russia: kronstadt and st petersburg

I'll always be happy to go to St. Petersburg. I'm pretty sure I've started another post with those same (or similar,) words, but they are true.

Since Claire and I had been to the city several times previously, we decided to do a day trip on Saturday, then stay in St. Petersburg on Sunday.

Kronstadt is a small city on the island of Kotlin, 30 kilometers west of St. Petersburg, right in the middle of the gulf of Finland. The island was originally Swedish, the Russians didn't gain possession until the beginning of the 18^th century.

The island was immediately used by the Russians as a fortification against the Swedes and anyone else who wanted to take over the area. It didn't take long to build the original fort, along with several mini forts.

These mini islands were made at the same time as the original fort. Stones were dropped through holes cut in the ice. Mini forts were then built on top of these mini islands. The construction of all these islands and forts left very little open water through which foreign boats could travel, in other words the water was completely under Russian control.

Unless I'm mistaken (which is always possible,) these islands no longer exist.

Kronstadt has been involved in a lot of fighting since the fortresses were built. It was seized by the Russians during the Great Northern War. Shipping markets were affected by the Crimean War. It was also part of WW1, the Russian Civil War, and WW2. There is still a military presence on the island, though I don't think there has been any need for it recently.

The population of the city has changed quite a bit in the last century or two, mostly depending on whether war was happening. 

Wikipedia tells me it is a little under 45,000 right now.

After arriving before dark on our train from Moscow, we hopped on the metro to the edge of St Petersburg, then took a bus the rest of the way to Kronstadt. When we got off the bus it was still dark, (sunrise in mid December in St Petersburg isn't until nearly 10am,) which was no fun at all.

We ended up walking almost all the way around the walls of the former fortress in an effort to get to the platz in the middle. During this walk we watched a bit of some kind of military ceremony. 

Everyone looked really young, so maybe it was a group of cadets?

We finally got to the platz, and found the reason people come to this island: to see the Naval Cathedral of St Nicholas. It's huge.

Walking into the cathedral was really impressive. It gets a lot of visitors, so there are plenty of head scarves available for women to borrow. There are also signs (in Russian, Chinese, and English,) reminding people to be quiet and be respectful.

From the outside you see several domes, but when you're inside it feels like one big ceiling with a bunch of rotundas, if that makes sense. The inside feels huge and airy, and the whole thing is decorated. There are a number of giant chandeliers, cleaning them must be tough.

We wandered around for a bit, deciding to leave just as a large group of Chinese tourists came in.

On another side of the platz is a war memorial, with an eternal flame. This particular memorial is built in a way that kinda protects the flame, as this area is nearly always windy. As we were there in early winter, this didn't feel so good. 

At that point we realized there was some sort of parade coming in front of the church. They were sailors, in uniform, some marching with flags, and some with instruments. Totally unexpected, and we had no idea what it was for, but it was really neat to watch.

After the parade we found a nearby cafe to eat breakfast, and warm up.

Before leaving Kronstadt we found the statue of Lenin and took a team photo.

The bus back toward St Petersburg was actually a marshrutka, which dropped us off at the end of one of the city metro lines. 

While on this marshrutka I realized I could see the big building that looks like the Shard, but I have no idea where one goes to get those Instagram worthy views of the building. As the marshrutka passed more closely to the building I could only see construction and dirt, which were not pretty, to say the least.

Instead of going to our accomodation we rode the metro closer to one of the university campuses in the city. Later research told me President Putin studied here! 

We didn't find a way into campus, but we could peek in through the fence around the area, it's quite pretty. We didn't walk the entire way around, so there is probably an open gate we didn't see.

While walking near the university I could see that the canal was frozen, so I wanted to take photos of me standing on the ice. Angela did the same, but Claire wasn't keen to do so. Since there is so much shipping through these waters, the frozen surface isn't smooth at all.

We crossed the water/ice on one of the many bridges of the city, watching some locals dancing in one area along the way. 

We kept going, ending up at the accomodation I'd booked for the night. It was easy enough to check in, though our room ended up being rather cold.

The next day, after checking out, I received a message from booking.com saying that the hotel hadn't checked us in, the site wanted to know if we'd shown up. I replied and said that yes, we had been there. I have a sneaking suspicion that the hotel was trying to get around declaring having us as guests by reporting us as no-shows. Anywho.

This was Angela's first trip to St Petersburg, but Claire and I gave her no choice in where we were going to eat dinner. We went to Namaste, one of my all time favourite Indian restaurants. Afterward we walked to a gelatto place for dessert, even though none of us actually had room in our bellies.

