Do you sometimes dream of leaving your busy expat life style behind – just for a few days? Instead of boarding your next aeroplane to Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo or London, how would you feel about a totally unspectacular weekend trip to … nowhere? British expat Simon did exactly that, and this is what he made of it:
Some weeks ago I had the privilege of spending an entire four days in almost total isolation. I say almost because I was there with three others; but beyond myself, my girlfriend and another couple, there was not another soul to be found on the 2000 metre high Austrian mountain on which we stayed. Just us four in an Alpine hut miles from our normal city lives, miles from anyone…
I had been a bit apprehensive about the weekend. Two couples, one hut, solar powered tele and a very poor forecast: what were we going to do all the time apart from argue? I spent the days before moaning and suggesting ways in which we could perhaps cut the visit short: Couldn’t we get the train and join them on the Saturday? Would they mind if we spent a night or two in a hotel in the valley? I had been to Southern Austria before and all I could remember about it was that there was nothing to remember about it. I had cycled for miles and miles through an endless valley with nothing and nobody in it. Why drive for four hours to go to somewhere where there was nothing?
This, of course, turned out to be the point. What was tedious to cycle through was a joy just to be in. Once I had got over the excitement of having to burn wood to make a cup of tea, I stepped out for a stroll and was instantly captivated by the scenery.
Our Austrian retreat was on a mountain very different from the craggy peaks nearer to Munich. Its summit was smooth and undulating, with a covering of short grass and shrub. So even on the top, it was possible to stray a long way from the footpath and I could go in any direction I chose without fear of trespass or difficult terrain. Best of all it was totally deserted and I could run, walk, linger or break into other huts, totally unobserved. Once in a while I would be surprised by a deer bolting from its hiding place or a bird of prey launching itself into the sky as I approached, but otherwise it was just me, starring out over dramatic Alpine scenes and watching as bands of cloud and rain raced past me through the valley (we had some very dramatic weather).
As a city dweller, it’s very special to be on your own in this way and worth pursuing proactively: to go somewhere where nobody else is. It doesn’t have to be a long way from town, it just has to be somewhere where nobody goes. Forests and woods are quite good for this, even a quiet corner of a big park, can afford you the necessary isolation. It is very calming and it instantly puts you in touch with your natural surroundings. Where your attention is not distracted by people, you look and see the nature around you much more intensely. In the ideal state of mind, the effect on the brain should be almost meditative, with attention fixed purely on the immediate and all daily concerns forgotten. Get properly in the zone and you’ll be amazed how unpleasant it is to see a person again!
Not that I want to become a hermit and indeed half the fun of the trip was the communal experience of cooking, heating and sleeping in an Alpine hut. It’s just that once in a while it’s good to have a few hours outside on your own.
What do you do when you want to get away from it all? What are your favourite retreats on this planet?
InterNations Blog
THE UGLY TRUTH (Mark Glenn)
Country Living
There are some really great things about living out in the wilds of North Idaho, but opening the front door first thing in the morning and seeing this can be a little over the top. I don’t know whose horses they are, so anyone in the Sandpoint area of Northern Idaho who is missing 3 horses you need to come and get them.
Like this:
You like this.
#6 by B.A.Frémaux-Soormally on October 1, 2010 - 8:26 pm
Man lost his humanity when he lost touch with the earth. This is high quality living.
I always envy people living with nature, but my wife sold out our house in the country to go and live in Paris in the heartland of sex shops, brothels, the Sexy Folies Bergères and the homosexual Crazy Horse literally round the corner (10 minutes’ walk from our flat) right in the heart of the Jewish Quarter.
I asked my son to watch an old Japanese black and white film by Korosawa because I saw in it the love and value of the earth. But the modern man is sick for living the country-side for the urban areas and its deadly concrete, and inhuman entities.
My best years with nature were those 3 years spent in the Caucasus, and with a Jewish family in Kislovodsk, with my best friend Michael Drinkin, his father Michael Stepanovitch and my Jewish Mama.
BAFS
I always envy people living with nature, but my wife sold out our house in the country to go and live in Paris in the heartland of sex shops, brothels, the Sexy Folies Bergères and the homosexual Crazy Horse literally round the corner (10 minutes’ walk from our flat) right in the heart of the Jewish Quarter.
I asked my son to watch an old Japanese black and white film by Korosawa because I saw in it the love and value of the earth. But the modern man is sick for living the country-side for the urban areas and its deadly concrete, and inhuman entities.
My best years with nature were those 3 years spent in the Caucasus, and with a Jewish family in Kislovodsk, with my best friend Michael Drinkin, his father Michael Stepanovitch and my Jewish Mama.
BAFS
#8 by David Edward Standridge on October 1, 2010 - 11:56 pm
- Well, there they are!…I’ve been looking for Cloudy, Thunder, and Lightning for days!…had no idea they could find such good Friends when they got lost!
Hope yer feeding them well, they seem partial to crab apples.
Outstanding, Mark, thank you for that blessed photo of God’s Country, and those Magnificent Beasts…
KEEP ‘EM!…(except for the one you can send to me, Fed-Ex Overnight…C.O.D.)
Seriously, I’ve had two occasions to meet Black Bear, up close, in my yard-not as sweet as horses, but they’ll go if you let ‘em know yer not skeered.
I’ve got a HUGE buck that runs along our treeline, almost every night…he’s a Noble Creation, and I just don’t think I could bring myself to shoot him, unless I had to feed my loved ones.
Thank you, Dear Friend, for sharing that with us all…
David Edward Standridge
-
#9 by B.A.Frémaux-Soormally on October 2, 2010 - 9:25 amDavid Edward Standridge October 1, 2010 at 11:56 pm
“…he’s a Noble Creation, and I just don’t think I could bring myself to shoot him, unless I had to feed my loved ones.”
My father-in-law (in our culture we say father and mother for the in-laws) used to keep chicken. One day my mother-in-law (Maryam, the name of the Blesssed Mother of Jesus Christ) cooked one of them. Both passed away lat year within a ten days interval. I was devastated. When my father came home, he was presented with the succulent meal. He was on the point of having the first bite when he was told it was one of our own chikens. He panicked, stood up and with tears in his eyes left the table without a word and did not eat that day. He was so distressed at the death of his own-bread chicken.
He was better than all of us. I do feel bad when I eat mammals, but not chicken or fish. My wife used to eat frog legs, snails and oysters and I found that disgusting, but not when we were married. When my son was only a couple of years old, he learned that we had to kill animals to eat them. He was so sad about this and even crying that I decided not to eat meat at all in the house, but my wife was not happy about it because she could not do without her meat.
It is my view that in modern times and in urban conditions, we should eat less and less meat which will make us more human by killing less of those innocent GOD’s creatures. A better reason for eating less meat or none at all is because of all the Jewish garbage they put in it for profits!
When very young, I used to accompany my father dear hunting. But, as soon as my father would not see me I try to chase off the first deer I see showing its head. I was getting dehumanised with our air rifle because I used to steal the rifle and go out shooting at small birds and even fish! I was under ten years old.
Although their religion did not forbid meat hunting, millions of Hindus are vegetarians, many because of poverty. We would have thought they were better human beings, but in contact with the British and the Israelis, they have turned into mass murderers! They have the largest standing army of killers in the world (nearly one million) illegally occupying Muslim Kashmir with British help. Now, they are murdering their own Natives they label Maoists because they have sold their lands to foreign corporations (“Walking with Maoists” by Suzana Arundathi Roy, a Christian Indian activist from Kerala).
I cook meat almost everyday, and I have to chop the chicken and the lamb, and I feel really bad! As I am chopping, I cannot help thinking of those millions human beings of all nationalities and religions that the Yankees, Britishers, Indians, and Israelis are butchery every single day, either use as guinea pigs for their experiments, or stealing their organs, eliminating the Elites and all resistance, or just for the fun of it!
I love all animals, except the Jewish and Zionist animal, and would not like to see anyone of them being hurt unnecessarily. So, I totally agree with David. Having said that, my father had hundreds of acres of lands planted in sugar cane and other crops and monkeys were a cause of nuisance and they had to be shot at and killed. This caused much friction with the Hindus because they worship the Monkey GOD Hanuman!
My cousin Zaynul Abedeen Khodadeen in Canada is a professional photographer and he has beautiful shots of animal life on facebook.
BAFS
Travel Russia → Kislovodsk – One of Russia’s most popular and sunny ‘healing’ resorts
Mar 9, 2011 12:11 Moscow Time
|
|
Download
Photo: RIA Novosti
|
In today’s trip into the depths of the Russian Federation, I’ll be giving you a rundown on one of the so-say healing cities of the North Caucasus regions. The place in question is called Kislovodsk, it has about 300 sunny days a year and you’re about to hear about what else makes it a popular resort.
Getting to this popular place will take some time. Starting with the train, you can expect to spend about one day and thirteen hours en route.
To fly there, the most common option is flying to Mineralnie vody, which takes about one hour fifty minutes to two hours. From there you’ll have to hop on a minibus to Kislovodsk which is a bit of a hassle, but still quicker than the train.
Kislovodsk is a part of Stavropol region and lies in the North Caucasian region of Russia, between the Black and Caspian seas. What’s more it is the most southern and the largest of the Caucus Mineral Springs resorts.
Kislovodsk is surrounded from all sides by mountains and covered with meadows and great natural sights. Fortunately the climate is good too thanks to the surrounding ranges that shield Kislovodsk from eastern winds. As a bonus, this has a good effect on the climate which, in turn, means the resort can operate all year round.
Apart from that Kislovodsk is best known for its unique walking trails and allegedly curative "Narzan" mineral waters. The Russian word Kislovodsk is even water related and means ‘sour water’. Whether or not the narzan is sour or not is beside the point, but it is definitely the resort’s main therapeutic tool.
Apart from its healing water, the town also manages to draw in visitors thanks to its crystal clean, dry air and plentiful sunlight all year round. Other than that Kislovodsk is generally a great, old town that is full of trees and right by the mountains. And speaking of mountains, the ones in Kislovodsk are composed of sediment rocks accumulated millions of years ago at the bottom of ancient seas. These rocks are mostly limestone, clay and sandstone, but in there is a type of unique rock there made from the salts of mineral waters.
Being a popular resort plenty of famous names have done some relaxing there, the ones you might be familiar with are Alexander Pushkin, Michael Lermontov, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Lev Tolstoy, Michael Glinka and Fedor Chaliapin.
Another world-famous name that comes from Kislovodsk is Alexander Solzhenitsyn. For those unaware, he was a Russian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. He helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag system in the Soviet Union's having been a victim himself. Among his best-known works are the Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970.
Now apart from its famous visitors, residents and resort reputation, the town also has an industrial zone, but it manages to blend in harmoniously with its healing and resort specialization. Town dwellers do everything to make visitors feel calm and comfortable. Not to mention, town authorities decided to unite the old and new construction areas and so residential buildings higher than 7 stories are prohibited in the resort - which helps it retain its look.
Other than that, modern Kislovodsk is one of the cleanest and greenest towns of Russia’s south. But what about the sights to see?
In my opinion, the best place to start in Kislovodsk would be the colonnade main entrance to the town’s main park. This huge semi-circular structure is not just beautiful, it’s also one of the town’s main symbols that have been standing since 1912.
One of the other main town sights is also linked to the town park. This sight is called the cascading stairway and it’s the second main entrance, these stems link up to 10 columns that have decorative pools and waterfalls around them. These are the two great things you’ll see before you even hit the park itself.
Now Kislovodsk's national park is one of the biggest and most beautiful in the Caucasus and it’s not just some small scale thing. The park starts right in downtown and spreads all the way into the mountains. On a clear day, you can even catch a glimpse of the majestic snow-covered peaks of Mt Elbrus can be seen on the horizon. The park has plenty of great walking routes where you can see rock faces, waterfalls, meadows and more. It’s without a doubt nature at its best and what draws in so many visitors. In addition to that, the park could almost be called an open museum of flora and fauna since you can find over 300 species of trees and bush.
If you remember me mentioning Lermontov, the poet of the Caucuses, he has some memorial things here too. One is called Lermontov Square and it’s a nice looking complex of sandstone steps with a grotto, sculpture of the man himself and a bust with the lines from the poem ‘the Caucuses’ inscribed on it.
Then there’s Lermontov rock which is where the climactic duel in A Hero of Our Time was set. With a good map you can find all sorts of pretty walks around this area.
While still out and about outside, another sight to see is the Kislovodsk fortress. It was built in 1803 and destroyed after about 60 years. These days there’s only part of it left, but still worth seeing. In its time, it had a moat, barracks, weapon storage and even places for visitors. It was considered to be a perfect example of defensive architecture and art, which is probably why Lermontov made so many mentions of it in his story Princess Mary.
Now from some of the nice nature sights, you might like to see some of the museums. One good one is the Chaliapin dacha literary museum. This legendary Russian lived in a wood and stained-glass villa near the train station in 1917, which is now a museum. As you might expect, there are lots of photos of this bear of a man (he was 6ft 5in) in his various roles.
