Have you ever wondered сколько городов в россии (how many cities are in Russia)? According to the 2010 census, Russia has 1100 cities and towns. I’ve only visited a few of them but my favorite- by far!- is Kazan. Here is undeniable proof of its awesomeness:

To this day I still regret not buying a pair of camel hair socks as a gift for my husband. He assures me, however, that he’s doing just fine anyway.

There’s also Дом Верблюда (Camel House), a museum dedicated to the fine art of camel farming, and here’s a video I found of a camel walking down the street in Kazan:

 

But…hmmm, that’s strange. I sense that perhaps you’ve not easily won over by camels alone.

 

How about this giant tea cup instead?

 

Or a park with a dragon?

 

Or even better: a park with dragons, fountains, AND free wifi?

 

Okay, now I see I’ve got your attention. 🙂 Kazan really is a great place! Let me show you around a little…

 

Oops, sorry! I don’t know how another camel picture snuck in there. 😉

 

I spent just 2 days with classmates in Kazan, but that was long enough to fall in love. Kazan looks like a fairy tale. Most of these pictures are from an afternoon walk downtown, from our hotel to the riverbank. But first, let’s go back to where we started in Nizhny Novgorod…