| Russia |
| Western Russia makes up the east part of Europe and has all its famous cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stalingrad, Leningrad etc. Russia has a problem for being a difficult country, and I have to admit I had more problems in Russia than all other countries I visited combined! On a positive note, the city of Moscow took me by surprise and I was very impressed. The entire city has some amazing architecture and is full of history and memorials. Russia is the biggest country in the world, so there is a lot left to explore. |
| On the left is the amazing Russian Foreign Ministry Office. The bottom right side is the church of the Archangel. It is considered to be the largest Russian Orthodox church in the world. |
| The black sea resort of Sochi is a very nice subtropical city that is often visited by Russian president Tavarish Vladimir Putin. I spent a lot of time in Sochi but I wish I took more photos as Sochi has many things to do. In the summer there is everything from hiking to scuba diving, and in the winter there are mountains nearby with ski resorts. As a matter of fact Sochi will host the 2014 Summer olympics. Before I visited Sochi, I always saw Russia as a cold snowy nation, but in Sochi it was very hot and humid. The hotel I stayed in had no A/C and at night time it was so hot and humid I felt like I was in Thailand again, something I definitely didn't expect in Russia. The photos above are all from a river in Sochi where many people visit to go 4-Wheeling, hiking and swimming. You can see the thick mossy trees on the center pictures and get an idea of how hot and humid it is in the summertime. |
| When I left the main cities of Russia most of the countryside was surprisingly poor. After the Soviet Union collapsed many projects where left unfinished. On my 4 hour drive from the city of Min Vody to the Caucasus mountain range we passed by dozens of abandoned factories and high rise buildings. On the bottom left is a photo of a market along a highway of south western Russia where you could buy fruits such as watermelons. The bottom right photo is that of an abandoned building in the Caucasus area. |
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| The south western part of Russia is where Europe meets Asia in the Caucausus mountains. These mountains are also the highest in Europe, with Mt. Elbrus at over 18,000 feet. On the left is a view of some of the mountains in the Caucasus range, on the right is Mt. Elbrus itself, Europe's highest mountain. |
| Everyone must know about Russia's reputation to drink vodka and alcohol. When I was mountain climbing in the Caucasus I was offered several shots of vodka by some Russian climbers. On my last day in Russia I took a flight from Sochi to Moscow and next to me was a man named Sergey who bought 15 vodka shots and 9 beers. I took his picture and he was more than happy to share them with me. On the left is picture of some of the remaining vodka and beers, on the right is myself and his mother who you can tell had several shots herself. She is actually lives in Ukraine and was visiting her son. Sergey told me how it was terrible to have family split up in different countries after the collapse of USSR. Now each time my mother visits she has to apply for a visa he explained. |
| Russia's most famous site has to be the Red Square in Moscow. Each building in the Red Square has its own legend and history. Some of the most famous are the Kremlin, St. Basil's cathedral, and the tomb of Lenin. On the left is the entrance to the Red Square, almost looking like an amusement park. On the right is an entrance to the Kremlin itself. |
| On the left is the Gum building pronounced like goom, a huge upper class department store with plenty of shops and restaurants. On the right is St. Basil's cathedral, built almost 500 years ago. |
| Moscow is also a great city for night life, and is famous for its night clubs. I never was interested in night clubs but I enjoy going to a bar here and there. On the left is Moscow's modern area where all the action is at night. |
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| Post a comment or question about traveling in Russia. |
Andrey from Russia: Good job,man! I'd never thought my country is as nice as it looks on your pictures. But,
anyway, visiting Sochi will be delayed at least until olympics end :-)
anyway, visiting Sochi will be delayed at least until olympics end :-)
