Kazan Russia

[?ystein]

I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
registration for foregners. Does somebody have personal experience
with this? If somebody have suggestions for inexpencive and nice
accomondation it would be nice. I wnat my own room, but toilet and
shower on the corridor is fine. Home stay is also ok as long as I will
have my own key. Anyone who has suggestions on what to see and do?

For the time being I stay in St Petersburg and I want to visit Vyborg.
Suggestions on what to see and do in Vyborg? What is the most
convenient way to get from St Peterburg to Vyborg and back?

Best regards,

Jan

[Antti Tiainen]

?ystein > wrote:
> Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> registration for foregners. Does somebody have personal experience
> with this?

I would recommend that you stay at least one night in a hotel good
enough to handle the registration for you.

> For the time being I stay in St Petersburg and I want to visit Vyborg.
> Suggestions on what to see and do in Vyborg? What is the most
> convenient way to get from St Peterburg to Vyborg and back?

I think there are slow but cheap commuter trains or "elektrichka"
going between Vyborg and St. Petersburg. Don't know how frequently
they run.

I can't recommend any sights in Vyborg (except the castle, of course),
since I have only stopped there for a short time whenever traveling
between St. Petersburg and Helsinki. Be careful around the marketplace
and rynok, since it used to have a _lot_ of pickpockets. They probably
cleaned it up when Finnish travel companies started to boycott Vyborg,
but it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on your belongings.

[Bjorn Olsson]

(?ystein) wrote in message >...
> I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
> taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
> the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
> I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
> Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> registration for foregners.

I'm not sure what you're asking. Does LP claim that there is some
problem with registration in Kazan, or are you asking if it is
problematic for a foreigner to do the registration himself?

> Does somebody have personal experience
> with this? If somebody have suggestions for inexpencive and nice
> accomondation it would be nice. I wnat my own room, but toilet and
> shower on the corridor is fine. Home stay is also ok as long as I will
> have my own key. Anyone who has suggestions on what to see and do?
>
> For the time being I stay in St Petersburg and I want to visit Vyborg.
> Suggestions on what to see and do in Vyborg? What is the most
> convenient way to get from St Peterburg to Vyborg and back?

Train seems to take under 2 hours. There seems for example to be #817A
departing daily from Finlandskiy vokzal at 07:50 arriving 09:30, with
the returning #840A departing Vyborg at 20:13 and arriving St Pete
21:50. (But don't take my word for it).

http://www.poezda.net

Bjorn

[Agena 2003]

non-smoking restaurants in Russia
http://www.smokefreeworld.com/europe.shtml#rus

[szozu]

"?ystein" > wrote in message
om...
> I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
> taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
> the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
> I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
> Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> registration for foregners. Does somebody have personal experience
> with this? If somebody have suggestions for inexpencive and nice
> accomondation it would be nice. I wnat my own room, but toilet and
> shower on the corridor is fine. Home stay is also ok as long as I will
> have my own key. Anyone who has suggestions on what to see and do?

I don't really understand why you want to visit Kazan. Granted, I had a very
good time there, but only because I went to visit a Russian friend, so I
spent my entire visit going out with him and meeting his circle of friends.

There is nothing much to see there. It is a typical Soviet cities with lots
of ugly large apartment complexes that all look the same and not much in
terms of sights to visit, as there is very little left of old Kazan. My
friend also felt so unsafe there that he actually wanted to buy a gun.

It was in Kazan where the woman driver of the streetcar we were on
announced, "If there are no volunteers to remove the drunk who is lying
across the rails, this streetcar will not proceed!" This was in the winter
and the temperature was minus 45 degrees. In fact I saw a number of drunks
lying in the snow in Kazan, which might give some insight into the quality
of life there. I did have lots of interesting conversations with people
about what it was like to live there during the Soviet Union when it was
closed to foreigners.

It's a very long train ride from Moscow, so if you want to see a typical
Soviet city, surely you can find one that's not so far away. If you do
insist on going there, I think a home visit would be better. You could at
least learn something that way and get an insight into the way people live.
You really need to be under someone's wing to make Kazan an enjoyable
experience--at least in my opinion!

Lana

[szozu]

"?ystein" > wrote in message
om...
> I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
> taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
> the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
> I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
> Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> registration for foregners. Does somebody have personal experience
> with this? If somebody have suggestions for inexpencive and nice
> accomondation it would be nice. I wnat my own room, but toilet and
> shower on the corridor is fine. Home stay is also ok as long as I will
> have my own key. Anyone who has suggestions on what to see and do?

I don't really understand why you want to visit Kazan. Granted, I had a very
good time there, but only because I went to visit a Russian friend, so I
spent my entire visit going out with him and meeting his circle of friends.

There is nothing much to see there. It is a typical Soviet cities with lots
of ugly large apartment complexes that all look the same and not much in
terms of sights to visit, as there is very little left of old Kazan. My
friend also felt so unsafe there that he actually wanted to buy a gun.

