In which we move east to Samara, on the Volga River, and meet two centenarians living alone in very different ways.

Photographic proof that all we have done on this trip is work, work, work... and nap.

In which we are reminded of a 1924 decision about train schedules.

Given the historical and personal realities she faced, Maria Konyayeva was very unlikely to live to 100 when she was born in 1917. And yet here she is.

For all the romanticism commonly associated with world travel, the brutal reality is that it is often a very un-romantic undertaking to move the meat that is our bodies around in the world.

Meet two more of our heroes whose long lives have surely been made possible by the care of their family and community.

Any good expedition has its lighter moments. We have collected nine such scenes from recent days into a one-act play for your enjoyment.

The Republic of Georgia is a land of exquisite paradoxes that are sometimes lovable, sometimes infuriating.

Vladimir Dudarev takes us to Siberia's wooden architecture and university capital, Tomsk.

Elena Kotova takes us to the streets, beaches, yoga studios and parks of Saratov, a city on the Volga.

Editor Maria Antonova headed off to the mountains of the Altai to learn about a project that monitors rare snow leopards. We get to tag along.

Alexander Podgorchuk takes us to Russia's westernmost city, Kaliningrad.