Just a few hundred meters away from Murmansk's largest monument ( the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War) sits what is probably the city's smallest and undoubtedly the cutest. In 2013 the inhabitants of Murmansk were called to cast their preference for a new monument to be put on the shores... Continue Reading →
Like it or not, McDonalds and Russia have a long history. The American fast food chain actually opened its first restaurant in Moscow a couple of years before Russia was even an independent country. Here you can read the full story of McUSSR – The first McDonald’s in the Soviet Union. Nowadays there are about... Continue Reading →
«Big Wood» is the name of a ski resort in the town of Kirovsk, located at the spurs of the Khibiny Mountains on the shores of the Lake Bolshoy Vudyavr, 175 kilometers (109 mi) south of Murmansk. The skiing trails are located on the southern and northern slopes of the Mount Aikuaiventchorr (I'll give you a minute to try and... Continue Reading →
There is an old saying that goes: "amateur photographers talk about gear, professional photographers talk about composition, but great photographers talk about light." I don't consider myself a great photographer, but today I want to talk about light. There is a reason why Northern countries are increasingly popular with photographers (think Iceland, but also Norway,... Continue Reading →
In 1957 the USSR launched both the world's first nuclear-powered surface ship and the first nuclear-powered civilian vessel: the nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin. Now permanently moored in Murmansk, the ship is an unmissable museum for anyone visiting the largest city on Earth above the Artic Circle. An embodiment of the technical progress of her time, the Lenin comprised 70,000 parts, with the total length... Continue Reading →
If you ever happen to find yourself in Murmansk in a cold day (and if you ever happen to find yourself in Murmansk, chances are it will be a cold day, with a mean daily temperature of 0,5 C - 33 F - year around and -10 C, 13.8 F, in January) a warm place... Continue Reading →
On the other side of the Kola Fjord from Murmansk lays the small village of Abram-Mys (technically still part of the city of Murmansk). Here you can find not one, but two interesting places. The first is not clearly marked in any way, but if you decide to walk up a little set of stairs... Continue Reading →
We recently spent about a week in and around the Russian city of Murmansk, the largest city on Earth North of the Artic Circle, discovering new places preparing a new photo itinerary. I will post more pictures and infos on this trip in the coming days and weeks, but, first thing first, let's start with what... Continue Reading →
So many things happened in Russia on October 4th in the course of the centuries! I chose to dedicate yesterday's post to the anniversary of Sputnik, Earth's first artificial satellite, but yesterday also marked the 101st birthday of the city of Murmansk. Murmansk was the very last city founded in the Russian Empire. In 1915, World War I needs... Continue Reading →
