What You Forgot, or The Arctic Circle with Children
Just returned from a trip to the edge of the earth. The North has long beckoned, but seemed so inaccessible.
We bought tickets from Smartavia in conjunction with the cultural capital. Yekaterinburg-St. Petersburg-Yekaterinburg - 24 thousand rubles. for four, St. Petersburg-Murmansk-St. Petersburg - 16 thousand rubles. All without luggage and additional services.
Housing booked on "Daily" and "Avito". In Murmansk We rented a car.
Of the luggage - 4 backpacks and one small suitcase (Smartavia paid 1 thousand rubles for luggage), which could not take. But for safety stocked warm clothes and shoes.
The plane took us across the Arctic Circle to Murmansk.
A lot of people worry about Smartavia. All our carry-on baggage was normal and we were not even asked to check with a calibrator. Although we were all asked.
Fly 2 hours. But it seemed quicker.
The airport is 20 km from the city. Landed through the clouds, among the trees. Cloudy. It's raining. After the hot Peter is palpably cool. Even in hoodies.
The first time we walked to the terminal from the plane. In the arrivals area, there is not a single employee and the only luggage belt.
We are going to Murmansk and I understand that I never thought about the city. I know it's in the north, I know it's a port. But I didn't expect to see rocks, mountains, hills. But I like it! I love mountains!
I find myself thinking that the area resembles Gubaha. Only instead of pigeons, gulls and cormorants walk in the yards.
It's a strange feeling from the city. The building resembles Yekaterinburg with its mixed buildings.
Immediately Stalin's Empire, then panels, then wooden huts, immediately new buildings. A couple of buildings are painted in color. Otherwise, gray.
But you can see that they love their land here!
To dream in the north!
Rest in the north!
To love in the north!
To live in the north!
There are art objects. There are beautiful graffiti in the gardens. I love it when the city shows you its art.
In the central square, the playground, hanging there for a long time. There is a beautiful station building in the distance. I thought I was going to the port, but I knew I was hungry.
When people say that they are flying to Murmansk, it very rarely means that they are flying to the city. Because there's really nothing to do in it.
Tourism on Kola about the tundra, mountains and wild places. The most luxurious are considered the Middle and Fishermen peninsulas. There are the coolest views and wildlife. But there's no normal road. On the rental car, we were strictly forbidden to go there ourselves.
The day before, my friends drowned their own jeep. Traveling with guides is not cheap. Sleeping mostly in tents. Or you need to book a single base in advance.
We choose more accessible routes.
It's cloudy this morning. But according to the forecast for the coming days the sun and up to +30. Just so you understand, in local areas, even in July +20 C is not often.
Husband picks up car - Duster's not the newest. 2500 rubles a day.
Let's go. A full tank is a must. There will be no gas stations until we return.
The road makes the heart shrink with beauty.
The trees are low. But in all directions, the tundra spread its carpets, which have already begun to be painted with colorful colors.
Many lakes with unusual shores - level with the surface of the water. It was like a giant mirror was placed on top of the grass.
Near Murmansk on the roadside a lot of cars. People pick mushrooms. I'm thinking maybe it's still alive. Although the landlord told us it had just finished.
But no. We only see leaves. And a bunch of weird berries that haven't been seen before. What mushrooms... They're just waving you off the curb. They're everywhere. You can see them from the car window, even on the move.
Our way to the northeast. Where many people are going these days. But still, few know.
Teriberka
Emphasis on E.
I always thought it was the second e. I found out what was wrong when I was preparing for the trip. But most importantly, it's not there.
The road is flat. I don't understand why they charge extra for going here. But then we get to a small section of primer, which is being repaired.
It starts to rain decently.
With adventures, we are looking for an apartment in three houses (for you to understand, there are only about 3 of them here), but still we find and settle in.
Almost immediately, the rain ends and my husband and I go to the store and take a walk. The wind is blowing a little. My husband is happy that he is not cold. I'm glad I bought an unsweetenable jacket.
From behind the clouds begins to look the sunset. God, it's so beautiful!!
We're going up the hill next to the house. It's full of berries! Mixed blueberries, blueberries, shiksha, turf. The last ones I Googled and found out were also edible.
Seagulls fly and shout at their bird. Somewhere under the mountain rustle waves.
Communication is missing. But it doesn't matter! Eyes, ears, hair, skin absorb the north!
It's cloudy outside. They promised the sun.
Well, then. Let's go for a walk.
The area behind Lodeyny since this year is recognized as protected. The fee is not taken yet, but registration is required on the environmental protection website. They're planning on it. That's right.
After Leviathan, crowds of people go to these places. Not everyone is adequacy. The tundra is trampled on quadrikas, trying to drive away by car.
