Russian – it is difficult to understand on the spot. But the attitude of the Czechs themselves to visitors has not changed in any way. According to Kotlovskaya, locals have always been nice to tourists and now give a lot of support to refugees from Ukraine, but at the same time do not show a negative attitude towards Russians.
“The only significant change I see is that Czechs have started translating all ads into Russian and Ukrainian. You can hear Russian and Ukrainian conversations in hospitals, stores, mobile operators and even in advertisements. They even translate menus in cafes and restaurants,” Victoria concluded.
Discount for Russians as long as they stay
Maxim Ignatov from Nizhny Novgorod had to fly via Istanbul on a 13-hour transfer to visit his brother living in Milan. Tickets cost about 180 thousand rubles round trip.
“The hardest part of all this was finding tickets to Milan. Mostly Turks fly to Rome, but from there I would have to travel by train, which did not suit me. Therefore, I had to buy such expensive tickets, ”the man shared.
According to him, prices in Italy (mainly for food products) have increased – an average of a few euros. For locals, this is pretty impressive, as his brother explained to Mikhail.
Meanwhile, hotels are trying to keep their price tag in hopes of tourists from Russia.
“Italians are very fond of Russian tourists. And now they are trying to please those who are still there. They get a gift from the hotel or give a discount if they stay. They are trying to communicate, always asking how things are going and what is new,” he said.
In the most difficult situation, according to Ignatov, there are now restaurateurs, hoteliers and small souvenir shops. As the Russians pointed out, their business is about to shut down as the flow of Russian tourists decreases and a large number of refugees arrive.
No Russian flag and low prices
This year, Muscovite Evgenia Surikova went on vacation to Turkey for the third time. And the first change he noticed was the absence of Russian flags.
“Many hotels have removed the Russian tricolor from their facades, even though they used to be there. But most of all, a cafe near my hotel surprised me. There were flags of different countries on the tables so that the tourists could get closer. That is, there was no table with the Russian flag. But it turned out with the Ukrainian. “Russian tourists ate at tables without flags,” he said.
Other than that, nothing has changed, he said. In addition to clothing and food prices, Russians can afford more than they used to, due to lower than Russian prices and the smashing lira.
“The same package of chips is much more expensive in Russia than in Turkey. We have a price – from 100 rubles and more, and about 70-80 rubles. And some positions in the Turkish Duty Free are much cheaper than the Russian one, ”the Russian woman shared.
Turks are still nice and friendly to Russians and welcome them in entertainment venues and attractions. Tourists from other countries with whom the girl and her friend communicate, never showed negativity or disdain on national grounds.
The road to London via Grodno
st. Student Olga Troyanova from St. Petersburg arrived in London at the beginning of August. To reach England, with the airspace closed, the girl had to spend several days on the road.
“Having my visa open for the UK and Spain I flew to last year helped. Now, as far as I know, getting a visa to the UK is extremely difficult. “I drove to Belarus, then by train to Grodno, then by minibus to the Latvian border and on foot, and then again by train through several other countries,” he said.
Only when she reached France, the girl managed to get on a train to London. The first thing that has changed and immediately caught my eye since Troyanova’s visit last year has been the significantly increased food and transportation prices. Now, even renting a bike costs £1.5 more, according to Olga.
“Food and travel prices have increased by around 10-15 percent. Housing prices have also increased. The hotel where I stayed for £150 a night a year ago is now £220. This is probably due to rising service prices. It seems that only the service has not changed: it has remained so as it is not very good.
By the way, I noticed that this time the rooms look worse. Some are shabby and dirty. As I was touring old favorite places, I also noticed that everything was getting messy somehow,” she said.
According to the girl, there are much less tourists in England than in Russia – she attributes this to the difficulties in obtaining a visa. As Olga noted, the British do not pay much attention to the Russians. Some are arrogant, some are sympathetic. In general, according to her, it has always been like this – the girl did not encounter much aggression.
“The British themselves are not very emotional. Now local residents are more concerned with their own problems that need to be addressed. It seems from them that they are tired of the crisis, ”says the Russian woman.