Vologda.
Vologda is the main city in Vologda oblast, situated 400 kilometers from Moscow. I have been there for several times, and despite its poor condition I like it very much. Vologda is one of those places where many features of Russian culture have been preserved. It's good that in 2000s--a time of big prices for oil and a rise of the Russian economy--Vologda had no great influx of money. Therefore, beautiful historic buildings of Vologda were not demolished and replaced by ugly shopping malls and apartment blocks. So, Vologda is a place where the spirit of old Russia remains, however ruined its condition may be in some parts of the city. This time I arrived there by train. When I travel by the train I like the night trains. You can spend the night sleeping and arrive at your destination in the morning, around sunrise. I wrote "sunrise" just formally, since actually Russia cannot boast of many sunny days during wintertime. Usually the sky has a ...