Travelog for: Moony

(More photos, being taken a long time ago, but found only today xD)

We had a walk in the center of Novosibirsk. Here is the Opera and Ballet theater, the symbol of the city.





Famous Soviet the Worker and the Farmer.



The Pervomayskiy square.



Yes, there are the dogs in sunglasses and with backpacks



Just a little church, which is considered to be the geographical center of Russia.

This is the Ob river, one of the biggest in Russia; and its bridges: railway, subway and 3 road bridges

Happy Easter everybody!

Preparing...






Letters XB mean "Христос Воскресе" - "Christ is risen". In Easter day they say it in stead of "Good morning" and "Hello", and the response is "Воистину воскресе!" - "He is risen indeed!"

We should put the eggs around the kulich (sweet Easter bread)




A mini-game by tradition: whose egg will be broken first?



I won!



Let us start holiday lunch finally :Р

Hi folks!

We are preparing for tomorrow all together with Napoleon and Dasha's friends! It's going to be something really funny.

Have you ever heard about Monstration?

It's a Novosibirsk traditional happening that takes place on the 1st of May every year since 2003. First Monstration was here and then it spreaded to many other Russian cities and even abroad.
It's a kind of a big flashmob, a parody on Soviet May Day demonstrations. What happens there is difficult to explain, because the meaning is no meaning. No politics, no demands, just making fun of it.



Thousands of young people in bright and unusual clothes make absurd banners and they go down the main city street, chanting funny slogans. It's just an explosion of youth!





we are here!!!

I'd translated some banners if I could, but most of them are puns and wordplay of Russian. (By the way, I learned "I am a little dog and I love to party": Я маленькая собачка и я люблю вечеринки!)




After walking a half of Red Avenue we reached the Opera Theatre and had a rest on the grass.

Today we went to cafe to celebrate Dasha friend's birthday.
Om nom nom

It's a great day! The weather is unbelievebly hot for that time of a year. My host took me and Napoleon with her to roller walk.

We had reached the Glory Monument right in 12 PM and watched the change of the guard of honor.




The Glory Monument is the complex of monuments to the heroes of World War II. There are six large walls with the names of all Novosibirsk soldiers who died in it, and a quenchless flame.



Behind them there is a really nice park with good paths to cycle and roller-blade on, and some tanks and planes.



Go further. 'Golden' Lenin in front of government building:



Some attractions in Kirova Park:



There we stopped to have a lunch of a squids sandwich and birch sap. 

Just a nice misty morning.

The Victory's Day is celebrated in Russia today.



A big parade on the Red Square:





Napoleon was telling all the time, how he had visited it about a month ago. I suppose it looks more awesome in reality then on TV screen.

We have an extra free day because of holiday. So we decided to go hiking tomorrow.

A pioneers' old song helps us to pack all necessary things. "Where is my backpack? Put in compass and a map, campfire staff and camphor for mosquitoes..."



Well, we're going to catch the train to Iskitim. Then to go 10 km on foots.



Something interesting is waiting us there

Firstly we took a train. (Can you believe: we got to the station in 8.37 and the train was leaving in 8.40. And we managed to buy the tickets, run up to the farthest railroad and got to it! That was exhausting )



The big part of a way to Iskitim goes near the Ob sea and Berdski Gulf.



After 1,5 hour we were in Iskitim and had a walk and a breakfast there.




Then a hour of extreme road to the village Belovo... and our little hiking trip started




Having passed an endless forest of birches with the compass,




we saw the Vydrikha Lake.



But even after going around it, we couldn't find one main thing. So we climbed up a steep hill to have a look from above.



It didn't help, the lake is so big we couldn't see it all.
However there was a stone with an arrow and an inscription: "Don't go here". What did we do? Of course, went that way 





It seemed like the hill would never end...



Suddenly we heard the distant noise of running water.



This is what we were looking for - Belovo Waterfall!





- this is it-

It's not very high and not so beautiful as Victoria Fall, of course, but waterfall is a really unexpected phenomenon on a flat plain, especially in West Siberia.

After enjoying the view, taking pictures and dipping our legs in water, we realised that we are cold and hungry.
It's not a problem if you are in the nature and have some sausages




Even simple bun seems to be more tasty, heated by campfire and eaten outdoors
Then we returned by the same way.

The sunset above Berdski Gulf.



Well, it was an awesome day

Today I said goodbye to my new friend Napoleon.



I wish you good luck and many exciting adventures!

I'm OK here, but my host is busy now with exams. So sorry if I will keep silence for two weeks

Yours,
Moony

Well, while I'm packing my things, I'd like to tell you briefly how I spent this summer

One more photo of evening Novosibirsk.

In June, in the mornings I helped my host to get ready for her exams...





I ate a lot of Russian food in the afternoons...



And watched sunsets in the evenings.

I walked a lot in the center of the city.



This is just a fountain





After my strolls I would have a snack in KFC.