3 Day Battlefield Tour
This tour was something I had wanted to do for a long time and I was not disappointed. From the minute Mikhail picked us up from Gumrak Airport I knew that he was the right person to help us gain an understanding of the Battle of Stalingrad from the starting point of the battle through to it's final conclusion. He showed us all the sites in the city on the first day and Mamaev Kurgan where we saw the hourly changing of the guards as well as visiting The Panorama Museum which has the most amazing diorama of the battle. On the second day we visited both the German and Russian war cemetaries at Rossoschka which was a very sobering experience. It makes you realise just how many lives on both sides were lost. On the way we were introduced to two women who had competed in the Sydney and Beijing Olympics which was a real honour for us. And on the third day we went to Kalatch on the river Don where we could see where the two Russian armies linked up on the 19th November 1942. We picked up some local souvenirs from local cossacks and had our photo taken wearing the local headgear. Needless to say it looked better on them than it did us. But the real highlight was when we were asked if we wanted to attend a memorial service for two Russian soldiers who had been killed during the battle and were being buried at Golubinsky. We felt very honoured to be a part of this experience. This was the best part of our holiday in Russia and what a way to end it. Many many thanks to Mikhail for passing on all his knowledge and for all our great experiences in the City on the Volga. I think a return trip in winter is on the cards.
Visited June 2017