Being a Siberian, Nina the Nerpa thought that she should visit the capital of her region, Novosibirsk. She had heard a lot about the city and was glad to pay a visit to the capital of Siberia at last.

Early in her city exploration, Nina visited Lenin Sqaure and caught her first glimpse of the famed Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. A view of this theatre certainly set Nina’s little mind dancing about future possibilities. She pondered what  the theatre might look like inside and what performances may grace the stage.

 

 

Coming from Lake Baikal, Nina is used to lots of ice since the Lake adorns a hat of ice for several months each year. Nina was glad to see intricate ice parks in Novosibirsk and see the local children having lots of fun in them.

 

 

 

As she wandered around Novosibirsk Nina found more and more wonderful examples of snow and ice art. There were ice slides for the capital’s children to have plenty of fun on. For the adults and kids alike there were some magnificent snow sculptures to admire too.

 

 

 

 

As an avid traveller, Nina is often found at railway stations. Many stations are low key buildings simply serving a functional purpose but others stand out. Novosibirsk Railway Station is certainly one of those stations that stick in the memory. Nina’s little eyes lit up with adoration when she saw the delightful main railway station in Novosibirsk. To her, it oozed aesthetic appeal.

 

 

 

 

 

Nina’s city exploration also took her to Central Park where she discovered lots of possibilities. She saw some enticing fairground rides and spotted a ferris wheel. She saw lots of people having a variety of fun in the park including horse and cart rides, children being pushed on sleds and ice skaters making great use of the ice rink.

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, time allowed for Nina to visit a local ice rink and undertake some ice hockey spectating. It is such a fast moving sport and gripping to watch.

 

 

During the festive period, the city of Novosibirsk is adorned with plenty of festive decorations including christmas trees in the centre and outside and inside shopping malls.

 

 

 

 

As the third largest city in Russia, Novosibirsk has plenty of restaurants and bars for wining and dining. Nina was happy to visit a few and sample some local food and drink.

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst it is interesting for Nina to spend time in the city she loves to get into the countryside and be as close to nature as possible. She was very happy to spend some time under the canopy of the taiga titans in a wood not too far from Novosibirsk (in Berdsk).

 

 

 

 

A trip to Novosibirsk would not be complete without a visit to the emblematic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Nina was very lucky to watch an excellent ballet performance in this grandiose building.

 

 

 

 

 

Nina also took time out to visit some speaking clubs in the city. She was very happy to spend time with the wonderful crew of the Blah Blah meetup group. Nina says Привет (Hi) to Zhargal and everyone else: keep on celebrating the lure of languages.

 

 

 

Overall, Nina very much enjoyed her visit to Novosibirsk. She was able to experience a great diversity of sights and activities during the daytime. The nightlife offered plenty to do and see too. She would be happy to return to the capital of Siberia anytime.

 

 

Which countries do you think that Nina will visit next? Please leave a comment below.