|
|
|
|
 |
Where to start and where to end when talking about such a large country? It is not only the geographical dimension that surprises one, but also the speed in which Russia is changing. The positive side: Russia opens for its guests. Now visitors to Russia might enjoy traveling to areas which are yet undeveloped and untouched – areas for discoveries. Many of its mountains and large sections of the Taiga are yet untouched. A contrast to this are places like St. Petersburg, Moscow or the resorts along the Black Sea.
St. Petersburg is also called “Venice of the north.” The city gained its fame as residence of the czar. Palaces and glamorous villas as well as uncountable channels and picturesque bridges were built by Italian architects. Famous buildings are for example the Peter-and-Paul castle, the cathedral of the same name and the splendid Winter Palace with the Hermitage Museum. Worth a visit is also the Newski-Prospekt, St. Petersburg’s wonderful boulevard. In the direct neighborhood of the town one finds the summer residences of the czar. Peterhof Castle is located at the Finnish Bay; the Katharina Palace with the newly reconstructed Amber Room is located in Zarskoje Selo (Puschkin). Getting there one crosses through the famous Russian birch forests.
On the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow one finds some towns which offer a view into Russian history. Novgorod, an ancient Hanseatic town, is one of them. In the Middle Ages the trade east to west was flourishing here. Old quarters of town, many churches and the Kreml are witnesses of a rich past. This is similar in Sergijew Possad (Sagorsk) and Susdal, Rostov-Welikij and Jaroslawl. Here as well as in other towns of the so called “Golden Ring” one can marvel at the rich times of the past and old typical Russian buildings.
Moscow is not only the capitol; it is also the fastest city in new Russia. Buildings were erected according to the motto: large, wide and unwieldy. But between them one still finds ancient Russian “isles” for example Moscow’s Kreml with its numerous palaces and cathedrals, the Basilius Cathedral with its onion domes located on the Red Square or the time-honored shopping center GUM, which today is a modern and mundane shopping place.
Quite opposite to Moscow one finds relaxation at the beaches of the Black Sea. For decades Sotschi became the byword for Russian vacations. Nowadays, there are further resorts along the coast. The area is well developed and offers a variety of great tours for motorcycle riders.
One of the most famous Russian dishes is borscht, a soup of red beets which is served with sour cream. Another typical Russian dish is Beef Stroganow (cut up beef filet in sour cream), Blini (crepes with caviar or salmon and sour cream) and Ikra or Krasnaja Ikra (black or red caviar).
The best known Russian drink is Vodka; it became world famous. Well liked is also Tschai (black tea). Russian Champagne is excellent and comparatively cheap. Kwas is a rather unusual beverage made from fermented brown bred.
Some geography:
The Russian Federation stretches across an area of over 17 million square kilometers; it is the largest country in the world. It has 144 million inhabitants. Besides a majority of Russians there are also minorities of Tatars, Ukrainians and many other smaller ones. Language of the country is Russian. Several religions are found here: Russian-Orthodox, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. The Russians celebrate their national holiday on June 12th. On that day in 1990 the Russian Federation was declared independent. |
|
|
|
|
|
