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Location and brief history of the city Krasnodar
Krasnodar, is a Russian city, located 1340 km south of Moscow. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar krai (also known as Kuban). This city was founded with the name Yekaterinodar which meant: Ekaterina's gift in honor of Catherine the Great who officially extended the lands of the Kuban region to the Black Sea. At the end of the Russian revolution of 191, Yekaterinodar, which in Russian means: red gift. The parks and some architectural styles of this city reminded me a lot of some cities in my homeland Cuba.
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Krasnodar city tour
We arrived in Krasnodar at 12:30 pm after a 15 h trip from the Russian capital. The final stop of the bus was at the Central Railway Station. After stretching my muscles, a bit, I decided to take a short rest and then head to the station mentioned above to immediately book the train ticket to Sochi in the afternoon, the train would leave in 6h so I had enough time for a short tour of the city center.
Central Railway Station Krasnodar
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The first stop was at the Krasnodar Musical Theater, one of the best in the city. It hosts both classical and modern productions with a rich and varied repertoire that includes classical and modern ballet, opera and musicals for both adults and children.
Krasnodar Musical Theater
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The second stop was at G.H. Zhukov square, centered on 4 sides and located in the very center of the city. It constitutes an ideal place for family walks, there is a small playground, and several benches for vacationers, some even in the shade. All in all, a pleasant and welcoming place for everyone. It often hosts folk art exhibitions, as well as other cultural events. It was opened in 1932. Previously, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral stood on its site. Today, on the site occupied by the square are: a bust of Soviet Marshal G.K. Zhukov (after whom, the square was named) right at the entrance, the memorial arch called "Kuban is proud of them" with a bronze sculpture of George the Victorious at the top and a fountain with light music and lights.
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Very close to the G.H. Zhukov square, there is a peculiar sculpture carved in bronze and called ''Monument to the loving dogs'', a work of art created by the artist Valery Pchelin in 2007, during the celebration of the Krasnodar Day. Behind the sculpture, on a granite wall, is a commemorative plaque with a quote from the famed Russian poet and playwright Vladímir Vladímirovich Mayakovski, who said of Krasnodar: ´´this is not a wilderness of dogs, but a capital of dogs´´. This expression comes from an experience the poet had when he visited the city of Krasnodar in 1926. It turns out that he was bitten by a stray at the railway station and was impressed by the huge number of dogs on the streets. As a result, since that time, Krasnodar has been recognized as ´´the dog capital´´.
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The fourth stop was at another of the tourist attractions of the city, the ''Rose of the Winds'' fountain, so called because it represents a circle of a compass with the 4 cardinal points and directions of the capitals where the Olympic Games were held, including Sochi. It is a fountain represented by jets of water coming from underground. It has a diameter of 5.6 meters and the maximum height of the central jet reaches 4 meters. It has more than twenty water effects. When it gets dark, the lighting of the entire fountain complex is automatically switched on, accompanied by music.
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SOCHI
After my tour of Krasnodar city center and sharing at the home of some friends who live there, I went to the central railroad station to board the train. Unfortunately, there was a delay in departure and I had to wait 1h more. I wanted to take pictures of the Caucasian landscape, but it was already getting dark and the whole trip was at night. At about 10:30 pm we arrived in Sochi; a city belonging to the Federal Republic of Russia and located 1615 km south of Moscow, along the eastern coast of the Black Sea and near the border Russia - Georgia. Unlike other regions of Russia, Sochi presents to the visitor a pleasant Mediterranean climate together with the beautiful combination of mountains and sea. It was founded on April 21, 1838. Already al beginning of the 20th century, it became popular as a holiday resort, reaching such prestige during the Soviet era that Stalin installed his favorite dacha (country house, in Russia) in the vicinity of the city. Sochi is considered one of the most important tourist places in Europe.
