I'm planning my trip to Russia next year. But I am an independant traveller. Tours are boring and expensive most of the times. So I prepare all required ducuments by myself, get them translated by https://pickwriters.com/russian-translation-services. These days you can learn about places just by using Internet. Wikipedia is free! And for me personally, I like freedom and flexibility and I like to do my own things. Otherwise if you don't want to plan your trip - then your choice is to take tours.
A belated merry Christmas to you too. I had no idea that you celebrate it on a different day to the rest of the western world.
Not only us, but also the Georgian, Serbian and Jerusalem Orthodox churches and monks on Mount Athos. It's because of the discrepancy between the duration of the astonomic year and the calendar.
Everything is melting now in Moscow And I've been involved in a minor car accident with a piece of ice flown from the truck on highway. I was a passenger and it flew right into the driver. No injuries, only sad picture. It's the right time to feel nostalgic about Summer Typical Russian Mid-sized town, 200km from Moscow