旅人る - Tabibito

 

Samara. Part II

 

In the Russian hinterland, locals often ride in cars with flags and old patriotic songs on the celebration of victory in World War II. On May 9, in Samara, representatives of the private military company Wagner rode through the streets with flags, bandanas on their faces and closed number plates. They do not yet realize that they will soon become rebels.

 

Tribunes at the Opera and Ballet Theater and road closures due to the holiday.

 

Sanctioned street art from different eras.

 

Art by local artist Klaus. Most mugs are 10 centimeters in size, but sometimes they grow to a couple of meters in diameter, and then public utilities are mobilized to destroy them.

 

Creativity of a local plumber next to the station.

 

Central railway station.

 

Lots of abandoned houses.

 

Why change the glass when you can just fill up the broken window with books?

 

Not only old houses are subject to decay, but also new ones.

 

Indigenous people are busy sorting garbage.

 

Samara cats. Very affectionate to humans, but very violently throwing themselves at dogs of all sizes.

 

Trams in Samara aren't particular modern but the system is quite convenient.

 

Trolleybus.

 

In Soviet times, only a short metro line was built in Kuibyshev from commieblocks to an industrial zone. After the collapse of the USSR, the city tries to extend it to the center. In 2024, they promise to open a station near the Opera and Ballet Theatre.

 

In the meantime, the nearest station to the center is Alabinskaya.

 

I liked the Samara metro as a whole. There are few passengers, the security measures aren't cumbersome.

 

"Sovetskaya" metro station.

 

Some low-rise Stalinist buildings near it.

 

A worn out sign from 2020 about the observance of 1,5 m "social distance" at the entrance to the park. I think two years ago everyone here didn’t care about this nonsense.

 

Getting in (as of April 2023): About 2h flight from Moscow. Samara airport is big and new, it serves both Samara and another big city nearby - Tolyatti. A taxi to a city center will cost about 1000-1500 rubles.

Where to stay: Hampton by Hilton near central railway station.

Where to eat: nice restaurants on Kuibysheva street like the Kachapuri Tyotushki Mariko and Robbi. Best desserts can be found at Eclernaya (two venues in the city center).

<< Ulyanovsk << Samara. Part I

Syzran >> Orekhovo-Zuevo >>