Main entrance of the Sochi Railway Station (The luminous letters say ''Sochi'')
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After arriving in Sochi, I was able to book accommodation for 300 rubles per night in Adler, one of the main districts. In fact, a cheap price considering that it was the Russia 2018 World Cup season. The neighborhood where I stayed was very close to the Olympic stadium and the luminous singing fountain, the neighborhood was quite quiet, very clean and very friendly people. I was surprised to see a banana plant in one of the courtyards as this is not typical to see in Russia as it is logical, but the goodness of the climate of Sochi allows this to happen.
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After a night's rest, the first sight was to go to the viewpoint ''Rosa Jutor'' located at an altitude of 2320 m above sea level, in the middle of the Western Caucasus mountain range. To get there, it is necessary to travel 45 minutes by car from Adler to the village of Krasnaya Poliana. The Adler-Krasnaya Poliana road winding through the Caucasus Mountains presents the visitor with spectacular scenery along the Mzymta River, one of the main rivers in the region.
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The first part of the village of Krasnaya Polyana is the tourist center called ''Gorky Gorod'' (Russian: Gorky Town), which during the winter is one of the main ski resorts. Here you can find a number of recreational facilities such as: bars, casino, cafes, water park, etc.
Entrance to the Gorni Gorod in Krasnaya Polyana
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The luxurious and majestic ‘’Sochi Casino’’. One of the main attractions of Gorni Gorod and considered one of the best in Europe
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Estosadok, another of the main tourist centers of Krasnaya Polyana, where the main cable car is located to reach the viewpoint ''Rosa Jutor''. I loved its architecture in the middle of that environment of coniferous forests, mountains and river.
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Views of the Mzymta River. River current that descends from the glaciers on the summits of the Caucasus Mountains. An impetuous river, the sound of which is background music to the visitor's ears.
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Usually, on the ´´Romanov´´ Bridge, there are beautiful art exhibitions where local artists present their colorful works whose central theme is the inspiring nature of the place.
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Here is the main station where you buy the ticket for the cable car, which at that time cost 450 rubles. It was the first time I rode a cable car, because in my country these vehicles do not exist; it was truly an incredible experience. At the beginning, you feel that fear when you think that these devices hang from a cable and under your feet there will be a vacuum with a free fall of hundreds of meters.
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It is curious, the names Rosa Khutor (''Valley of Roses'' in Russian) and
Krasnaya Poliana (''Red Field'' in Russian), since I did not see any rose during my stay there, but apparently it alludes to the reddish aspect that the vegetation of the valley acquires during the autumn.
Panoramic view of the Krasnaya Polyana valley
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On the way to the Rosa Jútor peak there is an intermediate stop at the ''Rosa Plateau'', which is located at 1170 meters above sea level and from there to the summit. Here I was able to enjoy the melodious traditional music of the South American indigenous peoples. Something I did not expect to find in these Russian landscapes.
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On the way to the top
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Note in the background the small town that occupies the ‘’Rosa Plateau’’. As we get closer to the summit we feel the gradual drop in temperature and the clouds are taking over the environment.
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Here, already on the Rosa Jútor peak at about 2320 m above sea level, note how the thick fog prevents me from fully contemplating the entire landscape. If you look carefully, behind me there is a suspension bridge that stretches from one cliff to another; ideal for those who are more daring with heights.
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As I am a geologist by profession, I could not resist the temptation to make a tour of the area to see what I found interesting from the geological point of view and not just tourist and it turns out that I found an outcrop of volcanic rocks, in this case, were ''tuffs'' (petrified volcanic ash) for its bluish color very similar to those that appear in my land must contain high percentage of zeolite mineral.
