Have you ever experienced –40 degree cold? Judy Canyock and I had that chance during our trip to Novgorod in January, 2006. (To tell the truth, it was not that cold the whole time we were there. Mostly it was about –20° Centigrade, which would be about –4° Fahrenheit.)

The market side of Velikiy Novgorod in January 2006.

When I mention this to people they shiver and say they could never stand such cold. My answer: try it. I have been making trips to Novgorod since 1992 and my friends there have repeatedly told me I should come and visit during the Winter, to experience a “real Russian Winter”. This year I had a chance to do this. It was very pleasant and a whole new experience.

Most Americans look at cold and winter as something to be endured. When the weather gets bad, we stay inside and huddle by the fire, so to speak. The Russian attitude is different: they look at Winter more than as just another season. Of course, it takes some effort to cope with the cold. Russians take pride in how well they deal with it. I get the impression that the colder it is the better they like it— in the sense of “Nobody has colder weather than we do!”

Novgorod in winter is a different world to Americans. For one thing, the days are much shorter than ours; they have about five hours of daylight in late December. Waking up at 8:00 AM and seeing that it is still pitch black outside takes a little getting used to. Their snow pattern is different from ours as well. While we get only a few storms that can bring a lot of snow, they get smaller amounts of snow almost daily. When Judy and I were there it seemed to snow daily from about dawn until 10:00 AM and then quit for the day.

Walking through the city was fun and it produced some great photos. Judy and I especially enjoyed strolling around the market side of the river, and we spent two hours one morning walking in the Kremlin with a young friend, Max Kalinichenko, who was kind enough to take time from his job to be with us. I was surprised to see that souvenir vendors had their tables set up around the Kremlin. Standing outside all day in that weather must take special stamina.

I do regret that we didn’t get out into the countryside on this trip, like we do in summer. As Max explained, the snow is much deeper there and the roads do not get plowed as they do in the city. However, Dr. Shulmann, Director of the Ambulance Service in Novgorod, has been very active in cross-country skiing for years in the area and recommends it highly. If you like skiing you should try this! Sasha Savin says the hunting for deer, boar, and bear is quite good. The slopes around the Kremlin are good for sledding and there is ice skating. I have been told the Russian banya (bathhouse) is especially good in winter. After your bath, you can go outside after soaking up the heat and roll in the snow. I didn’t have a chance to try this. Maybe next time…

(Interesting factoid: -40 ° Centigrade is also -40 ° Fahrenheit. This is the one place where the two temperature scales meet.

George Long, MD

Dr. George Long and the Rector of the Novgorod University Medical College, Viktar Veber after interviewing this year’s scholarship candidates.

Photos ©2006 by Judy Canyock