Images of Kazan

Last weekend Mark and I with our friend Guzial hopped on a train and spent the weekend in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan that just recently celebrated its 1000th anniversary. We caught the train Friday afternoon, arrived in a snowy Kazan at precisely 5:44am, were greeted by some of Guzial's relatives, and spent the day wandering the beautifully clean and white streets of a city where minarets and bell towers stand side by side, where the likes of Lenin and Tolstoy spent some of their student days (however brief they were!) After a whole lot of walking and not too much sleep, on Sunday afternoon we got back on the train and headed home. Total cost of our train tickets: 980 roubles ($37). Total time spent on the train: 35 hours. Result: An unforgettable weekend. Here are some images of our adventures...

3 hours to sunrise

Happy 1000th Birthday Kazan!

The Kremlin--A UNESCO Protected World Heritage Site