Krasnodar

Krasnodar is a city with around a million people in the South-West of Russia. Close to the Black Sea, in the South you can find the border countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The church above is typical for Russia and you are actually not allowed to take pictures inside. What I can tell you is, nearly everything is in gold in there. It looks very shiny and also a little bit garish. Yet, nice to look around.

Russia has an own soul and is not understandable by mind. A famous author once said. To most of foreigners, Russian seem at first cold-hearted and not easily to talk with. You have to live in and experienced Russia.

Above you see a newly-built house which is nearly empty. No-one yet lives in there. The building industry booms in Russia and there are also extensive relations and partnerships established with Austria. Russia needs Europe and Europe needs Russia.

I got to know different sides. One that amazed me definitely was the hospitality. I lived with a host family there and they were great. Not just that we had each day freshly cooked food with vegetables/fruits from the house-own garden, but also the kindness made me appreciate my stay there. Even the wine was made from the grapes from the garden. So far, it was the only wine that I ever really liked.

And oh…don’t forget the markets! You can get the freshest vegetables/fruits there. Not necessarily the cheapest but definitely very well-tasting. Usually they take place during one or two days of the week.

A very interesting advertisement is the above picture. I think it shows a little bit the impression of Russians towards Africans. I found it ironic.

Guess what is in the picture below? Yeah, right…the bill! That’s how I got the bill pretty often when I went to a Russian restaurant.

And yeah, Russians do love Sushi. Most of them. The picture below shows our try of making sushi at home. I think it worked out pretty well and it tasted delicious.

And, what everybody knows best of Russia (unfortunately), is the Wodka. You find tons of brands in all variations. I noticed that, in comparison with many other countries, people tend to consume way more alcohol and cigarettes. Even in the bus, the driver smokes…

Sometimes, the traffic lights try to confuse you…

I was completely astonished when I found a Viennese restaurant in Krasnodar. Of course, it is more expensive and not really as good as when you eat in Austria, but still, it can give one a nice impression of Austrian food.

As Russia was heavily involved in World War II, you can still see a lot of memorial sites which tell you more about the history and the happenings. Whoever is interested in wars, weapons and armors, will find a lot to see.

You can find many nicely designed places in various cities in Russia. Mostly, they are in front of government or any other “important” buildings. Such as the fountain below…

Another interesting fact is, when you walk over some bridges, you can find locks there.Locks which have been put there of couples who would like their love to last forever. You can find names, dates and some other facts written on them.

You have been to Russia? What do you think of the country? The people? The culture???