The diary of a traveller, entry 20. Back on train again

20 November

Almost 3 weeks I’ve been in Russia now. Doesn’t feel that long at all. It’s been great so far! Certainly hasn’t been stressful at all but it’s not lounging around on a beach either. Novosibirsk is probably the first place I’ve visited I would like to live in. Went back to the art gallery again to see the permanent exhibition (I missed last time). Had a great display of photos submitted by people from all over Russia which was cool. Some kind of nation-wide competition I think. All the photos looked suspiciously professional to me – like they’d all been taken by people who had access to some really expensive kit. Indeed some of the captions said that they were in fact part of photo-shoots for magazines and suchlike. But there were some great shots there nevertheless. Like the ones of various protest marches and demonstrations.

Personal Note: don’t order hot chocolate in a café in Russia again. It is essentially a cup of melted chocolate you eat with a spoon and not the milky hot-drink I’m used to. Had a tasty колбаса (Russian sausage) for tea! Spicy with potatoes and cabbage. Good choice for my last proper meal before the train.

The Novosibirsk central station is a very attractive building.

 I guess they have renovated it recently based on the freshness of the paintwork. Biggest I’ve been to yet I think. Back on the train again now: #1 Rossiya which is the top end in terms of cost and smartness but that’s just because they’re newer trains I think. 

In fairness I don’t find this wagon anymore comfortable than any of the others I’ve been in. Just has more snazzy folding beds and compartments, thicker curtains and a TV tuned to show “Girl Who Played with a Dragon Tattoo” or whichever one it is. My companions are two middle aged gents who seem alright. Conversation hasn’t been particularly forthcoming as yet. Chiefly because I don’t speak Russian but also because I’m tired and can’t be bothered. 

photos are taken from Richard's archive
(c) Richard Breeson

The diary of a traveller, entry 19. Novosibirsk and Akademgorodok

19. November

Bulk of the day was spent on a round trip visit to Akademgorodok and meeting with the Novosibirks State Uni Russian Language dept. Met the admissions tutor (who spoke better English than most people in England) and the Director of the dept. Both were very nice and I got a good impression about the Uni. Only issue is that it’s in the middle of nowhere but that could be a good thing for studies. They’re going to send me a test to gauge my grammar level (brilliant!).

Akademgorodok airphoto

Grabbed a quick meal of pelmeni before heading off the Opera and Ballet Theatre for Cinderella. People certainly smarten up for the theatre over here which is nice! Thankfully they still let me in despite looking like I was about to go hiking round the Lake District. Tried some Russian champagne before heading to find my seat. The ballet was good but didn’t bowl me over – remember seeing it before in Hong Kong and I wasn’t overly impressed then. Don’t get me wrong it was an awesome way to spend 9 pounds and the view and the Theatre it’s self were both awesome! And Cinderella was brilliant as was the evil step mother. Liked her a lot.

Last day in Novosibirsk tomorrow then on to Ekaterinburg. It’s been a really good few days – possibly my best stop so far.

(c) Richard Breeson

Hint: 5 wonders of Russia

To know more about Russia ... 


1. Lake Baikal (о́зеро Байка́л, Mongolian: Байгал нуур, Baygal nuur, meaning "nature lake") 


is the world's oldest and deepest lake at 30 million years old and with an average depth of 744.4 metros.

Learn more about Baikal here. 

Travel to Baikal here

Read the diary if a traveller about visiting Baikal here 

Enjoy the view here

2. The Valley of Geysers (Долина гейзеров) 

geyserfield in Russia, and has the second largest concentration of geysers in the world. This 6 km long basin with approximately ninety geysers and many hot springs is situated on theKamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, predominantly on the left bank of the ever-deepening Geysernaya River, into which geothermal waters flow from a relatively young stratovolcano,Kikhpinych. Temperatures have been found to be 250 °C, 500 m below the caldera ground.^[1] It is part of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, which, in turn, is incorporated into the World Heritage Site "Volcanoes of Kamchatka". The valley is difficult to reach, with helicopters providing the only feasible means of transport.

