Saturday 3 January 2015

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.

A year ago I had tourists from the South Africa, Turkey and California, and this winter I guided a young couple from Thailand. Some of these tourists visited Novosibirsk on business and wanted a tour in their spare time, but some of them came here purposefully.

And they seemed to have had ultimate pleasure walking along snow-covered streets and experiencing temperatures they can never have in their home lands. The couple from Thailand said they felt like in a fairy tale, and the couple from Turkey were happy to have sauna paradise very different from what they have in their motherland.


What can one do in Novosibirsk in winter except for just finding one's way through all this snow and finding shelter from biting frost in cozy cafes?


















Well, there is a good choice of opportunities, like:
1) Driving out of the city and walking in snow-covered forests throwing snow right on one's head.




2) Visiting a Russian banya. Choosing a banya, try to find the one, which is heated with wood, and not a typical Finnish sauna. The latter is good, but the Russian banya with its birch twig massage is something unique, something one can experience only in Russia.

3) Enjoying ice and snow sculptures, figures and slides. Unforgettable fun for kids of all ages!









And just experiencing ordinary life in the middle of frost and snow. Cars starting, driving and parking amidst snow piles, red-faced childred playing outside and having fun, girls in high-heeled boots hustling to work or for a date.
If you are lucky, you will meet a real Ded Moroz and his granddaughter Snegurochka right in the city center!
Want to look at it? Welcome to Novosibirsk in winter!







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