Summer came to Russia, I came too. It was just a few months ago, during the winter, when I set foot in this country for the first time, but now, in comparison, I felt like I was visiting a new country. The dominant cold greyness I’d experienced during my previous visit was now replaced by blue skies, green trees, and warm weather. Ideal times to explore the Russian countryside. The target of this first outing of this trip was Lake Ladoga: Europe’s largest lake.
In the afternoon of this fair summer day, backpacks shouldered, we were stepping off one of the platforms of Saint Petersburg’s Finland Train Station, boarding a train bound for the town of Priozersk. The trip lasted for nearly 3 hours and was fairly pleasant. The bench-like plastic seats were stone-hard, but since we were the only passengers in the coach, we were given the ease to make ourselves comfortable. Out of the window, you saw endless fir and birch forests, occasionally interrupted by some river or lake.
The town of Priozersk is built on the narrow strip of land between Ladoga and Vuoksa lakes, right on the point where they communicate with each other via a canal. We were dropped off at the town’s train station, which neighbors the coast of the latter lake, and started striding towards the one of the former.
This little town had a few interesting buildings and landmarks, and was generally cute, but it definitely wasn’t the kind of place which could ever be whoever’s dream destination, let’s say. We quickly walked through it, headed south, crossed a little wooden bridge over to the canal’s south bank, ambled quickly through a tiny village, and entered the dense woods. That’s where things started to get interesting.
What a beautiful, spellbound forest! It consisted mostly of tall pine trees with arrow-straight trunks. I found especially peculiar their coloration: starting with dark brown near their base and gradually turning reddish towards their top, where they made a really magical combination with the horizontally penetrating thin light bundles. The day was coming to an end. The various birds were bidding farewell to it, singing their mild tones from up the forest canopy. The mosquitos were also quick to notice our presence and form a raiding cloud around us, as soon as we entered their territory. We were also quick to stop, wear extra clothes and use ample amounts of repellant to fend them off.
A little before midnight, and about 3 hours after we left the train, we’d finally made it to a heavenly beautiful and serene little spot on the shore of Lake Ladoga. Meager waves were gently splashing against it, impelled by the soft breeze which pervaded the air. The sun had recently sunk behind the flat aquatic horizon, and a bright red stain was left to signify the position which it, not long ago, occupied. A fiery stripe was left between the lake surface and the pale sky throughout the entire night as the sun kept moving shallowly below the horizon.
While observing all these glorious natural happenings, we pitched the tent, lit a fire, and prepared dinner. After a long sleep, the scene we beheld the next morning was quite changed. Thick, gloomy clouds were traveling at high speed across the sky, allowing or denying the sunlight on whim, and occasionally letting some drops fall upon their passing. The wind had adopted a rather fierce mood, and the waves that came with it were raising quite a roaring. It was a great morning to be alone out there and meditate on nature’s splendor. Having got enough of it, and having a train to catch, we packed everything up and headed back to Saint Petersburg the same way.
