Batumi is known for a lot of things, but arguably its botanical gardens are one of the highlights more people know about than anything else. Opened in 1912, this sliver of heaven on earth is well over a hundred years old, and the advantages of that for a botanical garden full of trees that are […]
Batumi Botanical Garden: The Green Jewel of the Pontic Coast Read More »
Batumi is a flashy town to wander around, but personally speaking, it does not offer much to a traveller who is not interested in gambling, drinking, glamour, or a mix of those. With that being said, it is in an excellent location to do a lot of exciting day trips from. For example, simply by
There has not been any other city in the world that I wanted to love as much as I tried to love Batumi but failed so miserably. Batumi is not a disaster, it is not a terrible city, it is also not completely “soulless,” but it is not for me. When I was riding a
A Guide to Batumi: An “Identity Crisis” by the Black Sea Read More »
Nizhny Novgorod… The city where I spent eight months of my life and never regretted a single day of it. My dear reader, if you are reading these lines, it is likely that you are planning a trip to this wonderful city yourself. Perhaps, you do not know where to start. I too was in
The Ultimate Guide to Nizhny Novgorod (and Beyond!) Read More »
For a city with only a handful of Chinese and Indian oriented restaurants, Kazan sure offers a ridiculous number of Vietnamese joints to its denizens. Practically any mall has a spot or two offering at least some spring rolls, and Bauman Street is home to three Vietnamese restaurants that I alone could find. I am
Most Welcome Yet Unexpected: Vietnamese Food in Kazan Read More »
I love pizza. I just love it so much. I love its flexibility, its taste, often its price point, its familiarity. There is very little not to like about it in my book. That is why you keep seeing more of these “top pizzerias of” or “best pizzas in” articles regarding cities I visited. They
Tatars eat a ton of meat. Like, truly a ridiculous amount of it. So much so that you will find it ruining a lot of your orders if you were naïve enough to assume that the “cheese soup” you ordered “should not” have any meat in it… For those who are trying to stay away
My first impressions of Kazan were not anything positive. It was a very mercantile city, with its people and buildings both reflecting that inside and out. Money ruled, and that was clear everywhere. Petrodollar rich teens flaunting their wealth in their brand-new Ferraris certainly did not help with that view. Unlike some other cities (Budapest
The True Highlight of Kazan: Temple of All Religions Read More »
Tatarstan is pretty much a country within a country, with its own government, own mix of ethnicities, own food, and even own flag that is used quite generously around Kazan’s many streets. It is like a new destination Russians can visit without using an external passport, which has its advantages for its tourism industry. It
I suppose no one really goes to Kazan to see a ton of Soviet era architecture or “Communist” relics. At the end of the day, it is an “ethnic” destination within the Russian Federation that is more often than not frequented by local tourists who want something a bit different. They have those “ruinous sites