Kazan

We left Moscow via Kazanskiy Train Station to Kazan yesterday at 19:20. We arrived Kazan at 08:47 this morning.. Small station and no clue as to how to get to the small hostel we booked.. Luckily APEC was having a meeting in Kazan too, and so there were some girls who speaks a little English near the waiting hall...

After checking in we went on the Metro (15rubles) to town and visited Kazan's Kremlin, Qul Sharif Mosque, Kazan Hermitage, Monument of fallen soldiers in 1552, and the Leaning Suyumbike Tower. The Museum of Islam was closed as we arrived at Friday prayer time! We went instead to the Memorial Museum-Complex "History of the Nationality of Tatar people and the Republic of Tatarstan where they were also exhibiting some science exhibits .. solar systems... And also the museum had exhibits of dinosaur bones unearthed in Tatarstan!! Talk about visiting one of the oldest places on earth!!

After lunch, we went a little way into the Bauman Street and passed a couple more churches. Street peddlars abound, we shopped for some souvenirs and met err.. some escapee delegates of Apec..

I would suggest the Mirage or Kazan Grand Hotel or Kazan Palace Hotel for location for friends who would visit here.. But for history, age of the planet, Islam in east Europe and Russia, and where Asia meets Europe, Kazan should definitely be visited! The weather today is at a pleasant 20C

Well I have drank enough caffeine at this cafe in order to use its free wifi.. Hopefully I will still get some sleep tonight.. Tomorrow, onward to Irkursk!!