January 28, 2016

Best Destinations of 2015


Best Destinations of 2015
Lake Bled, Slovenia taken by Jillian Schneeman

MIR Corporation – the name means "peace" and "world" in Russian – is an award-winning tour company that has been specializing in creative, culturally immersive small group, custom and private journeys along the Silk Route, the Trans-Siberian Railway, to Russia and beyond, since 1986. This article originally appeared on their blog

Mir shared their nine best Instagram photos from their fascinating destinations. We wanted to share them with you.

The “2015bestnine” includes these photos taken in Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, LatviaChina, Kyrgyzstan and Russia:

  1. Krka waterfalls in Croatia
  2. Dubrovnik rooftops in Croatia 
  3. Lake Bled in Slovenia
  4. A cloudy day in Istanbul, Turkey 
  5. Lake Bled in Slovenia (another view)
  6. Sunrise in Riga, Latvia
  7. The Forbidden City in Beijing, China
  8. Yurt builder in Kyrgyzstan
  9. Winter wonderland in Suzdal, Russia

For a daily dose of more photos, follow Mir at mir_corporation. Be sure to like and share their photos via your smartphone, and also like Mir on Facebook, to check out what’s new and noteworthy in their fantastic destinations.

The cream of the Instagram crop.<br> Photographers Top Row: Martin Klimenta, Peter Guttman<br> Second Row: Jered Gorman, Jillian Schneeman, Peter Guttman<br> Third Row: Jake Smith, Vlad Ushakov, Jonathan Irish The cream of the Instagram crop.
Photographers – First Row: Martin Klimenta, Peter Guttman
Second Row: Jered Gorman, Jillian Schneeman, Peter Guttman
Third Row: Jake Smith, Vlad Ushakov, Jonathan Irish

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Some of Our Books

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

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