June 28, 2016

Altai


Altai

Name: Ekaterina Novikova

Age: 28

Profession: Journalist, photo-editor

City/Region: Altai Republic

How long have you been doing photography? What style or genre most interests you? 

I have been interested in photography since my childhood. It was my father who taught me how to use a camera. I tried to work as a photographer, but about five years ago once I got  a job proposal from a big Russian news agency and started my career as a photo editor there. But I still love to take pictures. I am deeply interested in documentary photography and photojournalism.

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for?

I took pictures of Altai republic while traveling there by car. Altai is considered to be one of the most beautiful Russian regions. It is situated far from Moscow, in Siberia. Traveling to Altai can be a fascinating journey. While traveling along the Chuysky road (one of the most beautiful roads in Russia) you see nature around you change from filelds to mountain passes and later to plains on the border with Mongolia. I spent some time near the village of Chemal, where I explored the famous Katun River. Now there are lots of hotels and guest houses on its banks, in the beautiful pine forests. Chemal  is a popular tourist place – many hiking trails and river trails begin there. Some people think that Altai is a very special place. Russian legends say that a mysterious land of White water (Belovodie) is hidden somewhere in the Altai Mountains. Many occultists, philosophers and scientists have tried to find it. They say that Belovodie is a land of freedom and happiness. Russian artist and painter Nikolay Roerich explored Altai and painted some of his beautiful landscapes there. They say that Roerich found Belovodie and understood the meaning of life. Now many people visit Altai to relax, to see beautiful Siberian nature and wildlife, to understand its customs and traditions.

What is something about your city that only locals would know?

While visiting the village of Chemal you may see a very unusual thing there: a ferris wheel. You don't often see such things in a small village hidden in the taiga. 

You may also buy very tasty and very cheap herbal and berry tea at the small market in Chemal. Lots of herbs and berries grow in the taiga, so it may be a very good present to bring back from Altai. 

Altai honey is well known throughout Russia. Now they produce honey with berries – it is fantastic!

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city?

Altai landscapes are worth seeing but you should definitely find a way to reach the mountains. It is also interesting to see the Katun River. Its water has a strange turquoise color, which is why it is often called Katun turquoise. 

There is one more unusual place near Chemal village: Patmos Abbey, situated on tiny Patmos Island. It appeared there in the nineteenth century. Now some monks live there. To get to Patmos, you must cross Katun river by walking on a beautiful bridge.

Anything else you would like to add?

I love traveling around Russia because I am sure that there so many wonders even where we don't expect to find anything interesting. I am sure that in the Altai the greatest wonders are not high mountains or buildings, but its pure nature and the beauty that surrounds you. When you get there, you can feel this beauty and approach it. I think that now we live in a very cruel world, but sometimes we need to relax and to have a short break, to get closer to nature, to simplify life, to see and to feel the beauty of our world. Altai is a place where you can feel it in a very special way.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/katerina_novikova/

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955