It was in Kazan where the woman driver of the streetcar we were on
announced, "If there are no volunteers to remove the drunk who is lying
across the rails, this streetcar will not proceed!" This was in the winter
and the temperature was minus 45 degrees. In fact I saw a number of drunks
lying in the snow in Kazan, which might give some insight into the quality
of life there. I did have lots of interesting conversations with people
about what it was like to live there during the Soviet Union when it was
closed to foreigners.

It's a very long train ride from Moscow, so if you want to see a typical
Soviet city, surely you can find one that's not so far away. If you do
insist on going there, I think a home visit would be better. You could at
least learn something that way and get an insight into the way people live.
You really need to be under someone's wing to make Kazan an enjoyable
experience--at least in my opinion!

Lana

[?ystein]

Antti Tiainen > wrote in message >...
>
> > For the time being I stay in St Petersburg and I want to visit Vyborg.
> > Suggestions on what to see and do in Vyborg? What is the most
> > convenient way to get from St Peterburg to Vyborg and back?
>
> I think there are slow but cheap commuter trains or "elektrichka"
> going between Vyborg and St. Petersburg. Don't know how frequently
> they run.
>
> I can't recommend any sights in Vyborg (except the castle, of course),
> since I have only stopped there for a short time whenever traveling
> between St. Petersburg and Helsinki. Be careful around the marketplace
> and rynok, since it used to have a _lot_ of pickpockets. They probably
> cleaned it up when Finnish travel companies started to boycott Vyborg,
> but it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on your belongings.

I have visited by now and can give some recommondations for others who
might want to travel in the future.

In addition to the castle who has a tower with a decent view and a
museum that give some insight to the towns history the park is very
nice. For a tasty meal I can also recommed the restaureant at hotel
Vyborg. It is close to the trainstation, has good service and quite
decent food. The tradional russian courses (mainly starters) are
better that its continental mains though. Taking a walk through
Vyborgs marked (Rynok) could also be an interesting experience for
thouse who have not seen a lot of theese markets.

Fot thouse who visit St Petersburg during a summer weekend and want to
experience some autentic Russian-ordinary-family-weekend-life it could
be interesting. There are only a few express train a day (takes about
1,5 hours) and the rest of the trains (leaving about every hour from
Finlandskaya) are slow (takes about 3 hours) not too comfitable local
trains, that on hot summer weekends are filled with Russians going to
their Datchas. Be early to get a seat! During the trip will probably
several Russians enter the wagon to offer different kind of food and
drink, clothes and presents. Not very impressive goods, but definately
an interesting cultural expreinece if you feel through with impressive
churches and art museums and want a glimse of ordiary life for
unprivilaged Russians.

Best regards,

Jan

[?ystein]

(Bjorn Olsson) wrote in message >...
> (?ystein) wrote in message >...
> > I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
> > taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
> > the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
> > I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
> > Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> > registration for foregners.
>
> I'm not sure what you're asking. Does LP claim that there is some
> problem with registration in Kazan, or are you asking if it is
> problematic for a foreigner to do the registration himself?

It claims that cheap hotels in Kazan might refuse foreigners in order
to get away from the paper work.

Jan

[?ystein]

"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message >...
> "?ystein" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
> > taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
> > the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
> > I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
> > Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> > registration for foregners. Does somebody have personal experience
> > with this? If somebody have suggestions for inexpencive and nice
> > accomondation it would be nice. I wnat my own room, but toilet and
> > shower on the corridor is fine. Home stay is also ok as long as I will
> > have my own key. Anyone who has suggestions on what to see and do?
>
> I don't really understand why you want to visit Kazan. Granted, I had a very
> good time there, but only because I went to visit a Russian friend, so I
> spent my entire visit going out with him and meeting his circle of friends.

According to lonely planet it has a kremlin from the 15th and 16th
century on the Unesco WorldHeritage site. As captiol of Tartaristan
with a lot of Russia-sunnies, it might be interested to see how the
tartar people live and visit a Russian Sunni Mosque. I fI have got it
right it is also possible to take a Volga cruise from there. In my
experience it is quite possible to meet new friends when traveling
independently in Russia.

> There is nothing much to see there. It is a typical Soviet cities with lots
> of ugly large apartment complexes that all look the same and not much in
> terms of sights to visit, as there is very little left of old Kazan. My
> friend also felt so unsafe there that he actually wanted to buy a gun.

When it comes to architecture I will probably have an overdose in St
Petersburg and Moscow anyway. The idea is to sea a city outside the
touristroute with an interesting history and some interesting thing to
do.

When it comes to safety for pick pocketers I would very much like
information of the situation in Kazan. Is it more problames than in an
orderenry city of the size?

> It was in Kazan where the woman driver of the streetcar we were on
> announced, "If there are no volunteers to remove the drunk who is lying
> across the rails, this streetcar will not proceed!" This was in the winter
> and the temperature was minus 45 degrees. In fact I saw a number of drunks
> lying in the snow in Kazan, which might give some insight into the quality
> of life there. I did have lots of interesting conversations with people
> about what it was like to live there during the Soviet Union when it was
> closed to foreigners.

