I caught the Aeroexpress train from Paveletskaya to Domodedovo to catch a S7 flight on Tuesday afternoon. Aeroexpress takes from 40 to 50 minutes, with a round trip ticket cost of 620 rubles. The entrance at Paveletskaya is a little seedy, as might be expected around any big city train station, but after a hike downstairs and then along a long corridor, some modern, big red ticket vending machines appeared. I bought tickets with a card, then walked into the Aeroexpress reception hall and back up stairs to the train. The rail car interiors are comfortable with big enough seats and room to stack luggage.
Upon arrival at Domodedovo I got briefly lost; the signage, even if you read Russian is either poor or buried in a mass of advertising. I got Arrivals just before JO came in from long-term parking. S7 check-in is well automated. Passengers can have a boarding pass and seat assignment sent to a mobile device with an embedded QR-Code to the night before. (more…)
Kuban Road Trip
-
Karakezidi Winemaking House-View from the Winery
-
Karakezidi Winemaking House – Tasting Hall
-
Karakezidi Winemaking House – Barrel Room
-
Karakezidi Winemaking House – Ivan Karakezidi and John Ortega
-
Karakezidi Winemaking House – A Little Bit of Benny Goodman from Ivan and Kostas
-
Usadba Semigorye – Gennadi Oparin
-
Usadba Semigorye – Vineyards Early Spring
-
Usadba Semigorye – Tanks and Barrels
-
Usadba Semigorye – Ortega and Oparin with Black Sea Garage Wine Banner
Stavropol Region Wines
Passport Magazine March 2011
Text and photos by Charles Borden
The northern route of the Silk Road crossed Stavropol region long before it joined Russia’s frontier at the foot of the Caucasus mountains. During the reign of Catherine the Great, Cossacks settled the territory. Tolstoy’s The Cossacks chronicles the region’s conflicts over a century ago with enemies from the nearby Caucasus across the Terek River, which is today’s Chechnya. The book also lauds the region’s wines. (more…)
Vinzavod
Passport Magazine February 2011
Text and photos by Charles Borden
Vinzavod, literal translation “wine factory,” was the term used in the former Soviet Union and now in Russia for the plant and facilities that manufacture a grape-flavored alcoholic beverage called vino (wine). Many of the Soviet Union’s largest vinzavods were located and continue to operate in the big cities far north of the grape growing areas of southern Russia. Three of the biggest are in Moscow. Another in Moscow has been converted to a trendy modern art district. (more…)