freezing my socks off in some random city

so i just landed in this place called... hang on let me check my notes... oh yeah, it's a city with coordinates 50.4333, 80.2667. never heard of it before but apparently it's cold as balls here. just checked the weather and it's -15°C with a feels-like of -21°C. hope you like that kind of thing. i'm over here dressed like a walking sleeping bag and still shivering.

i heard from some random guy at the airport that the best coffee in town is at this tiny place called "the beanery." someone told me that the owner roasts his own beans and if you're lucky he'll tell you stories about his travels. i'm not usually one for tourist traps but this sounded too good to pass up. check it out on yelp.

anyway, the city itself is... well, it's something. lots of soviet-era buildings that look like they've seen better days. but there's a weird charm to it. like everything's a little rough around the edges but still standing. i overheard a couple of locals complaining about the new mayor. apparently he's trying to "modernize" the place and half the town hates him for it. classic small-town drama.

if you get bored, [cityname1] and [cityname2] are just a short drive away. someone mentioned that [cityname1] has this amazing flea market every sunday. i might check it out if i don't freeze to death first.

anyway, here's a map so you can see where the hell i am:

and because i'm supposed to include some pretty pictures, here are a few from unsplash:

alright, that's enough for now. i'm gonna go find some thermal underwear and maybe a shot of vodka. stay warm out there.

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