Nizhny Novgorod - Нижний Новгород

Nizhny Novgorod - population: 1,250,619, size: 411 km2. Perceived population: 33,472, perceived size: 35.3 km2 - not to be confused with Ahrensburg. The perceived number of attractions was similar to Ahrensburg. Apart from the remains of the 2018 World Cup - the stadium and a handful of churches - there was very little to see. Nevertheless, Nizhny Novgorod showed its charm. Old Soviet buildings, combined with high-rise blocks and, above all, the small, rundown but still decorated, typical Russian wooden houses (dachas) adorned the roadside, and one had the feeling of finally having arrived in Russia. A Russian city just as I had imagined it. Instead of the Maybachs that still pointed unmistakably to the wealth of a few in Moscow, now there were rickety old cars driving around in Novgorod, which were a much better symbol of the prosperity of the majority of the Russian population.

A little dirty, wide streets, nice people, and a fake market made up of old shipping containers made up the neighborhood we lived in - our apartment, on the other hand, was clean and tidy.

After a bus ride for the equivalent of 40 cents, during which the money (or credit card) for the ticket purchase was passed around the entire bus on a basis of trust, you reached the city center. There you could find, next to the train station, a few restaurants and a department store that resembled a multi-story clothes market more than anything else. Buyers and sellers were alike here: colorful, old, new, big, small, and unsorted. We then reached the noteworthy part of the city after a ride across the Ot River. Located slightly elevated, there was the older part of the city with a small pedestrian passage and the Kremlin. From there, you had a good view of the Ot, which at this point flowed into the Volga. Followed by the rain, which also caught up with us a few times, we explored the "city". Here too, the people were always kind to us and even asked us at times to recommend a beer for them in the everyday beer selection.

Finally, during our time in Nizhny Novgorod, we took the cable car for a very long 15 minutes over the Volga - and over flat forest... Great