ISOLATED Russian City in the HEART of EUROPE? Life in Kaliningrad Exclave

My country, Russia, is kind of huge. Russia is the biggest country in the world. It's area about 11% of all the land on the planet and we literally live across 11 time zones. Cities stretch from west to east. In the southern ones people barely ever see snow and in the northern ones people survive through endless polar nights and permafrost. Wait, wait, hold on. What is that? Is that also Russia? Okay, okay, I know what it is. I found out literally about five years ago that Russia has its own little piece of the land right in the Europe. It's located between Poland and Lithuania and not connected to the main Russia by land at all. Russians love supply there, Russians live there, but around it there is not but our European neighbors and the region itself is a wild mix of German, Soviet and Russian history and architecture. This is the Kaliningrad region. How did that even happen? How do Russians live here separately from us and how I explore that unique place with the people I love? I'll show you all of this today and it's gonna be interesting, I hope. I don't know, but please, leave a like anyway, I'll try my best. I have no idea why Kaliningrad is a Russian city. Please, do not think that I am uneducated, because my education did not provide me that information. I'm going two days by train to Moscow and then I go to Kaliningrad by plane. And it is so uncomfortable here, because there was no tickets for the train, so the last ticket I got. This is it, like a box on the second floor. All I know about Kaliningrad is that it is like a really beautiful city. I just saw it on pictures and I always wanted to visit it and of course I'm very excited that I'll meet my friends. We live in a different city, so I'm always so happy every time I see them. Some kid just pooped himself and unfortunately I can't smell it. My flight also was delayed. I didn't have a luggage, I have just a small suitcase and a backpack with me and it seems like it's not gonna fit in there checking thing. I am wearing a few layers of clothes. I'm not gonna pay for extra luggage. And I start sweating and God help me or let me die already, I don't know. That's probably not the best thing to joke around before the flight, but we are in Kaliningrad. Miss Rita, and you can see how we are still in Russia. My favorite padik. We rented an ordinary apartment not far from the center. Still feels like Russia. The city was founded as Königsberg, the capital of East Prussia, with a predominance of German architecture. During the World War II the city was severely damaged, first by British bombing in 1944 and then by the Red Army in 1945. A huge number of beautiful buildings that we see in archival footage did not survive these events. But after the end of the World War II the region was ceded to the USSR and it was renamed Kaliningrad. In the post-war reconstruction the priority was civilization and practical housing, so such dark history created such a multi-layeredness in Kaliningrad. So now you see Soviet style apartment blocks, balconies with laundry hanging outside, and boom, castle. Some old German fort, cute European style houses, a bit of the USSR, a bit of the old Europe, and all of that in one single city. It is hard to believe but the Christmas is just around the corner. And every time it's the same thing, you're rushing around trying to find what to give your loved one so it's not something cliche. And this time I finally found the perfect solution and I'm happy to share it with you. Mozabrik. It's an infinite photo constructor from which you can assemble any photo into a pixelated picture made of small constructor cubes. And if the picture ever gets boring, you can always disassemble it, upload a new photo, and assemble a new picture. This is what makes it infinite. It works like this. You take the set, upload a photo to the website, and instantly get instructions. And then comes the most enjoyable part, the assembly process. You can do it alone while listening to music, watching a series, or turn it into a cozy evening with family or friends. There, everywhere handles their own piece of the picture. And it turns into a really fun group activity after which you'll have not only the warm memories but also the stylish picture. Or it could easily become a new hobby, replacing puzzles, for example. Mozabrik comes in several sizes and two colors, black and white and color one, which I chose. In every version it has everything you need to create a picture. And there are way more cubes than you will need for any photo. And you can even combine several sets so you can make like a huge picture. To start, I decided to create myself. In close-up shots work the best for Mozabrik. And it turns out so cool. So now I want to make another one, maybe with my family, selfie. And