Saturday, April 24, 2010

Checkin out Chkalov, Russia

Located approximately 95 miles northwest of Nizhny Novgorod, and situated right on the bank of the Volga River, Chkalov (Russian: Чка́ловск) is a small old fashioned town named for the worl renowned Russian aviator Valery Chkalov.

Mike, Natasha, Me, and Lena

We visited Chkalov on a frigidly cold day, and did not get to really see much of the town. We did however stop by the banks of the Volga River. In the background you can see the banks of Gorodets and Zavolzh'ye.

I would recommend checking out the Cklalov Museum. Its filled with all sorts of awesome things. They have so many historical items from Valery Chkalovs flights and from his life. The museum is housed in the very home where he grew up, and even features a recreation of his bedroom, office, and living space. They have many of his flight uniforms, and show some of the awards and maps from his flights. In a separate warehouse off to the side, see above, there are some of the actual planes that Chkalov flew. The large plane you see above was flown from Moscow to Vancouver, over the North Pole. That was a 63 hour flight. Whoa man.

The town has some good restaurants, and for about 8 bucks (250 rubles) you can get soup, salad, and a main course.

If you are ever traveling through the area, dont make Chkalov a full day stop, but for a quick afternoon, definitely hit it up!

1 comment:

Stephanie Kay said...

Looks like fun! The museum sounds fascinating. We love going to places like that.