Possibility of meeting people with interesting stories to tell can be
added to the pros.

> It's a very long train ride from Moscow, so if you want to see a typical
> Soviet city, surely you can find one that's not so far away. If you do
> insist on going there, I think a home visit would be better. You could at
> least learn something that way and get an insight into the way people live.
> You really need to be under someone's wing to make Kazan an enjoyable
> experience--at least in my opinion!

Do you know how one can book homestay?

jan

[Andrey Frizyuk]

"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message >...

> It was in Kazan where the woman driver of the streetcar we were on
> announced, "If there are no volunteers to remove the drunk who is lying
> across the rails, this streetcar will not proceed!" This was in the winter
> and the temperature was minus 45 degrees.

I don't recall there was minus 35 (let alone minus 45) anywhere on the
Volga during the last half-century. Perhaps it's this abnormal cold
that prevented you from exploring the downtown. I've never been to
Kazan but I think there are plenty of churches and mosques, including
the largest Russian mosque (in the kremlin). So much may be inferred
from reading http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/volgacru/kazan/kazan.htm

Notable sights include the Raifa monastery, where the Our Lady of
Kazan icon was preserved before its mysterious disappearance in 1905.
The Pope claims that the icon resurfaced in Portugal and saved his
life during the assassination attempt in 1981, so he prays before it
twice a day. Last year he wanted to visit Kazan to return the icon but
was prevented by the Russian Orthodox authorities. The ancient copies
of the icon are installed in the Kazan cathedrals in Moscow (on the
Red Square) and St.Petersburg (on the Nevsky Avenue).

St.Peter-and-Paul Cathedral in Kazan is one of the most admirable
examples of the early "Eastern baroque" style. Some Tatar towers date
back to the early 17th century. Also notheworthy is Sviyazhsk, a
wooden fort brought down the Volga all the way from Uglich to
facilitate the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. The Sviyazhsk
churches were reportedly designed by the same architects who built
St.Basil the Blessed cathedral in Moscow. The Kazan university is one
of the most famous in Russia, with Leo Tolstoy and Vladimir Lenin
among its graduates, and Lobachevsky as one of its deans.

Kazan will celebrate its millenium next year. Much restoration and
rebuilding activity takes place in the city. Modern Kazan is not that
old, of course. First documented in the 13th century, the original
city was situated some way downstream the Volga. I suppose that the
president of Tatarstan is keen to finish his long term in office with
some grandiose celebration.

Andrei

[szozu]

"Andrey Frizyuk" > wrote in message
...
> "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message
>...
>
> > It was in Kazan where the woman driver of the streetcar we were on
> > announced, "If there are no volunteers to remove the drunk who is lying
> > across the rails, this streetcar will not proceed!" This was in the
winter
> > and the temperature was minus 45 degrees.
>
> I don't recall there was minus 35 (let alone minus 45) anywhere on the
> Volga during the last half-century. Perhaps it's this abnormal cold
> that prevented you from exploring the downtown. I've never been to
> Kazan but I think there are plenty of churches and mosques, including
> the largest Russian mosque (in the kremlin). So much may be inferred
> from reading http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/volgacru/kazan/kazan.htm

It was - 45 degrees in Moscow as well in 1993, the year of the second
putsch. And one evening in Kazan, my friend's mother told me the temperature
had gone down to - 48 degrees and insisted I wear her fur hat.

In spite of the cold, we did visit the kremlin in Kazan and the university
where Papa Lenin studied, as well as the mosque and spent a lot of time
walking around. There was some construction near the river of what appeared
to be some nice-looking small apartment buildings. One of the more
interesting parts of my stay was visiting a primary school where my friend's
theatre group was performing. The best part of Kazan for me was meeting my
friend's family and his friends. The most interesting conversations were
with his father, who talked a lot about the privations in Kazan during the
Soviet era and how things had since improved, in spite of the hardships they
were experiencing during the changeover.

Lana

[szozu]

"Andrey Frizyuk" > wrote in message
...
> "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message
>...
>
> > It was in Kazan where the woman driver of the streetcar we were on
> > announced, "If there are no volunteers to remove the drunk who is lying
> > across the rails, this streetcar will not proceed!" This was in the
winter
> > and the temperature was minus 45 degrees.
>
> I don't recall there was minus 35 (let alone minus 45) anywhere on the
> Volga during the last half-century. Perhaps it's this abnormal cold
> that prevented you from exploring the downtown. I've never been to
> Kazan but I think there are plenty of churches and mosques, including
> the largest Russian mosque (in the kremlin). So much may be inferred
> from reading http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/volgacru/kazan/kazan.htm

It was - 45 degrees in Moscow as well in 1993, the year of the second
putsch. And one evening in Kazan, my friend's mother told me the temperature
had gone down to - 48 degrees and insisted I wear her fur hat.

