Way to Russia Talk Lounge

uday · WayToRussified Joined: 26 Jul 2004 Posts: 323

Whats this town like? And how far of a train ride from St P is it? What are the best northern cities?

slocad1 · Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 7:59 pm Post subject:

I took a 28-hour train from Moscovski Station (on Nevski Prospekt), to Murmansk and it was a 2nd class compartment with 4 berths. The ride was fine, but if you like reading at all, bring a book light. There are a number of stops, maybe 12-16, along the way. There is a nice hotel Arktik or something like this, with a 4th floor that was refurbished for westerners, basically. There's a great buffet restaurant on the lobby floor, an internet cafe, shops and a theatre nearby. The hotel is a five-minute walk from the train station, and all are downtown. The cost when I stayed about 2 years ago was $50 per night. Murmansk rests atop a sprawl of hills overlooking docks and piers, the naval base of the Great Northern Fleet, and I found it pleasant to walk around in foggy, cool October. Once, while walking to see the monolithic Red Army soldier statue, Alyosha, that looks upon the city, I couldn't even see him with all the swirling fog. It was even more impressive for coming upon him so suddenly at his base. The Great Northern Fleet's museum is not easily found with signs as I don't recall seeing any, but you just need to ask people frequently and they'll tell you the bus line, the corner and buildings along teh way. I found it worth the visit to see this northern outpost city, this Hero City, as the billboards proclaim, Would I return? Definitely. I also visited Monchegorsk, which is a rather grimy industrial city somewhat south of Murmansk, but there's not much to speak of unless you wish to get a feel for some worker cities with an industrial history. You may be able to catch a boat to the Solovietskii Islands to see the monastery and gulag from just north of Belomorsk. But, like me, you may find that nobody knows when the infrequently-planned boats arrive or depart. There were none that day, and little hope of finding accommodations, so I opted for the 6-hour wait in the train station cafe, ignoring drunks and courting the protection of militia.

It's a grand trip, well worth it! Good luck.

ow28 · Frequent Guest Joined: 09 Sep 2004 Posts: 36

Here is a site in Enlish with photos.

http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=117150