In Russia, political power has always come from the top and historically has had a sacred character. Before the advent of Communism in fact the tsar was considered holy, the elected and his portraits were hung in the churches. This dual nature, political and sacred, legitimized his power. The Bolsheviks were inserted seamlessly into this tradition. In the materialistic conception […]

“Did you buy St. Anthony icon? – my mother asked me for the umpteenth time on the phone – he is the protector of our family; grab one for you too” she advised. So my mission begins (after all very simple), in this last stop of my Russian journey: purchase a St. Anthony painting on wood. The search icon will […]

My train to Moscow leaves at 6 am. I head to the station through a silent Ekateriburg wrapped in a thin mist that dance between the massive grey buildings on the sides of the main road. The provodnik of my wagon is a man in his fifties with ice blue eyes who likes to piss provodnitsa the night shift off, […]

After six intense days of train journey finally I arrive to my destination. I go down at the Ekaterinburg train station in a cloudy morning when the city still sleeps beneath the milky sky and a cool wind ruffles the surface of the river. The city is the capital of the Urals, the mountain range on the two continents: that […]

For my endless journey westwards I have the seat number 6 in the wagon number 0 of the worst-platzkart ever. Just one working plug, which is located on the bed under mine, so that anyone who wants to load some electronic devices has to do it on the head of the poor man who sleeps there. Empty drinking water tap: […]