In spite of the cold, we did visit the kremlin in Kazan and the university
where Papa Lenin studied, as well as the mosque and spent a lot of time
walking around. There was some construction near the river of what appeared
to be some nice-looking small apartment buildings. One of the more
interesting parts of my stay was visiting a primary school where my friend's
theatre group was performing. The best part of Kazan for me was meeting my
friend's family and his friends. The most interesting conversations were
with his father, who talked a lot about the privations in Kazan during the
Soviet era and how things had since improved, in spite of the hardships they
were experiencing during the changeover.

Lana

[szozu]

"?ystein" > wrote in message
om...
> "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message
>...
> > "?ystein" > wrote in message
> > om...
> > > I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
> > > taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
> > > the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
> > > I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
> > > Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> > > registration for foregners. Does somebody have personal experience
> > > with this? If somebody have suggestions for inexpencive and nice
> > > accomondation it would be nice. I wnat my own room, but toilet and
> > > shower on the corridor is fine. Home stay is also ok as long as I will
> > > have my own key. Anyone who has suggestions on what to see and do?
> >
> > I don't really understand why you want to visit Kazan. Granted, I had a
very
> > good time there, but only because I went to visit a Russian friend, so I
> > spent my entire visit going out with him and meeting his circle of
friends.
>
> According to lonely planet it has a kremlin from the 15th and 16th
> century on the Unesco WorldHeritage site. As captiol of Tartaristan
> with a lot of Russia-sunnies, it might be interested to see how the
> tartar people live and visit a Russian Sunni Mosque. I fI have got it
> right it is also possible to take a Volga cruise from there. In my
> experience it is quite possible to meet new friends when traveling
> independently in Russia.
>
> > There is nothing much to see there. It is a typical Soviet cities with
lots
> > of ugly large apartment complexes that all look the same and not much in
> > terms of sights to visit, as there is very little left of old Kazan. My
> > friend also felt so unsafe there that he actually wanted to buy a gun.
>
> When it comes to architecture I will probably have an overdose in St
> Petersburg and Moscow anyway. The idea is to sea a city outside the
> touristroute with an interesting history and some interesting thing to
> do.
>
> When it comes to safety for pick pocketers I would very much like
> information of the situation in Kazan. Is it more problames than in an
> orderenry city of the size?
>
> > It was in Kazan where the woman driver of the streetcar we were on
> > announced, "If there are no volunteers to remove the drunk who is lying
> > across the rails, this streetcar will not proceed!" This was in the
winter
> > and the temperature was minus 45 degrees. In fact I saw a number of
drunks
> > lying in the snow in Kazan, which might give some insight into the
quality
> > of life there. I did have lots of interesting conversations with people
> > about what it was like to live there during the Soviet Union when it was
> > closed to foreigners.
>
> Possibility of meeting people with interesting stories to tell can be
> added to the pros.
>
> > It's a very long train ride from Moscow, so if you want to see a typical
> > Soviet city, surely you can find one that's not so far away. If you do
> > insist on going there, I think a home visit would be better. You could
at
> > least learn something that way and get an insight into the way people
live.
> > You really need to be under someone's wing to make Kazan an enjoyable
> > experience--at least in my opinion!
>
> Do you know how one can book homestay?


Sorry, I don't know how to book a homestay in Kazan, most of them seem to be
for Moscow or St. Petersburg. If your priority is meeting people, then Kazan
is a good place to go. It's certainly off the tourist route and can be
interesting from that point of view. I'm sure that they do not get many
tourists, so people may be curious to get to know you and might even invite
you into their homes.

The fear that my friend had was not from pickpockets, but from bands of
roving gangs. By the way, he was a strong young man who was very capable of
defending himself in a one-on-one situation.

I think you can probably do a Volga cruise. My friend used to be a sailor on
the boats that cruise the river.

The long train ride from Moscow can also be an interesting experience. What
happened on the train on the way back to Moscow was truly bizarre and too
long a story to recount here, but let's just say that it was an
unforgettable travel experience!

Lana

[szozu]

