The Lure of Russia

"Much more than a travelogue, here are all the things any traveller would want to know about the history, people and magnificence of Russia."


Gail Ford visited Russia 18 times in 20 years, so her unique travels provide snapshots of Russian life during the pivotal times of a crumbling Soviet Union and momentous change. 
As a schoolteacher, Gail first took a group of students to Russia in 1989; disaster struck before they had even set foot on the Trans Siberian Railway. But they journeyed on through Siberia and Uzbekistan en route to Moscow and Leningrad and along the way were wooed with cakes and flowers by ardent young soldiers, shared a train carriage for far too long with a nappy-less baby, and were booked into a hotel–brothel by officials in Samarkand.
In these captivating journeys, Gail and her fellow travellers relive the lives of the tsars through their palaces, visit the re-emerging churches to hear for themselves the soaring sounds of Russian choirs with their astounding basso-profundo voices, discover the common bonds with Russian teenagers and their families, and experience the generosity of their homestay hosts who sacrificed their food and beds to welcome these strangers.
She looks at the Russia that has emerged; the cultural heart that continues to be the soul of Russia — formed through its history of conflict and hardship; and the effect of the political and economic changes on the people.