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Kaliningrad Reviews

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Glasgow UK
Kaliningrad - Disappointing Russian City
Feb 25, 2002 12:05 PM 2084 Views

INTRODUCTION


It was back in 1998 when I was in Berlin, Germany for training when I make this trip to Kaliningrad, Russia. It was out of a sudden plan for us, my German colleague was asking if any of us is interested in going to Russia. At first we thought he is talking about the faraway Russia, never did we know that there is a part of Russia near us, which is the Kaliningrad Region.


Over the weekend, we drove across Poland in his comfortable 4WD Land Rover and arrived to Kaliningrad, the capital of the Kaliningrad Region, Russia.


Kaliningrad was originally a German city, from 1255 to 1945. It was taken over by then Soviet Union (now Russia) after the World War II. In the city, you will be able to see different sort of architecture, from German to Russia.


Most of the city is destroyed during World War II, so Russia rebuilds it, there is the reason why most part resembled Russia architecture design.


TRANSPORTATION


There is an airport at Khrabrovo, north of Kaliningrad. It has services to a most Russian and CIS cities, as well as services to a number of European destination, but services is not frequent.


Bus travels is often the cheapest option from Poland. I heard that the fair is often less than US$5, I wonder how true that can be as US$2 is really cheap. Problem of bus services is that Kaliningrad is not directly linked to major cities in Europe except those near it. Even if it does not, it was very long hours and tiring.


Train is also becoming an important mode of transport into Kaliningrad. There are services to nearby countries where you are able to connect to another train to other cities in Europe. Train is definitely more comfortable than by bus, but the cost is higher. I am not sure how much does it cost, but according to my colleague, the price is still way below that found in the Western Europe.


Kaliningrad can be reached by car, and it is the mode of transport that we took to enter Kaliningrad. Road condition is not as good as I thought, but it is still acceptable.


FOOD & ACCOMMODATION


When I was there, there aren't many choices in terms of food selection. But if you want Russian food, you can easily find it. Most restaurants' menu is written in Russian, so ordering food can be a problem, and they somehow don't speak English. The price is generally surprising cheap, you can easily get a good 3-course meal for under US$5. I find the food really good. We was lucky in the way that in the restuarant that we visited, the boss can speak German, so all our food was ordered by my German colleague.


Accommodation in Kaliningrad can be very disappointing low quality, but still in an acceptable shape. The most expensive hotel in Kaliningrad will be around US$50 for a night, which is very good and affordable for us. Cheaper sources like private homes offer as low as US$2 per person per night. All 5 of us stay in a very big rooms and it cost us only US$10, and that include breakfast in the morning.


As I walk along the streets, we found a lot of smaller hotels, which offers rooms ranging from US$10 to US$30. So accommodation is considered really cheap in Kaliningrad. But don't expect a 5 star grade at this price. In my opinions, at such price, the condition is terrific. I believe back in UK or France, such condition room at US$10 will easily be charging US$50.


MAIN ATTRACTIONS


Kaliningrad Cathedral - The red brick shell of the Kaliningrad Cathedral stand at the heart of the city. It is in ruin state after the bombing during World War II. The cathedral is very much a German, as it belongs to the German before the Russian took over the city. The tomb of Immanuel Kant, a great philosopher from is 18th century was within the cathedral. The Kaliningrad is not the most beautiful cathedral that you want to see, but in the heart of the Kaliningrad people, it is the symbol of their past.


Near to the cathedral is the Tsentralnaya Ploshchad, which is a central square. At the square you can see the Russian designed architecture. Among them is the Gostinitsa Kaliningrad (I am not sure what is it either). For those who have never been to Russia, this is a very good indication of Russian Architecture in a smaller scale.


Bunker Museum - This was the German command post during the Red Army's assault on Kaliningrad. Nothing much in it, don't worth the visit.


Walking around the city, you will come across quite a number of status and a lot of gate. I cannot remember their names as I did not job it down in my travel diary. The whole city did not give me a very good impression in general. The street is smoky caused by the traffic, and it is somehow intolerable at times.


But the surprising good part of Kaliningrad is the friendly people. This is the true account we had with an old Russian couple who don't speak English or German. We happened to get lost in the city and lost our direction totally. We are trying really hard to locate the location where we parked our car. But seems like we are totally helpless. This old couple senses that we are in troubles and in needs, and offer their help. We had a hard time looking for our car, and now we had another hard time trying to let them know we lost our way. But the great thing is that they never gave up to help us. After much hand language and drawings, they manage to get our message. In addition, they walk us to the place that best resembled our pictures, and there it was, our Land Rover. We wanted to buy them dinner for their help but they decline our offer. I can still remember what she did was to return a simple smile and walked off with her husband. Even till today, we are still talking about it when we talk about our trip to Kaliningrad.


All of us who make this trip to Kaliningrad have the same feeling. We will not return to this city.


SUMMARY


Being there just once, and I know I will not be going into this part of the world again. It definitely does not have the appeal to attract tourist, unless some good efforts is done.


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