Novosibirsk: Honestly, It's a Lot
okay, so i’m trying to process this trip to Novosibirsk. it’s…a place. a big place. like, third-largest city in Russia big. which, honestly, i didn’t realize until i was actually there. it’s in Siberia, which, let’s be real, immediately conjures images of endless snow and bears. and, okay, the snow part is accurate.
it’s on the Ob River, which is…wide. really wide. apparently, it’s a big deal for fishing, and they have this Lake Chany nearby, which sounds kinda swampy but also potentially interesting. i didn’t get to Lake Chany, though. too cold.
i just checked and it's -11.4°C (that's like, -18.4°F for my American friends) right now, hope you like that kind of thing. feels like -18.4°C, which is just…no. i spent a lot of time indoors, let me tell you. the humidity is 67%, which honestly just makes the cold feel worse.
so, the history. it started as a tiny village called Krivoshchekovo, and then the Trans-Siberian Railroad came through in 1893 and suddenly, boom, city. it’s all about the railroad, really. and now it’s a major transport hub. which means…traffic. lots of traffic. someone told me that the traffic is especially bad during rush hour, and that you should just avoid driving if you can. i mostly took taxis, which were…an experience.
there’s this place called Akademgorodok, which is apparently a huge science complex. like, a really huge science complex. it’s where a lot of the research happens, and it’s where this mathematician, Mikhail Lavrentyev, is from. i didn’t go inside, honestly. too many brainy people. i needed a drink.
if you get bored, Omsk, Barnaul, Kemerovo, and Tomsk are just a short drive away. apparently. i didn’t drive to any of them. i repeat: too cold. the locals are pretty used to the weather, though. they’re a resilient bunch. about 1.63 million people live in the city itself, and 2.8 million in the oblast. it’s a pretty diverse population, a mix of Russian Siberian culture and…science people, i guess.
the food is…hearty. lots of dumplings (pelmeni) and grilled meat (shashlik). and fish from the Ob River and Lake Chany. it’s all very filling, which is good because you need the calories to survive the winter. i ate a lot of dumplings.
things to be aware of: it’s cold. seriously cold. and the distances are long. it’s about 3,300 kilometers east of Moscow, which is…a long way. and they’re in the Novosibirsk Time zone, which is UTC+7. also, air quality can be a bit dodgy because of the industry. standard big-city precautions apply: learn some basic Russian, be aware of your surroundings, and don’t trust strangers.
overall? it’s…an experience. it’s not a relaxing vacation. it’s a commitment. but it’s also kind of fascinating. it’s a city that’s constantly evolving, a mix of old and new, science and industry, cold and…well, cold. i’m glad i went, but i’m also glad to be leaving. i need a warm beach.
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