It was 17 years ago today, the day the first McDonald’s restaurant opened in Moscow. Here is video of the CBC news report from Moscow on January 31st, 1990.

Link: Muscovites mad for McDonald’s

From 1925 until the fall of the Soviet Union, hundreds of thousands of children vacationed near the Black Sea at the Artek Pioneer Camp. This was the premier camp for young pioneers and it was considered an honor to be able to vacation at Artek. Not only Soviet children spent time at Artek but also many international kids as well. Here is a collection of old photos from the Artek camp posted by Jens Toftegaard on Flickr.

1970s Postcard From Artek

Two Little Pioneers at Artek (1930s)

Pioneers Marching in Artek

Parade in Lasurnaya, one of ten compounds comprising the Artek pioneercamp, 1970s.

Four pioneers from Guinee at Artek, summer of 1976.

International friends at Artek. Danish girl, Charlotte, susu boy, Samba from Guinee.

Link: Wikipedia article about Artek

Pelmeni is a popular Russian dish with a minced meet filling wrapped in a thin dough. There are many traditional (and time consuming) recipes for making pelmeni, but most are sold frozen in the store. The frozen pelmeni are then boiled for about 5 minutes and served with butter or sour cream. Pelmeni is a great dish, especially when you’re in a hurry.

Here’s a 1952 advertisement for Pelmeni from the Ministry of Meat and Milk Industry.

Link: Wikipedia article about pelmeni.

“The landscape of Siberia is transforming. New lakes are forming in the north, while existing lakes are getting larger. Some buildings and houses built upon the permafrost are sinking and starting to crack.”

Link: Siberia’s Once-Frozen Tundra Is Melting

Yuri Mamchur over at Russia Blog has posted a series of photos called “Night Drive through Moscow: Where Tourists Go.” It’s the first set in a series of photos he took on a four hour drive around Moscow early this month. Head on over to Russia Blog and take a picture tour of Moscow.

Link: Night Drive through Moscow: Where Tourists Go

A temporary ice skating rink was built on Red Square this winter. Many special events and shows have been held there and the rink has also been open to the public. Here’s some footage from EuroNews showing some of the events.

Prince Vladimir is one of the most famous characters from Russian history. He was the grand prince of Kiev who converted to Christianity in 988. Last year, a new Russian animation studio named “Solnechny Dom” released a cartoon loosely based on the historical Prince Vladimir. The film beacame the highest-grossing Russian animated film of all time.

Today’s link is to the official site of the Prince Vladimir film. It features a description of the film, photos, trailers and much more.

Link: Prince Vladimir Official Site (English)

Nevsky Prospekt is the main avenue in St. Petersburg and one of the most famous streets in all of Russia. If you’ve ever been to St. Petersburg, you’ve probably walked most of Nevsky Prospekt. Take a look at this satellite view and see just how far you walked.

Link: WikiMapia

A photo of soviet school children with their teacher in the winter snow (1976). From Soviet Photo magazine, via Soviet Photo Daily.

Velikiy Novgorod is the most ancient Slavic city in Russia. Its rich history and culture have made it a top tourist destination for both Russian and foreign tourists. Today’s links are to information about Velikiy Novgorod’s history, culture and people. There’s even a site dedicated to helping English speaking tourists get the most out of their trip to Velikiy Novgorod. Take a few minutes to explore this great city though these websites, and if you ever have the chance to visit Velikiy Novgorod in person, do it!

Link: Wikipedia – Velikiy Novgorod
Link: Velikiy Novgorod For Tourists