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Самая красивая область в России? (Nicest part of Russia?)
Such a big country and different climates etc!
What's the nicest part of Russia that you have visited and/or lived in; where in Russia would you most like to go on holiday to or live? (excluding where you live now)
Why and what do you like about it? Post a picture too!
I wasn't able to go to Russia this summer as I had hoped (darn work!!) so in the meantime I'd like to find out more in preparation for a great trip sometime in the future...
+If some place in the ex USSR area comes to mind then post about that -- as long as people there can speak Russian...
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Regarding architecture, you need to visit St.Peterburg and it's neibourhood, as well as Moscow. "Golden Ring of Russia" cities like Vladimir and Suzdal' also attract tourists, although generally speaking, there are just several old churches and monasteries, that's it.
If you love outdoors and nature, Karelia is good for moderate kayaking expeditions, Altai and Sayan mountains are good for whitewater sports, hiking and montaineering, and Lake Baikal is worth to see (if you will be lucky with weather).
If you're looking for a wilderness, Polar Ural area is great (fishing, hunting; tundra hiking)
Caucasus mountains and the Black See shore are nice, too, but please consider safety.
If you'd like to know a heart of Russia, you need to live for some time in a country side, preferably to the North from Smolensk - Tver' - Nizhny Novgorod line.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
If we are talking about nature, the most beautiful place in Russia is the Baikal Lake imho.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/5...lacbaikal5.jpg
If you are more interested in culture stuff I recommed a Golden Ring of Russia trip.
http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/1...ngofrussia.jpg
And of course the river cruise from Moscow down to Astrahan will be perfect in both senses.
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/9702/astr.gif
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/3364/ship9w.jpg
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
.. and the Black See shore are nice, too, but please consider safety.
:shock:
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
This a list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Russia has some nice photos of beautiful places in Russia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wo ... _in_Russia
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Very interesting information so far. Thanks for posting pictures!
Becuase its' such a big country it's hard to know what part(s) to see and what is more interesting/beautiful. "Golden Ring" cities and Bajkal Lake are definitely pleases I would like to visit. Пятогорск sounds great. I had not heard of it until now!
I don't even know how much Russian people in general travel domestically..... Whether people in general have been around a lot in the country, or not?
The only trip I've seen mentioned here, is Basil77s trip to Ukraine and Belarus. Nobody has mentioned any trips within Russia or CIS countries.
Oh, and one more thing: What precisely is a "санаториум"? What kind of people go to them? Has anyone been to one?
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Санаторий - is the place where people combine medial treatment and recreation
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%...80%D0%B8%D0%B9
http://kurortkmv.ru/english/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyatigorsk
Я домосед и не люблю путешествовать, но все же я успел побывать в Киеве, Ст.-Петербурге, Саратове, Волгограде, Ростове-на-Дону. Ну, и на Черном море, конечно, не раз. А за границей (не считая Киева) не был ни разу. И хотелось бы куда-нибудь съездить, но лень :o
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in-fnk0BQxg
Pyatigorsk :-D
The guys are speaking with a "Caucasus" accent.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Haha that's very funny! I got quite a lot of it!!
But is the guy supposed to be a native Russian speaker, or not?
If he is a native speaker, then we have proof that there are accents in Russian! (It's a bit hard for everyone in other countries to understand that there are "no dialects in Russian"......) If his native language is something else, then he's just a person with an accent and the claim still stands..
http://masterrussian.net/mforum/view...hp?f=6&t=19198
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Hey, he's just joking. :tease: He's imitating the accent. His name is Михаил Галустян and he's a native Russian, he was born in Sochi.
Look at him speaking "normal" Russian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmwwTx0Txf4
or this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LNivF3N ... re=related (Best at 3:20 and during the next question)
Though there ARE various accents and dialects within Russia. It doesn't need to be proved.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Mikhail Galustyan is a Russian national but not ethnic Russian, he has Armenian roots, as many Armenians live in Sochi area. Obviously, he mimics Caucasus (non-native) accent with a big success.
There are no dialects in Russia (unless you treat Belorussian language as a dialect). There are pronounciation variations among native speakers (notably g - h), and accents among non-native ones.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
There are no dialects in Russia (unless you treat Belorussian language as a dialect).
Скорее даже отдельные языки. Белорусский, украинский, фарси, и т.д. Это же всё Россия (была :cry: ).
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Вчера залез на Змейку. Оттуда хороший вид на Минводы:
http://a.imageshack.us/img835/9154/panorama4.jpg
Другие фотки выложу в отдельном треде
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Valley of Geysers.
Even though it's the most remote place to visit in Russia, it is considered a world's natural wonder.
It is located on the extreme Far-East of Russia but truly is a place to visit:
http://s16.radikal.ru/i191/0910/6e/f6123ded79ef.jpg
http://s55.radikal.ru/i148/0910/db/723e984d71d1.jpg
http://s60.radikal.ru/i170/0910/45/989096069df1.jpg
Some more photos here:
http://www.tbg-brand.ru/node/85429
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
I don't even know how much Russian people in general travel domestically..... Whether people in general have been around a lot in the country, or not?