The next morning we packed up and checked out, after waking up pretty late. Since the sun comes up so late it's really easy to stay asleep later than usual. (And both Claire and Angela tend to sleep in much later than I do without an alarm.)

After packing up and checking out, we started walking. We walked along the canals, pointing our well known buildings to Angela. One of these was the Hermitage, which is probably one of the biggest and most famous museums in the world.

Claire finally said she was keen to take an ice photo, but that did not end well. The ice wasn't solid enough where she decided to step, she went into the water. We were able to get her out, but that accident definitely changed our plans for the rest of the day.

We walked immediately to a cafe, and found a way for Claire to put her jeans on a radiator to hopefully dry them out a bit. It took a while, but they were mostly dried out by the time we left. Angela or I had an extra pair of socks, so Claire's feet didn't have to stay so cold.

Eventually we went back outside, walking in the general direction of the Peter and Paul fortress. We actually walked around to the other side, and kept going. Not too far from the fortress is a large mosque. Someone told me it used to be one of the biggest in Europe.

It is in the same style as those I'd seen in Uzbekistan, which means the style of decoration was really eye catching. Blue mosaic tiling, absolutely beautiful.

After the mosque we walked back to the fortress. Claire and I already knew that the interior of the fortress wasn't all that interesting, but we thought Angela should see it. There is a church in the middle of the whole thing, many of the Romanov family members are entombed inside. We wanted to see the church, but when we got to the door we discovered it had an entrance fee, and we just weren't in the mood to pay.

It was basically dark by the time we left the fortress, so our last sight of the day was inside. It was an easy walk to the museum apartment of Sergei Kirov. Kirov was the leader of the communists in Leningrad, and a great friend of Stalin. He began his political career as a revolutionary, then rose through the ranks of the party relatively quickly. 

The apartment in which he lived is now a museum, all three of us were keen to see how one of the leaders lived. 

The apartment is huge. Leaders of the party most definitely didn't like like the masses. If I understand correctly, Kirov lived with just his wife in the flat, though there were multiple bedrooms and plenty of other spaces. Kirov liked to hunt, so some of his trophies were displayed. We also got to see an office, a library, and more. Impressive, and disgusting at the same time.

Kirov was shot and killed by a gunman in his office in the Smolny Institute in 1934. One of the items on display is a picture of the bullet hole in the back of his head. Hmmm. 

Though the official account doesn't say so, there is a strong suspicion that Stalin himself ordered the killing, which was then used as an excuse to start the great purge (of political leaders,) that followed.

After leavimg the museum we went back to Namaste for another Indian dinner. We also ordered food to go, so each of us would have yummy food for the next couple days in Moscow.

Our train back to Moscow was a double decker, which was awesome to show Angela. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the Russian train system is fantastic. Why don't other countries copy it?

ukraine: uman

I first heard of the Ukrainian town of Uman during my first year in Ukraine. It's most known for a giant park, named after a Greek woman called Sophia. For some reason, I never traveled to the town until now, in February of my 6th year in the country. 

This trip was even less planned than most of my trips. I booked a place to stay on Thursday, when I planned to arrive sometime on Saturday. There is no train directly to uman, I knew I would have to come by bus or marshrutka. 

My idea was to catch transport around 8 or 830 Saturday morning, of course that didn't happen. Instead it was more like 1115, and my arrival in town was just before 1400. 

Immediately after getting out of the marshrutka I knew it would be interesting in terms of getting around town. I say this because everything was ice covered. Roads and sidewalks were covered by an inch of ice. The snow we had earlier in the week melted into slush and water, which froze before going away. 

We all know I am sorely lacking in natural coordination, so pretty much every step I took all weekend was cautious. Still, I fell numerous times and scrambled even more. I had to laugh at myself, it was quite comedic to see my 'walking' through the eyes of someone else. 

I wandered through the town, in the general direction of my accommodation. Several of the comments said my place was difficult to find, and I didn't want to get stuck trying to find it after dark. 

I only fell three time on the way to my hotel. One of those falls. Had me sliding all the way down a hill, ugh. I managed to stand up again, feeling that the backside of my pants was wet from the fall and slide. Argh. 

I was wet and cold when I checked in, but I took advantage of the radiator in my room to dry off my pants, and quite quickly. 

Google maps said it would only take 30 minutes for me to make the walk, but it was more than an hour later by the time I arrived. This was because of my slipping and sliding, as well as find out that roads didn't lead where google maps said they would. I turned around several times, and found out that the hotel itself didn't list a very good address. Anywho.