But the local vegetation is very long and difficult to restore! Remember that. Walk the trodden paths, do not forget your garbage and follow the other rules. They're written at the entrance.
Checking in from home. Not that there's gonna be a connection. It's not long or hard.
Get to the parking lot. She's got one car.
And we go to the beach with dragon eggs. That's what the local boulders call. A lot of people really look like eggs. The rocks recede into the endless blue Barents Sea. There is no more land over the horizon. Only the Arctic Ocean is ahead.
We walk on the beach for almost 2 hours. The rain drizzles and ends immediately. The wind blows all the time. He never seems to stop here.
Finding a dragon cave. Let's jump on giant boulders and move towards the waterfall. The clouds gave way to the sun.
Not as close as it seemed on the map. Some places uphill. But there is such beauty around that you do not pay attention to the difficulties of the route. I want to look around 360 degrees.
The waterfall is beautiful! Around the mountain lakes with the cleanest water. There are endless berries under your feet. People have increased markedly.
The rocks above the waterfall go into the sea.
You really feel on the edge of the earth!
The route can be continued, there is more to see. But we got hungry and decided to come back.
On the way back, we meet buses with tourists and check the registration in the reserve. Tourists without her. They're not allowed in until they've done the right thing.
There are so many people! Still looking for parking spaces. She's not small. It's always been like this on weekends.
Glad we went out early.
At home in the refrigerator is food purchased the day before in the Murmansk "Tape". But we want to taste the local cuisine. Let's go to the old Teriberka.
In all cafes, tables are occupied by tourist groups: they work only on armor.
We find one blank. After lunch, we know why. Don't eat at Norman.
The price of food in local establishments is not low. Soup averages 500 rubles. Hot closer to 1,000 rubles. A teapot is also 500 (for what?).
And these aren't restaurants. The service is lame even in the most decent cafes. It seems like some people are trying. Cards are accepted almost everywhere.
On the menu, fish, venison, moose, hedgehogs, scallops, crabs. But carbonara is also found )
My husband wants to find a hut from Leviathan (I haven’t looked, by the way). But it was demolished. And now there is an art object of Tema Lebedev in the form of a letter T or a whale tail.
At 17:00 we are scheduled to go to sea.
At prices on the Internet, I expected to pay about 20 thousand rubles. for four. But in the local chat room managed to agree for 12.
The weather is very sunny. A beautiful sunset is expected.
They warn you to take your passports with you. Border waters. Water transport is often checked.
We're boarding a fishing boat. The captain asks for directions. We don't understand them. We just ask you to go where it's beautiful. Let's go to sea.
The sea smells sweet and fresh. I don't remember that on other seas. Sailors smile and say that it is the cleanest water. I want to inhale and inhale this smell.
We reach the lighthouse, which is guarded by the military.
When I first dreamed about this trip, I found out that there are whales. When planning the route, I read that whales come mainly in spring and early summer. And no one ever guarantees that you will see them when you go out to sea. They don't come by order.
Captain says they've taken 2 flights today and no whales.
But here on the right side of the water emerges walrus head. It spins on the surface, waves its flipper and dives back.
And the radio says they just saw whales. And we change course.
I stand on the bow of the ship and look at the waves. They often look like fins.
But when you see a real fin, smoothly appearing above the water and also smoothly changing its tail, you will not confuse it with waves. You are captivated by childish delight!
Here they are! Alive! Nearby!
The ship is shutting down the engine. You cannot scare animals and swim towards them. In the sky because of the clouds ooze the sun's rays.
And they come out and come out. One at a time and in pairs.
Emotions overflow! The North welcomes us and is ready to show its treasures in full glory!
He is fulfilling your dream, which you only hoped for secretly! And you're full of happiness!
We go to the shore on the positive, filled with impressions and emotions. Three hours passed unnoticed. The team is glad we're happy. They are proud of their land and that they can show us what is not accessible from the shore.
On the shore we are given a couple of hedgehogs and scallops. My son’s gastronomic dream will come true today.
I woke up early in the morning and decided to take a walk up the same mountain that my husband and I had walked the day we arrived. I sat there to the sound of the sea and seagulls.
I picked up a cup of berries and read in the chat room that it was the northern lights at night, and I was just going to bed. The North showed us all its beauty! But there was something we didn't expect to see, so we all overslept.
When everyone woke up, ate breakfast, packed up, moved out of the apartment. We went to the old Teriberka.
On the way, we looked closer at the skeleton of a sperm whale that jumped ashore in 2019. And the shipyard. Ships that have served their time are not dismantled or disposed of. They are left to die on the coast.
There are almost no local residents in the old part of the settlement. But after the influx of tourists began to build houses for recreation, cafes, art objects and other lures. A model whale from Leviathan, who returned to Teriberka a year ago, is also here.
