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The political state of Russia emerged following the expansion of the principality of Muscovy - emerging from Mongol domination to conquer and absorb the surrounding principalities. The Romanov dynasty continued this expansionist policy. Peter I extended Muscovy's rule to the Baltic Sea, and the Russian Empire came into being. The dramatic fall of the Romanov dynasty, the formation of the USSR under Lenin, the brutal dictatorship of Stalin and the Cold War placed the USSR at the forefront of world politics. The USSR dissolved under Gorbachev, and 15 separate republics were formed in 1991. Although vastly reduced territorially, Russia remains a vast and powerful state, retaining political influence in the region and worldwide.To be updated

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By Grybaziggy
July 29th 2009

Warmth-loving people Europe » Russia » Volga » Perm

Son of Stimpy
The Chelyabinsk trio -- we found these guys tearing it up in the Chelyabinsk bus station. Here Son of Stimpy's just wailing on that clarinet. Poppy in the back looks like a B-movie undertaker. I th... [more]

Misha is one of those guys who can always be found in the Perm State University weight room. “He was a champion,” fellow powerlifter Vladimir once told me. “Now he is old.” Misha’s not that old, but he bears the scars of long lived powerlifter: a bum knee and a big belly. For reasons that remain mysterious, Misha took a liking to me. He displayed his affection by accusing me of being an American Spy (“your students will be so happy when they capture an American spy!”) and helping me with me technique on a shoulder exercise (“you look like a [View Full Entry]

By MikeandJulia
July 27th 2009

Day 5 - Beach and village Europe » Russia

It's not every day you see cows on a beach

When the morning came I wished it didn't. The previous night we had remembered about a bottle of vodka in on of the backpacks and drank some. Not used to drinking vodka, I got a massive headache, and was lying on my mat, clutching my head and trying to shield my eyes from the brilliant sunshine. We decided to seek relief on the beach. Surprisingly, there was no wind, the water was clear and relatively warm, so we were able to bathe and even swim a bit. In my experience, there are only two true inconveniences about camping. The first one [View Full Entry]

By Sam Broad
July 27th 2009

Irkutsk and lake Baikal Europe » Russia » Siberia » Irkutsk

DSCN4733

So I've made it as far as Irkutsk, the lake Baikal... the far side of Russia. Last stop before Mongolia. The lake Baikal is quite a sight, cliffs on all sides, pine trees all the way down to the water. An old railway line winds along the coastline and a daily service for tourists crawls the tracks making many picturesque stops. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and contains one third of the fresh water on the planet. It was a great pleasure to go diving in its clear (and somewhat cold) waters. [View Full Entry]

By MikeandJulia
July 26th 2009

Day 4 - Living on the beach Europe » Russia » Siberia » Olkhon

Mountains on the mainland

When we woke up and I crawled outside the tent, my breath caught in my throat the second time this trip. Across the lake there were mountains and cliffs brilliantly lit by the sun, the blue water of the like was shining and perfectly clear but for white seagulls floating here and there, waiting for fish. Then they would fly and stop moving their wings, and sort of hover in the wind. The ever-present wind on Baikal means that it is never too hot - even if it is 30C. The further you get from the lake, the hotter it gets. [View Full Entry]

By GOLDRussia2009
July 26th 2009

Hello from Moscow Europe » Russia » Northwest » Moscow

Hello Everyone, Well we have all made it to Russia in one piece!The flight was good, however we were checked to see if we had swine flue by a man with a laser temperature gun. We all passed the test thank goodness. The weather is a lot warmer than most of us were expecting. The hostel is clean and feels safe - aways good! Moscow is a very busy city where the traffic is mad! We have already seen some interesting sites including an old lady with a big dog on a lead and some kittens in a cage. Today we [View Full Entry]

By Tony and George
July 25th 2009

The Mammouth Task of Getting Out of Russia and into Mongolia Europe » Russia » Siberia » Ulan-Ude

Which way now

Well it had arrived the final few hours of being in Russia, or so we thought. It was the day of our journey to Mongolia. It was an early start after a late night and a very hot night. So at 8am we (us and the french dudes) headed off into the dust to catch the number 4 bus into town. With back packs on our laps and the driver insisiting we can fit one more person in at each stop we finally made it to the bus station of Ulan Ude. The french guys wonderfully sorted out a bus to [View Full Entry]

By MikeandJulia
July 25th 2009

Day 3 Part 1 Khuzhir Europe » Russia » Siberia » Olkhon

Eating strawberries

The journey to Olkhon is not a short one. Thanks to our host, we had tickets reserved and only had to show up at a bus stop by the Central Market. The market is awash with strawberries - apparently, the climate in that area is favorable for growing strawberries, so there is plenty of them. Of course I had to run and get some - and by the time I was done, our mini-bus, or marshrutka (coming from the word marshrut - route) was there. We ended up at the back row, cramped and uncomfortable, so the ride seemed to last [View Full Entry]

By MikeandJulia
July 25th 2009

Day 3 Part 2 - setting up the tent Europe » Russia » Siberia » Olkhon

Mike and our under-set up tent

Back to our journey. Our bus driver agreed to drive us to the edge of the village, from where we could proceed on foot through the forest and to the beach. When he dropped us off on a hill and we turned around, we couldn't believe our eyes. To our right we saw a desert. To our left we saw far-away mountains of the mainland and the water. Between those was a pine forest, and more sand. Still marveling at unexpected presence of the desert, we hoisted our backpacks and our bags with food and set off. (Our host advised us [View Full Entry]

The spot where our tent was (to the right of backpaks)

By Tony and George
July 24th 2009

Ulan Ude with the French Dudes Europe » Russia » Siberia » Ulan-Ude

Big Lenin Head

So at 6am we arrived in Ulan Ude. This is the capital of Siberia and Ulan means Red in Buryat. We were staying at Baikal Ethnic Hostel for 1080r for 2 in a private room. It was well out of town but in a really peaceful area. We were staying with the french dudes (Charles, Xavier and Evrard). After a quick power nap we headed into town to sort out our bus for the next day to Mongolia. This turned out to be a nightmare. After 2 hours of trying we came to the conclusion that the direct bus wasn't happening [View Full Entry]

By MikeandJulia
July 24th 2009

Day 2 - Irkutsk Europe » Russia » Siberia » Irkutsk

Irkutsk

We arrived to Irkutsk at around 6 am local time. The train station was the same as a train station in any other city - throngs of loud taxi drivers, some drunk and homeless people, dodgy characters, travelers with various items of luggage. We found a taxi which would take us to our Couchsurfing host - a girl called Lena. Now, Mike had couchsurfed before, when he'd needed to a place to stay in Moscow. I, on the other hand, despite hosting around 40 people myself have never been a guest. And I have to say, my first experience was wonderful. [View Full Entry]

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