After drying off I walked out again making my way toward the edge of town. I was heading toward a church nearby, which seemed easy enough to get to. It would've been easy to get to, except for a hill. The hill would've been easy to go up, except that it was covered in ice. Every step I took was challenging, and I was sliding all over. I finally resorted to trying to move on all fours. That didn't work either, I was still sliding everywhere, going backward more than forward. 

A total stranger was coming up the hill and helped me stay upright, and move where I wanted to go. I have no idea how I didn't take him down as well, with all my sliding. 

I finally made it to the church. I thanked my helper, who kept walking. It was a small, puke yellow church. There were a couple dogs outside, they looked well cared for. I went inside the church, realizing immediately that I'd arrived in the middle of a service. Instead of walking all around, I stayed at the back, just watching and listening. 

Getting back down the hill was just as entertaining as the way up, though somehow I managed to avoid falling. Skating on an uneven ice rink is tough. My walk took me up another street, which was also ice covered. Another struggle to move forward. Ugh. 

Crawling on all fours, holding on to cement walls (or trying to) or every plant along the way was all I could do. Heaps more sliding backward and sideways. 

I finally got to a road slightly less covered in ice. Or, at least the ice was rougher on top, so I was able to have traction. I found a supermarket, I grabbed snacks. I found a cafe for dinner, a place called Burrito. Google maps lists the place, trip advisor does not. I haven't had anything with refried beans in ages, it was quite good. 

It was dark when I left dinner, I decided to go back home instead of wandering. Not only do I not love being outside by myself after dark, but with everything ice covered I worried about my safety. 

My room was so well heated I had to open the window in the middle of the night. I would've preferred to turn down the heat, but it was centrally controlled, I didn't have any control. 

Breakfast was included in the price of my room. I found it served in the bar, by following other hotel guests. I ended up with fried eggs, slices of cheese and ham, and slices of bread. Not great, but not awful. 

I packed up my pack, made sure everything was charged, and figured out where to go. Of course this took longer than it should've. Oh well. 

I first went back to the small church I'd visited the night before. I wanted to see it in daylight. It was lovely, and I was the only visitor at that time. Getting there wasn't any easier, going up that hill was just as difficult, but I didn't fall as often. 

I walked back down the hill and down another street. I saw a monument of some kind (it looked like Cossacks on horses? 2 men on horses instead of one!) which had two Ukrainian flags flying nearby: one blue and yellow, the other red and black. 

I walked up a hill into a neighborhood that was clearly Jewish, because everything was written in Hebrew. Everything. It was the first time I've seen anything like it in Ukraine. 

It took me a few minutes to find it, but eventually I found what I was looking for. It was the tomb of Rabbi Nachman, a place of pilgrimage for many observant Jews. One lady saw me walking around, probably looking a little lost, so she beckoned me to follow her. She showed me the womens' area of the tomb. When I entered the room she put a wraparound skirt on me, and I sat down. 

It wasn't just a place to see a tomb, it was a place of study, and a place of prayer. There was a wall, which ran down the middle of the tomb, I presume the men had a room just like ours on the opposite side. I saw a few women gathered near the tomb, but most of us were sitting in the chairs. 

I saw some women rocking back and forth in prayer, and while reading. I saw tears on the faces of a few. I'm not Jewish, but I could feel the faith in that room. Incredible. 

I left the room after a little while, and got back on the road. When I saw a bakery, I went in. All the labeling was in Hebrew, so I had no idea what I was getting, but it looked good. I got four different pastries, and they were good. 

I kept walking up the street, eventually making a couple turns. I found my next sight, a memorial to the soldiers who had fought for the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. It wasn't as interesting, or as big as I thought it would be. 

I made a loop, and headed back toward a street I'd already walked. When I got there, I walked in the opposite direction I'd walked previously, and much further. The sidewalk was covered in ice, more slippery times for me. Eventually I decided to walk on the edge of the street, as that was mostly ice free. My body was already tired and sore from all the unintended skating.

This street took me directly to my next destination: the park for which the city is so famous. There was a sign with prices and hours listed, but I didn't see a ticket seller anywhere. The gate was open, so I went in. 

This park is world famous in gardening circles, and is over 200 years old. It was built by a Polish count in honour of his Greek bride. (Remember that Various parts of Ukraine have been parts of multiple  other empires over the years.) The park is decorated with ponds, fountains, gazebos, grottoes, etc... I would've preferred to visit in a more colourful time of year, but I figured winter would be unique as well. I was right in that thought, as everything was frozen. I was able to walk out on a couple ponds to take photos not possible in other seasons. 

