Tag: Russia

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Culture and Heritage Europe Historical Travel Uncategorized

Visit the World of the Romanovs

Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo

The Romanov family was infamously and brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks at the end of World War I. Czar Nicholas II, his wife, and their five children were executed to make way for the new ruling hierarchy under the communist leadership of Vladimir Lenin. The Romanov dynasty had just celebrated their 300th anniversary as the ruling family in Russia five years before the family was exterminated. Theories and hopes of surviving Romanov family members flourished for decades after the murder of the royal family. With the use of modern technology, there now remains little doubt that all seven family members were in fact killed on that fateful night in 1918. However, many astounding historical sites remain that allow the traveler to visit the royal world of the Russian Romanovs.

Tsarskoye Selo

An ornate room inside Catherine’s Palace. Photo: Harvey Barrison

Once home to Czar Nicholas’ family and many generations of Romanovs before them, Tsarskoye Selo remains in all its majesty as a preserved step into the past. Various displays and museum rooms honor Russia’s history, including six rooms that are permanently dedicated to the story of the Romanovs. This sprawling estate was built in the early 18th century, and it soon became known as Tsarskoye Selo, which means the Tsar’s village. It would remain a royal estate until the October Revolution of 1917 when the Romanov family was taken captive. It has been a public site since then and is wonderfully maintained and displayed.

Alexander Palace

Alexander Palace in St. Petersburg was the last home of the Romanov family, where they lived as a close-knit family and welcomed guests and ambassadors. Due to recent renovations, the estate has recaptured its former glory and once again looks like a house of royalty. With renovations complete, Alexander Palace is open to visitors. You can see where the Romanovs lived like a typical family, tour the reconstructed living areas, and imagine their life before being taken into exile.

Peter and Paul Fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress.  Photo:  Gor Vlad

Dating back to the early 1700s, the Peter and Paul Fortress is a site rich with Romanov history. Originally built by Peter the Great, this fortress includes the burial ground for Romanovs from Peter himself through Alexander III. In the center of the fortress, visitors are drawn to the soaring Peter and Paul Cathedral that towers above the fortress buildings surrounding it. Also on site is the City History Museum where visitors can learn about the various events and uses of this location over its more than 300 year history.

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Art and Architectural Travel Europe Historical Travel Uncategorized

Discovering the Republic of Georgia

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There are some parts of the world that are still virtually unknown to the wide mass of travelers and the tourism industry is yet to break through their veil of authenticity and mystery. Somewhere in the Caucasus Mountains, between Russia, Turkey and the Black Sea, a rather small country has more to offer than first meets the eye, with one of the richest historical heritages in the region, a wealth of fascinating things to see and experience, a veritable original heaven for those that are looking for magical places–The Republic of Georgia.

The Bridge of Peace unites the old and modern parts of Tbilisi.  Photo:  George Mel

The Republic of Georgia is a former Soviet Union state, although it has its own unique history, culture and individuality, different from other nations in the region. Even the Georgian language is completely different from neighboring countries, being a veritable battlefield for world powers and empires through the centuries. Despite all these, the Georgian people managed to maintain their authentic culture and identity. The territory of Georgia has been inhabited for millennia and there are magnificent historical traces all over the country.  Some of Georgia’s historical lineage include it’s legacy of wine producing–the oldest in the world.  Georgia was also the second country to adopt Christianity right from the 1st century.

The town of Mtskheta.  Photo:  Andrzej Wojtowicz

Traveling through Georgia, there are few words which can describe its immense beauty, combining the high mountain peaks with beautiful beaches along the Black Sea shores, ancient and medieval fortresses, as well as charming cities and authentic villages.  The unique and tantalizing Georgian cuisine and the incredible sense of hospitality of its people to all these, makes Georgia one of the most enticing travel destinations. Describing all of these natural marvels and hidden cultural treasures in this small country would take a full-time tourist guide, but there are some places that should not missed during a trip to the Republic of Georgia including the capital of Tbilisi–a very charming city that dates back as far as the 5th century. Although destroyed and affected by wars and other disasters, Tbilisi is still a wonderful place with a beautiful historical centre and unique atmosphere. The main attraction comes from walking around the old town area, admiring the winding narrow streets and the old houses around charming courtyards. Tbilisi also offers other attractions including old churches, interesting museums and other monuments. The rest of the country is equally, if not even more appealing, with the ancient city of Kutaisi, the enticing Kakheti Wineries, Mount Kazbeg and its unbelievable Tsminda Sameba monastery, the highlands of Upper Svaneti, the historical and religious town of Mtskheta are just a few examples. Then there is also the fascinating culture of Georgia, with traditional cuisine, dances, songs, festivals and everything in between that provide hundreds of reasons to visit.

 

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Europe Uncategorized

The Sochi Olympics from a local perspective

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For a spectator, traveling to the Olympic Games takes about 24 hours of constant travel, but once you see Sochi and all it has to offer, the inconvenience and jet lag drift away. Others have endured and waited for this moment far longer than 24 hours. Residents of Sochi have been living through Olympic construction since the Russian bid for the Olympic Games in 2007—and it has taken a toll.

14 years of preparations

“Due to the Olympic construction, there wasn’t electricity for days at a time because they were running new electricity lines to the Olympic Park and Villages,” said Ivan Skoreshev, a Sochi resident. Others also observed how dirty Sochi continued to be even as the Olympic deadline grew closer. “There was a lot of dust and dirt,” said Sochi resident Sergey Okunkov. “I had binoculars that I used to look around and would see the dirt around the city. They literally threw the trash down the mountains, and there are a lot of places that still haven’t been cleaned up.” The construction even disrupted the sleep of Sochi residents.

