Another Cold Day - Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

100_0741-98, originally uploaded by repin.

This is an interesting picture taken atop a hill bordering the west bank of the Volga, the national river of Russia. The Volga River is Europe's longest river, some 3,700 km long or about 2,300 miles long.. Besides passing through many towns; two major cities it passes through are Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd before it discharges into the Caspian Sea. A major tributary of the Volga i.e the Oka meets at Nizhny Novgorod too. The book says that the Volga freezes about 3 months in a year but it was flowing good when we visited in early November 2006. The Volga River system and valleys contributed much to the economic development of Russia and its people. Must be real pretty in the Spring, I guess ! Oh yes, another small point I wanted to share about the river is the Volga Boatmen's Song which some say was inspired by Ilya Repin's famous painting called Burlaks on the Volga which depicted the sufferings of people working on barges on the Volga in czarist Russia. Verdict : so much to see and learn during my 4 days in Nizhny !

Early Winter in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Early Winter in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, originally uploaded by repin.

This picture was taken in early November 2006 when my other half and I visited our daughter who is attending medical school in Nizhny. Wow, they say it was early winter and yet the temperature was about -7C when the picture was taken. The place is in the centre of town, close to a museum, I think. And we got a friend by the name of Dmitri who took us there. Nice city , and the place was quite deserted too since it was a Sunday. For those who are contemplating of visiting here in winter, please make sure you have good leather boots and get the NASA issued jackets if you can ! And for more pics please click "other travels" on the left menu bar.