I walked all over, trying not to fall on the slippery ice. I succeeded most of the time, hee hee. If I go back in another season, I will find other paths to explore. 

Eventually I walked out of the park the same way I'd walked in, then back toward the city. I went to a supermarket for snacks, and back to the cafe for another burrito. 

After eating I walked back to the bus station. It was easy to find the next marshrutka departing for kyiv, and I had to wait less than an hour. We stopped far more often on the way back to kyiv, than on the way to Uman. The weather was also far worse. Most of the drive was in blowing snow, so we didn't go as fast either. At one point the marshrutka turned around, drove back a bit, and took an exit to a different highway. I don't know if it was intended or not; that is, I don't know if the exit was originally missed, or if the change was made because of bad traffic on the road we were originally on. 

All in all, the ride back was 4 hours, as opposed to the less than three the day before. Fortunately, the stop back in kyiv was close to a metro station, so getting home was easy.

I'd like to go back to Uman in a different season, as I could walk more, it would be cleaner and safer (no ice,) and there would be more daylight. 

ukraine: kyiv: epiphany in the water

This is my 5th school year in Kyiv, Ukraine, but only my third year participating in the annual Epiphany tradition. This was my first year participating when there was a significant amount of ice on the river. It looks colder than it felt. Though I should point out that it took hours for my fingers and toes to warm up. The rest of me was normal in a few minutes, but my fingers and toes, eeeek!!

ukraine: kyiv: winter walking

I love snow. I love winter. I grew up in a place that gets snow a few times every winter but doesn't stay really cold the whole time. I remember when I was a kid, wishing we lived in a place with a 'real' winter. I remember being slightly jealous of people who lived farther north, as I would see news reports of blizzards and the like, I wanted to be there. I still feel that way. Yes, I know plenty of people think that's crazy.

Now I live in Ukraine. Winter is real here. Very very real. My first winter here it didn't go under freezing until mid January, but then it got really cold, really fast, an stayed there. We were under freezing for more than two months, a month of which was at -25C or so. Trust me, that's cold. (And yes, I know there are plenty of people who are regularly in colder weather.)

Every family has a sled, or something on which people can slide on the snow. Everyone has proper winter boots, usually several pairs. (And quite often Ukrainian women wear stiletto winter boots.) when the snow starts there are heaps of people out on the hills of the city, sliding everywhere. I think it's awesome.

Last winter was remarkable only in that it wasn't remarkable. It didn't go below -10C very much, most everyone I know commented on how mild the entire season was.

This year we've already gotten to -10C, we went under freezing for two weeks starting toward the end of November. As I write, temperatures are back above freezing, so ice and snow has melted. Given the current gas/heating situation, (no one is reading this blog to read what I say about the situation with Russia) it's better to have another mild winter. That being said, I'm hoping for another cold winter. I love snow, I like ice (except for when I fall and end up with massive bruises that take weeks to heal.) I hope to see the river freeze over :)

The photos in this post have been taken over the entire time I've lived here.

I think winter is beautiful. I like blue skies a whole lot more than grey skies, but even grey winter skies have their own beauty. My second year here we had a massive snowstorm at the end of march. Everyone remembers, as it dumped 50cm (~20in) in 36 hours. That happened on Friday/Saturday, the city was still shut down the following Monday. That sort of snow isn't shocking here, but no one was ready for it so late in the season.

Winter weather doesn't stop life here. It's just another season, with appropriate activities. People are always outside in the snow, quite often with kids. That first year my flat mate and I thought Ukrainians were crazy, as they would be hanging out outside drinking and being social, when the temperatures were below freezing. Crazy.

argentina: el calafate and glaciar perito moreno

my bus from bariloche arrived in el calafate after noon...i was greeted with a lovely view of mountains all around, and great weather...awesome...
i found a place to stay, figured out what i wanted to do, and went back to the bus station to buy tickets...el calafate is down the road from parque nacional los glaciares, too far to walk...plus, the parque is rather big, it isn't possible to walk around on my own and see everything...
the buses to/from the parque were more expensive than i expected, i also bought tickets to my next two destinations...there are discounts if you book more than one set of tickets :)

i spent the next couple hours walking around el calafate, which was rather dead...apparently there is a siesta time, because nearly everything was closed until 1500 or so...i saw souvenir shops, travel agencies, restaurants, hotels, etc...nothing "local"...this town is totally dedicated to tourism...which makes sense i suppose, as it is a dry area, with gorgeous landscapes all around...i found an open ice cream shop and tried the local specialty, an ice cream made from the calafate berry...nothing wonderful, i wouldn't bother with that again...i wonder if other flavours were any good...

