Начало мар
The place
Nachalo Mar ("Start of the Marsh") in Krasnodar Krai, Adler/Sochi sector (Caucasian Black Sea coast, Russia), at 221 m elevation, in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus. Continuous cluster Russia Western Caucasus/Black Sea (batches 260-341). Seaside hut or mountain trailhead station ("mar" = marsh, the junction of coastal plain and foothills), in a zone of relict subtropical Colchic forest (endemism: Colchic rhododendron, Colchic boxwood, Buxus colchica, an endemic oil-bearing species, and Oriental beech, Fagus orientalis), and near Sochi (host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics, the most expensive Games in history at $50 billion, marked by a corruption scandal and the Pussy Riot arrest).
The setting
Krasnodar Adler/Sochi Caucasian Black Sea coast Russia 221 m Greater Caucasus foothills, continuous cluster batches 260-341, seaside/foothills hut marsh junction, subtropical Colchic forest Colchic rhododendron/Buxus colchica endemic/Fagus orientalis, Sochi 2014 Olympics $50 billion Pussy Riot.
