http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/South/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Russia , South en-us Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:57:21 BST Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:57:21 BST Tuesday 6 May Volgograd to Akhtubinsk 162 kmKasha for breakfast which I ate with some of my new pot of jam . Fortunately it was a fine sunny day with light winds and the terrain was steppe flat with low rolling hills so the distance was not too bad. We crossed the huge hydroelectric dam across the Volga very impressive. Much nicer landscape now bushes and trees and no longer the endle http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Volgograd/blog-294345.html Beslan...On 1. September 2004 terrorists occupied a school in Beslan.Until 3. September teachers and children were caught there without water. There were bombs mounted around them in the gym.On the 3. September the bombs were detonated.At least 386 people were killed 186 were children.Because of respect towards the victims this entry won't include subjective comments. http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/blog-286620.html Vladikavkaz the city where few of my relatives dwell. I've been in Vladikavkaz many times but this entry includes pictures from summer 2007 and spring 2008.Vladikavkaz is definitely not a tourist city and in fact the first time I've seen tourists in Vladikavkaz was winter 2008. They were at the Zej which is considered as the wonder nr 2. of the region around Vladikavkaz on some fancy list of http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Vladikavkaz/blog-286606.html When the train started to move from Rostov I was tired enough for a sleep. The destination was from one big river of Europe to another big one which draws the border between Euorope and Asia. I started from Don and I would end in Volga. The wagon I was traveling in was like a dorm. Beds were located right and left along an aisle and wagon was full of both men and women. As someone who was born i http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Volgograd/blog-272682.html The journey which I have been dreaming for a long while did not start very well. My friend who wished to join me could not come because of his visa problems secondly I was very very close to missing my plane from Istanbul to Rostov and thirdly a corrupt officer sticked me and a few other Turkish citizens to the Rostov airport for a few hours just for his wish for getting some small presents li http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Rostov-on-Don/blog-271211.html In keeping with what has become an annual tradition I decided to go skiing over MLK weekend which is also my birthday weekend. I got the idea when Freddie was looking for cross country ski pants and I threw out the idea to Leo andor Freddie about downhill skiing. Neither had downhill skiied but both were interested. The other barrier we ran into they have not served in the army yet so th http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Sochi/blog-233950.html Itrsquos an old question which is Europersquos highest mountain Elbrus 5642m in the Caucasus or Mont Blanc 4807m in the Alps A team of geographers has determined that Elbrus does indeed belong to Europe because of the position of the glaciers although the mountain itself stands on the border with Asia. So Elbrus proudly represents Europe in the challenge of the Seven Summits. Itr http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/blog-225045.html Yes I know I'm a day early but I don't know if I'm going to update tomorrow. So remember Guy Fawkes tomorrow. And since I'm writing from the world of political repression celebrate dissidents though let's not kill anyone ok friends Ok happy subjects. I'm in Sochi and it's warm and pretty and I'm wearing flip flops. Basically it's fantastic compared to life in Peter or Moscow. It wasn' http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Sochi/blog-216790.html The beaches along greater Sochi hellipare the rocky kind hellipnot sand ..not pebbles ..but rocks ..3 times bigger than the ballast found on the roof of a city apartment building...Somehow the natives can tough it out hellipbut the foreigner ..suffers hellipin fact you can tell who is who by what happens the second they step onto the beachhead ..The natives ..stay focused on the chosen spo http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Sochi/blog-171537.html Here are some of the things I learned on my first trip to Sochi ..last year in September of 2006 hellipSochi is actually ldquoGreater Sochirdquo hellipfor in the early 1960srsquo ..3 towns ..were added to Sochi to make ldquoGreater Sochi helliprdquoKhosta Adler Lazarevskoye were added hellipI mention this hellipso that when you are booking a hotel in the center of Sochi hel http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Sochi/blog-170745.html Minus 13 and counting ..Well hellipI donrsquot know how much of a secret it is hellipas according to the Russian bid documents hellipmost Russians are solidly behind the Sochi efforts ..It is the kind of numbers that usually a country only goes to war withAlthough some of the Russian I speak with ..say ..rdquoOK hellipbut only the privileged few will benefit hellipthere will be noth http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Sochi/blog-168148.html Getting a Visa for Russia in Washington DC seems to be getting easier ...and not because this is the diplomatic center of much of the world ..or for any other reason than there are now dozens of pocket agencies ...minute ...one person operations ...easily providinghellip any and all services necessary ..including passport photographs and letters of invitations.. one stop ...one price ...one http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Sochi/blog-166820.html Vi forlot Novorussisk den 10. mai og hadde ca 11 mil tilbakelegge til Dsjubga en ganske liten strandby. Vi hadde planlagt bruke en del av motbakkene underveis til intervalltrening for f mer variasjon i syklingen og forberede oss til terrengrittene utover sommeren. Dagen begynte med regnvr seige veier og lite lystbetont sykling. Underveis til den planlagte lunsjpausen ca fire mil leng http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Tuapse/blog-159075.html Dag to hos Leonid sto vi opp tidlig av to grunner for det frste har temperaturen litt utp dagen dratt seg opp p et niv der nordmenn har mer lyst til finne et sted i skyggen og fortrenge en hver tanke p fysisk aktivitet. For det andre hadde vi et lnnlig hp om rekke ferja fra Sotsji helt sr p den russiske Svartehavskysten til Trabzon i Tyrkia. Det er her at reiseruta v http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Sochi/blog-158452.html Tuapse viste seg ha en irriterende egenskap til felles med et par av de rumenske byene vi var innom Mangel p passelig sjuskete hoteller. Det frste vi spurte i var stort og flott og priset deretter. 800 kroner rommet er rett og slett undvendig dyrt her og helt hinsides vrt budsjett. Etter videre leting fant vi et som s langt mer passende ut smslitent og like ved jernbanen. Men http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Tuapse/blog-158451.html Over p russisk side av sundet var det atter en passkontroll. Damen var ikke helt fornyd med visumene vre s vi ble parkert i skammekroken i noen minutter fr de bestemte seg for at vi var harmlse. Vi fikk passene pskrevet og ble sendt videre til tollerne. De var tydeligvis mer vant til demontere biler enn sykler. Etter litt klemming p sykkelveskene og et halvhjertet forsk p sprre http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Novorossiysk/blog-158447.html I should add that one of the criteria of a good place to travel to is that your money takes you further than it would if you were home. Of course this is impossible if you live in the socalled third world but it is important when on vacation that you do not have to worry about how you will ever pay back your loans once you get back. I always have a budget and only on several occasions have I http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Russia/South/Krasnodar/blog-2408.html