the next morning my bus left while it was still dark...i was not thrilled when the bus only drove a few streets, then told us all to get out and into a minivan...that was not explained when i bought my tickets...argh...what was explained is that this bus ride doesn't include anything other than transport...people on the bus still have to pay for the boat ride, and bring their own food or buy it in the cafeteria...there is a tourist spiel while everyone is on the bus, i tuned it out for the most part, since it was in spanish...the guide recognized that i didn't understand a lot of what she was saying, so she did occasionally translate a bit for me...

the bus stopped at a couple places along the way so everyone could take photos...if i had been in my own transport there were even more places i would've stopped to take photos, but hey, i'll take what i can get...i liked that the company recognizes that people want to take photos when they see something, and doing it through the window of a moving minivan just doesn't cut it...
once we entered the entrance to the parque the minivan drove a bit further, then pulled off into a parking lot...this was where we had the opportunity to take a boat tour up to the face of the glacier...

it looks big and all from just about anywhere, but as with any glacier you don't realize exactly how big it is until you get up close and personal...it's HUGE...and it moves something like 2m every day, so you can see/hear bits of ice falling off...it's impressive...and cold...and windy...everyone on the boat was taking heaps and heaps and heaps of photos...
i'm glad i had a hat with me, it was really windy and my hair went everywhere...
(i think there were a couple people on the minivan who didn't take this tour, i have no idea what they did during this time...the carpark was in the shade, so no matter what i bet they were cold)

the next stop of the bus was at the cafeteria/trail heads...i looked into the cafeteria to see if they had anything i just HAD to have, they didn't...i had thought ahead enough to bring food of my own so i didn't have to pay extortionate prices...i started off down the trails, my camera at the ready...i got to see a large piece of ice fall, and the ripples in the water...it's amazing loud, almost booming...and though i'm sure the ice is moving fast, it looks slow because it's so large...
i walked on every trail i could find...i wish i'd had another day to explore other parts of this area of the park...there are tours that allow you to go cramponing on the glacier, which would've been nifty, but i don't know if it would be worth it...maybe another time?

it wasn't terribly crowded, since the middle of winter is not high season for this area of the country...
dinner that night was at a steak restaurant, and it was awesome...cooked perfectly...i was underdressed compared to the decor and other guests, but i didn't much care...
the next morning i caught a bus to my next stop, el chalten...

harbin ice festival

harbin, china hosts an ice/snow festival every year, this is the 27th year, i think...over the years i've seen the photos in the news, and they've always been incredible...even though the plane ticket was expensive (especially with the visa) i decided to see it for myself...i left work an hour early, hopped on a bus to the airport, and landed in harbin at 2120 local time...i was seated near the front of the plane, so i got out fast...the windows in the gangway into the airport were completely frosted over, with an inch of frost!! that was my first indication that harbin is COLD...soldiers were waiting at the plane door, and walked with us as we walked through the airport to immigration...as it turned out, the soldiers were also the immigration control officers as well...they stepped into the booths and started the computer problems while everyone lined up...there were only two lines, four officers took care of the whole plane...i didn't have anything to declare in customs, nor any baggage to claim, so it didn't take long to walk into the arrivals hall...that arrivals hall must be the quietest arrivals hall ever...maybe it was because it was around 2130 or so, but wow, it was QUIET...there were people holding signs with names, and others waiting, but no one was talking...and no one tried to get my attention to take a taxi, or send me to a hotel...quite a difference from most of my travel experiences in asia!! it took me a while to find an atm, i was starting to wonder if there was one in the whole airport; i would've been in trouble if there hadn't been an atm there!!

this is the first thing i saw when i walked out of the airport in harbin, china

the taxi took me to the hotel i had booked, thank goodness i had thought ahead (one of the few times i've done so)...and thank goodness i had printed out the directions/address in chinese, otherwise that could've been another disaster...the taxi driver spoke absolutely no english, and my chinese amounts only to saying hello and thank you...according to the guidebook there is public transport from the airport into town, but i didn't see option, and at that hour, i didn't much care...and thank goodness i had printed out the reservation as well, because the hotel clerks didn't speak any english either...i wasn't at all upset that no one speaks english, given that i was in china, and i think it's ridiculous to expect the rest of the world to speak my language...yes, it makes things more difficult, but that's part of the interest of traveling...they had me in a "couple's room"...just like a love motel in korea, complete with mirrors and a red, heart shaped pillow...hee hee...the room was warm...really warm...it felt too warm at first, but then i loved it...

