Readings

Good news for Tolstoy-loving travelers: starting on February 23, traveling to the novelist's legendary estate, Yasnaya Polyana, will becoming far easier. The Moscow rail system's southbound trains headed to Kursk and Oryol will now stop at Yasnaya Polyana. Previously, tourists interested in visiting the sprawling grounds and home had to book tours or travel to Tula and then find a municipal bus headed to Yasnaya, 20 kilometers away. The trains will depart Moscow at 8:30 am.

Seeking to burnish its image as a ski destination, the Republic of Georgia has launched a new, 7.5 kilometer cable car service between the ski resort of Gudauri and Stepantsminda, a village further north, and close to the border with Russia.

This is welcome news to Russian skiers, who are regularly trapped in Gudauri by snow-related road closures. The cable cars traverse the Krestovy Pass over the Main Caucasus Ridge, which is often inaccessible in winter due to the risk of avalanches or heavy snowfall. The cable car system cost Georgia about $30 million.