Yeah, you made me feel shiny and new..

Within the Russian Federation, there are several republics. You've read about my trip to the Bashkort Republic when I went to Ufa. Last weekend, I took an eight hour ride on a bus just as comfortable as a Chinatown bus and found myself in the Tartar Republic in Kazan, the 8th largest city in the country.

Kazan is a beautiful, clean city. There are many churches and mosques because the dominant religions are Islam and Eastern Orthodoxy.

The Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

At first glance, I thought this mosque was Cinderella's castle from Disneyland. It wasn't.

As usual on a weekend in Russia, there are many weddings taking place. Lucky for us, we came across a Muslim wedding.

I thought it was funny that there's a metal detector to get into the mosque. If anyone (women in particular) is planning a trip to Russia, I strongly recommend that you bring a pashmina or a shawl. I recently realized that it's very versatile as you can use it: to cover your head when you enter an Orthodox church or mosque, to use as a pillow when folded up on an uncomfortable bus ride, and as a light blanket when necessary.

Still in the Kremlin.

You can see a man fishing on the platform. This isn't a river, but I'm sure the fish you catch are just as tasty and healthy as catching a fish from the Hudson.

For a second, I felt a little lost. Russian cuisine with Spanish names in a Mexican-inspired building? WIN!

On Saturday, we took an excursion to a tiny island two hours away by boat. People actually inhabit this 1 km x 1.5 km island. Here, there were more churches and a monastery that transformed throughout history (i.e. psychiatric hospital, work-camp, etc.).