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Russia’s winter is approaching and the crews are working round the clock to finish preparations for the Olympics. There was no security other than at the immediate construction sites for the main venues of the Coastal Cluster, so I took a stroll.
The principal buildings are taking shape. Landscaping presumably will follow.
Other than the Radisson Blu Resort & Congress Center, Sochi, nothing in the area is open. Adler town is about 3 km away and is choked by traffic exacerbated by construction. Adler town is cluttered and down market, as are many of the guest house stretching along the lengthy coast to Sochi. Closer to Sochi, nearly 40 km away, there are more nice hotels. The other direction there is a nicer new town along with two cathedrals that no doubt will have elaborate stories featured in TV coverage. Further east quickly reachs the Georgia (Abkhazia) border and who knows if that will even be open during the Olympics.
It will be interesting to see how it comes together.
Next post I cover the Mountain Cluster.
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Stevem — hey, it’s Andrew Kavesh (your DPRK co-traveler). I don’t have your regular email address. Can you send to me. I leave for Sarajevo-Srebrenica-Mostar-Belgrade on Friday. Have you been to any of these places? If so, would love your insights. Thx.– hope all is well. And I still have your photos for you. Andrew
[…] is positioned near the Olympics Coastal Cluster, on the road north to the Mountain Cluster. Sochi city proper is some 40 km away west along the […]
@JB – an important point about Russian visas that I forgot and almost burned me is that if you say you are entering on X date the visa starts X date. Not like many countries that the visa starts from date of issue. So if people think they might need to move their plans forward they should request the earlier possible date on their visa. There are all kinds of quirks to the process, I need to do a post on it. For instance with the 3-year multiple entry tourist visa for US citizens they do not list on the… Read more »
Better bring a tent and subzero sleeping bag.
Hardest part about going to winter Olympics… getting the visa. Priceless.
[…] Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, several are from the moving bus and others are obscured by the plumes of dust. Not pleasant to visit at the moment. The Coastal Cluster seems in much better shape. […]
[…] Blu Resort & Congress Center, Sochi is the prime hotel in the Olympics Coastal Cluster. On my stroll through the work in progress Olympic venues, the only place open was the Radission, which is raking […]
@Joey – I will do a quick post on it, they showed me a room. Nice hotel, stupendous view. There is also a Park Inn soom to open a little outside the main cluster. Plus the properties up in the mountains.
Still loads of work needs to be done! How was the Radisson?
doesn’t seem like a very attractive destination
hood