SO, after we came back from our Westerly travels, we had a night at the American Home to do laundry and then the guys came to pick us up and take us to Nizhniy Novgorod. It ended up being kind of a boring city tourist-wise, but it was really fun to have a day with some cool Russians around. The great thing about our trip is that every part really had a new feel to it and it was a good mix of traveling and hanging out. Emily and I also had killer conversations almost every night, sometimes to my chagrin the next morning when the alarm clock went off.
After the day in NN, we hopped a night train to Kazan. It was uneventful except for the extreme heat! It was almost impossible to sleep, which is weird for me. Kazan ended up being my favorite Russian city so far, by far, no questions asked. First of all, people are extremely friendly and nice on the street. There aren't even any change Nazis! The city is totally pedestrian friendly and beautiful, with big walkways and rolling hills and parks. The fortress had both a mosque and a cathedral inside, and there is a huge Muslim population in the city. Maybe the duel culture background is what makes it so unusual for Russia. All the signs were in two languages and there was a lot of cool (not American!) music playing on the street. I plan to go back in the spring, and hopefully study there one day.
On the way back, we had planned a full day in NN, but after getting off the night train at 7am, we decided to try to find a quicker way back to Vladimir. There was no direct bus, so we ended up hitch hiking on the bus system: a group taxi got us to a little town half an hour away from Vladimir and a bus driver going through Vladimir agreed to make an extra stop there and drop us off. It was really fun! Now we are just back and resting up! It also sounds like I am going to get a new host because Kamila and I agreed that would probably be best for both of us. So, new year, new beginnings!
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