Whenever you travel to a country, it is important to avoid the tourist traps and get to know the locals. Here are my impressions of Russia.
Created in the 12th century, Russia was originally a much smaller country. Known as Muscovy, the country was formed in the golden ring area surrounding present day Moscow. After being dominated by the Mongols for a few hundred years, the country began to slow start conquering lands and expanding.
Russia as we know it today didnt really form until Peter the Great came on the scene. A very tall man, Peter the Great could be considered the first great real estate investor of Russia. During his reign, Peter conquered all of the lands between Moscow and the Pacific Ocean.
Russia is simply a huge country. From east to west, the country is so big you can travel for seven days on a train and still not make it all the way across.
During the 20th century, Russia converted from a rather corrupt monarchy to communism. Alas, communism didnt turn out to be much better with leaders such as Joseph Stalin indiscriminately slaughtering much of the population through ill advised planning. Eventually, the Russians changed their...