Culture
The 9th century saw the foundation of the mediaeval state known as Kievan Rus which was the first Eastern Slavic state and the forerunner for the modern day countries of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The century also saw the foundation of the Ryurikid Dynasty which would rule Russia up until the death of Ivan the Terrible's son Tsar Theodor I in 1598. Read more...
In Russian there are lots of holidays, some of them national, some of them regional and some of them just professional. For some of these holidays you get a day off work while for you still have to go to work but you have a reason to celebrate something. Russians gets around two weeks off a year in public holidays. Read more...
Russian cuisine often gets a bad press for being bland and stodgy but this reputation is undeserved. Russian cuisine has some delicious dishes which you should definitely try when visiting the country. Russian cuisine has absorbed European, eastern, southern and northern influences and it can vary from region to region, even in respect of the same dish. Read more...
For many tourists to Russia the first thing that strikes them about the Russians is their supposed closedness and inability to smile. However this doesn't mean that Russians are mean and hate everybody around them. The Russian smile is a particular feature of the Russian character. Read more...