Russia

The Romanov family was infamously and brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks at the end of World War I. Czar Nicholas II, his wife, and their five children were executed to make way for the new ruling hierarchy under the communist leadership of Vladimir Lenin.

For a spectator, traveling to the Olympic Games takes about 24 hours of constant travel, but once you see Sochi and all it has to offer, the inconvenience and jet lag drift away. Others have endured and waited for this moment far longer than 24 hours. Residents of Sochi have been living through Olympic construction since the Russian bid for the Olympic Games in 2007—and it has taken a toll.

One of the biggest events of next year will grasp the attention of the whole world and will bring into attention the Russian resort city of Sochi.