that's the point. The set is perfect for any occasion and absolutely to everyone. It is both personal and universal at the same time. You give to the set and the person can choose which story to show on the picture while there is still time before Christmas. Follow the link in the description and order Mozabrik as a gift or for yourself. And also look for Mozabrik on Amazon. And gift beautiful gifts. Happy holidays! Guys, the closest shop to our apartment is Eurospar. And Rita told me that this is European and it has Euro word in it. Okay, so the first we're gonna check the European products. Banana. We also have banana. Coffee. We also have coffee. This one I saw it only in deliveries. I never seen this in the shop. Poland. Poland is found. Toto. Toto, where are you from? With cacao. I want Toto. Serbia. Serbia. Wow. Italian. It says Italian, but in Russian. We don't trust you. We also have balloons in my city. Polish water review. Guys, we just went from the supermarket and we just saw castle. Castle. Wait for me, I'm coming. Should I say it? It's a spider. I can imagine myself being a princess and living here, even though it is just a... I feel myself like in some... I'm gonna kiss him and he'll become a human. Catch him and kiss him. I don't wanna chase a man. The man should chase me. The city gates, Der Donau, lead to the Donau Tower, which is now hosts the Amber Museum, and we went there too. I totally fell in love with this stone. Right here is the largest amber deposit in the world, so the local craftsmen here are basically pros at working with this little piece of frozen sunshine. The Amber Museum has a huge collection of pieces and artworks, and just think about it. All of this used to belong to local residents, and I really hope they donated it themselves and nobody forced them. Lithuanian borscht, duck salad, and macaroni with duck. Today we are getting ducked. She didn't know yet that Lithuanian soup is an interesting dish made from beets, a laxative vegetable, and kefir, a fermented dairy product with probiotics. And it is worth skipping this dish if you have sensitive digestion, but she only found out about that a few hours later. Regarding the cuisine of the Kaliningrad Oblast, I'd say it's not exactly ordinary food like in the main part of Russia, but a unique combination of Prussian, German, Polish, and Lithuanian traditions. And since the region is located on the Baltic sea, the basis of the local cuisine is fresh Baltic fish. But besides that, the amount of pastries and pretzels that we ate with the girls during this time is illegal. German style baking is very popular here. Oh my god! Oh Jesus Christ! She tried her best to be aesthetic. This neighborhood is called Fish Village, and it was built in 2000s. This is like artificial Konigsberg. This is a modern neighborhood styled after the architecture of the pre-war Prussian city. It's popular among tourists and locals. They hold events here, there are lots of hotels. Overall nice vibe, plus it's very beautiful for photos here. And you can go for a stroll along Oh no guys, they keep three toddlers in there. Should we call the police? I love this place. Guys, we're gonna drink coffee in there because I'm walking dead. I'm walking dead. I cannot anymore. Interview with agent Nestor. Mrs. Rita, I have a question for you. Do you know why Kaliningrad is Russia? No. Why you don't know this information about your country? Are you stupid? Anastasia, I have a question same for you. I was watching videos on YouTube. I just made a mistake. I started googling Kaliningrad, but on English and on YouTube. All videos was only political, so I only got sad and not educated. I wanna ask locals. You can try. I'm shy. The waiter turned out to be immigrant, just like many of the locals here. Some people recently moved from the big land, as they call mainland Russia. And during the Soviet era repopulation of Konigsberg, families were resettled here from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Poland and other parts of the USSR. So region is very diverse. And many people here have a foreign password, which is notable compared to the rest of Russia. There not a lot of citizens has ever traveled abroad. But these people are physically much closer to Europe. And before it was often easier and cheaper for them to go to Europe for a weekend than to the mainland Russia. But these years being an exclave means sanctions and geopolitical tension hit especially hard. But from what I felt, people here are still very welcoming to tourists and people who move here. They love their German past and bits of European identity. Here is a Lithuanian supermarket nearby. Their speech occasionally mixes in bits of German and Polish influence. And to me, they even seemed a bit slower paced and more relaxed. And that's such an interesting experience to be here. I'm