One of the best Soviet architecture blogs out there – Concrete and Kitsch – is currently exploring Belarus. (Check it out!) I’m excited to see what interesting places they photograph during the trip. 🙂 Every time I see a time-worn … Read More
Welcome to Kazan, a city that has existed for over one thousand years. It’s the 6th largest city in Russia and a ninety-minute flight from Moscow. It’s also a short drive from one of the country’s newest silicon valleys. Here’s … Read More
This month we visited D’s mom, who lives in Hawaii. I did a little related reading, including Inside the Bizarre, Racist Scheme to Import Siberian Workers to Hawaii in 1909 and The Hawaiian Don Flowing. We tried watching a TV … Read More
I think this is what foreigners are supposed to do in Russia, right? Wander around the outside of churches and take photos? It seems I failed at that task, though… these are all the photos I have to share with … Read More
My Russian-blog reading appetite has cooled off a bit since 6 cool blogs in Russian. Maybe you have a good suggestion for me? What Russian-language blogs are you reading these days? Here are several blogs that I’ve been keeping an … Read More
This is a totally unofficial peek at the combination mall / museum that is Yekaterinburg’s Yeltsin Center. Did we do anything scholarly here? No. Did we eat the first green salad spotted in months? Yes. Did we tour a random … Read More
What’s the last movie you watched in Russian? What’s next in your queue? Today I have a very special interview for you with Richard Wess, the creator of Russian Film Hub. By the time you finish reading, you’ll have lots … Read More
I just finished reading an interesting article called A bear splitting an atom? A camel? The weird world of Russian coats of arms. Out of the five cities featured in that article, Chelyabinsk has perhaps the most straightforward symbol, left … Read More
I’m in love with sanatoriums. They’re all-inclusive, relaxing, and a great way to practice your language skills. You usually spot them near the sea but you can also find them in the mountains and forests, anywhere that Russians think the … Read More
Do you know where Russia’s tallest Ferris wheel (колесо обозрения) is? The Moscow-850 was at one point the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. It was built in VDNKh for the city’s 850 year anniversary. And then, shortly before the 2014 … Read More