Tatarstan...

So, Tuesday night we met at the train station to catch the night train to Kazan. I was very excited, as I had never been on a night train before. We were going плацкарт (plats-cart, trans. third class). This just means that there are no doors between you and the other people. In each section, there are 2 bottom bunks and 2 top bunks, then across the aisle there is one more top bunk and one more bottom. It was fun. Except for the whole getting up really early and waiting in line to use the bathroom.

We got there on Wednesday morning and went to check into the hotel. We got there (after a very long up-hill walk) to find out that our "travel agency called and cancelled". We don't have a travel agency. After a lot of harassing, they finally admitted that the weather was nice and they simply gave our rooms away. But, and this is somehow supposed to make up for it, they did help us find a nice "sanitorium" (aka hostel) to stay in. We were 4 and 5 to a room. It was nice. Clean. Quiet. But there was only one shower for everyone on our floor. And the toilets were the squat-over kind. But it was nice. And cheap, so we got more of our meals paid for (and they were nicer).

So, after the hotel detour, we went on a walking tour of the city. The guide was very sweet, except she kept saying things like, "Right now we're in the city of Kazan--you knew that right?" or "...the October Revolution--you know what that is, right?" So amusing. We saw some amazing stuff, though: the Kazan Kremlin, the Kul Sharif Mosque, the Anunciation Cathedral, the (outside of the) president's house, etc. The thing with the coolest story behind it is the Syuyumbike Tower: it is named after the long-suffering Princess Syuyumbike who was married to three successive khans. Ivan the Terrible then came into town and started destroying things after the princess refused to marry him. In order to save her city, she agreed to marry Ivan, but only if he could build a tower higher than anything else in Kazan in only a week. Well, he did, and then she threw herself off the top of it. Pretty cool stuff, but--as stressed by our guide--only a legend.

The next day was our daytrip to the Bulgar Historical Site. It started out well, our guide was friendly, we stopped to get lunch at a little roadside cafe, etc. etc. We drove three hours to a little park in Bulyarsk to climb the world's tallest hill to see three stones which the Russians have dubbed a monument. Then we sat for 15 mins while the guide tried to find the driver. Then we drove another 2 hours. During this time, the guide and driver managed to get completely lost and had to stop and ask for directions. However, it is extremely difficult to ask for directions when you're in the middle of nowhere. They stopped and asked a hitch hiker--in an army uniform and carrying a hatchet--where Bulgar is. The hitch hiker apparently knew, but wanted a ride. So, we drove him--and his hatchet--to his desired destination, and then they still had to ask for directions (after eating lunch at a very empty hotel playing American oldies). After much ado, we got to Bulgar. It was 2 buildings and a very tall tower (which we climbed) then got back in the car for 30 seconds to see another building, and then drove the 3 hours back to Kazan. Very interesting stuff, but I'm not sure it was worth the 7 hours in a van.

The next day was our free day and my friend Alexis and I went back to the Kremlin and had another look around. Then we ate at a Turkish restaurant where I had--drumroll, please!--iceberg lettuce for the first time in a month! Delish. Then we went back to the sanitorium (so much better than calling it a hostel) and I had a little nap before dinner. Dinner was at a very posh hotel that served real Tatar cuisine. I had лапша с грибами (lahp-sha s gree-bom-e), trans. soup with thin noodles and mushrooms), кролик (krol-lick, trans. rabbit), and a delicious frozen custard thing. Mmmmm.

Saturday was our last day. We went out to the longest breakfast ever, walked around the "mall" for a little bit, and then sat in a cafe and read for a while. At the cafe I had--another drum roll--a caesar salad! It was delicious. It was like being in America. :-D Except not.

On the way back we had were in купе (coop-ay, trans. second class). This time we were 4 to a compartment (two top bunks to bottom) and the cots were longer. Also, we had a door. This actually caused a problem, though, because the train's heat was on and the window didn't open. It was ridiculously hot. And we didn't get to sleep til around 1am, and had to get up at 6:30 to be in Moscow by 7:10. Blech. Then I slept all yesterday. :-D

So, that was my time in Kazan. Hope you enjoyed it! :-D There should be some new pictures to check out on the righthand side! :-)