Destinations Europe Russia

Visiting The Volgograd Panorama Museum

Visiting The Volgograd Panorama Museum

I have previously written about the Mamayev Kurgan Memorial Complex in Volgograd, which is highly recommended. The city also contains the Volgograd Panorama Museum. Visiting The Volgograd Panorama Museum is highly recommended. Lenin Square and Pavlov’s House The Volgograd Panorama Museum is easy to find and overlooks the Volga river in the city. Just before the museum, you will find Lenin Square, with a statue dedicated to him. After several months across Russia, I was still fascinated by these, especially…

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Destinations Europe Russia

Mamayev Kurgan Memorial in Volgograd

For anyone who knows even just a little about the history of the 2nd World War, Volgograd (then known as Stalingrad) is certainly important. In 5 months of fighting, almost 2 million people are believed to have died in fierce fighting. The main train station in the city changed hands 14 times in 6 hours at the start of the battle and the Mamayev Kurgan hill changed hands 8 times during the 5 months of fighting. Fragments of bones are…

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Destinations Europe Russia

20 Quick Observations on Russia based on 3 Months Travelling

I was mad enough to spend three months travelling around Russia in Winter. As with all places, there are stereotypes. Which are true? And which turned out to be rubbish? Let’s find out from my 20 quick observations on Russia based on my experience.   Quick Observations on Russia: Russia is the only country I have been to, where you can go to a fast food (Teremok) and get pancakes with caviar as a filling You never shake a womans…

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Destinations Europe Ukraine

Dream House Hostel: The Best Hostel in Lviv

I have been very bad with updates recently, sorry! It has been a very busy couple of months for me as I have now left Ireland behind, started a new job and moved to the city of L’viv in Western Ukraine. I stayed in L’viv at the end of my trip around Russia, on my way back to Ireland via Poland. As with my time in Kyiv, I stayed in Dream House Hostel. Just like in Kyiv, my stay here…

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Destinations Europe Russia

How to get to Suzdal from Moscow

If you are ever in Moscow, you should look at The Golden Ring, a ring of towns and cities north east of Moscow which played an important part in the formation of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. The towns themselves are almost like museums and none more so than the jewel of the Golden Ring, Suzdal. You have to visit this town if you are in Moscow and I will tell you exactly how to get to Suzdal from…

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Destinations Europe Russia

Visiting the Golden Ring City of Suzdal

If you read any tourist guide book about visiting Moscow or Russia, you will come across The Golden Ring. The Golden Ring is a collection of historic cities north-east of Moscow. It is in these cities that you can see and experience old Russia. The jewel of these cities is without a doubt Suzdal. Visiting the Golden Ring city of Suzdal is possible in a day trip from Moscow but I think it makes more sense to stay a night…

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Destinations Europe Russia

Visiting The Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow

Visiting The Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow is one of the things that I recommend doing if you are in Moscow. Russia, and before it, the Soviet Union, has a very long, and proud, history of space exploration. If you have even just a little interest in the cosmos or in engineering, then I guarantee you that you will love visiting this museum. I spent three hours at the museum and probably could have spent even longer.     Getting…

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Destinations Europe Russia

The Most Beautiful Stations on the Moscow Metro

You might have heard that there are some beautiful metro stations in Moscow. Soviet decorations, chandeliers, mosaic painting and statues are common in many of the stations. The good news is that the Moscow Metro does not cost a lot of money and many of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro are on the same line, so you can almost get on and off at each station to visit these. Over the New Year holidays, I had a…

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Destinations Europe Russia

Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in Moscow

The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in Moscow is, in my opinion, something that you should do if you visit Russia’s capital. I don’t know about you but just the name of this place made me want to go. It’s not everyday you get to relive some of your childhood playing games. When you enter the museum and buy your ticket, you will also be given a matchbox with a collection of 15 kopek coins. Each of these coins gets…

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Destinations Europe Russia Ukraine

How to Get a Train From Kyiv to Moscow

I have previously written about how to buy a train ticket in Ukraine. Since then, it is actually even easier with an app for Android called ‘Railway tickets’. You can download this from here. At the moment there are no direct flights between Ukraine and Russia. If you’re in Kyiv and you want to go to Moscow you have to get a connecting flight from another country. Or you can go by overnight train from Kyiv to Moscow.   Booking…

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