Eurasian Adventure Vol. III – Karelia and Russia’s Extreme North

This time I did not deliberately choose to explore another, yet to me unknown, part of Russia. It somewhat came upon me when I was offered to accompany a German tour group  to Karelia and Murmansk Oblast.

Of course I am extremely excited, for I have heard about the great beauty of this part of Northern Europe. I will try to post when I get online and of course upload as many pictures as possible.

Here is a map to give an idea of our itinerary: St. Petersburg-> Petrosavodsk->Kizhi->Kem->Solovki Archipelago->Apatity->Khibiny Mountains (Kola Peninsula) -> Murmansk-> St. Petersburg

I have decided to spend one week in St. Petersburg before starting the tour. I simply love being in this somehow enchanted city. It unites European elegance with cordial Russian hospitality and contradictory mentality. You can certainly compare it to Paris, but there is more water, more magic and more drama to the passage between history and presence. Without restraining myself I revel in art, architecture, poetry (Pushkin, Akhmatova, Blok…) and music of course. Petersburg in summer is a treat, especially the long and warm nights.