If you want to see the Aurora, come here! But first, get your Russia visa ready.
The appearance of the northern lights turned into the ultimate myth:
Legend has it that long, long ago, as long as a pair of lovers truly prayed for the opposite party when the northern lights appeared, they would be guarded by the aurora elves and love each other forever. The cherry blossoms were falling, and the wind rolled up the scraps of paper in front of the French windows.
Fairies dancing in the long night: Aurora trip in Russia
The first stop, Murmansk-the largest ice-free port in the Arctic Ocean
The capital of Russia’s Murmansk region and the largest port city on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, it is located in the northeast of the Kola Peninsula, facing the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea. Due to the influence of the warm North Atlantic current, although it is located at 69°N latitude, it does not freeze all year round. Every winter in the sky, the ever-changing super “electric light show” starts to be staged.
Murmansk is one of the largest military ports in Russia and the world. Murmansk, at 69 degrees north latitude, happens to be on the northern hemisphere’s aurora belt. Every winter half year (September to April), there is a chance to see aurora. Among them, November and February are the most likely to appear.
1) Take the European fringe train from St. Petersburg to Murmansk
If you want to appreciate the journey along the Arctic Ocean, you can take a train and follow the perspective of the train driver as in the documentary “Train on the Edge of Europe-From St. Petersburg to Murmansk” to record the entire train journey, as well as the cities, scenery and people along the way.
In the largest country in the world, riding a train from one end to the other, for the people of Murmansk, this is the most important thing in life. Even the extreme night, severe cold and blizzard cannot stop people from reaching their destination. The documentary mentioned: “The door of the ticket hall of the railway station is constantly being pushed open, and the whole Murmansk wants to buy a ticket to leave.” For the locals living in Murmansk, the winter is desperate and they want to leave. , But I don’t know how many people come for the winter in Mormans and for a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
2) The northernmost McDonald’s in the world
Almost everyone will come to see McDonald’s, the northernmost McDonald’s in the world, and take a photo with the north pole coordinates on the wall. In addition to tourists, many locals also come back.
Life needs to link up such ritual things one after another, in order to discover beauty through the messy and dilapidated life, examine it with the eye of art.
3) Uphill tram
In the extreme night of Murmansk, it is a wonderful thing to enjoy the night view. No matter what time you sleep, get up and get on the only tram in the city to reach the commanding heights of the city. Looking down from there, it is always brightly lit, neon flashing, and vibrant.
4) The world’s first nuclear-powered icebreaker
The “Lenin” nuclear-powered icebreaker was the world’s first ship to use the energy generated by an atomic energy reactor. It was launched in 1957 and was officially decommissioned in 1989 and anchored in Murmansk Port. It is now a museum for tourists to visit. The ship’s maintenance work is still going on, and the ship is in good condition, and it seems to be able to set sail for missions if necessary.
5) Murmansk State Museum
The Murmansk State Museum, also known as the “Polar Museum”, is a very old museum in the local area. Among them, the exhibits in the “Nature” exhibition hall are obtained from the seabed of 100-12,000 meters through deep-sea drilling technology, which is very unique in the whole of Russia. In addition, there are many minerals, animals, birds and other specimens in the museum, all of which are of great ornamental value.
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