Day 122 (28th October) Gudermes to Groznyi
After a Ukrainian drone hit the university in Gudermes, we realised why there were so many police and soldiers in the city. Actually we first noticed them the day before which suggests that the Russians knew something was about to happen. We got lost in Groznyi despite the fact that the hotel and the adjacent business complex are the tallest buildings in the city and could be seen from miles away, and we booked into the Cosmos Selection where the people had been so kind to us in May. We don’t know whether we still owe them £209; the money went out of Jennifers Halifax account, but we aren’t sure that the hotel received it. In any event, the staff are different and, although they knew we had been in May from the computer, they said nothing and we enjoyed two restful days in this splendid hotel. However the evening meal in the 32nd-floor atrium restaurant was a major disappointment. Jennifer’s salmon was delicious, but I took pot luck from the “Chechen cuisine” page and chose a delicious sounding meal which turned out to be Khinkal, something I had vowed never to eat again. We met two delightful Russians, Maria (aged 21) and Kirill (23) who spoke good English. They are brother and sister and shares with us a love of travel. We exchanged impressions on the countries we have been to and the Russian towns we have visited. The live in Moscow but their family comes from Pskov.
Ramzan Khadirov Mosque