Sochi was selected as the site for the Winter Olympics in 2014. If you are not familiar with Sochi, it is a beautiful resort town on the Black Sea that is in the unusual position of having nice beaches within a short driving distance of ski slopes. Sochi will make an amazing backdrop for all the news coverage of the event since they will likely show winter Olympic visitors swimming in the Black Sea less than an hour after attending an event.
I have been to Sochi twice and enjoyed the city greatly. Here are some family vacation photos from the first trip:
Sochi's Hotel Zhemchuzhina (Pearl);
Sochi's Botanical Gardens (Dendrari);
Mountains near Sochi Krasnaya Polana;
Park in Sochi. The park includes a mosaic of Lenin that hope is not destroyed in the $12B city development promised for the Olympics. Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures on the second trip.
I have concerns though about the city developing enough to meet international expectations. The road between the accommodations in Sochi and Krasnaya Polana (translates to
beautiful meadow which is where the ski slopes are) are narrow and precarious. Additionally, even the regular summer traffic can congest the main roads of Sochi. The terrain may prevent fixing the transportation issues as much as necessary. And on to lodging -- the last time I was there only a few years ago there were only a few decent hotels. And of course the venues are lacking as Russia has admitted.
I hope that the $12B promised by Putin along with 7 years are enough to make the changes necessary. I also hope the construction is successful because I plan to attend the events because I can't image a greater location than where the sea meets the mountains.
I am surprised at all the bitterness already appearing (see some of the blog/news links below). Anyone remember how badly Greece was supposedly prepared even months up to the events? Let's just let Sochi and Russians enjoy their victory. They have seven years to prepare. The games will speak for themselves.
Sochi's Olympic win in the Blogs:Sochi Olympics the News:
Sochi Olympics announcements from the Kremlin:Congratulation to Russia and the City of Sochi!
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