sculptures all over town, including along the main pedestrian street

the next morning i got up and ate breakfast in the hotel...a typical chinese breakfast, buffet style...soup, eggs, various dishes...(only western cultures have specific breakfast fews)...some fruit too...there were other families and couples eating, most of them already mostly bundled up...on the way back to my room after breakfast i read the hotel information board which said that the temperatures of the day were -26C to -15C...(-14F to 5F)...that sounded chilly, but i had no idea what i was getting into...i got dressed with a long sleeve synthetic fiber shirt, a hoodie sweatshirt, pants, socks, a fleece jacket and ski shell on top...a hat and lined mittens as well...i thought that would be enough...but w/in 10 minutes of walking outside, i realized i needed the longjohns i had brought as well...the cold air directly on my skin hurt, even though it was super sunny...thank goodness the hotel was conveniently located:)

sliding down sculptures:)

 harbin was originally a small village...now it's the capital of the northeasternmost province in china...according to the guidebook, the official, modern border between russia and china wasn't settled for sure until july 2008...in 1896 china negotiated with russia, and the decision was made to build a railroad from vladivostok (on the russian east coast) to harbin, then down to dalian, china...so in came the russian rail workers...following them over the years were russian jews, and white russians, all escaping conditions in russia...not surprisingly, harbin shows the russian influence, particularly in the architecture of the city...wider streets too...it's a chinese city, but you wouldn't know it except for seeing chinese writing everywhere...obviously there are plenty of chinese people walking around, but there is a lot more open, empty space than i remember in other chinese cities...

after redressing myself properly (and nearly overheating in my hotel room once i had all the clothing on) i walked down the main pedestrian street again...there are cross streets with cars on them, so you can walk down the middle of the street, but you have to watch out for cars crossing every now and again...the street was pretty slippery, as there is plenty of ice all over the roads, i wonder if it ever goes away during the winter...i "skated" inadvertantly more than once, lol...the end of the street is at the river's edge...at this particular point there are a number of winter activities set up...the river in the middle of the city freezes up in winter (while i was there the temperatures ranged from -26C to -15C) so there were all sorts of opportunities on the ice...you can rent chairs that slide on the ice, ride in a carriage pulled by a horse, ride a horse, ride a dogsled, and use a snow machine...

 i chose to walk across the river, trying to ignore the aggressive saleswomanship of several locals...they REALLY want you to go in one of the carriages!! walking across the river was fun...and COLD...i couldn't feel the wind, but according to the flags, there was definitely wind...my face was frozen:)...there were flags all the way across the river, a path of sorts had been cleared...cleared only of snow of course, there was still plenty of ice under my feet:)...and my toes could tell, they were numb! i wonder how deep the ice is?

 i love the idea of walking across a river frozen in the winter...(i also could've taken the cable car across...in summer, you have to take the cable car or the boat, i'm not sure if you're allowed to walk across a bridge)...i love the idea of ice and snow and it's beauty...of course i don't love slush and all the craziness of traffic and people who don't know how to drive, but that wasn't an issue for me during this trip...even the taxi driver from the airport drove carefully, thank goodness...he started slowing down WAY before street lights...

 this looked sooooo tempting, just to get out of the wind!!!

 there is plenty of snow in harbin...so much snow that you can see the sedimentary effect!!! i think the snow had been shoveled off the paths, melted slightly, snowed some more, melted slightly again, and you can see the top "dusting" layer...i'm a much bigger fan of snow that actually accumulates, as opposed to snow that only lasts about 30 seconds and just causes slush and transportation problems...

snow sandwiches?

 across the river is sun island...which is part of harbin...on the other side of the river i walked up some steps, then tried to figure out where to go from there...there was a map showing the island, and locations of various park areas...i had read the guidebook, and it simply said that there was a snow sculpture display area on the island, but it didn't give any other useful information...there are two main areas of this festival, and the snow one is on sun island...it turned out to be the bigger area, so perhaps lonely planet will start providing more direction...near one of the snow sculpture areas was a small amusement park...i ended up coming at the snow sculpture area from a different direction than most people, so for a while i was concerned because i wasn't seeing anyone else...normally, i would like that feeling, the feeling of being alone...but not so much in the COLD, w/out knowing how to ask for directions!

closed for the winter, and gorgeous:)

my first snow sculpture...over the rest of that day i saw tons and tons and tons more! and i was thrilled that this picture turned out exactly the way i wanted...i took this same photo for a couple, they returned the favour to me...every time i came to another path, each option offered more sculptures...even though i wandered for quite a while, i'm not sure i saw everything...