Elena in the cafe
Evgenia Pochenkova has been living in Sochi for almost two years. She is the manager of Shokoladnica, a café in the local mall. The café she manages is similar to Starbucks. BSU at the Games/K. Green

“In the summer, there wasn’t any tourism, and a lot of people were frustrated and tired of the construction noise and couldn’t sleep at night,” said Evgenia Pochenkova, who moved to Sochi a year and a half ago. “People wondered, when will it end and when will the Olympics begin?”   During the construction, Sochi residents also began to hear unnerving rumors of what would happen during the Olympic Games. “I heard during the Olympics that gas prices will rise, that Sochi residents would not be allowed out of their homes, and some people were even being asked to leave the city for the Olympics, and there were not going to be a lot of people who would be able to work,” said Skoreshev.  “But it is not as bad as it was said to be.  Nothing like that happened.” The construction process was long and inconvenient, but some still feel it was well worth it in the end because of the city’s transformation. “My parents used to come to Sochi for vacation, and it was a small city with small buildings, and there wasn’t much here,” Pochenkova. “But now it is completely different, there are new stores, centers (malls). Life has become more interesting for the people of Sochi. There is more to do now.” “There were a number of people who were not happy about this process of construction because there were problems with electricity, telephone lines, long traffic jams. It was horrible.  But now it is all fixed.” There have been positive innovations to the city that please many of Sochi’s residents. “Overall, the Olympics have had a good influence on Sochi,” said Skoreshev. “It is turning Sochi into it a well-known city. People now know where the city is and what it has to offer. Also the road conditions have improved. They are safer and wider now.”

The tourism effect

Now that the construction is completed and the Olympic Games are coming to a close, some residents are concerned about the tourism rate and how it will affect Sochi afterwards. “The tourism will continue for the next two years, especially in the summer,” Pochenkova. “But it will then change because the interest of seeing the venues will diminish. People will continue to come in the summer but not be interested the Olympic venues as time passes, and I hope the government will do something to avoid this.” Another Sochi resident has already heard about plans to keep tourism high, and he hopes that it is true.

Sochi“I’ve heard the coastal cluster park will be turned into a Formula One track in the fall of this year, and in four years, Sochi will be one of the places in Russia where the FIFA World Cup will be held in 2018,” said Skoreshev. According to Pochenkova, the Olympic Games have attracted many young people, like her, to Sochi for work and job opportunities. She plans to stay and marry her fiancée, but she is concerned about others when the Games end. Despite the unknown future of jobs due to tourism, Sochi residents are enjoying all of the different cultures being brought into the country and city. “Different cultures are good. It has positively impacted the city because it is good to learn about other cultures,” said Okunkov. Pochenkova observed some of the specific cultural differences that are being noticed by Russians. “Russians are accepting the different cultures well,” said Pochenkova. “They understand that tourism is bringing changes to the culture. For instance, if you pay attention to the different international faces, they smile a lot regardless of what they are feeling; unlike Russians you can read all of the emotions on his face. If you look at Americans, they always smile no matter what they are feeling.” Despite the difficulties and uncertainties of their Olympic journey, many residents of Sochi seem to be happy and proud that the Games occurred not only in their home country but also their city.

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Europe Sports Tourism Uncategorized

Visit the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi

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Tonya relaxes on the Black Sea while viewing the Olympic Rings. Photo: Ian Fitzpatrick
Tonya gazes at the Olympic Rings on the Black Sea. Photo: Ian Fitzpatrick

One of the biggest events of next year will grasp the attention of the whole world and will bring into attention the Russian resort city of Sochi. Unknown to many people, that think about Russia and only imagine its vast land with plains, mountains, Siberia and the tundra, it does also have some excellent summer sea resorts, the biggest and most famous being the city of Sochi, located in the southwestern extremity of the country, south of the Caucasus Mountains and by the Black Sea coast. This is also considered one of the longest cities in Europe, spreading along about 145 kilometers of the coast. Then again, if you imagine a mild climate with hot and sunny summers and mild winters, with warm weather and waters, you will be right, as the city features a subtropical climate and is surrounded by green forests.

This is somewhat intriguing when one knows that Sochi will be the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics, but the truth is that Sochi is also close to the high mountains, and the nearby resort of Krasnaya Polyana will also host some events. In the last years, the city has seen major changes, with the development of many new venues and facilities to accommodate the sporting events and the international delegations. Among others, the city now features an Ice Dome, Skating Center, Skating Palace, Olympic Stadium, Olympic Village, new ski slopes and many others. Nevertheless, this will be the warmest city to ever host an edition of the Winter Olympic Games. The hospitality industry of the resort has also been improved greatly, modernizing and opening new hotels, restaurants and other facilities. Sochi will probably see the arrival of thousands and thousands of tourists during the games, both supporters and other people interested by the greatness of this event.

Olympic Flame in Sochi. Photo: Ian Fitzpatrick
Overlooking Olympic Park in Sochi. Photo: Ian Fitzpatrick

Apart from this special sports competition, Sochi represents a major tourist destination on its own, although it is mostly famous inside Russia, with an estimated 2 million people visiting the beaches of the city during each season. It is considered a rather higher class destination, with the elite of Russia having their own villas and summer residences in Sochi. There are also other interesting attractions to visit in this city, except the amazing beaches that stretch for miles along the coast. The city and the region have experienced a rich and troubled history, with many migratory population passing by and influencing its culture. The main landmarks in Sochi include the Michael Archangel Cathedral and Statue, the Tree of Friendship, the Winter Theater, Riviera Park, the Art Museum, the Stalinist buildings, the Godlik Fortress, Loo Temple, the History Museum, the Dendrarium and many others, including the World Heritage Site of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve.