Maybe you remember my photo threads last year about my trip across Eurasia by train (if not, take a look at my signature
).
I decided to come back this summer to Siberia for three weeks. I've just returned back home.
This time, I didn't only travel by train, but also by boat and car to go from Norilsk to Vladivostok.
Here is the trip that I did in 2010 :
And here is the trip I've just come back from :
So, first step : Norilsk.
Norilsk is an industrial city, located north of the arctic circle (thus we had 24 hours daylight). It has some 200,000 people and it's officially a forbidden city for foreigners. If you are not Russian, you need special authorizations to enter the city. Needless to say, it's not a very touristic place. Me, the other three tourists who accompanied me and our guide were probably the only international tourists in the city at the time we visited it (and maybe the sole international tourists of the whole year).
Norilsk must be the most fascinating place I've ever visited. It's also very polluted, you could smell (and see) the gaz in the city.
1- Arriving at Norilsk airport :
2-
3- I don't know why, but 9°C in Norilsk feels a lot colder than anywhere else in the world.
4- Abandonned commieblocks on the way from the airport to Norilsk :
5-
6-
7- The northenmost railroad in the world, linking Norilsk to Dudinka, the port on the Iennisseï river :
8-
9- Kayerkan (pop. : 27,000), just before Norilsk :
10-
11-
12- The tundra :
13-
14-
15-
16- The HM3 (NMZ) plant, on the way to Norilsk.
17-
18-
19-
20-
21- Downtown Norilsk :
22-
23-
24- The northenmost mosque in the world :
25-
26-
27-
28-
29- Monument to the victims of the gulag (Norilsk was built by people deported to the Gulag) :
30-
31-
32-
33-
34-
35-
36-
37- City views from the mountain :
38- Spot the mosque :
39-
40-
41-
42-
43- The orthodox church :
44-
45-
46-
47-
48- Some parts of Norilsk have been renovated in recent years, but most of the buildings remain in bad shape :
49-
50-
51-
52- Thanks to our guide who knew one of the security responsible of the plant, we had the chance to visit the HM3 (NMZ) plant (see also pic 16).
Unfortunately we couldn't take pics of the inside, which was very impressive with large melting metal tanks everywhere and a stifling atmosphere.
53-
54-
55-
56- Our hotel at Norilsk (actually it's the only one hotel in the city) :
57-
58- The theatre :
59-
60-
61-
62-
63-
64-
65-
66-
67-
68-
69-
70-
71-
72-
73-
74-
75-
76-
77- Monument to the soldiers fallen during WW2 :
78-
79-
80-
81-
82-
83- Because of the permafrost, all buildings are built on pilotis in Norilsk :
84-
85-
86- The mosque again :
87-
88-
89-
90-
91-
92-
93-
94-
95-
96-
97-
98-
99-
100-
101-
102-
103-
104-
105-
106-
107-
108-
109- Leaving Norilsk, a little stop to take the pose in front of the sign at the entrance of the city :
110-
Next step : Dudinka !