Russian Kafe

May 2nd, 2008

The Dacha, or summer house, is a large part of summer life for many Russians. These summer “houses” range from a simple plot of land for growing vegetables to large mansions. One thing is for sure, getting to your dacha on a Friday night might take hours as traffic jams, full of anxious dacha goers, are common on the roads leading away from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Here’s a short report from Russia Today on the beginning of dacha season.

Dacha days are here again!

• countryside , culture

July 31st, 2007

The Chelyabinsk region of Russia is located in both Europe and Asia. It is a place where East meats West. The region’s capital is traditionally known for its industry which grew rapidly in the Soviet era. However, there are still vast parts of the Chelyabinsk region that are still very far from the industrialized world. In some areas of Chelyabinsk there is a new tourism industry trying to get started. Here’s a fascinating report from Russia Today about the Chelyabinsk region and the beauties you can see there.

Video on YouTube

Link: Chelyabinsk Region (Oblast) at Wikipedia
Link: Chelyabinsk (capital city) at Wikipedia

• cities , countryside , geography , regions , tourism , video

March 2nd, 2007

A few weeks ago, Russians celebrated Maslenitsa or “Pancake week�. Yuri Timofeyev has published a wonderful series of photos from a Maslenitsa party in the forest near Moscow. Here are a few examples of the photos he took at the event. Make sure to view the entire series at Flickr.

Pancake carnival in a Moscow’s forest. Toboggan

Kitchen

Wall to wall fight

Winter incineration


Winter incineration

Link: Pancake carnival photos

• countryside , culture , holidays , photos

January 2nd, 2007

A recent report from Reuters Canada talks about the death of a village priest and the state of Russian villages. It’s an interesting look into the conditions of the Russian countryside.

Link: Reuters Canada - Priest’s death shows Russia’s rural rot

• countryside , news