"?ystein" > wrote in message
om...
> "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message
>...
> > "?ystein" > wrote in message
> > om...
> > > I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
> > > taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
> > > the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
> > > I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
> > > Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> > > registration for foregners. Does somebody have personal experience
> > > with this? If somebody have suggestions for inexpencive and nice
> > > accomondation it would be nice. I wnat my own room, but toilet and
> > > shower on the corridor is fine. Home stay is also ok as long as I will
> > > have my own key. Anyone who has suggestions on what to see and do?
> >
> > I don't really understand why you want to visit Kazan. Granted, I had a
very
> > good time there, but only because I went to visit a Russian friend, so I
> > spent my entire visit going out with him and meeting his circle of
friends.
>
> According to lonely planet it has a kremlin from the 15th and 16th
> century on the Unesco WorldHeritage site. As captiol of Tartaristan
> with a lot of Russia-sunnies, it might be interested to see how the
> tartar people live and visit a Russian Sunni Mosque. I fI have got it
> right it is also possible to take a Volga cruise from there. In my
> experience it is quite possible to meet new friends when traveling
> independently in Russia.
>
> > There is nothing much to see there. It is a typical Soviet cities with
lots
> > of ugly large apartment complexes that all look the same and not much in
> > terms of sights to visit, as there is very little left of old Kazan. My
> > friend also felt so unsafe there that he actually wanted to buy a gun.
>
> When it comes to architecture I will probably have an overdose in St
> Petersburg and Moscow anyway. The idea is to sea a city outside the
> touristroute with an interesting history and some interesting thing to
> do.
>
> When it comes to safety for pick pocketers I would very much like
> information of the situation in Kazan. Is it more problames than in an
> orderenry city of the size?
>
> > It was in Kazan where the woman driver of the streetcar we were on
> > announced, "If there are no volunteers to remove the drunk who is lying
> > across the rails, this streetcar will not proceed!" This was in the
winter
> > and the temperature was minus 45 degrees. In fact I saw a number of
drunks
> > lying in the snow in Kazan, which might give some insight into the
quality
> > of life there. I did have lots of interesting conversations with people
> > about what it was like to live there during the Soviet Union when it was
> > closed to foreigners.
>
> Possibility of meeting people with interesting stories to tell can be
> added to the pros.
>
> > It's a very long train ride from Moscow, so if you want to see a typical
> > Soviet city, surely you can find one that's not so far away. If you do
> > insist on going there, I think a home visit would be better. You could
at
> > least learn something that way and get an insight into the way people
live.
> > You really need to be under someone's wing to make Kazan an enjoyable
> > experience--at least in my opinion!
>
> Do you know how one can book homestay?


Sorry, I don't know how to book a homestay in Kazan, most of them seem to be
for Moscow or St. Petersburg. If your priority is meeting people, then Kazan
is a good place to go. It's certainly off the tourist route and can be
interesting from that point of view. I'm sure that they do not get many
tourists, so people may be curious to get to know you and might even invite
you into their homes.

The fear that my friend had was not from pickpockets, but from bands of
roving gangs. By the way, he was a strong young man who was very capable of
defending himself in a one-on-one situation.

I think you can probably do a Volga cruise. My friend used to be a sailor on
the boats that cruise the river.

The long train ride from Moscow can also be an interesting experience. What
happened on the train on the way back to Moscow was truly bizarre and too
long a story to recount here, but let's just say that it was an
unforgettable travel experience!

Lana

[Igor Sklar]

(?ystein) wrote in message >...
> "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message >...
> > I don't really understand why you want to visit Kazan. Granted, I had a very
> > good time there, but only because I went to visit a Russian friend, so I
> > spent my entire visit going out with him and meeting his circle of friends.
>
> According to lonely planet it has a kremlin from the 15th and 16th
> century on the Unesco WorldHeritage site. As captiol of Tartaristan
> with a lot of Russia-sunnies, it might be interested to see how the
> tartar people live and visit a Russian Sunni Mosque. I fI have got it
<snip>

When you go to an average European town, you know that you'll find the
same gothic cathedral or delapidated castle in any neighbouring town.
The best thing about old Kazan architecture is that much of it's
absolutely unique, not to be found any other place in the rest of
Europe or Asia. See the pictures:

http://img.photosight.ru/2004/04/11/457448.jpg
http://img.photosight.ru/2004/03/29/445962.jpg
http://img.photosight.ru/2002/09/26/88485.jpg
http://img.photosight.ru/2003/06/18/233531.jpg
http://img.photosight.ru/2004/02/24/418790.jpg

regards

[?ystein]

(?ystein) wrote in message >...

Thank you for interesting information about Kazan. If I have got it
right Kazan also could serve as a place to get an impession of the
nationalism one can find in the Russian autonomous republics. For
instance, I have heard that they have bilingual signs, that the tartar
flag is very present around Kazan and that many people wants to get
independece for Tartaristan, at the same time as Tartaristan has
almost as many ethnic Russians as Tartars, that of obvious reasons
object to this.

Does anyone has suggestions on what to see and do if one wants an
intrudutions and understanding of this kind of nationalism. May one
suggest that this is an exsample of a typical situation of many of the
automomous repuublics and for that sake of the former soviet
republics? At the same times there exist a strong force agains Russian
rule and a big Russian population and if one lets one automomous
republic have independence, one ill have a huge domino effect where
other republics as well wants the same rights.

Please excuse me if I have got anything compleatly wrong as I am a
beggner on this matters.

best regards,

Jan

[Andrey Frizyuk]

"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message >...

> I think you can probably do a Volga cruise. My friend used to be a sailor on
> the boats that cruise the river.