gonna send one of these to one of my patrons. So, in case you want to try your luck. Am I in England? The Kaliningrad Cathedral is the most recognizable building and the main thing that's left from old Königsberg. My mood is a little bit bad because she did not tell me how much it cost. You know, she might tell me that before actually making photos of me. At first, she said, like, you're gonna send me a little thank you after photoshoot. I said, of course, like, of course. At the end of the photoshoot, she showed me the prices. And it's like five thousand rubles for like five minutes photoshoot. The photos are nice, but the price. I could eat on that money for two times. Since we are here, let me give you an apartment tour together with Vika. Vika, come here, we sleep together. This is our apartment. Vika, why Kaliningrad is Russia? What is this woman talking about, guys? Where did you get this information? From historical class in my school. Oh, really? They've been teaching you that? Because for me, they never told that. Guys, we are now here. Excuse me. Are you dumb? Flying to the Kaliningrad Oblast, we could not miss visiting the Baltic coast and its local resort towns. But I was most excited about Zelenogradsk, of course, because it's Russia's city of cats. It is so cute in here. Like, we've been riding a taxi, and I just look around, and everything looks like a fairy tale. I didn't see any panel buildings, like, not even one. And here are cats everywhere. I mean, I'm gonna cry. Oh my god, the first cat is spotted, another cat, second cat is spotted. I'm gonna count how many cats we're gonna see today. I think we will meet more than 40. Yes, around 100. You think 100, Rita? 13. Okay, this is the third one. Third one, the fourth one. According to a legend, cats once saved the town from a mouse invasion, but in reality, it's just a PR stunt to attract tourists. But can we really blame them for that? Because the cat vibe adds incredible coziness to this already charming town. It is full of street arts, cultures, cat-themed traffic lights, and even a museum called Murarium. Murarium, guys. Murarium. Oh my god. He is such a chill guy. I've already lost the count. How many cats we've seen? 19. Why? Why buildings here are so pretty? Oh my god. Here we go. This is the place where we're gonna eat today. Oh my god, he has cute socks. I made sure to bring marzipan for all my friends and family. Konigsberg marzipan is a famous street, often shaped in cute figures, made from elm, sugar, and rose water. Originally, it was considered a remedy for mental disorders, and I agree with that. And for headaches, and it was sold in pharmacies. I'm gonna take this boy home. We are still in Russia. Here is actually a person who is the watcher of cats. This is like an official должность. So, here is a должность. Now cats is the city identity. I think this is the cutest place ever I visited in Russia. And if in Kaliningrad, you can tell that this is Russia here, it doesn't feel like Russia at all. Since stray cats are that thick, it makes my soul happy. They're like, we don't care, touch us, but don't take us. We fell in love with this town. We even came back there a few more times. It is so green, kind of magical, totally unlike any other city in Russia. And it has its own beach with access to the Baltic Sea. I'm terrified. With my luck, they will poop on me in any second. Since this region holds 90% of the world's amber, after storms it washes up on the beaches of the Kaliningrad and locals love going on amber hunts. Isn't it magical? Oh my god. I think I need new trousers. Guys, I found the nails of mermaids. Wow, looks amazing. She try her best. I will gift you all stones on this beach, my baby. Oh, thank you, my baba. My papa. Bebe. Ah, bebe. I love you like a Anastasia. Mik, what we are doing now? We're gonna do and build a pyramid. So guys, this is our... Wow, look at that. This is some professional skill. Yeah, we're not gonna touch that. That's a masterpiece. And also, I hate this woman because they make me to go on the seaside in my sneakers and I... I do the same stuff. Why? I know, but I especially got sneakers with setochka, so it's not hot. So now it is just full of sand. And if I will take them off, in five minutes these women will tell me to wear them again. Not me. Don't trust her. These women, they will say to us like, put your sneakers. Not me. After walking the whole day, we are tired and hungry and frozen. And wet. Yeah. Rita made her shoes wet. I made my feet wet. And not because of the good reasons, guys. So yeah, now we're just gonna warm up a little bit and we will be back to Kaliningrad. To everyone who watched this Kaliningrad vlog until the end, I hope your peepee is wet only for good reasons. I love you all. Please subscribe and give me your like. I'm just a blogger. And see you soon. Пока-пока.