Yoshkar-Ola is the capital city of the Mari El Republic, Russia. Population: 248,782. First mentioned in November 1st, 1584. Archeological dating of the first known settlements at about 12000 years B.C. Situated halfway between Moscow and Kazan.
Yoshkar-Ola by car
Yoshkar-Ola at night
Wonderful country to live in.
However: Many Russians came to Berlin and now it so happens that I moved into their sector 3 years ago (because in the city center of Berlin I could no longer deal with all the western snobs, it stopped me from feeling well, the situation changed significantly during the past 25 years, many fancy fassades, like in your videos, but it simply isn’t my home town anymore!)
In my communist built socialist style apartment block (more than 100 families per door) I meet a few of those Russians from time to time, and I told them that it is my biggest wish to leave so called Federal Republic of Germany in favour of migrating to Russia.
They replied, each of them: Are you crazy?! It is impossible. Nobody can pay the daily living costs there anymore. That’s exactly why we came here.
Next true story: In search for a Russian woman living in Berlin but a Soviet and wanting to migrate back to Russia I opened an account on love.mail.ru a few years ago.
I won’t go into details, but it turned out that they think I’m crazy.
Nobody wants because those who came here are traitors anyway.
Next story: I met a beautiful Russian woman in tramwai (she is 42, grew up in the Soviet Union). We had a wonderful discussion etc etc. But she told me: The social situation there is difficult.
And it is very difficult to survive. Especially for unemployed or pensioners.
Next story: Fellow software developers living in Leningrad and having good jobs at western companies: They earned about 2000$ in 2014’s exchanche rates. Wrote me that they feel lucky and are happy, but that if you have to nurish a wife and one kid owning a (even an old) car is out of the question.
Optics can be nice.
And when I was a stupid East-german child I was amazed how nice they apparently have it in the West (on TV).
The emphasis however lies on the word “apparently”.
Back then we had old hungarian Ikarus buses and czech manufactured Tatra Tramwai’s. The price for a ticket was 0,10 for kids and 0,20 for adults (east-german Mark’s).
Now a ticket is at something like 3 EUR (6 West-DeutschMarks and it would be 60 east-german Mark’s).
So how much better is it now???
BTW, in the old times it was safe and nobody would kill or hurt anybody. The public areas were mostly clean and got cleaned every few days. Now …
So while these videos are amazing and do show progress, they don’t tell the whole story.
Ask: Who built this stuff? Why?? For whom(‘s interests)?? Who Owns It???
p.s. Do you want to know where I then found “my” Soviet girl??
—>> In Western Ukraine near Kiev
So much about cosmetics …..
What a beautiful town, it is a pity the Natoists don’t give Russian right to live, to exist and to prosper.
Dear Scott, is it you there? Thank you for introducing the fairy tale city of Yoshkar! – Ola,
once upon a time known as Tsaryovokokshaysk. (you can find out how to pronounce this beautiful name here: http://www.pronouncekiwi.com/Tsaryovokokshaysk
Here is another video of the city, rather long, but it gives one the feeling of walking through the streets, across the great squares and of having the time to absorb and see everything beneath those vast skies whose light filled clouds are reflected in the ancient river.
Here is a picture of the Ascension Cathedral, from 1899
http://c7.alamy.com/comp/EK2N53/tsaryovokokshaysk-yoshkar-ola-ascension-cathedral-EK2N53.jpg