I actually second this option. The Volga cruise is a nice way to visit
some more attractive cities, including Kostroma, Yaroslavl, and
Uglich.

Andrei

[Bjorn Olsson]

(?ystein) wrote in message >...
> (Bjorn Olsson) wrote in message >...
> > (?ystein) wrote in message >...
> > > I am on a 30 days stay in Russia and consider to see Kazan. I have
> > > taken some courses in Russian, enough to order food and drink, ask for
> > > the way and book accomondation but far from fluent. I am aware of that
> > > I can not ecpect to meet people who speak English. Accordning to
> > > Lonely Planet I have heard that it could be a problem with visa
> > > registration for foregners.
> >
> > I'm not sure what you're asking. Does LP claim that there is some
> > problem with registration in Kazan, or are you asking if it is
> > problematic for a foreigner to do the registration himself?
>
> It claims that cheap hotels in Kazan might refuse foreigners in order
> to get away from the paper work.

I don't know, but to be on the safe side you might book something
through:

http://www.tourintel.ru/online/gethotellist.asp

They list 5 hotels in Kazan, some with prices as low as 40 USD or so.
Since they deal with foreigners, offer visa support etc, you should be
fine in one of these.

Bjorn

[Andrey Frizyuk]

(?ystein) wrote in message >...
> (?ystein) wrote in message >...
>
> Thank you for interesting information about Kazan. If I have got it
> right Kazan also could serve as a place to get an impession of the
> nationalism one can find in the Russian autonomous republics. For
> instance, I have heard that they have bilingual signs, that the tartar
> flag is very present around Kazan and that many people wants to get
> independece for Tartaristan, at the same time as Tartaristan has
> almost as many ethnic Russians as Tartars, that of obvious reasons
> object to this.

I think there is some number of separatists in any autunomous region
of the world. The Tatars constitute the second largest nationality
within Russia. They account for 50 percent of the Tatarstan
population, as opposed to 42 percent of the Russian population. They
are quite numerous not only in Tatarstan but all along the middle
course of the Volga.

But even Tatar nationalists understand that, being surrounded by the
Russian and Christian regions, Tatarstan has no future outside Russia,
both politically and economically. Muslim and Christian minorities
have been peacefully coexisting within the area since its conquest by
Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century. So I don't think that the
Tatar nationalism may pose any tangible threat to the unity of the
Russian Federation. For example, the Tatar nationalists in the
Ukrainian Crimea are much more active at the moment.

> Does anyone has suggestions on what to see and do if one wants an
> intrudutions and understanding of this kind of nationalism.

I really don't think you could do anything about nationalism. I'm
acquainted with many tatars and haven't noticed any kind of
"nationalism" apart from the natural desire to preserve national
identity.

> At the same times there exist a strong force agains Russian
> rule and a big Russian population and if one lets one automomous
> republic have independence, one ill have a huge domino effect where
> other republics as well wants the same rights.

It's debatable that there is such a thing as 'Russian rule' in
Tatarstan, with all important positions in the government assigned to
the ethnic Tatars. We should keep in mind that most autonomous regions
of Russia are fake entities created by Stalin during his term as the
commissar of nationalities. For instance, the Karelians account for
10% of the total population of Karelia, the Khakasians - for 11% of
the total population of Khakasia, etc. Not only these republics but
every other Russian region (e.g., Moscow and St.Petersburg) have the
same constitutional rights as Tatarstan. It's still discussed by the
State Duma whether it would not be wiser to reshape ethnically-based
administrative units into much larger governments on the
pre-revoloutionary pattern.

Best wishes, Andrei

[?ystein]

(Andrey Frizyuk) wrote in message >...
> (?ystein) wrote in message >...
> > (?ystein) wrote in message >...
> >
> > Thank you for interesting information about Kazan. If I have got it
> > right Kazan also could serve as a place to get an impession of the
> > nationalism one can find in the Russian autonomous republics. For
> > instance, I have heard that they have bilingual signs, that the tartar
> > flag is very present around Kazan and that many people wants to get
> > independece for Tartaristan, at the same time as Tartaristan has
> > almost as many ethnic Russians as Tartars, that of obvious reasons
> > object to this.
>
> I think there is some number of separatists in any autunomous region
> of the world. The Tatars constitute the second largest nationality
> within Russia. They account for 50 percent of the Tatarstan
> population, as opposed to 42 percent of the Russian population. They
> are quite numerous not only in Tatarstan but all along the middle
> course of the Volga.
>
> But even Tatar nationalists understand that, being surrounded by the
> Russian and Christian regions, Tatarstan has no future outside Russia,
> both politically and economically. Muslim and Christian minorities
> have been peacefully coexisting within the area since its conquest by
> Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century. So I don't think that the
> Tatar nationalism may pose any tangible threat to the unity of the
> Russian Federation. For example, the Tatar nationalists in the
> Ukrainian Crimea are much more active at the moment.
>
> > Does anyone has suggestions on what to see and do if one wants an
> > intrudutions and understanding of this kind of nationalism.
>
> I really don't think you could do anything about nationalism. I'm
> acquainted with many tatars and haven't noticed any kind of
> "nationalism" apart from the natural desire to preserve national
> identity.
>
> > At the same times there exist a strong force agains Russian
> > rule and a big Russian population and if one lets one automomous
> > republic have independence, one ill have a huge domino effect where
> > other republics as well wants the same rights.
>
> It's debatable that there is such a thing as 'Russian rule' in
> Tatarstan, with all important positions in the government assigned to
> the ethnic Tatars. We should keep in mind that most autonomous regions
> of Russia are fake entities created by Stalin during his term as the
> commissar of nationalities. For instance, the Karelians account for
> 10% of the total population of Karelia, the Khakasians - for 11% of
> the total population of Khakasia, etc. Not only these republics but
> every other Russian region (e.g., Moscow and St.Petersburg) have the
> same constitutional rights as Tatarstan. It's still discussed by the
> State Duma whether it would not be wiser to reshape ethnically-based
> administrative units into much larger governments on the
> pre-revoloutionary pattern.
>
Thank you for your intruduction. If I have got it right, one of
Moscows arguments for not giving Tchetchenia soveregnity is that it
can start the smowball rolling, in the sense that other autonomuos
republics as well will claim the same rights. May be I have got it
wrong. Any comments?

