Russian Kafe

Poplar Fluff Covers Moscow

jim — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:10:48 +0000

Every summer, the fluff from poplar trees floats around Moscow and other Russian cities, often covering the ground and giving the appearance of a recent snowfall. But where did all these poplar trees come from, and who is to blame? RT gives an interesting and entertaining insight into these pesky poplars in this report.

YouTube - Pesky poplar

LIFE: An object from the Soviet space program

jim — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:38:52 +0000

An object from the Soviet space program, at the Permanent Exhibition of Soviet Achievment. Life magazine, October, 1961.

LIFE: An object from the Soviet space program,… - Hosted by Google.

Russians celebrate Epiphany

jim — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:04:48 +0000

The Epiphany - one of the twelve main Orthodox holidays - is celebrated by Russian Orthodox Church and believers throughout the country. Churches bless the waters and the more valiant take a dive into holes in the ice. Russia Today reports on the Epiphany celebrations.

YouTube - Russians celebrate Epiphany.

Found Photos: Russian Public Road Transport

jim — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:09:16 +0000

It’s always interesting to come across unusual photosets on Flickr taken by tourists visiting Russia. We like to see photos that are not of the same exact thing that thousands of other tourists have posted. Colin (Billogs), being a “bus, tram and trolleybus enthusiast,” took a lot of interesting photos of public transport on his trip around Russia. He grabed many of these photos while on guided walking tours. Here are a few that we found particularly intersting. Thanks for sharing, Billogs!

A school bus in Uglich. These are a pretty rare sight in Russia, but are becoming more popular.

A modern tram in Nizhny Novgorod.

Nizhny Novgorod Trolleybus

Marshrutka in Samara

Interesting tram in Samara.

One of the brand new trams in St. Petersburg.

Double decker city tour bus in St. Petersburg.

Find many more transport photos by Billogs in his Russian Public Road Transport set on Flickr.

Russian Smeshariki Cartoon Goes Global

jim — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:00:39 +0000

The Russian cartoon series “Smeshariki” is a huge success inside Russia, and now it has gone global. Here is more information from Russia Today.

Watch on YouTube

Found Photo: 1979

jim — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:50:26 +0000

1979 by payalnic - via Flickr.

May 9, 2008: St. Petersburg Victory Day Photos

jim — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:38:22 +0000

Here are some photos from Victory Day 2008 in St. Petersburg. These are photos of the parade on Nevsky Prospect. Thanks to Jarod Zartman for sharing these photos.

May 9, 2008: Victory Day Photos

jim — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:15:05 +0000

Photos of Victory Day 2008 in Moscow. These are just a few of the many great photos of Victory Day available on Flickr.

Originally posted by: Maraflex

Originally posted by: ucouldguess

Originally posted by: yuffie777

Originally posted by: cjustinhall

Originally posted by: OmegaRus Holdings

Originally posted by: ucouldguess

Originally posted by: ucouldguess

May 9, 2008 Victory Day Coverage

jim — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:32:39 +0000

Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the victory over Germany in World War II. In Russia, the war is known as the Great Patriotic War, and May 9th is still one of the biggest holidays of the year. Russia today has English language coverage of this morning’s Victory Day parade on Red Square. Watch the full video with English commentary and read about the event on the Russia Today website.

Military parade on Red Square - full version (68 min)

Update: Russia Today has posted a lot of great video covering this year’s Victory Day and the history of the Great Patriotic War. Here are some highlights.
History of Great Patriotic War

Russia celebrates WW2 victory

U.S. uncertain about WW2 history
A Victory Day report from America with a Russian perspective.

Found Footage: Dacha days are here again!

jim — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:41:29 +0000

The Dacha, or summer house, is a large part of summer life for many Russians. These summer “houses” range from a simple plot of land for growing vegetables to large mansions. One thing is for sure, getting to your dacha on a Friday night might take hours as traffic jams, full of anxious dacha goers, are common on the roads leading away from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Here’s a short report from Russia Today on the beginning of dacha season.

Dacha days are here again!