13.08.2019: A day in Nizhny Novgorod

Today's task was to explore Nizhny Novgorod (formerly called Gorky before the revolution, named after the Russian poet). The city was also a so-called closed city. Due to the presence of the nuclear industry/research (the nuclear physicist Sakharov worked here), no tourists were allowed in until the Perestroika. In the vicinity, there is still a "nuclear city" where even ordinary Russians cannot enter.

You can still feel the city's former isolation to a certain extent. On the occasion of the FIFA World Cup last year, some upgrades were made (including a new stadium) and some improvements were made, but the city is not yet modern or touristy.

Although: You can rent e-scooters (Andi Scheuer would be jealous) and take a cable car across the Volga River to the other side of the city (Ilse Aigner recently explored a similar project for Munich in her former position).

Nizhny Novgorod is situated at the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers, but a second visit here is not immediately necessary.