Dear colleagues,
I plan to organize a trip to St. Petersburg (Russia) for UTC
faculty/staff/students/friends in June-July of 2003. The host organization
will be the St. Petersburg State Technical University (SPbSTU), the
university where I taught before I came to Chattanooga. This will be the
third trip for UTC group hosted by SPbSTU. The previous visits were in 2000
and 2001.

This is the first announcement of the trip. I plan to have the group over
for 2 weeks, starting on approximately June 25th.  The year of 2003 is a
very special for St.Petersburg. It is 300th birthday of the city ( which
was founded by Peter The Great in 1703), and it will be widely celebrated.
Also, end of June is always the peak of tourist season because of White
nights  - when Sun is up almost 24 hours a day, and the city looks
fabulous! The city hotels are already sold out for June 2003. We are lucky
to be able to get lodging at SPbSTU housing.

My estimate for the cost of 2 weeks trip per person (including airfare,
visa, hotel and food,
excluding souvenirs and other personal expenditures) would be less than $2200.
The exact cost of the trip will be negotiated with SPbSTU when we know how
many people are coming. SPbSTU will provide visa support, hotel/dorm
housing with cooking facilities. SPbSTU will organize cultural program.
SPbSTU is also willing
to organize special meetings/visits relevant to the participants' research
or professional interests.

Please, share this information with your students, colleagues and friends.
People from outside of Chattanooga are welcome too (in 2001 we had
participants from Texas and Knoxville)
If you are interested, please contact me as soon as possible, so I would
know how many hotel reservations I need to confirm. Do  not hesitate to ask
if you have any questions. I look forward to hear from you.

The week after Spring Break I plan to meet with interested people and
discuss the details.

==================================================================
Here are the notes of the people from previous trips:

St. Petersburg - White nights, opera, ballet, concerts, circus, parks,
palaces, cathedrals, museums (the Hermitage is just one of them), and more.
What would you choose? Would you believe all of it? Well, that is what
happened in 2000. And who could arrange all of this better than a native of
that city? Tatiana Allen has just announced that she will do it again!!

This is your chance to see this famous city in a way that no tourist can.
You will not stay in luxury hotels and be driven around in air conditioned
buses but you will quickly learn how to get around with the public
transportation - subways, trams, trolleys, buses, trains, and vans. You
will learn a new meaning to the term "mass transit."

You can sample the native cuisine - from the elegant to the casual,
traditional to the Russian version of fast food outlets. (And you will also
see McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut, and the like).

The lodging (assuming it will be similar to 2000) will be simple - no
telephone or TV - with shared bath and kitchen facilities. But with the
schedule Tatiana arranged for 2000, we only slept and had breakfast there,
getting out early and staying late with various activities. And the
breakfast, which was provided, was an experience, too.

Oh yes, and shopping, also. Did you notice the total estimated cost of a
two week visit? It seemed impossible to me, but it happened.


Lawrence Akers
UTC Radiation Safety Officer
Professor of Physics
Visited St.Petersburg in June of 2000
======================================================================
OUR WHITE NIGHTS
John & Shelby Trieber

Two years ago we had the good fortune to tour the regions of St.
Petersburg, Russia, led by Dr. Tatiana Allen, a native of that wonderful
city.  The trip's billing promised the 'real' people and culture of the
"most beautiful city in the world" -- and the claim was amply
fulfilled.  St. Petersburg's heritage is rich in culture, art, and
history.  We enjoyed ballet, opera, and symphonies -- all by world-renowned
troupes.

We were there for the White Nights Festival, the time of summer solstice
when the sky  briefly sunless at 4am, glows with a pale light over
thousands of revelers.  Among the awe-inspiring events we enjoyed was a
free concert by Placido Domingo at the Winter Palace Courtyard.

Under Dr. Allen's knowledgeable guidance, we toured The Hermitage arguably
the largest art museum in the world, definitely the grandest.  And unlike
"packaged" tours we saw speeding through this incredible palace; we had the
luxury to experience it at our leisure.  But that was just the
beginning!  Imagine the summer palace of one of history's wealthiest
rulers; now, visit Peterhoff, and marvel at the richly gilded artistry and
engineering marvels created some 300 years ago by Peter the Great.

Art, music, and dance were not all the attractions.  St. Petersburg is a
wonderful "walking city".  Stand on any street corner and be treated to a
visual feast, as you take in the landscape of 300-year old
architecture.  Cathedrals, bridges, statuary -- their incredible history
juxtaposed throughout a modern city is breathtaking.  We regularly
navigated using the (clean, safe, and beautifully appointed!) subways, and
traveled the city comfortably by bus.  During the entire trip, we enjoyed a
wide variety of local and regional cuisine, discovering to our delight that
Russians like desserts as much as Americans.

One of our most pleasant surprises was the warm reception by the Russian
people.  Many speak fluent English; often, our street corner conversations
would be apologetically prefaced as they explained, "I learned English in
school but haven't practiced much."  They usually asked where we were from,
and their knowledge of U.S. geography was often better than our own!  They
were friendly and conversational, helpful with directions; rightfully proud
of their beautiful city and country.  Given our reported differences, what
impressed us most were the similarities.  During a walk in one of the many
parks, we watched people throwing Frisbees, having picnics, playing chess,
walking dogs, frolicking with their children.  Is that any different from a
lazy Sunday afternoon in our heartland?

Dr. Allen gave us incredible value for our money.  Our lodging was
"European Style", not fancy but very comfortable.  The currency exchange
rate is wonderful for tourists, and shopping is plentiful, from old world
markets to contemporary boutiques.  Yes, we saw the 'tourist' side of
Russia; but, wonderfully different from any other tour-- we saw the heart
of its people, and experienced the beauty of St. Petersburg as its proud
inhabitants do.  We heartily recommend seeing St. Petersburg  ideally with
Dr. Allen.  It is truly the adventure of a lifetime!

Visited St.Petersburg in 2001, panning to come again in 2003.
==========================================================
Dr. Tatiana Allen
UTC -Physics
tel: 423-425-4520