 not surprisingly, there were these sorts of "buildings" everywhere...there were tons of people coming in and out...a warm beverage in this COLD is a great idea...around the time i came upon this coffee shop i also chatted with a family from arizona...(who are currently living in dalian, china)...as with every sculpture, i wonder how long it took to build, and how long it stays frozen...

 it's a coffee shop!

 some of the snow sculptures were so well thought out...so intricate...how do people come up with the designs? i'm pretty sure i couldn't do this, even if given a set of directions!! what kind of tools are used? how many people work on each sculpture...and how does one go about being selected to carve a sculpture? 

 my camera focused on the face in the middle, and i just loved this one...its art, and sometimes you just connect with whateva you're seeing, just because...

 i wanted to walk over this bridge, but that didn't seem to be an option...on the other hand, the bridge didn't seem to be leading anywhere either...what do they use to make the red? and how does it not bleed into the rest of the snow? and what does it say?

 this was the first BIG sculpture i saw...WHOA...all the "pictures" on the side were from the shrek movies...it was during an attempt at a self photo with this sculpture that my first camera battery died...i knew it was because of the cold, thankfully i was prepared...with three more batteries...at least, i thought i was prepared...eventually, the camera itself got too cold, and it didn't matter whether the batteries had enough juice, as the camera doesn't work in that kind of cold...i carried it in my mittens, or inside pockets of my coat after i figured that out...and yes, you can slide down this sculpture...

 these faces were awesome...so detailed...if i had seen someone around at that moment, i would've sat on one of the stumps and asked the person to take a "family portrait"...(by the way, sitting on snow is really cold...i figured that out really fast, even with two layers on!)...another battery died here...

 who would've thought the mona lisa could be made out of snow?!?! you can't tell, but there is a base of snow under the "portrait" so even the bottom of the "frame" was above my head...i tried to get a photo of me with this, but it didn't turn out well, and another battery died...i was rather worried about that by this point, cause that meant 3 of the 4 batteries i had brought were finished, and i still had 1.5 days of picture taking left in the trip!!...thankfully, i learned that having the batteries back in my warm hotel room made a big difference, and it turned out they all had some juice left after all...

 this photo doesn't show it, but this face was amazing...the 3D effect was incredible...i wanted to try to take a profile photo, but i couldn't get high enough to do it properly...how does one go about carving something this big w/out destroying what you've already carved? what kind of footwear do you wear while carving? how many hours a day do you carve? and how do you get a block of snow big enough?

 two faces/two masks...don't all of us try to hide our true selves from time to time?

 a dutch guy took this photo for me...again, it turned out exactly as i wanted...though the guy said he couldn't see well and wasn't sure about the framing! he and his wife had come all the way from the netherlands just for a long weekend at this festival...WOW...now that's dedication to traveling...they had a 9 hour flight from amsterdam, then a two hour layover in beijing just to get to harbin...

 nothing in particular to say, but this was another one of the bigger sculptures, and i loved it...

 in some ways, it would be lovely to have my very own prince come and take me away to live in his castle...surrounded by trees and peaceful landscapes...

 again with the complicated, big, sculpture...do the artists have a sketch they work from? do they do a rough draft? who decides which sculptures get to be big and which are smaller? (all are nifty, regardless of size)

 this was called "forever young"...and the lady in the mirror was clearly "younger"...i wondered whether the old lady still sees herself as young and beautiful, or if the young lady is the way the husband still sees his wife...this was probably one of my favourite sculptures...given that looking young is such a big part of western culture, i found this to be another sculpture that attracted me...i looked at it for a while...(until standing still wasn't such a good idea anymore)

 i don't know what it says, but.....this was only a third of this particular sculpture...i didn't see how each third connected with the whole, so i took the photos separately...the first time i walked by this sculpture, my hands were too cold to take a photo...

 the main pedestrian street at night...thoughout the entire trip, i saw tons of people all bundled up...(of course)...some people wearing ski clothes, some wearing thick warm boots, everyone wearing a hat...surprisingly, not everyone had on gloves or mittens...WHY NOT? i know i would've lost fingers to frostbite if i hadn't had my lined mittens...my fingers got really cold really fast (as in, after about 10 seconds) when i took off my mittens for any reason, so i can't imagine not wearing them at all...

 i opted to go see the ice sculpture section at night, when i knew everything would be lit up...ice during the day didn't sound nearly as amazing as ice, lit up with colourful lights at night...

i fell flat on my ass walking across this ice bridge...so of course i took a photo:)

 the ice sculpture section of the festival had ice gates at each entrance, as opposed to the snow sculpture section, which had nothing in particular to denote an entrance other than ticket booths...it made for a much more impressive entrance, walking through the frozen gates...what do the park entrances look like in summer, w/out these massive gates?

