Culture & Customs

One of northern Russia's most beautiful towns, Vologda was also a home for tsarist exiles, including the young Stalin.

In this, the final installment in Russian Life on their trans-Russian journey, Gary & Monica Westcott expore the remarkable Altai before racing across the steppe with winter fast at their heels, in pursuit of their final goal: Hammerfest on the northeast Norwegian coast.

Myedovukha is a fermented honey drink that is great for quenching your thirst in the heat of August.

Like a stunning chrysalis preserved in a drop of amber, Veliky Ustyug survives in Northern Russia, little touched by the 850 years of history it marks this month.

Fort Ross was the southernmost point of Russian colonization of North America. On the 185th anniversary of the fort's founding, we offer a brief history and a photo essay.

Ukha -- fresh fish soup, is popular across Russia. Here's the recipe!

In this, the fourth in our series of articles on Gary and Monika Westcott's drive across Russia, the couple visits the Republic of Tuva, best known for its postage stamps and throat-singing. But the "usual" tourist attractions are not what the Westcotts were after...

For almost all of its 600 years, the Cyril-Belozersk Monastery guarded Russia's northern frontiers, while serving as an influential religious outpost. William Brumfield recounts the monastery's long history.

Svekolnik is "the other beet soup." This aristocratic soup with a delicate flavor is served cold.

When you can't afford beluga, try eggplant caviar. It's a treat that will spice up any party.

There is no place on earth to compare with Lake Baikal. Explore its shores in this, the third installment in the Westcott's saga about their drive across Russia.