The country of Russia is very large, and stretches out of a large portion of both Western Europe and Northern Asia. Russia is in fact, the largest country in the world, and covers twice as much area, as the second largest country, which is Canada.
After December of 1991, Russia was no longer the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, after it finally broke free of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, becoming instead, the Russian Federation, and to most of us, known simply as Russia. The Russian culture, having been around for many, many centuries, is rich in struggles, and history. Travelers coming to Russia to experience the vivid, and culturally colorful atmosphere, will not be disappointed with what they find in this incredible country.
Russia is also not just a frozen wasteland, the winters may be cruel, or even bleak in some regions of the country, but in others, there are still beautiful summer days, and green grass growing. Travelers interested in coming to Russia for a leisurely stay have many options; the summer for the warmth, traveling north for the cold, winter activities, or traveling in the off seasons to South Russia, for smaller crowds, and colder weather. There are many popular destination cities in Russia, but the three best known and most popularly traveled are Moscow, Russia’s capital city, St. Petersburg, known as The City of Tsars, and Pskov, one of the oldest cities in Russia.
Moscow, being Russia’s capital city, covers a large area; there’s something for every vacation palate there. If tourists want to explore the city, go hiking, or lounge in a luxurious hotel, they can. St. Petersburg, contains several points of interest, such as the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, the Mikhail Castle, the Summer Garden, the St. Isaac and the Kazan cathedrals. And as for Pskov, as far as it being said to be old, it recently, in 2003 celebrated its eleven-hundred year anniversary. Although it’s a bustling city, full of new developments, and stylish, trendy places and people, travelers will still be able to feel how ancient the city around them is.
Soups and stews are very popular in Russia, because centuries ago, it was mainly a peasant meal, and hundreds of years later, traditions amongst the Russian people still thrive. Soups in Russia go from several different variations, in both hot and cold. Borscht, is a popular traditional Russian soup, that should definitely be sampled by visitors.
Meats in Russia are served either as large boiled cuts, in soups or porridges, or cold, as a snack. Fish was an important part of Russian cuisine, when most were still Russian Orthodox, as it was similar to the Catholic religion, where families would eat fish on Fridays, instead of other meats. Most of the traditional drinks in Russia are no longer in use, but when they were, the drinks were original to their region, and not used anywhere else; such as sbiten’, kvas, medok, mors, curdle with raisins, and boiled cabbage juice. Sbiten was later replaced by tea, a similar drink.
Hotels and accommodation in Russia are varied; namely it depends on what cities you plan to visit; for example, in St. Petersburg, one very attractive alternative to hotels is actually staying in temporary apartments. They are much, much cheaper than a luxury hotel, and provide a more homey atmosphere, and welcoming environment, for those who prefer that to hotel accommodations.
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