Blogs from Urals, Russia, Europe

Mit dem Nachtzug kam ich am Vormittag in Kazan an, einer Stadt ca. 800km östlich von Moskau, von der, ich muss es gestehen, ich vorher noch nichts gehört hatte. Direkt an der Wolga gelegen, verbindet Kazan den Kremel (Festungsanlage mit orthodoxer Kirche) und die Kul Sharif Moschee mit russischen Elementen aus der Sowjetzeit. Ein Baustil, der uns an die „guten alten“ Sowjetzeiten zurück erinnern lässt. Die gesamte Innenstadt Kazans ist durch diesen Baustil geprägt. Gleichzeitig gibt es aber auch moderne Gebäude aus heutiger Zeit und einen wunderschönen weißen Palast, der als Ministerium dient. Und natürlich gibt es, wie in jeder Stadt, die als Austragungsort dient, ein FiFa Fan Fest, welche gut organisiert und tatsächlich auch preiswert sind. Auf dem habe ich dann zusammen mit Fans aus Peru, Australien und Russland das erste Deutschland-Spiel gegen Mexiko (0:1) ... read more

Ten days here so far and everything is going great. I still have to take naps due to jet-lag but it doesn't hold me back from exploring what this village has to hold. South of my grandmother's house is a forest of white bark and green circular shaped leaves, and I've began to recently explore what lives in the forest. In the forest, you have never ending trees of white that streach over the wide hill, many species of mushroom that are either poisonous or edible, forgotten items, and beautiful flowers of yellow, white, blue, and purple. Just recently I've found a shoe with a bunch of plants growing from it. Nature always gives and takes. To the west, you have another wide hill, which has to be my favorite sight to look at. There are ... read more

Yekaterinburg was founded in 1721 by Peter the Great as the area is rich in iron ore and, as at this time, Russia was embroiled in the Great Northern War with Sweden, Peter gave instructions for new sources of iron to be sought. He named this city after his new wife Catherine (not to be confused with Catherine the Great who came later!) Yekaterinburg is the 4thlargest city in Russia after Moscow, St Petersburg and Novosibirsk. The population is just over 2 million. Yekaterinburg is technically in Asia at the foot of the Ural mountains that is traditionally the border between Asia and Europe. The temperature in Yekaterinburg was much colder than Moscow at a fresh 6 degrees Celsius. I have decided to wear two watches to try to beat the confusion of Moscow time versus ... read more

The train A short hop of only 21 hours, which had been made a lot longer by our compartment companion who snored like a Russian bear (no not Kellie a proper Russian who shared the 4 bed compartment with us). He redeemed himself by showing Russian hospitality and offering to drive us to our accommodation. Yekaterinburg A very pleasant town which is mostly remembered as the place where Russia's last Tsar and and his family were murdered in 1918 by the Bolshevikts. The house where it happened was demolished in the 80 but a massive church has been build on the same site 15 years ago. The tsar was also made a martyr by the Russian orthodox church. Just shows that history depends on who writes it... The city itself has wide cobblestone and tram filled ... read more

Day 14 - Ufa to Chelyabinsk We had checked a few websites for ideas but had found nothing inspiring to see in Ufa. Like the others in preceding days, Ufa is a big busy city with lots of grungy high rises, wide dusty streets, and a tram and electric bus system. The tram tracks form part of the street and can be driven on as a seperate lane. You need to be careful though, as the road surface next to the rails is quite cut up. Unlike other trams I've seen, these brake using giant pads that press down onto the rail itself between the wheel bogeys. The pads look like huge versions of the calliper brakes on a bicycle. The electric buses are an odd feature, taking their power from overhead wires. The arm on ... read more