AHH, summertime in Russia. Whether you're toasting with vodka in the fresh air of a countryside garden, relaxing with a bottle of vodka in a streetside café shadowed by the Kremlin or sipping vodka on a river cruise watching the scenery pass by, summertime in Russia is like nothing else.

Of course, these are shameless generalities. The truth is that it is impossible to define Russia in one fell swoop or from one perspective, just as it is impossible to so easily define the United States - perhaps more so when you consider that Russia is more than three times the size of the US.

Condensing an eventful month in the central part of Russia to one commentary is a task as seemingly enormous as the nation itself; but having visited the motherland five times in the past 10 years, it's about time that I take up the task.

I hope you enjoy what follows.

Moscow - A sunnier, warmer Russia
Nizhni Novgorod - An undiscovered gem
Nizhni Novgorod - Singing for my supper
St Petersburg - Behind the scaffolding
St Petersburg - Of Palaces and pricing
The River Volga - Cruising the Motherland
Kizhi & Valaam - Walking in a wooden wonderland
Nizhni Novgorod - Get back to the country