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The great river.

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

The thing is that, despite all previously documented troubles, Kazan is a really great place and I am really glad that the route was able to be influenced away from the usual stop in Perm to include it.  Officially the third capital of Russia and recently done up to celebrate its 1000th birthday the tone of the place starts at the Kremlin which models co-operation to all by containing both a mosque and an orthodox cathedral.  We had read that there was a strong separatist movement in Tatarstan and to expect to be asked about this.  We weren’t asked so we sought out opinion on this and found that there may have been murmurings in the 90s but it seems that money has quelled those with the resource boom making the region very wealthy.  Or maybe it is because FC Rubin Kazan is top of the league.

Following the babushkas to the Kremlin

[read on]

Posted in bar, cafe, Church/cathedral, Kazan, kremlin, mighty river, Russia, Tallinn | 1 Comment »

Beatboxing the Baltic

Friday, September 12th, 2008

Instantly on arriving in Tallinn it appears to be a far more thriving place than Riga.  Still the same pattern of old town, this time rather attractively on a hill as opposed to beside a river, surrounded by more recent development of which there has been quite a bit.  From what I’ve read Estonia is the success story of the European Union expansion into the Baltic.  Skype was created here, turns out fittingly as we sure put it through its paces but more on that in a bit.   It definitely feels more cosmopolitan, where in Riga a couple of blocks out of the old city it was almost immediately run down Tallinn has skyscrapers and malls.  Usually I wouldn’t view this as a positive but here it feels kind of hopeful so will let it slide.

 Braving the icy wind.

Lookout over the lower old town.

I am gradually settling into the backpacking routine again – arrive, preliminary money change of a small amount to be able to use local transport, find local transport, find map of local transport, argue a bit about local transport, take local transport (in this case buses), find hostel conveniently located under a stripclub (a great look the next morning when outside in the courtyard gateway having coffee and cigarette then realise why all the passersby are smiling is cos right overhead is a sign for the top floor establishment).  Change more money trying to estimate how many Kroons will be needed for a couple of days accurately enough not to get burned too much by exchanging money too many times yet still having enough to have a good time.  All pretty straightforward on about an hours assessment of prices, find supermarket, find pub. [read on]

Posted in entertainment, estonia, Tallinn | No Comments »