I said to a Russian once that I would like to rent a car and drive all over Russia, because I had done that in America and it's a great way to see a country.
She looked at me like that was the craziest thing she'd ever heard of.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sperk
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
I don't even know how much Russian people in general travel domestically..... Whether people in general have been around a lot in the country, or not?
I said to a Russian once that I would like to rent a car and drive all over Russia, because I had done that in America and it's a great way to see a country.
She looked at me like that was the craziest thing she'd ever heard of.
Well, in Siberia you can drive 1000 km with no gas and repair stations at all, no hotels and only trees for company.
While it is a great way to travel in the European part of Russia (what I frequently do) but still it gets very tiresome if you don't have a spare driver. Besides, the roads in Russia have two states -- 'barely passable' and 'please, go look for a tractor to pull me out'.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramil
Quote:
Originally Posted by sperk
...
Well, in Siberia you can drive 1000 km with no gas and repair stations at all, no hotels and only trees for company. While it is a great way to travel in the European part of Russia (what I frequently do) but still it gets very tiresome if you don't have a spare driver. Besides, the roads in Russia have two states -- 'barely passable' and 'please, go look for a tractor to pull me out'.
Well the vastness of Russia is one of the things that makes it so impressive! If there were 5 lane motorways everywhere, and a motel or a rest stop every 10 kilometers... then it would be something like the USA, Germany or the UK.... Very soul-less way of travelling, in my opinion at least. Perhaps something in between is the most practical.
But Russia has a good railway network, wouldn't you say? I am a fan of railways! It's cool to think that you can travel day after day and still be in the same country, with the same language being spoken, (in the same way!)
Seems that most reasonably large Russian cities are on the rail network (??). As long as the trains arrive reasonably on time and you actually get a seat, it would be better than England at least.... !
In case anyone didn't know; in large parts of Europe, travelling on the Transsiberian railway is something that lots of people really want to do.
http://www.addictedtotravel.com/Reso...20_320-213.jpg
Loved the pictures of the hot springs!!! :good:
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
sperk,
yeah, and beware of bears playing balalaika and crossing avenues here and there.
Ramil is exaggerating. The real reasons why this idea is difficult to implement:
1) You can't rent a car as you do in the US. Perhaps rent-a-car companies exist somewhere in Russia, but this service is not popular at all. I didn't no anybody who rented a car in Russia. And the prices may be unbelievable: it's too difficult to a stranger to drive in big cities, and nobody will give you a car to cross the country.
2) You still can travel by your own car. However, it's hard (and often pointless) to travel on huge distances. The landscape is basically the same for hundreds of miles.
3) The summer is short, and in other seasons you need to have winter tyres and driving experience for ice and arctic conditions. What would you do if the engine won't start in the morning due to low temperature (the battery is weak, spark plugs don't spark, and motor oil gets too viscous)?
Hanna,
railroads are quite good, and traveling by train is an interesting experiense. I didn't travel by train further than to Altai, however. It's 2.5 days travel, we crossed the Urals overnight, and otherwise landscape in Central Russia and Western Siberia is about the same. Getting to Barnal, Altai, you're still on your 1/3 way to Vladivostok.
In Altai mountains, we met Slovak rafters. They were excited that the trip from Barnaul to their river (>500 km) is longer that the whole Slovakia.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
Ramil is exaggerating.
Not in the slightest, just move some 50 km away from the main roads (which are maintained now and then) and you'll see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
The real reasons why this idea is difficult to implement:
1) You can't rent a car as you do in the US. Perhaps rent-a-car companies exist somewhere in Russia, but this service is not popular at all. I didn't no anybody who rented a car in Russia. And the prices may be unbelievable: it's too difficult to a stranger to drive in big cities, and nobody will give you a car to cross the country.
You CAN rent a car here, I don't know about other cities, but in large ones you can always find a rental company.
I rented VAZ 2105 for as little as $20 per day when my car was being repaired. See for yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
2) You still can travel by your own car. However, it's hard (and often pointless) to travel on huge distances. The landscape is basically the same for hundreds of miles.
Yeah, I agree, you start noticing the slight changes in the surrounding landscape once in 1,500 - 2,000 km. It's boring.
Still I've managed to drive from Moscow to Sochi and back with no incident (in Summer). 2,500 km (22 hours without stop and sleep).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
3) The summer is short, and in other seasons you need to have winter tyres and driving experience for ice and arctic conditions. What would you do if the engine won't start in the morning due to low temperature (the battery is weak, spark plugs don't spark, and motor oil gets too viscous)?
