As last time I was giving you some thoughts about one of my summer dreams – Camino de Santiago, this time, I’m gonna tell you about another one – desire to travel Russia. Even though, Russia is in everyones attention right now, and not in a nice way, I will give you 10 reasons why it is definitely worth to travel there.

A little crazy, ain’t it? Haha. Well, I don’t think it’s that bad. Actually, in my opinion, Russian people are extremely hospitable, friendly and welcoming. And yes. Ordinary people are’t responsible for political matters Russia is involved in.  So, … YES.

1. THE PEOPLE – is totally one of the reasons to go and experience this country. <<<I have a Russian friend myself and she’s one of my favorite people I’ve ever met…>>>

2. Trans – Siberian Railway – seriously, a very unique highlight.. It is almost 10 000 miles long and connects cities as remote as Moscow and Vladivostok. If you want to get a deeper insight into this, watch TV show An Idiot Abroad featuring a brit – Karl Pilkinson –  traveling across Siberia (season 2, episode 2).

3. Moscow and 4. Saint Petersburg.  … . . . . . . . Paris? London? Ha, you cannot be sure these cities beat the major metropolises of Russia. It is said that the Hermitage Museum in Saint. Peter is the biggest museum in the world and Moscow is believed to be the most expensive city in the world… Or it was before…. ;D However… While you there, you have to see all the crazy – wonderfully beautiful churches, drink Russian champagne, go to clubs, drink vodka and eat caviar in the morning… So basically: loose every penny you ow…

5. Lake Baikal – the oldest, biggest and deepest lake on the entire planet, containing roughly 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface fresh water (Wiki). The water is so clear there, that during winter you can walk on the ice and see what’s happening on the bottom: Beneath our feet, the ice was two metres thick, but such is the purity of Baikal’s water that it is as translucent as cut glass, allowing you to see down, past the trapped bubbles, to the kelp forests below (Mike Carter, 2009). http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/dec/13/siberia-baikal-mike-carter-travel-russia

6. Multi nationality. There are over 185 different ethnic groups living in the territory of Russia. Starting with Russians and Tatars to under 10,000 in the case of Samis and Kets. Everywhere you go, new experiences will be waiting for you!

7. Remote areas.  As you know, the country is the biggest in the world, though over 60% of entire population live in the cities, leaving the rest of this huge country uninhabited. So there are plenty of places, where you could find yourself to be the only person in a square kilometer.!!! Worth trying, especially when you’re tired of city life ;).

8. The culture and 9. Rich history. It cannot be denied that Russia has always been one of the greatest countries the world has ever seen. It’s culture has influenced entire human rase from the very first tsar Rurik (who actually was a viking, conquering new lands) till the famous Peter the 1st who built Saint Petersburg and remodeled whole country; from the great revolutions till the fatal collapse of USSR… Russia’s impact on culture, literature, art, theatre, architecture, ballet, science and etc. is undeniable and great. So once you are in Russia, try not to miss shows of Moscow ballet troupe, architectural wonder of Summer palace of Peter the Great, and please please, at least once in your life read a good book written by Russian literature geniuses like Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky.

10. Political understanding… So what is exactly happening right now? What do Russians think about Ukrainian crisis? What do they think about their president and political system? As a Russian poet Fyodor Tyutchev once said Russia cannot be understood with the mind alone… But you can try it… of course not without some help from locals and … maybe vodka..?

And to end with… Recently, I did quite a lot of research on the case “Russia”. But the most knowledge I got from a documentary – Russia A Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby. This British guy travels around 10 000 miles across the biggest country in the world by car, train, plain, boat and on foot too. Have a look at it if you’re interested! 😉 And… have a good day!

P.s. all the pictures were made in Saint Petersburg… or somewhere close to it!!! 😀