There is no place like home.
I live in Astrakhan. My town is old and very beautiful. It was founded in 1558 on the bank of the Volga river. The Kremlin is the heart of Astrakhan. There are many historical places in my town. They are St. Vladimir’s cathedral, the Kustodiev`s art gallery, the Khlebnikov`s museum and others.
Besides, Astrakhan is a cultural centre. You can visit the Picture gallery, the Puppet theatre, the Drama theatre here. My favourite place is the Modern musical theatre. It’s a very big and fantastic building near the bridge. My mother and I like to go there every Saturday.
Astrakhan is anagricultural region. Our tomatoes, watermelons, sturgeon, black caviar are famous all over the world. Also a unique flower lotus grows here. It is a symbol of my town. This rare flower is a really charming plant!
My town is very green, because there are a lot of nice parks and squares in it. For example, my family likes to go for a walk along landing stage in the centre of Astrakhan. There is a wonderful musical fountain in the middle of it. As for me, I often take a walk near Swan Lake during summertime. Graceful swans swim in this place. They are so beautiful! In winter we often skate there.
I like my town!
Yuri Gagarin was born in 1934. His parents had four children in total. In September 1941 he went to school, but soon the village where he lived was occupied by the German army. Only in 1943 Yuri continued his studies at school.
In 1951 Gagarin entered the Saratov Industrial Technical School and later joined local flying club. He completed his studies at the Technical School with distinction, achieved much success and performed his first flight on a Yak-18 trainer aircraft.
In 1955 Yuri Gagarin joined the Soviet Army. Later he was given the qualification of a military pilot.
In 1959 Gagarin was selected for the Soviet space program. He underwent special training which tested his physical and psychological endurance. Gagarin was chosen out of 20 candidates upon the Commission's decision.