Murmansk, a trip in the Arctic Circle

Updated: Jun 23, 2020

Reaching the Arctic Pole once in a life can be the dream of many people. I had the opportunity to do that in November 2017, during my Erasmus in Russia. The Arctic is a polar region located in the northernmost part of Earth. It consist of the Arctic Ocean and some parts of the following countries: Alaska, Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Russia. In the northwest part of this last, at the beginning of the Kola Peninsula, is situated Murmansk. Be careful how to pronounce it: the accent is on the first u [Múrmansk].

The coincidences of life made that my French friend Lucile had a Russian uncle living there, so me, her and Lenka took the flight from Moscow and in 1 hour and half reached the city. The is also another option to go there for the most passionate of landscapes, that is a 22 hours train from Moscow or 14 hours from Saint Petersburg. Check on the RZD train site for more information and prices.

The arrival on the place was one of the most exciting thing I have ever lived. An expanse of coniferous trees laid down spaced out by small frozen lakes. Being the airport ultra small, in litterally five minutes we were outside, waiting for the uncle to catch us up. There was high snow everywhere and the temperature registered was -18C.

Nuclear Icebreaker Lenin

It is a big ship that now is converted in Museum. It was the biggest one in the 1950s and served during the period of the Cold War. It was operated by nuclear-power and it is the biggest ship in the world of this type.it was visited during the years by Yury Gagarin, the first man in space, and Cuban Fidel Castro.

Alyosha Monument This big monument is situated on a hill that you might need to reach by car or by walk in around forty minutes. It represent a soldier in a greatcoat with a rifle slung over his shoulder. Seven meters high, it is dedicated to Soviet soldiers, sailors, and airmen who fought in the World War II.

Try a Bania Experience

Another thing that you could probably want to try is to go in a Russian Sauna. It is basically a little house inside the forest, composed by a living room where you can bring or prepare food and tea, a bathroom and the Bania, a small room where temperatures so high that they could reach 120 C!We went to the Bania one afternoon with Lucille's uncle and his friend.

We prepared food and the family of the friend joined us. We stayed in the Sauna for 5-10 minutes (the time that our bodies could bare) and than exit the Bania and throw ourselves in the snow. For Russian this is the healthiest way to improve your blood circulation! Believe me, it's an experience to try! And that's basically what happens in the Arctic Pole.

Murmansk is also a place where Aurora Borealis happens. We wanted to see them so hardly that we woke up every night at 2a.m. to try to see them. Although we didn’t have much chance with that, we achieved to have a ride on a snowmoto of Lucille’s uncle’s friend. It was super cool!