nikimcbee, first pic is near St Petersburg. About 60km. Second is around 200km.
Peter The Great made this man-made river so that ships could travel when there was storm on lake Ladoga.
This is more modern. Made with same reasoning as picture before.
Usually one can find many fresh products in near store. Goat's milk is quite good.
Reminder of WW2....
(Here near a village Lipki on 12 Jan 43 during breakthrough of blockade of Leningrad, commander rota 533 CP 128CD of Volhovsk front, comsomole senior Lt Yakov Ivanovich Bogdan closed with own body enemy's hardened position)
This one is of un-named soldier. Someone placed helmet with hole on grave.
Here's a foxhole. Dill a little and you can find many things.
This maybe a command center. Or hiding spot for mortar team, or etc.
Around this swamplands, my mother's brother found a tank.
Some cranberries.
and a mushroom. Many people go during end of summer to gather mushrooms in local forests. It was one of my favorite things to do. Before family would wake up, I would check my mushroom spots so that they could eat mushrooms for breakfast (I couldnt stand eating them). The other one was gathering WW2 relics. During my last trip to this area, without even looking for anything, I found 3 rusted Mauser shells. When I was little, I found mortar rounds, grenades, rifle, bullets and such around my datchya.
(My background: I have no idea. I think I have some Fin in me, Ukrainian, some aristocrat and Russian....whatever that is.) (I think being Russian is a state of mind, not genetics)