Russia

So … a Plane Takes Off from a Russian Gas Station [Video]

I don’t know what I like more about this video, the complete lack of context around the situation which finds this small airplane pilot stopping for fuel at a road side gas station. Or the indecipherable comments below the video apparently arguing the true nationality of the video.

Russia Mulls Alcohol Ban to Curb In-Flight Fisticuffs

Duty free alcohol © Colognid Russian politicians are contemplating a ban on duty-free alcohol on flights in an attempt to address a recent spate of drunken airborne brawls. Earlier in the week, state television aired a compilation of video footage of such incidents, but the last straw appears to have been the emergency landing of [...]

Volgograd or Stalingrad? City Contemplates Name Change

Volgograd © zoetnet Songwriters may have difficulty penning a ditty as catchy as “Istanbul, Not Constantinople” about this but, nevertheless, the name Stalingrad might exist once again. The Russian city was renamed Volgograd during the Cold War, but there is a movement afoot to hold a referendum on reverting to the name of Stalingrad. The [...]

Bounding Through Russia’s Wilderness on an Enormous Trampoline

Fast Track ©Srchstoyanie A highlight of this summer’s Archstoyanie festival was an installation called Fast Track consisting of a 170-foot-long trampoline installed amidst the wildnerness of rural Russia. The installation aims to highlight the concept of infrastructure that takes into account local context and evokes an emotional response from users. A new addition to Nikola-Lenivets [...]

Plumbing the Depths of the World’s Largest Underwater Gypsum Cave [Gallery]

“The reward is the possibility of seeing something beautiful, something that nobody has seen before you.” Even with lights, it is dark, and the sense of claustrophobia is overwhelming. Passages wind off in different directions to confuse the careless or unprepared. And should you find yourself in danger in these tunnels in the Earth’s crust, [...]

Russian City Plagued by Threat of Sinking into the Ground

An emergency services worker monitoring sinkholes in Berezniki, Russia ©New York Times World travelers know of Venice, the city built atop water and afflicted by floods every year. In Russia, the city of Berezniki is their Venice. Except Berezniki was built above a mine and is afflicted by sinkholes many times a year. Once a sinkhole [...]

The Guy Who Touched Russia. Literally.

Dave Wants You ©Chris Owens My name’s Cody White and I have always dreamed of visiting Russia. Setting foot in the country, however, was not enough: I wanted to experience Russia in a different way. So, I decided to set out to Moscow and… touch Russia. From borsch to babushkas, White poked Russian people, places [...]

Georgia Toasts Tourists With Booze Fountain

Sunset in Batumi ©gobe67 The Black Sea resort of Batumi, in Georgia has a big boozy surprise for visitors in this redeveloping ex-Soviet tourist destination. City officials have rolled out plans for a “chacha” fountain on top of a new Moorish-style 25-meter-high (82-foot-high) tower. “Chacha” is a Georgian spirit distilled from grapes which is similar [...]

8 Foreign Fast Food Chains You Should Know

Albaik ©toyohara When most people think of fast food the American chain McDonald’s is the first thing that comes to mind. And while McDonald’s chains seem to be popping up everywhere, there is a growing number of local homegrown fast food resturants that are challenging McDonald’s around the world. These local chains present travelers with [...]

The Coldest Places in the World

Charlotte Pass © flyingpurplemonkeys Summer heat starting to get to you? Crank up the AC, pour yourself an ice cold drink and start planning your vacation to the coldest places on each continent. If you are looking for bone chilling temperatures you might want to pass up Oceania. Australia’s best is a meager -9.4 Fahrenheit [...]

Vintage Tourist Photographs of Moscow 1909 [Gallery]

A fascinating glimpse via Flickr.

Unique Views of Red Square at Night, Russia [Gallery]

Red Square is undoubtedly beautiful in every time of the year and at any time of day or night. But these photos are outstanding – they depict the main square of Russia from the nearby roofs – the roofs, from which a simple civilian photographer is not allowed to shoot, or the price of a [...]

Capturing One of the Biggest Aurora Borealis Shows in Years [Video]

This video pretty well speaks for itself: The videographer “… spent a week capturing one of the biggest aurora borealis shows in recent years. Shot in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park bordering Russia, at 70 degree north and 30 degrees east. Temperatures around -25 Celsius.” Wow. Just … wow.

Russian Divers Attempt to Bike Underwater [Video]

Not content to merely “dive” while diving, members of the Siberian Divers’ Club have taken to their first annual event of attempting “bizarre underwater acts”. This year’s act: successfully racing bicycles along a six meter underwater track, while keeping the tires in full contact with the lake bed. Turns out, it’s not that easy: I’m [...]

Photo of the Moment: Rush Hour, Siberia

Russian Inventor Rolls Out Sauna on Wheels

A Russian inventor has crafted a mobile sauna – an old military truck fitted with a fully functioning sauna. The truck is fitted with an 88 gallon overhead tank, fired by a wood burning stove to provide steam. It makes sense that the idea comes from Russia. Russians are known for their love of banyas, [...]