I’m sure you’re wondering how two Canadians (husband and wife) came to be tourists in Ekaterinburg. I’ve talked to many Canadians who say they have toured Russia, but in reality they have only been to Moscow and/or St. Petersburg.

Well, I’ve had a Russian “penpal” from Ekaterinburg for over 40 years, since I was 15 years old!

We’ve been friends through the Soviet era, the Cold War, the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the fall of Communism. We’ve exchanged Matrushkas and jeans through the mail even when relations with the Soviet Union were at there lowest.

Restored 1968 Volga car in Ekaterinburg

So, one day, in 1999, we decided that it was time to visit each other’s countries. Our friend, Elvira, came to Canada for a month in 2000 and lived with our family in the Niagara Falls area.

In 2002, my wife and I travelled to Ekaterinburg. It was the greatest experience of my lifetime.

To actually be inside of what was once the Soviet Union and to be freely travelling and visiting anyone and anywhere. Every step we took, every place we visited was like travelling through the history and geography we had studied in high school of Russia and the Ural region. The entire trip was fascinating! People were always warm and friendly.

We spent three weeks living with our friend, her mother and father-in-law and her teenage son, all of us together in a two bedroom, Soviet era apartment.

How can I describe three weeks in a short article? Perhaps by sharing only the highlights of our trip, the good and the bad, so here goes . . .

• When you board your plane, abandon your connection to North American life and culture and embrace a different lifestyle. Don’t go to Russia to eat at a McDonald’s! Don’t be upset because you can’t watch your favorite soap opera or buy Kleenex tissues.

• Be prepared to meet some very friendly people in their homes, but not the clerks in stores!

• Enjoy hot showers, when hot water is available.

• Try to go to as many cultural events as possible. We thoroughly enjoyed the Jazz Festival, the Orthodox Church Festival, the symphony in the park and the great museums.

• Tour the countryside, visit the site of a beautiful wooden monastery in the countryside where the bodies of the Romanov family where dumped (- Monastery Ganina Yama). Go out to the Europe/Asia boundary and monument (- Monument on the borderline between Europe and Asia). Watch the Russian newlyweds come out for their wedding pictures.

• Eat, eat, eat! Try out as many Russian restaurants as you can. We always wanted to eat Russian food and our Russian friends always wanted to go to a Western style restaurant, like Subway!

• Travel by trolley or tram, it’s cheap and gets you everywhere.

• After you’ve seen one church, you’ve seen them all, well sort of, but each one tells a different story and is worth seeing.

Yes, Ekaterinburg is in the real Russia and well worth a visit.

Being a Tourist in Ekaterinburg - city founders' monument	Orthodox Festival in Ekaterinburg

Just remember, it’s not Moscow or St. Petersburg, and in many ways, that makes it even more interesting to visit. Ekaterinburg is a great city with a wonderfully interesting history and is a major hub on the Trans Siberian Railroad.

Try to connect with a Ekaterinburg’s resident, maybe stay in a bed and breakfast with a Ekaterinburg family and we know just the person to connect you with!

We welcome comments and appreciate your feedback. Share your own opinion with us: info@ekaterinburg.com