Boris Yeltsin started his political career in Yekaterinberg. This was one of his favorite restaurants.

Starter: Russian salad with herring. It was delicious.

The speciality was Russian dumplings.

A church built to remember the last Tsars in Russia. They are now canonized as saints by the Orthodox church. Inside the church (where I was not allowed to take photos) are paintings of the royal family as they were before they were masacred.

Couples in Russia like to put locks on bridges and throw the key into the water.


The Ural mountains are famous for the minerals that can be found there.

My favorite ice cream bar in Russia.

An apartment where I stayed while in Yekaterinburg.

In every city in Russia, there seems to be a giant statue of Lenin.

There are many bronze statues that have certain parts you are supposed to touch for good luck.

Inside Kazan subway stations. A lot of money was spent on the art, a leftover from Communist times. Now, the contract would go to the lowest bidder.

Inside the brand new Kazan subway stations.

The Kremlin, Kazan, Russia.

The Kremlin in Kazan, Russia, a Unesco World Heritage site.

El Macho, the Mexican restaurant in Kazan that sells Sushi, sandwiches, and spaghetti! Something got lost in translation.

The theatre in Kazan.


I like the hedges shaped into gryphons.

The local guide's apartment building in Kazan, Russia.

Food sold on the street.

A local fleamarket where I bought some Soviet era pins for only a few tens of cents each.

A guy fishing in the lake in the middle of the city.

Dinner at the local guide's house.