KAZAN - RUSSIA

Dear readers!

Yes we saw the sun again! Our view outside from our Soviet hotel was enlivened by an cold winter sunrise. Which was a beautiful sight. We felt like we were taking steps in a complete different world than the day before. The air was sharp and the east wind blew through everything. You know that feeling when you want to go iceskating. A scanty breakfast was possible after you'd shown your breakfast pass to the three young ladies at the entrance, who were very busy with the ingestion of the passes?

When we drove to Kazan we often had a great view of the Volga river and the landscape was lightly glowing. Water and the ground have frozen by now. It's unbelievable that and how people are sitting aside of the road all day long trying to sell their onions, potatoes, rugs, dead geese, pink bear dolls and other items.

It was freezing when we got out of the car just to have a look at the items they were selling. But we can't complain, because we were wearing warm clothes unlike the shopkeepers. 

A woman with a gold tooth showed the clothes she had in her shop and Jesse was very friendly to buy a pair of gloves. 

The lady wanted to know everything about our rally to Singapore and didn't mind to take a picture with us. This is the first picture of this post taken by Luuk van Kaathoven.

Also we had a fuel learning moment again, that if you ordered too much, you are kindly asked to use your credit card once again. As suspicious as we are we thought we were being tricked into something. Both ladies who were running the place laughed at us because of this but helped us through it. Eventually it was about 128 ruble equals €4.

The road to Kazan was fine and bearable. For the first time we went through the ДПС, also we were pulled over by the traffic police. This wasn't because we had done anything wrong, no just because wanted to hear about our adventures so far and everything else about the rally.  The entire day we drove together with the mini of Luuk (the photographer of the rally) and Jesse.

After we arrived we immediately went down town, which was a stroll of approximately 20 minutes.
We read in the Lonely Planet that Kazan has a large history as Tartar stronghold and a meeting point of the Islam and of Christianity, Europe and Asia. And they didn't bragged to much, because the city was beautiful and very clean. The stores were all renovated and amazing churches, but there were some beautiful modern buildings as well.

The West can still learn some things. We had a delicious dinner in a small restaurant and when we were back a the hotel we were ready to go to bed, to be able to get out of the next day very early. 

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The first seven pictures are taken by LUUKVANKAATHOVEN.NL Automotive Photography.