Volgograd - 9/21/15 Day 2

Today we arrived in Volgograd, Russia. We were immediately greeted at the gate with our translator Irina and Alena from Volgograd Botanic Garden. Once we settled into our hotel, we had an enjoyable lunch together while we discussed our itinerary for the remainder of our stay. Although extremely tired from the jet lag and hustle and bustle of Moscow, we headed out to tour the sights of Volgograd. Our places of interest included guided tours of the surrounding war memorials of the Motherland Calls statue and museums. Pressing on, we had the pleasure of Oleg's company at dinner to discuss our objectives during our stay. We are looking forward to our visits to the botanical institutions and nearby conservation areas. The weather has been rather warm during our short visit thus far. Temperatures are ranging between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Apparently, they are experiencing an indian summer. Warning! - Many pictures of plants to follow in the coming days!





Motherland Calls - The statue is 87 meters tall and weighs 7900 tonnes.



Memory of Generations



Marshal Vasily Chuikov from the 62nd Army is buried here next to many of his comrades.

Mother of Sorrow 

View of the Volga River from the Motherland Calls statue

Military Honor Hall - Fascinating pieces and historical information regarding World War are on display



Motherland Calls

Donna, Derek, & Justin
"Stand to Death" or "Fight to the Bitter"



Remains of The Mill in downtown Volgograd after the Battle of Stalingrad. The entire city was rebuilt post World War era except this building. It remains in remembrance of how damaging the war was.



Stand to Death Memorial Statue



Memory of Generations Memorial

Our guide, Tamara, explaining the history of the memorial. She was terrific and very knowledgeable regarding the history of Volgograd.



Volgograd State Panoramic Museum

Church of All Saints - Although it mimics the surrounding Russian cathedrals, it is only a few years old.