and I'm back... I didn't want to write that old cliche: "from Russia with love" once I was there. So, I have waited a little bit (it' just 10 days since I'm back in Poland) to write about my trip. What I did want- was to gather all the memories and the things I love Russia for. Thus, I needed some time to recall all the "russian things" that should never be forgotten. Oh, and btw I didn't kick the autumn leaves in Suzdal or Vladimir as I was planning. But honestly, all those plans were an ill wind that blows nobody good. Instead, I was visiting Saint Petersburg's old corners and was taking the loooong strolls in Moscow. Hope you gonna like my October walks :)    

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I last visited Russia... and now after 2 years of trying and planning I'm going to visit the Golden Ring! Not all of it, but you know what they say: you have to save sth for later ;)

So here I am, going in October to Suzdal, Vladimir, Bogolubovo and maybe Yaroslav.

I dare to hope it's gonna be golden autumn in Russia. Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause before the winter. A second spring when every leaf is a flower. That kind of autumn I hope for. 

Probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you’re thinking about Russia is:  „Wow! It’s impressive, but… don`t forget, it’s still Russia” or even sth worse about bears walking on the streets. But probably the best thing is to start from reading a short poem written by the 19th century poet Fyodor Tyutchev. "You cannot understand Russia with your mind. You can't measure it with universal dimensions. Russia has something special. In Russia you must simply believe." And indeed, you cannot expect your visit to Russia to be a simple one- the language barrier, prices, visa fuss. It can be perplexing. The statement above "You can`t understand Russia with your mind" can often be applied to situations you may be involved in Russia. But is it worth visiting Russia? My answer is always the same: YES!

So far I've been in: 
2003 Saint Petersburg, Peterhof (Pushkin), Petrodvorets, Lomonosovo, Kronshtadt, Pavlovsk, Gatchina
2007 Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Irkutsk, Baikal Lake (Olchon), Ulan-Ude, Chamar-Daban
2009 Valaam, Petrozavodsk, Solovki Islands
2011 Saint Petersburg, Moscow

And I hope to see lots more of Russia :)

I enjoy traveling, especially to Russia, which helped give me a better understanding of my studies at the Jagiellonian University (Cracow, Poland). I strongly believe that every dream is given to us with all strength to make it real. This is probably the reason why I love new challenges and aproach them with confidence and enthusiam, which is something I have done throughout my life.
I am starting this blog about Russia not only to share my thoughts on russian culture, music or literature but also to picture Russia, Russia from my travels, Russia seen with my own eyes, Russia that I would love to see once again, some time...