Volcanic rocks outcrop
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Tuff layers. Note the bluish coloration that characterizes them, which probably indicates high zeolite content
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Panoramic views of the Caucasian mountain range taken during the descent. Note how the highest peaks are enveloped by cloud cover
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In the afternoon I returned to Adler to visit the Sochi Olympic Park where the ''Singing Fountain'' is located, whose show would start at 8:30 pm; an unforgettable experience to enjoy those water jets that reach more than 30 meters high, dancing to the rhythm of the music and the change of the colorful lights. This exhibition lasted an hour; I remember that the musical composition that opened the show was the classic song ''I will Survive'' by the singer Gloria Gaynor. This fountain was built to inaugurate and close the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, constituting an emblematic monument of the city. Its design alludes to a mythological being of popular culture; and represents a bird with a swan's neck and huge fiery wings embracing a bowl of 75 meters in diameter. Bordering a part of the esplanade where the fountain is located, the flags of the countries that participated in the Olympics are hoisted.
Panoramic views of the singing fountain and its surroundings
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Within the Olympic Park area lies the Olympic Stadium Olympic Fisht, which was the headquarters of the above mentioned Olympics of Sochi. It presents a very peculiar design that makes allusion to a shell in recalling the Fabergé art. His name alludes to the mount Fisht, one of the main picks of the Western Caucasus.
Fisht Olympic Stadium
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Adjacent to the Olympic Park is the ''Sochi Amusement Park''. Unfortunately, due to time constraints I could not enjoy its attractions. The next day I had to get up early to go to the next and last tour in the city of Sochi itself and then take the plane back to Moscow.
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Last day in Sochi
The last day I spent touring the tourist area along the coast. After breakfast at a ''stalovaya'' (Russian for dining room) near the hostel, I took a bus to the beach area. Here, there are beautiful and relaxing parks that invite you to rest and enjoy the fresh air. I also came across a number of hotel and tourist infrastructures such as the Pullman and Mercure hotels; the Sochi marina; and the Mayak beach.
´´Chereshnevyy Sad´´ Park. One of the most cozy parks in the city, ideal for sharing with the family and enjoying nature and fresh air.
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Sochi Navy
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Pullman and Mercure Hotels
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The ''Mayak'' beach, like other beaches in that coastal strip of Sochi are characterized by pebble beaches and very thick sand, giving the impression that you are bathing in a lake or a large river, also the water of the Black Sea is very cold in fact, that day, despite the 30º C temperature in the middle of summer and being about 2:00 pm the water was at 11ºC; this fact impressed me a lot. Although, it is not the kind of beach I prefer, I took a short dip in the waters of the famous Black Sea.
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If you look at the photo below. There is a painted wall with an image of a man holding a little paper boat and to the right is written a phrase in Russian language that when translated says: ''If a person has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to reject it''. At first, in my ignorance, I did not know who this person was, but I was curious and after some research I learned that he was ''Jacques-Yves Cousteau'', French naval officer and renowned explorer, researcher and marine biologist who was a pioneer in marine conservation, co-inventor of the regulators still used today in scuba diving and also the first to popularize underwater films. He became the most famous of the popularizers of the underwater world.
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On my way to the bus stop that would take me to the airport, I took some pictures of the city and I really liked an exhibition of small paintings in one of the parks of Sochi, as the artist had used a very peculiar technique that gave a lot of light and sense of movement to his works.
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Here are some other pictures I took of the city before leaving
Sochi Art Museum
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Park dedicated to V.I. Lenin. Beautiful and cozy place to relax after a long journey.
Statue of the archangel Michael. Avenida Kurortny.
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Kurortny Avenue
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´´Vereshchaginskiy´´ Viaduct. Kurortny Avenue
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Sochi Circus
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Finally, I took a bus to the Air Terminal located in Adler. The flight to Moscow lasted 2 hours.
Adler Air Terminal
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I confess that I would have liked to spend more time in this beautiful city, but I only had three days. Who knows, at some point I may visit it again. Well, up to here my presentation I hope you have enjoyed it. I thank the creators of this great community, because it is a way for people from all over the world to share their experiences when visiting places of interest.
Thanks for your attention
Until the next visit...
All photos are my own and were taken with my phone HUAWEI P-10
Translator: DeepL