Leninsk-Kuznetsky

late in August my family and I visited the town of Leninsk-Kuznetsky in the coal mining region called Kuzbass, which is the largest one in Russia. It has been supplying coal all across Russia for about a century now. As to the historical and architectural sights, the town and the region in general are not rich in them. In fact, all attractions are related to coal mining. Most of towns and cities in Kuzbass were founded in the Soviet era, which explains their typical architecture and urban planning.

Lake Chany, Novosibirsk Region

Lake Chany is a closed salted lake in Russia located in the Baraba lowland, Novosibirsk Region; it is the largest lake in the Western Siberia.

Gastronomic tour to Siberia. What traditional dishes to try.

When a traveler comes to an unknown destination, he or she is usually eager to know as much as possible about it, including local food and drinks. 

What travelers say about Novosibirsk and what of it is true in a local’s view

The travel season 2015 approaching, I have been considering and reconsidering my activities as a tour guide. I thought it might be useful to know what travelers think and say about Novosibirsk, especially those who visited it on their own, without a guide’s assistance. I studied several reviews and here’s what I found out.

The 15th Festival of Snow Sculptures

This year our city welcomes the festival of snow sculptures for the 15th time. It is always great fun for citizens and guests of the city.

To Siberia in winter. But of course!

Novosibirsk and Siberia in general is considered to be a cold destination, so most tourists who dare and come here prefer doing so in summer. But it is winter and snow, which make Siberia Siberia, and recently I'm having more and more tourists who understand it and who come here during the coldest season. Remarkably, they are mostly people from the countries where snow never happens or is an extremely rare occasion.

Seversk. Life in the Enclosure.

Seversk is a town lying several km to the north of Tomsk. Its population now comprises about 110 thousand people. Despite the town is not a very small one and has well-developed infrastructure, it is pretty unknown in Siberia, let alone in the rest of the country. In fact, only a few people even in Novosibirsk have heard of it, though it is situated approximately 270 km to the north of it. The explanation is somewhat mysterious – the town is a ‘secret’ one.

Kargat, Kuybyshev, Barabinsk. Novosibirsk Region

Nearly a year ago, early in May 2013, we (my husband, my kids and me) decided to go West, so we got in the car and drove in the western direction along the federal highway M51 to look at the town called Kuybyshev, which once was a big and prosperous trading center and still has some nice specimen of pre-revolution stone architecture.

Horse Yard (Konny Dvor) near Belokurikha

 

During our stay in Belokurikha we went on one guided tour only. We visited the Horse Yard (Konny Dvor). It was very expensive, but my boys and I enjoyed it very much. I thought it would be interesting for the kids because the description of the tour said that one can see horses, birds, Siberian stags and much more. I was right, the boys loved it! Though we paid 40 euros for a 3hours tour for the three of us, we were not disappointed. But to those wishing to visit the place I recommend not to join an organized tour, but to go by yourself. Even if you go by taxi, it can be much cheaper.

Belokurikha, a Balneotherapeutic Health Resort in Altai

In the end of March my older son had a short vacation at school and I thought it was a good idea not to spend this time in the dirty city, but to go somewhere where there’s fresh air, beautiful nature and lots of opportunities to spend time outside. I was thinking of Altai mountains, Chemal District, but my mom offered another idea, which sounded even better, besides, I’ve never been in that place before. So we went to Belokurikha, a famous balneotherapeutic health resort. Actually it is in Altai mountains as well, at the beginning of Cherginsky Range.

Novosibirsk is getting vegetarian-friendly!

Though I cannot call myself a true, absolute vegetarian (I sometimes eat seafood and I still eat eggs and add them to cakes and cookies I bake), I have been trying to follow the lactovegetarian lifestyle for slightly more than a year now and I thought I can try and write a post for those who is a vegetarian, a vegan, even a raw-food eater, and likes travelling around Russia and happens to come to Novosibirsk or visits my home city on business. In no case is this post meant to provoke any kind of argument, because I know that the topic is disputable. My goal is to give a couple of hints to vegetarians and those who are curious about that, who plan to visit Novosibirsk.

Kostanay, Northern Kazakhstan

The parents of my husband live in the town called Kostanay, which is in the North of Kazakhstan. The town is not well-known, and I cannot say it has something special about it, but this is a travel blog, and I believe all destinations are interesting, if explored and presented in the right way.

Chelyabinsk, Southern Urals, Russia

I have not written anything for a long time, but it doesn’t mean I have nothing to say. I was and I still am very busy interpreting and translating, but as winter is slowly coming to its end and I still have not written anything about it, it is the right time to do it. This winter has been a rich one. Rich in snow, rich in events, rich in short but interesting travels.

How cold is Siberia?

When I guide my tourists around Novosibirsk I always tell them about the climate here, and tourists always like listening about Siberian cold winters, but the matter is that the majority of tourists come in summer and it feels very comfortable to speak about the frost with +20-30 around. It is hard to believe that it can be the same, but with - sign, that is, -20, -30 C and colder.

Transsiberian Railway; Abridged Version

In September this year I visited Translation Forum Russia, a great event organized by professional translators and interpreters for professional translations and interpreters. The event is something special in itself, and a lot of reviews have already been written about it both by Russian and foreign participants. I’m definitely going to write my own review, too, and the next year I’m going to visit it again and perhaps make a report. The forum is a travelling one, i.e. each time it takes place in a different city. This year Kazan, an old Russian city where Moslems have always lived, welcomed the Forum. However, in this post I’d like to write about my travel there, and one of the coming posts will be about the event itself.