When it comes to the percent of Russians in Tartarstan, that might
have to do with Moscow policy. At least in other areas I know Moscow
has carefully moved ethnic Russians to the areas of the other ethinic
groups and in some instances also by force moved etnhic groups to
areas dominated by ethic Russians. If this is the backgound for the
ethic mix of Tartarstan today, it might strenghten and not weeken the
desire for independence. I am definately a novice on this topic
though, so any relevant comments are very welcome.

best regrads,

Jan

A strong natioanlism does of course not have anything to do with
hostility against the Russians or ambitions of independence.

[?ystein]

"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message >...
> The fear that my friend had was not from pickpockets, but from bands of
> roving gangs. By the way, he was a strong young man who was very capable of
> defending himself in a one-on-one situation.

Is this the gang of gypsies kind of roving gangs, as I have heard of
is a problem in for instance St Petersburg? If you have more detailes,
please share them with me!

> The long train ride from Moscow can also be an interesting experience. What
> happened on the train on the way back to Moscow was truly bizarre and too
> long a story to recount here, but let's just say that it was an
> unforgettable travel experience!

Does this looong story have a short version, suitable for usenet? :)

best regards,

Jan

[Bjorn Olsson]

"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message

> My friend also felt so unsafe there that he actually wanted to buy a gun.

It's as unsafe as the average US city, in other words.

Bjorn

[Bjorn Olsson]

(?ystein) wrote in message >...
> (Andrey Frizyuk) wrote in message >...
> > (?ystein) wrote in message >...
> > > (?ystein) wrote in message >...
> > >
> > > Thank you for interesting information about Kazan. If I have got it
> > > right Kazan also could serve as a place to get an impession of the
> > > nationalism one can find in the Russian autonomous republics. For
> > > instance, I have heard that they have bilingual signs, that the tartar
> > > flag is very present around Kazan and that many people wants to get
> > > independece for Tartaristan, at the same time as Tartaristan has
> > > almost as many ethnic Russians as Tartars, that of obvious reasons
> > > object to this.
> >
> > I think there is some number of separatists in any autunomous region
> > of the world. The Tatars constitute the second largest nationality
> > within Russia. They account for 50 percent of the Tatarstan
> > population, as opposed to 42 percent of the Russian population. They
> > are quite numerous not only in Tatarstan but all along the middle
> > course of the Volga.
> >
> > But even Tatar nationalists understand that, being surrounded by the
> > Russian and Christian regions, Tatarstan has no future outside Russia,
> > both politically and economically. Muslim and Christian minorities
> > have been peacefully coexisting within the area since its conquest by
> > Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century. So I don't think that the
> > Tatar nationalism may pose any tangible threat to the unity of the
> > Russian Federation. For example, the Tatar nationalists in the
> > Ukrainian Crimea are much more active at the moment.
> >
> > > Does anyone has suggestions on what to see and do if one wants an
> > > intrudutions and understanding of this kind of nationalism.
> >
> > I really don't think you could do anything about nationalism. I'm
> > acquainted with many tatars and haven't noticed any kind of
> > "nationalism" apart from the natural desire to preserve national
> > identity.
> >
> > > At the same times there exist a strong force agains Russian
> > > rule and a big Russian population and if one lets one automomous
> > > republic have independence, one ill have a huge domino effect where
> > > other republics as well wants the same rights.
> >
> > It's debatable that there is such a thing as 'Russian rule' in
> > Tatarstan, with all important positions in the government assigned to
> > the ethnic Tatars. We should keep in mind that most autonomous regions
> > of Russia are fake entities created by Stalin during his term as the
> > commissar of nationalities. For instance, the Karelians account for
> > 10% of the total population of Karelia, the Khakasians - for 11% of
> > the total population of Khakasia, etc. Not only these republics but
> > every other Russian region (e.g., Moscow and St.Petersburg) have the
> > same constitutional rights as Tatarstan. It's still discussed by the
> > State Duma whether it would not be wiser to reshape ethnically-based
> > administrative units into much larger governments on the
> > pre-revoloutionary pattern.
> >
> Thank you for your intruduction. If I have got it right, one of
> Moscows arguments for not giving Tchetchenia soveregnity is that it
> can start the smowball rolling, in the sense that other autonomuos
> republics as well will claim the same rights. May be I have got it
> wrong. Any comments?