Everything new stands next to old abandoned and dilapidated houses.
And it's such a contrast.
We're all over the place. We couldn't resist here. Moreover, access is free. School building. 3 floors. There's an art gallery inside. Heaps of textbooks, their pages rattle the wind.
Then we went to lunch and sit at the beach. The sun is hot. Therefore, even decided to run into the sea, wet your feet )) water, of course, ice.
You can feed the deer right away. But we came in, they were asleep, frozen in the sun and the owners were not in place. They didn't.
In the network often met the opinion, they say, what to do with the overnight stay, in this Teriberka. A couple of hours will be enough to watch.
Don't believe me. These seats aren't for a couple of hours. They are fascinated that you do not want any gallop.
I didn't really want to leave. But I had to.
In the evening, they reached Murmansk and decided to still drive to the port and to the Alyosha (Memorial “To the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War”).
At the port is the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin". Near the moored barge "Fortuna", which built Nord stream-2.
I could not plan the rest of the route until the last. There were good plans. But I didn't even book a place.
In the morning we moved out of Murmansk and at the gas station we found that the wheel was flat.
We spent a couple of hours searching and waiting for the tires. But it is good that it happened near the city. Because there's nothing on the track! A couple of cafes, that's it.
Settlements are rare and far from the Kola highway.
The track is good, by the way. Well thought out. My husband was surprised that people built it with their heads and hands.
The plan was to get to Kandalaksha, but while we were driving, I tried to book the accommodation and everything was busy.
So I went back to my original idea of staying in Kirovsk. I immediately found a very nice and cheap apartment. And we rushed in.
And, you know, everything you do is for the best! We really liked the town!
The apartment, too. Mountains could be seen from the windows.
The children were impressed by the TV on the half wall and sat down to watch cartoons. My husband and I went for a walk.
Kirovsk is a city in the Khibiny. There's some GLA. Therefore, tourist life boils in winter.
But in the summer there are fans of trekking, geologists and such inbound tourists like us.
The colorful, well-groomed, lively town made a pleasant impression even under the rain.
For some reason, Salzburg was remembered.
My husband and I were excited to spend 2 nights here.
We decided to take a ride around the neighborhood.
In Kirovsk there is a district that is slightly far from the whole city. We got there first. Then to a small lake Small Woodyavr.
Then I wanted to go to the MES base in the mountains. I watched beautiful pictures from there and from the road. But the road follows the river with stones. We tried to cross the river a couple of times and decided not to risk it. The mind needs to be turned on sometimes.
We went to an abandoned railway station. It was a beautiful building that worked until the 1990s. And then it shut down as unnecessary. It is a pity that it has not been used.
Lunch in the homeland of Andrei Malakhov and DJ Gruva.
We went to Kandalaksha. The city itself didn't inspire us. But we didn't go to him either. The goal was to climb Mount Volosyanaya, which overlooks the city and the White Sea.
At first, they couldn't find the start of the climb. After looking through several reports on the Internet, we figured it out. The climb is not very high. But in some places the climb is very steep. I don't think everyone will.
It's beautiful upstairs!
But the wind is strong and cold. Not comfortable even on a warm sunny day. The paths are swampy. Easy to get in the water. Which we've never done.
Colorita adds DublDom, which is available for rent. Initially, I really wanted to sleep in it. But when I found him, I was already busy on our dates.
Well, okay.
In the morning, the children said that they did not want to leave Kirovsk. But we're out. They almost went straight to Murmansk. But I remembered that we were going to visit the museum.
I'm glad I remembered. We really liked the museum! It was recently updated and everything is modern. A lot of interactivity, interesting for any age. The area is not very large, but if you read and listen to the audio guide (which is available in the phone by qr-code), you can hang out for a long time. We actually spent a couple of hours there.
The expositions tell the history of the region, and about the local flora / fauna, and about the minerals that are rich in the Khibiny. 200 new minerals were discovered here. They're literally everywhere. For lovers of stones, a visit to the museum is absolutely necessary.
And a few rooms about the mining industry and the local enterprise that extracts minerals, processes them into fertilizers used around the world. And they have no analogues.
Then we realized the town had money. That's why he's so well-groomed and nice.
The entrance to the museum is free. Which was very surprising.
In the evening we reached Murmansk, rented the car and reached the local souvenir shop. Of course, the prices are high. But we did buy something.
There is even more choice at the airport. And the prices are almost the same.
It was noticeably cold in Murmansk. But sunny.
There are already more people in the departure zone.
Hand luggage is again passed without a calibrator.
You can see everything out the window today. We wave the wing of Kola, who received with all warmth and gave a lot of emotions! I see Kirovsk from above.
And we land in Peter.
Text and photo: Evgenia Lysenkova
Prices are indicated at the time of publication of the article - September 2022.
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