Read 'what actually happened there' here

3D model of the Valley here

All about the Valley here 

3. Mamayev Kurgan (Мамаев Курган) 

dominant height overlooking the city of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) in Southern Russia. The name in Russian means "tumulus ofMamai"

The original Mamayev Kurgan was a Tartar burial mound 102 metres high. The current formation is dominated by a memorial complex commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943). The battle was a decisive Soviet victory overAxis forces on the Eastern front of World War II and arguablythe bloodiest battle in human history. At the time of its installation in 1967 the statue named The Motherland Callsformed the largest free-standing sculpture in the world.

Official web-site here

Mamayev Kurgan 3D model here

Panorama here

4. Mount Elbrus (Эльбрус) 

inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia. While there are differing authorities on how the Caucasus are distributed between Europe and Asia, many sources agree that Elbrus is also the highest mountain in all of Europe.Mt. Elbrus (west summit) stands at 5,642 metres (18,510 ft); the east summit is slightly lower at 5,621 metres (18,442 ft).

Computer generated summit panoramas North South.

The photo gallery of the mount here

Space view here

Info and photo are taken from Wiki

5. The Manpupuner rock formations (Man-Pupu-Nyer; Мань-Пупу-нёр) or the Seven Strong Men Rock Formations or Poles of the Komi Republic 

set of 7 gigantic abnormally shaped stone pillarslocated north of the Ural mountains in the Troitsko-Pechorsky District of the Komi Republic. These monoliths are around 30 to 42 meters high and jut out of a hilly plateau formed through the weathering effects of ice and winds ^[1].

According to a local legend, the stone pillars were once an entourage of Samoyeds giants walking through the mountains to Siberia in order to destroy the Vogulsky people. However, upon seeing the holy Vogulsky mountains, the shaman of the giants dropped his drum and the entire team froze into the stone pillars

Panorama here

The photo gallery here

Video report here

Text and photo are taken from the Wikipedia 

The diary of a traveller, entry 18. Novosibirsk

18  November

Novosibirsk on the map

Nice tasty start to the day. Chicken and fried potatoes kindly prepared by Victor, Olga’s husband – Olga and baby Annie spent the evening at her Mum’s flat I think. I slept like a log on the sofa! Had a little wander round the city last night to get my bearings but didn’t go far. A good few inches of snow fell last night and according to the thermometer in the flat it’s -6C today. I must be the least busy person I know right now – and I like that!

Done well so far. Had a pleasant walk through the park near the flat which led to the Cathedral of the Ascension. Bit small for a Cathedral I felt (not Lincoln that’s for sure). There was a service going on and an all female choir which was nice. It seems worshipers always stand in Russian Orthodox services.  After that I wandered down Krasny Prospect for a bit until I got to Lenin Square and the famous Opera and Ballet Theatre there. Bought a ticket to Cinderella (Золушка) by Prokofiev tomorrow night. Hopefully I won’t have too much trouble being admitted in my jeans and mountain-climbing boots (I think Russian’s dress up more than Brits for the theatre). 

After that I went to my 4^th Regional History museum and it was a good one. Definitely best value so far – 40Rub compared to the rip-off in Khabarovsk. Had a great exhibition on Shamanism – a type of religion prevalent in Siberia before the Russian Empire’s expansion east. Stopped off for lunch at a café near by with a large contingent of the beautiful people. Had a blini with sour cream and salmon. Ok.

Later on I went down to the State Art Museum where I saw a really excellent exhibition by a Novosibirsk cartoonist/satirist called Konstantin Valov. Lot’s of really cool satirical caricatures of Russian and international celebs and political figures. Great stuff! Some of them made me laugh out loud. Highlights were a crucified Mel Gibson, a genuinely spooky Michael Jackson and a great one of Putin and Medvedev strutting down a red carpet together. Also bought a new sim card – a bit more successfully than last time I think. Doing well today!

After the gallery I wandered a bit further down Sovietskaya until I got to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. A red brick Catheral built in the early part of the 20^th century. (Novosibirsk is quite a young city which really took off after the Trans Siberian was built). There was a baptism going on. The baby was making a bit of a racket but that’s hardly surprising seeing as it was being dunked into a bucket of cold water.

