Sergei Karpov was born and raised in Volgograd, which he calls "the most depressing of Russia's million-resident cities."

Irina Novikova explains the resilience of Smolensk, its legends, ghosts, churches and fortress. Oh, and why people stop by a city park to stroke the genitals of a bronze deer.

Evgeny Serov takes us to Magadan, a city with beautiful ocean views and a Gulag past.

Nina Zotina takes us to Kalmykia, a place of chess, Buddhism, and steppe.

Ekaterina Razina is a wedding photographer in Bryansk. She tells us how the g is pronounced there, and why you want to visit a certain church.

Ramil Sitdikov gives us a tour of his home: Ufa, where the sky meets the water and surprising works of art were found in ancient caves.

Kristina Brazhnikova, who last week took us around her home city of Voronezh, this week takes us to Uglich.

Kristina Brazhnikova acquaints us with the southern city of Voronezh, which straddles its reservoir (once a river).

Anton Unitsyn takes us to Solvychegodsk, where the Stroganovs got their start (thanks to salt) and where today sulfurous mud reigns supreme.

Alexander Gaivoron and his wife Anastasia took their pre-wedding honeymoon on Kamchatka, land of bears and volcanoes. And they invite us along!

Olya Virich takes us to the Kuban, more specifically Krasnodar, the capital of Russia's breadbasket.

Constantin Fedin takes us to the mining capital of Western Siberia: Kemerovo.