Saiga's Notes

A restaurateur calls on President of Russia for step back on a law that slashes restaurants’ menu. Distinguished businessman Alexander Kotyusov who runs several establishments askes Vladimir Putin to soften safety standard that restricts serving of some popular traditional Russian dishes during the days of FIFA matches. He warns that international guests will be disappointed if they’re offered burgers with Pepsi instead of ethnic foods. An NPO supports the restaurateur. Opora Rossii, an association of 400,000 entrepreneurs, says that governmental ruling is not clear and needs to be improved. The organization is exploring ways to prevent reputational and financial losses of catering industry. Two Mr Kotyusov’s colleagues say that Russian sanitary norms are outdated. They find that Russian food’s safety is much higher than that of some famous European dishes. A watching dog Rospotrebnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights) argues that the norm is necessary du...

I had a trip to Saratov recently, so it was a good opportunity to compare it to Nizhny Novgorod from the tourist's point of view. Saratov and Nizhny have much in common. Both towns stand on the Volga, have similar climate (a bit warmer in Saratov), comparable size and age (Saratov is a little bit smaller and younger). Now about distinctions. Streets and buildings in Saratov were definitely more dirty and in worse condition. Traffic jams were a big problem of Saratov. We commuted a lot during our trip, and I can't remember us moving free for 5 minutes straight. Nizhny Novgorod hasn't solved the traffic problem completely yet, but in recent years we had seen serious improvements. Nowadays you can cross the town before you begin to hate outnumbered starts and stops. Chapaeva str. in Saratov. Having said that, in Saratov drivers are more fast and dangerous. It's a common tendency for all towns of Russia: in southern regions of the country drivers are 'hotter...

Last Saturday, I crossed the Volga and started jogging down the stream. Twice in two hours I had to pass tributaries swimming and towing my backpack as a raft (it is equipped with a waterproof covering). Then I turned back, reaching the limit of my endurance. The bank, nevertheless, was good to run much farther. The Volga banks in many territories are good for adventure races of the offroad-run-and-swim formula. Take the left shore (standing face down the stream) between from  Gorodets  to  Nizhny Novgorod , for instance: it spreads about 40 kilometres unobstacled with hedges, boat yards, settlements or private properties. Down the stream from the backwater Memory of the Paris Commune  there's even longer empty bank. May be one day I will be ready to initiate some adventure race here. I cross my fingers for saving of the virgin state of these places.

 13.04.11 Decadence Geometry How long do our footprints on Earth outlast us? To find the answer, I undertook a journey to the bogs of the Middle Volga, where a huge energy project started 90 years ago and disappeared 60 years later. In every planet's region, tourists are presented with some archeological findings, the miraculously survived witnesses of old ages. In opposition to it, ecotourists love the sight of how the omnivorous nature swallows products of human being, brakes them down, adopts the most resistant and fits them into a landscape in its own elegant manner. Middle Volga is one of the most developed and heavily populated areas in Russia. A ground traveler would remember it as a country of ubiquitous human presence - big and small towns, villages and processed fields. Seems that there's no place for mystery here, but this is a deceptive impression. The roads carefully avoid large pieces of practically impassable marshland. Crusade For Energy O...

For the lovers of sightseeing and fresh air, I woud advise the following: Kremlin (Кремль). First place to feel NN spirit. Besides, many of regional architecture diamonds can be seen from here. Verchne-Volzskaya Naberezhnaya (Верхне-Волжская набережная). Close to Kremlin; Nizhne-Volzhskaya Naberezhnaya (Нижне-Волжская набережная); Naberezhnaya Pheodorovskogo (Набережная Феодоровского). Yarmarka (Ярмарка, ярмарочный комплекс). If you will have possibility to get to travel more, you can visit Gorodets, Makaryevo Nunnery (Макарьевский монастырь), Diveevo Nunnery (Дивеевский монастырь), Bolshoe Boldino (Большое Болдино). These objects are outside the city, but all can be visited through guided tours.

Photos play the main part in making an impression about new place, don't it? Some later I will definitely make my own gallery of Nizhny Novgorod views. Now just 5 shots for the beginning. Why I haven't done it till now? Just because I don't want to make a replica of the popular public galleries - besides, one of my previous posts contented two links at such galleries. My project will contain Unknown Nizhny Novgorod and nearest places - Balakhna, Gorodets, Makaryevo etc. 2 upper photos: Kremlin of Nizhny Novgorod is the second biggest in Russia after Moscow Kremlin and one of the biggest world fortresses. Here are two shots made from the middle of the Volga. 3 following photos - Makaryevo Convent (or Nunnery). It is 90 km or about 60 miles down the stream from Nizhny Novgorod and the place of Makaryevo Fair that was the forerunner of the Nizhegorodskaya Yarmarka (Nizhny Novgorod Fair) of XIX century. No more comments - just fe el the spirit of the place.

NN is divided on two parts by the river Oka. One part is low and is called 'Zarechje' (on the left shore). Upper part is called 'Nagornaya' (on the right shore). It is situated on high-lands called 'Dyatlovy Gory' (Dyatlovy Hills'). 3 bridges connect parts, and that's our main problem - traffic through bridges. The best sight is lower shore from the opposite. The best local sightseeing is Kremlin, churches (a plenty in different parts of town), Rozhdestvenskaya str. with the houses of merchants, Bolshaya Pokrovskaya str., Verchne-Volzskaya Naberezhnaya. There are 7 districts. Nizhegorodsky - the oldest. Most sight seeing is located here. Business and administration centre of the city. Sovetsky - new district. Nearest to Nizhegorodsky. Nothing interesting. Good to live in. The same goes to Prioksky. These are three right-shore districts. Now about left shore. Kanavinsky. Second the oldest. Some good sightseeings, including ancient Fair...

Here I give two good galleries of NN: http://www.admcity.nnov.ru/references/views/index.html http://www.unn.runnet.ru/rus/volgovy...nizhnov/nn.htm

If you have been to Moscow, NN's climate is much the same, it's humid continental. The difference is that we have 1-2 weeks longer winter and a bit more snow. We've got two large rivers, the Volga and the Oka, and a large hydroelectric reservoir 50 kilometers from the town, named Gorky Sea. Climate makes possible the following outdoors: skiing (there are 3 big ski parks in the city and lots of other facilities in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast), mountain skiing (there are about 5 or 6 equipped facilities in the region), boating of all kinds, biking. Hilly right bank of Oka  makes possible mountain skiing and rocky biking just in the centre of the town. There are some large forestlands, mainly pine-trees and fur-trees.