Stopped off for a beer at an English-themed pub near the flat. Not overly proud of myself but it was either here or the Irish pub. Actually a pretty nice place! Not sure about the VH1 ‘We are the 80s’ video complication showing the naffest videos from Duran Duran, INXS et al. 

(c) Richard Breeson

Gallery: Novosibirsk in Past and Nowadays 

Hint: 5 Russian films to watch

If you want to understand Russians...  or 5 Russian cult films to watch.

1. Irony of Fate, or Enjoy your bath (Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!)

Soviet comedy-drama directed by Eldar Ryazanov
Following their annual tradition, a group of friends meet at a banya (traditional public bath) in Moscow to celebrate New Year's Eve. All of them get very drunk toasting the upcoming marriage of the central male character, Zhenya Lukashin (Andrei Myagkov) to Galya (Olga Naumenko). After the bath, one of the friends, Pavlik (Aleksandr Shirvindt), has to catch a plane to Leningrad; Zhenya, in his turn, is supposed to go home to celebrate New Year's Eve with his fiancée. Both Zhenya and Pavlik pass out. The others cannot remember which of their unconscious friends is supposed to be catching the plane; eventually they mistakenly decide that it is Zhenya and put him on a plane instead of Pavlik...


Besides, the film has become a New Year traditional film, we watch it every year on TV on the 31 of December. 


2. Moscow does not believe in tears  (Москва слезам не верит)


1980 Soviet film made by Mosfilm. 
The movie is set in Moscow from the late 1950s to the late 1970s. It tells a story about three provincial girls who come to Moscow.


Great film about Moscow, about life in 50s and 70s. The phrases of the film has become aphorisms, known to almost all Russians. 


3. Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures   (Операция „Ы“ и другие приключения Шурика)

1965 Soviet slapstick comedy film directed by Leonid Gaidai, starring Aleksandr Demyanenko, Natalya Seleznyova, Yuri Nikulin, Georgy Vitsin and Yevgeny Morgunov. The film consists of three independent parts: "Workmate" (Напарник, Naparnik), "Déjà vu" (Наваждение, Navazhdeniye) and "Operation Y"^[1](Операция „Ы“). The plot follows the adventures of Shurik (alternative spelling — Shourick), the naive and nerdy Soviet student who often gets into ludicrous situations but always finds a way out very neatly.


Though the film is not full of conversation, all its phrases are more then aphorisms now, it is like a Soviet life style! To read and remember the quotation, go here


4. The Diamond Arm (Бриллиантовая рука) 


1968 Soviet comedy film filmed by Mosfilm and first released in 1968. The film was directed by slapstick director Leonid Gaidai and starred several famous Soviet actors, including Yuri Nikulin, Andrei Mironov, Anatoli Papanov, Nonna Mordyukova andSvetlana Svetlichnaya. The Diamond Arm has become a Russian cult film. 


The boss of a black market ring (known only as "The Chief") wants to smuggle a batch of jewelry into the Soviet Union by hiding it into the orthopedic cast of a courier. By a confusing accident the contraband ends up in the cast on the arm of an "ordinary Soviet citizen" Semyon Semyonovich Gorbunkov who fell and hurt himself during a cruise shore excursion. He lets the militsiya know about this, and the militsiya captain uses Gorbunkov as bait to catch the criminals.


Film is popular not only for brilliant duet of Anatoly Papanov and Andrew Mironov, but also for amazing catch phrases and funny songs. 


Film with english subtitles 

5. 12 chairs (Двенадцать стульев) 


classic satirical novel by the Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, released in 1928. Its main character Ostap Bender reappears in the book's sequel The Little Golden Calf.


In Soviet Russia in 1927, a former member of nobility, Ippolit Vorobyaninov, works as a desk clerk, until his mother-in-law reveals on her deathbed that her family jewelry had been hidden from the Bolsheviks in one of the twelve chairs from the family’s dining room set. Those chairs, along with all other personal property, had been expropriated by the government after the Russian Revolution. He becomes a treasure hunter, and after the “smooth operator” and con-man Ostap Bender forces Kisa to partner with him, they set off to track down the chairs. 


Full text of the novel  and famous quotations


Enjoy the films!