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 :)