The trip lasting nearly a week in March in the land of white birch took male tourist Nguyen Ngoc Sang (Hanoi) from the bustling Capital to the fascinating Arctic region, experiencing from culture, history to pristine nature.
Impression of Moscow
The first two days in Moscow (Russian Federation), Mr. Sang visited famous tourist destinations. The first destination was Red Square - the "heart" of Moscow and a historical symbol of Russia, bearing memorable imprints throughout centuries from the Tsarist era to the former Soviet Union.
After that, the Vietnamese male tourist spent the rest of his time exploring St. Basil's Basilica with its colorful onion dome architecture, Spasskaya clock tower - where important national events take place, Tretyakov Museum and leading painting collections in Russia, and GUM shopping center, which is not only an interesting destination for shopping-loving tourists but also famous for its ancient architecture.
As a person who loves to explore, during his days in Moscow, Mr. Sang also took the opportunity to learn about the famous subway stations here. The subway system in Moscow started operating in 1935 with 11km of tracks and 13 stations. To date, the system has expanded to 15 tracks, stretching about 471km, with more than 250 stations spreading everywhere.
The most beautiful subway stations in Moscow that Mr. Sang has visited such as: Mayakovskaya, Arbatskaya, Komsomolskaya, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Belorusskaya, Novoslobodskaya... make him fascinated by their magnificent architecture, brilliant chandeliers, and sophisticated paintings and sculptures.
“In addition to the traffic significance, I think this is one of the most magnificent architectural works of the former Soviet Union. The most outstanding architects and talented painters of the country participated in designing and decorating the first Moscow subway stations. They contributed to building magnificent underground palaces that have existed for nearly a hundred years to this day,” the male tourist confided.
Not all people know English, language barriers cause some difficulties when asking about the subway line, but Mr. Sang still finds his way to explore the stations and record unique artworks in Moscow.
Frosty Murmansk
On this trip to the land of white birch, Mr. Sang especially spends most of his time skiing. After Moscow, the journey continues to Murmansk - a northern province of Russia famous as an ideal aurora viewing spot.
After experiencing skiing at the Nord Star area, the male tourist said: "Compared to experiencing skiing in Harbin city, China, I really like skiing in Russia because the snow surface here is softer, easier to ski, and falling is not as painful as hard snow in Harbin.
However, Mr. Sang commented that the cable system takes players to the top of high hills to slide down is difficult.
used more in China, specifically the slides are quite short and the cable system pulling guests up high is very difficult for beginners.
Besides, moving here is not easy, it takes up to 17 hours of flight and including transit time. Not to mention the price of Russian air tickets is quite expensive, so I think it is difficult to have another chance to ski again here. The average skiing ticket price here is about 3,000 rubles (about 1 million VND) for 2 hours," Mr. Sang explained.
In Murmansk, the male tourist also rode a bicycle skiing through the forest, visited inside the Lenin icebreaker - the first nuclear-powered ship of the former Soviet Union that operated for 30 years in the Arctic Circle, and visited the Alyosha monument with the eternal flame commemorating the soldiers protecting the Arctic during the War of the Fatherland of the former Soviet Union.
Another extremely impressive experience was when Mr. Sang tried ice skating on Lake Baikal. This is the deepest, oldest freshwater lake in the world and recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site.
Mr. Sang only considered this as a "fun" skateboarding test: "Because the surface of the ice lake is cold -20°C, I skate for a while and then get chilly. I found the ice surface slippery, unsafe and I didn't wear protective gear, so I didn't dare to skate quickly, it's very easy to fall. In Vietnam, I had skated many times before in artificial turfs, but when I went to natural ice lakes abroad, I also had to be careful.
The trip closed with many special aftertastes. Although the aurora borealis only appeared fleetingly like an "incomplete appointment", the experiences from skiing in the Arctic, exploring the magnificent metro stations in Moscow to trying out on Lake Baikal were enough to create a memorable journey.
Not just a trip, it is also a journey to overcome language barriers, adapt to harsh weather and explore a vast country in his own way. For Mr. Sang, it is the imperfections that become the reason for one day to admire the aurora more fully in the northern sky.
