Saiga's Notes

 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...

Here I am again, after long interval. This interview should have been published long time ago, I must admit. Some things has changed, but in general Nizhny Novgorod still makes the same impression as 4 years ago. 26.08.10 Guido Sagone, the  Honorary Consul of Italy interview for Friendly Nizhny Novgorod We were talking about Nizhny Novgorod's opportunities for  foreign tourists'  winter rest and vacations. Conversation started with skiing facilities, but in a few minutes the accent moved to a broader area. Guido Sagone (GS) : It is an unusual idea. Today we mostly see opposite situation, when Russians go to Italian ski resorts. In fact, I never met any Italian who would come to Nizhny Novgorod for vacations or holidays with the entertainment purposes. There are business people, but tourists... Why? The reason is simple - no o ne knows Nizhny Novgorod. When you talk about Russia, what towns come to mind? Moscow and Saint Petersburg, no doubt. Had you ev...

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.