RTG host Olga Degtyareva began familiarising herself with the traditions of Russian cuisine in St. Petersburg at the Russian Museum of Ethnography. The museum is home to many artifacts that show a lot about the beliefs and traditions of Russian people, their daily life and their holiday customs. Then, with the help of the head chef from the Masha and the Bear Tavern, Olga prepared some traditional Russian dishes. Beef in a mushroom sauce and with a vegetable puree, boiled pierogi and drunken apples with honey were all on the menu.
The lake district that has formed in southern part of Tyumen Oblast between the Ishim and Tobol Rivers serves as the perfect habitat for the many species of birds that live there. The Tobol-Ishim interfluve is located along one of the most popular routes that migrating birds travel, and each summer many geese, ducks and gannets nest here. Dozens of other seabirds do the same, including the Dalmatian Pelican, a feathered inhabitant from further north in Western Siberia.
The Kamchatka Peninsula is one of the most unusual places on the planet. It is a land where fiery volcanoes and hot springs bubble and where crashing waves from the Pacific Ocean wash over the rocky coastal cliffs and the endless sand beaches. It is a place where the brown bear is king and one which is home to many ancient traditions and very interesting people. RTG TV host Igor Maximenko visited Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where he learned about the history of Russian settlements in the area as well as spoke with representatives of indigenous peoples living on the peninsula.