Some of the world's only freshwater seals live in one very special lake in Russia.

Former headquarters of the KGB.

The reason for the strange contortions in the trunks of these "drunken" pine trees in Russia is still a mystery.

A sculpture park of the tossed aside relics of the USSR, from Stalin to a massive Soviet emblem.

Back in the tiny USSR.

A 250-year-old timepiece-automaton adorned with golden mechanical birds, which still sing to this day.

The oldest museum in Russia is home to a fascinating collection of nearly two million anthropological artifacts and anatomical curiosities.

Legends of time travel and magical woodland creatures bolster the natural charm of this verdant sanctuary in the midst of Moscow.

It took over half a century but a Russian monument to a famous and tragic space pup finally stands in Moscow.

Nightmarish example of the unintended consequences of weapons testing.

The villagers of the coldest inhabited place on Earth adjust to unique challenges presented by day-to-day living.

The world's second-largest excavated hole.

Secret Soviet city once home to Russian cosmonauts and space training facilities.

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.

This Russian religious complex is a Frankenstein's chapel that includes influence from almost all the major faiths.

It's hard to believe the dizzying patterns covering this abandoned mine are completely natural.

Palace where the nearly un-killable Rasputin was murdered.

An 18th century wonder of the world, lost in WWII, re-created at the Catherine Palace.

Thirteen sculptures in central Moscow graphically depicting vices of the modern world.

Moscow's other, lesser known kremlin is a fairytale-like cultural complex modeled after Old Russia.

This building holds the embalmed remains of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Stunning examples of Russia's 18th-century wooden architecture.

Dr. Strangelove-esque tours reveal the inside a bunker once reserved for Stalin himself.

This ancient village and its adjoining cemetery have a beautiful history of death and remembrance.