At the end of my summer program in Bishkek, a friend of mine and I wanted a weekend getaway from Bishkek and decided to visit Kazakhstan’s largest city and former capital, Almaty, which is just over the border. A few other students had already gone and encouraged us to check it out. Almaty lies at […]
Arrayed along a curve in the stately Daugava River a three-and-a-half hour train ride from Riga, Dauvapils is Latvia’s second-largest city. It has a small, walkable city center with multiple peaceful parks, historic churches representing multiple religious traditions, a few small but high-quality museums and a unique Napoleonic-era fortress. Daugavpils is primarily a Russian-speaking city, […]
Kraków is Poland’s most visited city and is known as the county’s cultural capital. Krakow’s old town was one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is a UNESCO City of Literature, and offers amazing architecture, history, and food. Just 2.5-3 hours from Warsaw, you take in many of the major sites in three days […]
Latvia is small country with a long history. Just outside the Riga lie a number of great sites to see – from sandy beaches to medieval castles and from majestic national parks to places literally straight out of fairy tales. See below for a small selection to get you started! Cesis: A Medieval Town […]
This itinerary will take you from Yerevan to Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, and Symphony of Stones. You can take a car the full way or combine hiring a driver with a moderately challenging hike of 3-4 hours. Logistics for Garni Temple – Symphony of Stones – Geghard Monastery The furthest of these sites is only […]
This itinerary will take you from Yerevan to Dilijan National Park with a stop to see Lake Sevan. Within Dilijan National Park, you can see Haghartsin Monastery as well as take a two-hour medium-difficulty hike to see the remains of two other monasteries within the park. Logistics to Dilijan National Park The furthest of these […]
Russia’s two major capitals are largely tourist friendly. Much of the metro systems and city navigation are available in English. Many restaurants have English-langauge menus and even waitstaff that speak a little English. However, not everywhere will English get you by in a Russian-speaking country. This bilingual resource hopes to build students’ vocabulary skills and […]
This free Russian MiniLesson will help you learn the vocabulary need to get a SIM card in Russia. If you are on a regular SRAS study abroad program, SRAS will help you to obtain a local SIM card. In many locations, SRAS can also supply you with a “burner” phone for use while on the […]