04/08/08
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Day off in Volgograd
Felt like a lie-in this morning, so extended my stay here and went sightseeing too. The most significant "attraction" here is Mamayev Kurgan, the hill overlooking Volgograd and commanding views for tens of miles around over the flat countryside. The military significance of this hill made it the setting for what is sometimes called the bloodiest battle in history - the Battle of Stalingrad. 2 million Soviet and German soldiers died here between August 1942 and February 1943, as control of the hill passed between the sides. The memorial is suitably massive, and took 15 years to build. I've put up a couple of photos. Walking off the beaten track, it's still possible to see the odd fragment of shrapnel and bone in the earth where they've been excavating trenches. It's very sobering.
On a lighter note, I've had a text from the Mongol Rally boys that I met in Port Krym. They're in Astrakhan for a couple of days, so I'll be meeting up with them tomorrow. It'll be good to be in fairly close company with them on the roads of western Kazakhstan, which will be the most remote of the trip.
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