Culture & Customs

For our final TWERF of 2017, we look back and re-share some of our favorite stories from 2017. They may not be the most note-worthy or news-worthy stories, but we felt they were the most fun.

Why are Russians are such enduring villains, and what was the real intent of the election meddling campaign?

Photography, food and spies comprise this week's Three Best Reads. We travel to Vilnius, Brooklyn, and Washington, DC, to consider wagging tongues, boiled tongues, and an overlooked photographer.

Moscow opens Zaryade, and other news from the travel front.

Icons have been revered in Russia for centuries, and when it comes to miracle-working icons, pilgrims will travel thousands of kilometers to seek their divine assistance. 
We look at three you can find in Moscow.

As fall deepens and winter approaches, what could be better than a warm honey drink imbued with Russian history.

Select images from the Children of 1917 book and film project.

Our last stop on the Children of 1917 expedition was Finland, namely Tampere, the country's second largest city, where we met our final two heroes.

Minsk is a city built for giants. And it is where we met a great soul, Maria Fyodorovna Rylik, who dedicated her life to teaching and her family.

In which a retired Polish butcher explains how to live to be 100 and serenades us on his trumpet.

On borders, learning Polish, the influence of culture, and the importance of a sense of humor.

A second post from Krasnoyarsk, where we meet a poetry-writing, rug-weaving centenarian.