And a towel. Don't forget to bring a towel.

So over at one of the fashion blogs I read, there is a question about what to pack if you're going backpacking for two months. I'm not really what you'd call a backpacker, but I did go on a 6-week vacation this one time when I wasn't really staying in one place and had to carry everything with me.

Anyway, I started to write a response in the comments, but it got kind of long-winded and I didn't want to hijack the thread. So I decided to copy it here instead. Then I added footnotes wherein I talk about myself, as this is my blog and I can do that.

No matter where you go, I strongly recommend a scarf-shawl type thing. It will keep you warm, keep the sun off of you, and allow you to visit any churches with strict dress codes.

If you're going to spend a lot of time in cities: bring lots of sundresses in different lengths. They don't take up much space in your luggage. Depending on the weather or how conservative the place is, you can wear a hoodie or the aforementioned scarf to cover up (also make sure the material is opaque, as that can be embarassing otherwise). What's more, you can hand wash them, they dry quickly, and you don't have to plan an outfit. (If you're not comfortable wearing dresses, though, disregard this paragraph because you shouldn't travel in clothes you're not comfortable in).

For outdoor activities, you'll need pants and shirts (layers are good here), but probably not as many as you think.

As for shoes,
1. don't bother with "nice" shoes. You will never wear them. You'll be walking so much that, even if you do go out in the evening, you'll probably end up choosing comfort over style. It also leaves you with an excuse (and space) to buy shoes there, and who doesn't want that?
2. you should definitely bring sandals, but make sure they are comfortable and have good arch support. Actually, that should be true of all the shoes you bring.
3. Shoes are heavy, so the fewer you can get away with, the better. I only really needed two pairs.*

With regard to maintenance, get a haircut that will look ok when it grows out, and bring some hair ties. Keep your nails short, but bring a nail file so they still look neat. I don't like travelling with nail polish, but if you can't live without it, go for something light, iridescent and quick-drying. I also brought a bar of detergent for hand-washing clothes. I didn't even know they existed until just before I left, but they are very useful.

Finally, if you forget something, or you end up wanting something you didn't pack, you can more than likely buy it there. Then you have something useful with nice memories attached to it.**



* I can't believe I just advised somebody to bring fewer pairs of shoes. Does the fact that I advocated buying more balance it out?

** I bought a lot of clothes when I was travelling, the weirdest being the cordouroy jacket that brings all the boys to the yard. In fact, I wore it today and this really good-looking guy who had travelled a lot around Russia was flirting with me. When I wore it two weeks ago, I went to Moscow and an Italian tourist sang to me (I have no idea what he was singing. Perhaps it was some aria from an opera about an ugly girl with a nice jacket). It's also the jacket that prompted my student to tell me I had "a perfect figure" some months ago. There is NOTHING remarkable about this jacket. I will find a picture.

Perhaps I can make an analogy.
unremarkable cordouroy jacket : European men :: graph paper shirt, conservative haircut, and glasses :

a) European women
b) All women everywhere
c) Stephen Colbert's wife
d) Just you, weirdo

Well, I went to Petrozavodsk, but some boats to Kizhi (specifically, the three I could have taken) were cancelled because the tourist season is winding down. This happens when I travel. It's because I don't sign up for stuff in advance and instead try to figure things out by myself when I get there. Sometimes it doesn't work out. It usually doesn't bother me. For some reason it did this time.

That "some reason" might be:
- I was sick
- my bank collapsed
- the entire American economy might collapse
- my birthday is coming up
- my cell phone stops working for hours at a time for no reason
- when it does work I accidentally send unspeakably creepy text messages
- my camera is dying
- my iPod crashed three times in as many days
- work
- everything else

ANYWAY, Petrozavodsk is a nice city with a really charming waterfront, and I didn't even need a map because, after visiting a lot of Russian cities (seriously, I have visited a lot of Russian cities), I can just draw my own:



I sketched this for a coworker and then decided to add stuff. The middle part says "Lenin St."

I spent most of my time there near the lake. It might be my favorite waterfront in Russia, and that is saying a lot.

So I'd like to go back there and actually see Kizhi. And maybe Valaam (this was highly recommended by the hotel staff, but you need to spend a couple days). But I also feel like there is too much on my list of things to see and places to go and that I am never actually going to be done with it, particularly if I keep failing to cross anything off.