the gate through which i entered the ice sculpture part of the festival

 while trying to take a photo of myself and this sculpture, a local guy offered to take one for me...he communicated that, w/out using english...i loved it...when i get my own castle, i want this sort of an entrance...with a moat, of course...

 the colours in all the sculptures stood out so well against the dark, clear night...the whole area had lights, even the temple on the top of the little hill in the park...

 i love patterns...there was a pink line, a blue line, a green line, and a yellow line, but i liked this one best...i tried to stand on one of these ice blocks, but slid off, and again fell on my butt...between this and the other fall, i had bruises that lasted a couple weeks...sitting down didn't feel so great...lol...i'm blaming the falls on my shoes, for not having proper traction...

 again with the patterns...how are the lights rigged so that they look as if they're coming from inside the ice? how much electric power is used during this festival? and how do they keep all the power lines from freezing? what time are the lights turned on?

 i have no idea who the face is, but just before i took the photo there were three guys hamming up photos with the guy, so i figured he could be important...or maybe not, who knows...china has such a long history, and each province has it's own history, this guy could be one of a jazillion people...the rest of the world probably doesn't know his name...

 not all the sculptures in this area were ice...some were more like the blowup lanterns i remember seeing for buddha's birthday in korea...

 the entire pavillion and walkway were ice...fortunately, there was some hardpack snow on the pathways, so for once i didn't fall...

 i'm a mystery:)

 walking through this area i passed at least 6 people who make their living taking photos of the tourists coming to the festival...they all carry boards showing the photos they can take...i can't help but wonder how many people use these guys, and how much they charge? how many batteries do they carry around each night? how long does it take to print the photos? where do they print them? i saw one lady who appeared to have hired two of the photographers, they had her posing numerous times in front of a number of sculptures...

 outside of the snow/ice festival, st sophia is one of the only sights harbin has...it was formerly an orthodox church...the outside obviously still looks the same, but the inside isn't a church anymore...the walls are covered with photos of harbin in the past...

st sophia church

 again with the wide open spaces in the city...

 an ice sculpture on my way to a couple temples...can you see the faces? i loved that there were sculptures all over the city, not just in the designated festival areas...i never knew when i was going to see another sculpture...just about every time i saw one, i stopped for a minute, just to stare...one building i also noticed on the way to the temples had a sign in english and chinese...haerbinxiede...the harbin sterility hospital!! what exactly does that mean?

 i loved the flowers at the base of one of the trees in the temple area...i wonder who put them there, and why? how long had they been there, and how long would the flowers stay? the snow had been shoveled up into piles in various places in the temple complex...some of the piles are actually pretty big...

 yes, that is a ferris wheel in the background of a lovely temple photo:)...there was a whole amusement park back there, but, like the other amusement park, was closed for the winter...

 the centrepoint of the 7tiered buddhist pagoda...the temple hall in front of this pagoda was surprisingly small...i had expected something larger...and i would've loved to go in the pagoda itself...i wonder if it's possible to go up inside? what were the two pagodas off to the sides?

 the temple hall in the background of this photo was probably my favourite...along three walls there were numerous standing buddhas lined up...and in the middle there were a couple altars as well...i can't say what it was that attracted me so much to this hall, but i stayed in there a while...if it had been warmer, i would've sat down and meditated for a while...as it was, if i had done that, my butt might very well have frozen completely...the guy watching over the room noticed that i was cold, and told me about a vegetarian restaurant in the complex, and said i should go there to warm up...no, he didn't do the talking in english, but through his motions i figured out that was what he was saying, as i remembered seeing the signs for the restaurant in another area...i love nice people...

 i loved the blue sky with this pagoda...and it's height...

 there was a monk walking around and around the base of this pagoda...i wonder how many times he walked around? he was chanting to himself the whole time...how many times a day does he walk?

 another entrance to the ice sculpture section...

 who doesn't love winnie? and piglet, of course!!

 where were all the vendors? there were tons of nuts available...just down the street from this set of stalls was an area where couples were dancing...ballroom style...there was traditional chinese music being played, and it was really sweet to watch them dance...mind you, it's absolutely freezing outside, and yet everyone looked like they were having a great time...there even a few solo dancers...

 as i took this photo, the temperature was -25C...somehow, the palm trees were just the teensiest bit out of place...hee hee...on the other hand, i spent each night in a cozy warm hotel room, so the cold never seemed so bad...i hope everyone who lives there has a warm place to live...