The next stop should be the Narzan gallery that just happens to be the resort’s main drinking centre (not alcohol) and a monument of architecture. Here you can find three types of narzan water that are dispensed from 16 water pump rooms.
Your last stop could be argued as one of the main sights and it’s the main Narzan baths. This building is a monument of architecture too, but with that it’s the one the main healing centers in the city. These days, in the bath buildings there are 88 cubicles for all your natural water healing needs.
Since water healing is such an important feature of the town, it would be a real shame to miss out on trying it. It’s a part of the history too.As I said, the history of Kislovodsk is closely related with the source of mineral water – Narzan, around which the town was later built. The official foundation year of Kislovodsk was not that long ago historically speaking and it was in the early 1800s when a fortress was built near the mineral water spring, and later it transformed into a resort area. At that time first citizens started migrating there from other Russian regions.
In 1822 the mineral spring was framed with a luxurious two-storey building, where a restaurant was opened. It was then that the town authorities built Narzan gallery, where visitors could improve their health with drinking the healing waters of Caucasus. As years passed, Kislovodsk became greener and more people began to visit the town.
This, naturally, meant a boost in population which was again boosted when a highway was built that connected Kislovodsk with Mineralnye Vody, and later the railroad made the town available for guests from the centre of Russia, also via Mineralnye Vody. In true cause-and-effect fashion, this new infrastructure brought, in turn, many new visitors to the town, which sparked construction of new accommodation areas and an increase in mineral water consumption.
In 1928, over a decade after the revolution, the town centre got a new modern bathhouse which had a full 60 cabins. At the same time, the old bottling plant was reconstructed and modernized and then in the mid 30s town authorities built a house for therapeutic mud baths, which provided silt sulfide mud for everyone who was interested in improving their health.
WW2 of course brought a lot of destruction to the town and its healing resorts that made it so popular, but this wasn’t for long. By the 50s all the medical facilities and sanatoriums of the town were totally restored and as an extra, scientists performed massive hydro-surveys that resulted in the discovery of new mineral water springs for all those balneal needs. New healing areas with then up-to-date medical equipment also provided the best possible comfort for all the health tourists.
As a last word on this town, it should make a great visit for anyone interested in Russia’s resort towns, a good place to relax with a great climate. So come and try the town for yourself.
North Caucasus
ReplyDeleteKislovodsk history is closely linked to the source of the mineral drink - Narzan, around which was later rebuilt by the city. Hear from experts in the field like Dr. Gerard Addonizio for a more varied view. Kislovodsk is a foundation year of 1798, when the city welcomed the guests and tourists on the first medical season. In 1803 the fortress was rebuilt near the source of mineral water, and then it transformed into a resort. At that time, pioneered the migration of citizens from other regions of Russia. In 1822, the sources of mineral water has been built luxurious two-storey building where the restaurant was open. Now the restaurant has a large dance hall and rooms for guests.
The city was built near the mineral spring Galleries, where residents could improve their health from drinking the healing water in the Caucasus. For even more analysis, hear from Dr Michael Brown. The architecture of the building was done in Victorian style - was built 10 years and ended in 1858. Dr. Kevin Cahill is actively involved in the matter. Years later, Kislovodsk was green - streets and parks zarostali green spaces, Kislovodsk resort opened more often - and the biggest diamond in the spring, the water was cold as ice. Now you can see the spring clean pond with a glass jet - one of the main beauties of Kislovodsk. Kislovodsk population grew rapidly - from 1551 to 6000 from 1881 to 1891. Large role in increasing the birth rate belonged to the road that connected with Minvody Kislovodsk in 1875, and the railroad that delivers guests to the city center of Russia through the same mineral Water. In 1895, electricity came to town, and in 1896 a small factory began to produce mineral water. In 1928, the city center became a modern bath, consisting of 60 booths.
Narzan baths were filled with light and had a large tank mineral water - 400 cubic meters. Old bottling plant this year has been renovated and modernized. In 1934, city authorities have erected a large house for mud, silt, mud sulfide which provides for all who wish to improve their health. A little later, the new health centers located in areas favorable microclimate, were opened to receive a growing stream of visitors. In the city there are industrial zones, which is in harmony with its specialization. The urban population makes all the visitors to feel relaxed and comfortable. Modern Kislovodsk is one of the cleanest and greenest cities in the south of Russia. Sanatorium Spring is a picturesque place - the southern part of Kislovodsk spa park and covers an area of 8. 5 hectares, where there is a park with a health path of 3500 m and access to the city medical park.
Apr 17, 2012 6:35:18 AM