Russia has always been on our list, but with the centenary of the Russian Revolution coming up in October, it has really been in the news. All those fabulous palaces filled with treasures and sparkling with gilding, mirrors and chandeliers as well as churches topped with spires and onion domes and containing mosaics, murals and icons. Then there is the art, the gold, the Faberge eggs and the vodka!
We will be exploring St Petersburg and Moscow, travelling between the two on the fast Sapsan train, but will also be taking the regular train north to Karelia and east to The Volga to see something of the countryside and life outside the big cities. Mind you, seeing the map below puts everything into perspective as we are travelling less than 2,000km in a country over 10,000km wide and the largest in the world!
We are expecting challenges ahead, mainly with the language and maybe the unfamiliar cuisine so as recommended by Lonely Planet, we will be packing a sense of humour and a bucketful of patience and are looking forward to the adventure.
We have timed our visit to miss the White Nights experience of days when the sun never sets as Russia is at its busiest then, so I just hope we have enough daylight to see all the sights there are to see, and in August we should have very comfortable temperatures of around 20 degrees in which to do it.
So here we are, off travelling together, visiting Russia 100 years after the revolution for Chris & Elaine’s Russian Revelation 2017!
Off Travelling Together 