The All Nighter Wood Stove

KAZAN, THE CAPITAL OF RUSSIA

Three faces Russia. One that looks to the West, St. Petersburg. Another, pointing to the East and is the Tatar capital, Kazan. And Moscow, which is in the middle.

But if the former imperial capital and the current Russian capital are well known tourist destinations in Europe, the emerging Kazan, capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, has just emerged from the shadows as a thriving metropolis with ambition to become the largest European center of the Muslim world.

Earlier this year, the mayor of Kazan won the right to use the nickname officially trademarked third largest city in Russia. That, it is hoped, will overcome the current figure of about one million hits year tourist attracting more European travelers. An additional argument to achieve this would be the fact that Kazan is the first stop on the famous Trans-Siberian railway, which crosses part of Moscow in 15 days across the country to reach Vladivostok.

's ambitious promotional campaign of Kazan as the third largest city in Russia has received a new impetus. Has left the European stage as the new focus of Russian football. The local team, Rubin, who last year won for the first time the Russian championship, will play in the same group of Barca's Champions League.

Anything goes to get attention. In 2005, Kazan held with pomp the thousand years of its foundation, opened the first subway line and finished building the largest mosque in Europe. The Qul Sharif mosque, built following a Turkish architectural model has four minarets is 57 meters high and a large blue and white dome 39 meters high.

But perhaps the highlight of Qul Sharif is to be lifted in the very heart of Kazan Orthodox faith, within the white walls of the local Kremlin in 2000 was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. That neighborhood, which has no analogues in Russia, is a symbol of Kazan in the two major living religions officially recognized Russia: Islam and the Orthodox faith.

The surprising combination of the two cultures that alternates huge domes of medieval Orthodox cathedrals, elegant minarets is the key to the unforgettable charm that has this city. Kazan-marking. Who once looked down the hill from the Kremlin to the dizzying panorama of the vast Volga River will remember forever.

The difference with other Russian cities note upon arrival. All signs and posters are written in Tatar and Russian. No wonder, since the Tatars and Russians make up almost equal halves of one million local people. In addition, there are neighborhoods where there are only written in Tatar. But even in these Russian zones or language does not cause rejection. At first glance, one gets the impression that Kazan, before the Muslim capital is a metropolis of tartar. The local style is best noted in the numerous clubs and national cuisine, much like the Asian.






adopted Islam as a religion in 922. In the thirteenth century, the Golden Horde, formed by the Mongols, conquered the present Tatarstan. Later, the Golden Horde was divided into several states, of which the largest was the Khanate of Kazan. In 1552, Ivan the Terrible conquered it for the Russians.

In this last and final conquest born the main architectural symbol of the city, Suyumbiké tower, which was named after the last queen of Kazan. According to legend, Tsar Ivan fell in love with the beautiful tartar and asked her hand. The woman said that this was built in just seven days, the tallest tower in the city. After one week, the building was complete. The queen went up "to see the big picture," but suddenly he leaned down to not belong to the conqueror. The Tsar ordered moved to call the tower Suyumbiké. Interestingly, the Cathedral of St. Basil, associated with the Kremlin in Moscow, was built by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the conquest of the Khanate of Kazan.

the early 90's, most of the downtown was composed of wooden buildings. But during the last decade, 100,000 people have been relocated to new quarters in the context of a municipal program. In this forced exodus followed the disappearance of a large part of the architectural heritage. Many old buildings were destroyed, and then lifted into place modern copies.

The few surviving houses are concentrated in Bauman Street. This pedestrian zone is a deliberate copy of the Arbat street in Moscow where there are many souvenir stands outside.

Written by Dmitri Polikarpov in elPeriodico

What Is Half A Head Of Highlights

THIRD THE PERFUME PAGODA IN VIETNAM

Just sixty kilometers southwest of Hanoi, Hong Chua, The Perfume Pagoda, is a sacred place, amidst a splendid nature, full of magic and enchantment. Each year attracts thousands of Buddhist pilgrims who flock during major festivals of spring, between March and April, and all weekends.

Almost without realizing it, passes a morass of traffic in Hanoi to the ocean of rice fields stretching to the horizon in any direction. Is a rest stop that is lost sight of the endless endless rice paddies, green and yellow, dotted with colorful human figures, in that little Volcano straw to protect from the sun (and rain) the Vietnamese. The fields around us are only interrupted, but rather matches the endless line of the road.

In the distance, a long chain of whimsical forms a backdrop sets the landscape. At the foot of the hills, a town choked by the sea that surrounds rice, pressed home defensively as if he feared being swallowed up by the stems to lick the walls. Horizontal cloud, mysteriously suspended in the air, sets the brightness of the whiteness of the polychrome parched rice paddies.

Sorolla is as if he had added the magic of his birth to a painting of Van Gogh. I say the town is called Van Son ('Cloud Mountain'). No objection, except that the road passing through it are completely covered with sheaves of rice drying in the sun like an era. Needless to say, the driver left his vehicle rolled on the mound as if such a thing, reminding me of my childhood in the tracks of Castile.

did not even need to ask. Seeing my astonished face, the driver was quick to explain that in Vietnam all the space available for growing rice. The streets of towns and roads are the only place where you can put out the harvest to loosen the grain. As we move forward, I'll understanding. Until the markets have to be in bridges with the vendors sitting dangerously on the railings.

Feeding seventy million people should not be easy. Finally, we reached the important town of My Duc, where the river port. From here, many pilgrims continue to walk along the river, but others prefer to come to the Pagoda by boat. Tourists are encouraged to make this trip, inevitably do in the light iron boats crowd on the pier. The ride over an hour in the calm waters of the river that run partially between the limestone walls of the Huong Tich Mountain is a true delight.

The shirts are all women, whose husbands, children or parents were martyrs who died or were maimed during the war in Vietnam. They get a salary but not to transport passengers, while other members of his family farm the land or are engaged in beekeeping.

The Perfume Pagoda is actually a complex of pagodas, which include Thien Chu (Pagoda that leads to heaven), Oan Ciaia Chu (Pagoda of Purgatory), where devotees believe that the deities purify their souls, heal their suffering and ensure offspring to childless households. The heart of the resort, however, is the Huong Tich cave, with signs of having been inhabited for more than two thousand years. The downside is that it is on top of a hill, whose ascent is strenuous, especially if the floor is wet from the frequent rains.

Once aloft, you find yourself with lots of vendor booths with souvenirs, stamps, food and water, and in all places of pilgrimage in the world, Buddhist or not. Having passed this test, one must descend a long stairway to the mouth of the cave, inside which is the sanctum sanctorum, a simple altar where the faithful kneel and pray with unction, resulting in highly emotional scenes.

Up the stairs back to what one takes up almost inevitably forced to pause to regain strength in any of the tables that offer food and beverages. But that's where vendors await you to harass your resting with his indefatigable persistence. Patience, brother. After declining by mechanical means and cross over a number of courtyards and pagodas and sellers, the smile of my barquera to reach the river I found the meeting with the seraphic angel welcomes you to the gates of paradise.

much I can count the return journey, except it was a peaceful journey down the river (upstream Or was it? The truth is that the power failure plunged into doubt me), really enjoying the scenic beauty and tranquility of the surroundings, and no pilgrims. Then another two hours threshing rice by the people and roads of the granary of Vietnam.

The tour is very pleasing to the leg. Things are constantly being discovered, through interesting villages, enjoying the field work, etc. The back usually gets a bit tired because there is little energy. But it's worth the effort.

not required but highly recommended is to give a tip to the boatmen. They are very friendly and do work very hard.

Text: Francisco Lopez-Seivane in eight leagues