You could look at it the other way around: The snowball was already
rolling out of control in the SU break-up process, and had to be
stopped somewhere along the slope.

Bjorn

[szozu]

"Bjorn Olsson" > wrote in message
om...
> "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message
>
> > My friend also felt so unsafe there that he actually wanted to buy a
gun.
>
> It's as unsafe as the average US city, in other words.

Hardly. I felt very safe in my neighbourhood in New York, as well as in most
parts of Manhattan after having lived in Spain for six years, mostly in
Andalucia where the general population was targeted primarily by young drug
addicts. I also feel living safe in Cannes. It's all a matter of the nature
of crime you're referring to. The type of crime rampant in Spain is not very
common in the US--and vice-versa.

Lana

[szozu]

"Bjorn Olsson" > wrote in message
om...
> "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message
>
> > My friend also felt so unsafe there that he actually wanted to buy a
gun.
>
> It's as unsafe as the average US city, in other words.

Hardly. I felt very safe in my neighbourhood in New York, as well as in most
parts of Manhattan after having lived in Spain for six years, mostly in
Andalucia where the general population was targeted primarily by young drug
addicts. I also feel living safe in Cannes. It's all a matter of the nature
of crime you're referring to. The type of crime rampant in Spain is not very
common in the US--and vice-versa.

Lana

[szozu]

"?ystein" > wrote in message
om...
> "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message
>...
> > The fear that my friend had was not from pickpockets, but from bands of
> > roving gangs. By the way, he was a strong young man who was very capable
of
> > defending himself in a one-on-one situation.
>
> Is this the gang of gypsies kind of roving gangs, as I have heard of
> is a problem in for instance St Petersburg? If you have more detailes,
> please share them with me!

No, it wasn't gypsies that worried him, simply armed young thugs and gangs.

> > The long train ride from Moscow can also be an interesting experience.
What
> > happened on the train on the way back to Moscow was truly bizarre and
too
> > long a story to recount here, but let's just say that it was an
> > unforgettable travel experience!
>
> Does this looong story have a short version, suitable for usenet? :)

A couple of minutes before the train was due to leave the station, a number
of tall, burly guys started running in and out with bundles about two or
three feet long and over a foot wide, wrapped in brown paper and tied with
string and dumping them on the floor. The woman who was in the compartment
looked up at me in horror and said, "What do you think it is?" I nudged a
bundle with my boot and replied, "If you ask me, I think it's meat."

After filling up the comparment, two of the guys remained and asked us to
step out into the corridor as the train pulled out of the station. They
closed the door and we heard a lot of banging and scuffling.

Finally, when things quieted down, they opened the door and invited us to
re-enter. There were piles under the table, in the corners, in the luggage
comparments under the seats and stashed up on the top bunks. Relations were
a bit strained at that point.

When the conductor entered, they insisted on paying for our sheets and
buying us tea. Soon, things got a bit more relaxed as they started pulling
out food, cigarettes and bottles of vodka and champagne. They began
insisting that we partake of all this and finally told us that they had
gotten a really good price on meat and already had a buyer in Moscow. The
irony of this is that during the Soviet era, certain types of foodstuffs
were difficult to come by in Kazan. My friend's father told me about how he
used to stock up on supplies of butter and sausages every time he went on a
business trip to Moscow. The end of the Soviet Union had obviously brought
an end to the privations.

I slept that night with my feet resting on a side of mystery meat. I never
asked if it was lamb, pork or beef.

I have another story about the bus driver who diverted from his route to
take us home one night. I think it was the last bus and there must have been
a number of very ****ed off would-be passengers, standing and freezing at
bus stops along the route, wondering why the bus never showed up.

Hope you have an "interesting" stay in Kazan.

Lana

[?ystein]

(?ystein) wrote in message >...
> (?ystein) wrote in message >...
>

According to my guidebook and contacts Hotel Volga and Hotel Duslik
are godd alternatives for inexpensive accomondation and Hotel Tartar
is regardes as not a very good alternative.

Anyone who has personal experience with any of theese hotels? A solid
lock, a nice bed, visa registration and not being situated to long
from the city center and train stations is mycriterias. Tolilet and
shower in the corridor is no problem.

Jan