Yes, you'll need a SUV, spare motor oil, 2-3 tyres, a spare tank of gas, a toolkit, a winch, chains for your wheels, spare belts for the gas distribution mechanism and the pump, folding ramps (if you go off-road), and a bit of luck. :)
But only if you really want to drive to some less-populated place. Normally, you can travel by roads without any particular problems (if you have a good car with tough suspension).
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Ramil,
I don't think the guy wants to travel 50 km away off main roads, nor drive to Magadan on "zimnik". He wants to travel a bit across Russia.
Technically, you can rent a car. The point is that you can't do it as you do it in the US. And I don't think VAZ-2105 is a reasonable choice for an American. After VAZ, you can drive any car. You can't drive VAZ if you used automatic transmission only.
Regarding winter, you don't need a SUV or tyre chains. You'd need spare spark plugs rather than 2-3 tyres. The point is that most Americans don't have enough experience driving on ice-covered road (e.g. how to slow down without breaks but using transmission), as well as changing spark plugs or just replacing battery at -30C.
And crazy Russian drivers routinely riding at 100+ mph (160 km/h) is a different story.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
Ramil,
I don't think the guy wants to travel 50 km away off main roads, nor drive to Magadan on "zimnik". He wants to travel a bit across Russia.
Technically, you can rent a car. The point is that you can't do it as you do it in the US. And I don't think VAZ-2105 is a reasonable choice for an American. After VAZ, you can drive any car. You can't drive VAZ if you used automatic transmission only.
I could rent any car, but VAZ was the cheapest. You could rent a Ford Focus with automatic transmission for as much as $80 per day.
Quote:
Regarding winter, you don't need a SUV or tyre chains. You'd need spare spark plugs rather than 2-3 tyres.
I was describing my own experience, of course the situations as well as the roads can be different. And a spare battery won't do you any good if it's left in the cold.
And if you're a sane person, you won't stop your engine when you have to spend the night in the car.
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Re: Самая красивая область в России? (Nicest part of Russia
You don't need to spend a night in the car. Just start the engine in a cold winter morning near hotel.
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Re: Самая красивая область в России? (Nicest part of Russia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
You don't need to spend a night in the car. Just start the engine in a cold winter morning near hotel.
Provided you have a hotel to stop for the night.
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Re: Самая красивая область в России? (Nicest part of Russia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramil
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
You don't need to spend a night in the car. Just start the engine in a cold winter morning near hotel.
Provided you have a hotel to stop for the night.
Provided that you're smart enough to plan your route and have a map better than "Belomor" pack.
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramil
Valley of Geysers.
Even though it's the most remote place to visit in Russia, it is considered a world's natural wonder.
It is located on the extreme Far-East of Russia but truly is a place to visit...
Hey, thanks, Ramil. I was wondering what Kamchatka looks like. I spent many years in BC Canada, and so I wondered what it was like over there. Also in Canada, is the occurrence of km after km of no human construction of any kind, except maybe road. No gasoline, no food, no humans, no emergency workers... Oh, it's beautiful. One little mistake, and you're dead. What they never ever show in the photos are the flies. Mosquitoes, black files, horse flies and I don't know how many other kinds. They make some of the wildlife go crazy sometimes, there are so many flies eating them alive. It is a big relief when the frost comes. Also, the land is often wet/soft and not passable by vehicle, and so when it freezes up, big relief, able to drive again. (This for is off road, and things like logging.)
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Re: Самая красивая область в России? (Nicest part of Russia
I don't think Ramil is exaggerating. I've heard some crazy stories from people who have driven there. Plus, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mR4FGX3aOg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8eZg...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZonCgTJKX4
I think Seraph's right - the closest comparison to Russia in this respect has to be Canada. I've travelled around a lot in Northern Scandinavia and it is pretty desolate and cold.... just forest hour after hour... But compare it on the map; we are just a dot compared with Russia or Canada.
People have to know how to fix simple engine errors so the don't die from exposure if the car breaks down! It's part of the driving test in Sweden.
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Re: Самая красивая область в России? (Nicest part of Russia
This is in the middle of nowhere. You can find this extreme in any country vast enough.
The typical highway near Moscow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEmcHTT1 ... re=related
In the winter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVvvJi1J ... re=related
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Re: Самая красивая область в России? (Nicest part of Russia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kudesnik
This is in the middle of nowhere. You can find this extreme in any country vast enough.
You can find such roads not only in the middle of nowhere but on federal intercity roads as well, especially in winter. When people are asking about traveling by car they're obviously interested not only in roads some 50 km near big cities.
Voronezh, 500 km from Moscow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU_wAeJgI8k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mek4h5Uf3Hk
Щелково, 20 км от Москвы:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLss0AKmDWM
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Re: What's the most beautiful part of Russia?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramil
Well the vastness of Russia is one of the things that makes it so impressive!
I got an idea of Russia's vastness sitting on a plane from Moscow when the girl next to me said she had flown 9 hrs. to get to Moscow from Vladisvostok; that's not even the full breadth of the country.
