Top ten places – May 31st->June 9th.


From May 31st to June 9th I’ve travelled from Tallinn in Estonia to Kazan in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. Here is the ranking of the top ten things I liked the most, as usually in reverse order.


Concert in Tallinn
Number #10 – Genesis’s Turn It On Again Played in Tallinn
After a very rainy day in Tallinn the evening keeps several surprises: few sunny hours and a concert including Turn It on Again of my favourite band


Petergof fountains
Number #9 – Fountains of Petergof
Water everywhere: A crazy rainy days spent among the crazy fountains of Petergof beautiful and full of surprises

Old bus in Tallinn
Number #8 – Old time bus to Leningrad
Early morning, Tallinn bus station ready to go to Saint Petersburg. Outside an old bus has still written Leningrad. It is really same town?

A Giorgio Morandi painting
Number #7 – Italian pride in Moscow
Pushkin museum in Moscow, beside impressionist work a retrospective about the Italian Giorgio Morandi with display in Russian and Italian. A small moment of pride.

Nevsky Prospekt Sign
Number #6 – And suddenly: Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Prospekt, a street so important for fan of greatest Sicilian songwriter Franco Battiato. Realising you’re there (again) is priceless

Hidden secrets in a rainy Tallinn
Number #5 – Comfort food for a grey day
Too much rain in Tallinn so how to survive to it? Some of the best cheesecake eaten in my life are a good way. Thanks Mmuah cafe!

Hermitage museum
Number #4 – Huge collection of Hermitage
One full day spent being totally at the mercy of the history surrounded by thousands of items in Hermitage Museum, being aware that it was even too short

Russian and Tatar flags
Number #3 – A country within a country
Nothing like Tatarstan gives you the idea of the many faces of Russian Federation. A republic where you do not feel in Russia but certainly you are.

Saint Basil Domes
Number #2 – Moscow. More than enough
Moscow is not a town, it is a spiritual mood. It is impossible to describe my feeling when I’m here. I was a Muscovite in one of my previous lives.

Leaving from Kazanskaya Station
Number #1 – Planning a dream
Facing the difficulties of planning a complicate journey: the Trans-Siberian and being able, in an afternoon, to shape, train after train what you dreamt so many times.

By the way… have you lost other issues of the top ten? Don’t worry. You can find them here:

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