A lengthy drive through a countryside of deciduous forests alternating with ploughed fields and small farming villages. Only one significant town on the way, Dimitrovgrad where we stopped at a supermarket and stocked up with groceries and fruit. Kazan, the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Tatarstan is a million-strong city of high-rise blocks and where the major roads are dual-carriageway so it is a misery getting onto the right side if you are on the wrong side. By chance, we arrived at the Kremlin, a magnificent fortress on a hill and some workmen doing something at the side of the road let us park in their parking place.
The Kremlin was built on the ruins of the castle of the former khanate of Kazan on the orders of Ivan the Terrible in 1554-1562. We saw the Cathedral of the Annunciation which is the oldest building at the site, and the Qulsharif Mosque which was completed in 2005. We then struggled to find the hotel I had chosen and, after trying two hotels which were full we discovered the charming little Evropa hotel. We had a nice meal of Tatar cuisine and a good night’s sleep.
Lake on the road from Dmitrovgrad to Kazan
Qulsharif Mosque
Doll in Tatar costume in the hotel