My FAVORITE CITY in Russia? | Kazan, Tatarstan

Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia - Our third stop on our journey across the entire country of Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway is Kazan.
We arrive early on the train from Moscow to Kazan and head straight out to the Blue Lake of Kazan.
We go scuba diving in the Blue Lake and then head back into the city of Kazan, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan for lunch and exploration.
We try traditional Russian and Tatar food and then explore the Kazan Kremlin and bustling Bauman Street in downtown Kazan.
The next morning we take a boat from kazan to the ancient capital of Bolgar, where we visit the old city and go inside the White Mosque.
From there, it was back into Kazan to catch the Trans-Siberian Railway once more - this time, we're heading into the Ural Mountains!
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TRAVEL DEEPER.

[PaulV.]

Kazan is the unique place cause it is the perfect example of peaceful coliving together of Christians and Muslims. The city population is basically 50% Russian (Christians), 50% Tatar (Muslims). Churches are standing right next to mosques. Everybody respect traditions of the others and dont tell them how they should behave. A girl can go through a street wearing a hijab or a short skirt and nobody will tell her anything. If you want to drink an alcohol you will find plenty of bars and if you want to eat at a halal place there will be a lot of them as well. Its a shame that there are not so many places in the world with ppl attitude towards each other like in Kazan.

[finik]

It’s so nice to see foreign visitors exploring different parts of Russian and dispel the stereotypes about people living there. Hopefully, you will be able to travel to every big city in Russia. This might help to stop persistent divisions between Russians and Americans. Keep up the good work! +1 subscriber

[habibasaber]

I was in Kazan before, I was studying there, really it is a wonderful city and its people are nice

[GarethLeonard]

***PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE COMMENTING***
ALL of the information that I speak about within these videos comes from the knowledge of a local guide. If I misspeak or provide incomplete facts, I do not mean to offend or mislead anyone. I am trying to provide as much information as possible within a very short video, so for that, I apologize if I do not completely cover a particular topic.
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With that said, in this particular video, some of you have questioned my statement about "Russian soldiers attacking the city of Kazan in the 15th Century" (thus forcing them to move the city to where modern day Kazan is)...
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This is one of those times where I should have told the full story or nothing at all - LESSON LEARNED. 🤦🏻‍♂️ 
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There is A TON of information about this place in history...
First, you are correct in saying that, in 1438, the Bulgar fortress Kazan (ISKE-Kazan) was captured by the ousted Golden Horde Khan Ulugh Muhammad - who originally moved the fortress to the modern location.
The part I am speaking about (taught to me by our local guide) is the Siege of Kazan in 1552. Tsar Ivan the Terrible (Russian) conquered the city and massacred the majority of the population. The surviving Tatar population was moved 50 kilometers away from the city and Bolgar was forcibly settled by Russian farmers and soldiers.
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One last thing, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again - ANY AGGRESSIVE OR RUDE COMMENTS about a place, culture, or individuals WILL BE DELETED. This channel is not for trolls. This channel is about positive travel experiences and how incredible this world is, beyond what you may see in the media. There is enough negativity in this world, my comment section will not be one of them. However, I do encourage constructive criticism and help on any information that I may have failed to cover in these videos.
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THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING, and I hope you enjoyed the video. 🙏

[annp]

С каким уважением и как красиво он снимает религиозных местах!

[fouhell]

I'm algerian and i live in Kazan, u're welcome in this very beautifull city 🙏

[yewline]

не могу, прям гордость берет. Обожаю, с каждым годом, все больше туристов)

[almi]

Я живу здесь. И я рад что могу наслаждаться этой красотой каждый день😋

[kristiyankrasimirov]

They are descendants of the Bulgar nomadic tribes of Volga Bulgaria, much love from Bulgaria🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬

[МаринаЛ-йо]

I'm russian, but I've never been to Kazan. And after this video I want to go there so desperately

[andrey_lunar]

This is just ridiculous. I was born and live in Moscow for about 35 years. But 95% that you guys have shown I haven’t seen before even on TV or Internet. You are REALLY GOOD film makers. Amazing job! Please, keep it up!

[red_anfield]

I'm from Kazan. It's really one of the best cities in Russia. For me Kazan is the best, the most coziest.
You have vizited good places here. Nice choice! Blue lake, Chak Chak, Bolgar by the boat!
We would like to see everyone in Kazan. We are very friendly people and always would like help tourists!

[rezev]

Dear friends, thank you so much for your time and your visit to my hometown -Kazan! Actually I have been in many cities, lived in Japan for 2 years, but returned to Kazan because I really love my city. Thank you for coming and your video, I am very grateful for you making it. Kazan is beautiful and tolerant, warn and hospitable.

[Airat-kzn]

Казань конечно не глубинка России, а озеро находится не далеко от города.) У ребят не совсем верное представление о российских дачах))

[BeyondYourDoorstep]

Wow that looks so stunning! That diving was like nothing we've ever seen before! We vlogged our first diving trip in The Philippines a few weeks back, but it was all coral and fish (which was amazing) but that fresh water dive looked so tranquil and relaxing. Kazan looks like a beautiful city ❤️

[hedwigc]

I just left Kazan and I'm already missing it, looking forward to going again next time😊😊😊

[alexashikhmin]

It's becoming very funny when you watch more and more videos from foreigners about Russia, and with every new one you finally understand how beautiful your own country is)

[zarfrancisco]

Im loving this Russian vlog series. Very informative and entertaining too 🙂

[Изобретательвелосипедов]

Man, you make incredibly cool videos! Respect for diving into the Blue Lake. I didn’t expect you to go there, not the most popular tourist place in Kazan, but it is a good place. The water there does not freeze, you can swim there in the winter too. Greetings from Kazan)

[ereimul]

i come across this channel 2 days ago and next thing i know, I've been watching the channel 2 days straight. really enjoy the style of presentation.