Blogs from South, Russia, Europe - page 3

The roadsides are littered with war memorials. They come in all shapes and sizes: tanks, rocket launchers, MIG fighter jets, large Soviet era statues, small star topped stones engraved with names. This, south-west, corner of Russia saw a lot of action during WWII and was occupied by the Germans. We tend to erect monuments honouring the people who fought but the Russians also genuinely honour the equipment too. We got pulled up by a young local for saying “another tank monument” they told us “this tank saved Russian lives, tanks like this helped us in the war, we are grateful to them, why shouldn't we honour them?” We are on our way to Volgograd, still travelling across the Kuban steppe with its giant fields. We're on the E40, the big main road that runs from Rostov-on-Don ... read more

Tak vcera jsme byli v ruske bani/saune/. Ta se od ceske lisi tim, ze se v ni jeste sleha vetvickama listnatyma. Postup je ten, ze se clovek zlehka nahreje, osprchuje a jde do odpocinkove mistnosti kde se popiji caj, juice, pivo...co kdo chce. Pak se jde opet prohrat, do ledoveho bazenu a odpocivat. pri tretim prohrani je uz mrskan vetvickami, jsou tec na nekolik sekund primackavany k telu a to vse vytvari obrovsky zar a roztahuje pory. Pote opet bazen, odpocinek , prohrati a umyti mydlem. Tim se smeje vsechen pot po prvnim mrskani a nasleduje druhe mrskani. Pote opet bazen, otdych a piti tekutin. pak posledni nahrani, sprcha a hura domu s unavenym a zaroven zvlastne svezim telem a duchem.... read more

Krasnodar-Taman-Tuapse-Sochi/ 1.4.-9.4.2012/ Z Krasnodaru se vydavame na vylet smerem k Port Kavkaz, coz je pristav odkud se jezdi na ukrainsky Krym. Zaroven je tato oblast Kubane znama pestovanim vina. V jednom mistnim " vinzavode" si kupijeme par lahvi vina a vyrazime na pobrezi Cerneho More. U mesta Novorosijsk je asi nejznamejsi vinzavod ABRAU DURSO, ktery produkuje nejslavnejsi" ruske sampanske" a dalsi perliva vina. Kupujeme lahev nejlacinejsiho na Helci narozeniny a vyrazime za sluncem. Zastavujeme se v Anape a Gelendziku , prochazime se po mistni promenade, ktera si s nicim nezada se zapadoevropskymi primorskymi letovisky.. Pocasi uz je slunecne a more azurove modre, klidne jako rybnik. V meste Tuapse potkavame naseho znameho a on nam meni zadni brzdove desticky. Zaroven nam doporucuje mista kam se podivat a kde prenocovat. Nocovat budeme na skale za mestem, aspon to ... read more

In other words, Elbrus was excellent! Summited the 5642 meter mountain Monday morning at 10:15 am local time after a quite arduous 1800 meter (6000 feet) ascent from the not so high camp at 3800 meters. Brief synopsis: Day 1, July 13 - Harrowing 3 hour drive from Kislovodsk to north route base camp at 2200 meters. Day 2 - Carry a load to "high camp," sleep at base camp. Day 3 - Move to high camp and sleep there. Awful camp. Day 4 - Acclimatization hike to Lenz Rocks at 4700 meters. Day 5/6 - Rest day then wake up a little after 01:00 Monday morning to clear skies and a nearly full moon, get dressed and wolf down some oatmeal chased with tea. Bolted from camp around 02:15 and barely stopped on the 8 ... read more

A long time ago I thought about writing a short piece about my native town, Birsk. Strictly speaking, it will not be a travel blog, because one does not travel to one’s hometown, but I think somebody, somewhere, sometime might be interested to look at a simple, old, non-sightseeing town in the Russian province close to the Urals. As usual, I am not planning to provide information of factual character. I will perhaps try to show the best things available in Birsk, not so much its buildings, because there are few old of them, but maybe the natural landscapes surrounding it. I suppose that a person, if his intention is travelling, will not go to Birsk to see the sights (though the town has some interesting old buildings and churches), but to see the nature and ... read more