Russia

Because it was Sunday we decided to stay for another day in the hotel. The buffet breakfast was one of the best we have ever had with a huge variety … Read more

On the 26th, we drove over 300 miles to Novgorod and, after getting lost because it was dark and I failed to notice that we had crossed the river, finally … Read more

After leaving the splendid Slavyanka Hotel, we went to look at the Tambov cathedral and watched part of a service. There have been a couple of niggling problems with the … Read more

The road from Volgograd to Saratov passes through rolling steppe land. From the top of the hills you can see for dozens of miles and the light was bright (rather … Read more

We spent much of the 19th relaxing next to the large Islamic graveyard at Kotyayevka and decided to set off for the border about 4 pm in the hope that … Read more

A lazy day. We walked eastwards to the town’s biggest shopping mall. The aim was to buy face cream (not for me) and Euro-2018 tee-shirts as presents. They were nearly … Read more

A relaxing day, which I needed after yesterday’s long drive. We walked along the Volga Embankment, and saw the various statues and bronze models including the shoeshine boy, Peter the … Read more

Walked round Kizlyar for a short time, marvelling how a town with such a grisly history could recover. In 1996, Chechen terrorists invaded Dagestan and kidnapped over 1,000 people. They … Read more