RUSSIA
31st July - 2nd August 2008
Eclipse on August 1st 2008
This eclipse is very special because it is my first eclipse memory! It was also a perfect eclipse as the summer weather was glorious and the sky impeccably blue.
DAY 1 - MOSCOW
31st July
I don’t recall much of the Russian capital. We went to the Red Square but I have no recollection of the same. It is a shame as I would love to remember the iconic place which has drawn crowds from Ivan the Terrible to Putin. I would love to remember Vladimir Lenin who has been on display since 1930 (apparently he’s bleached every week to prevent mold!). I would love to remember the iconic red Kremlin (which used to be white before the 1900s). In the evening we flew to Novosibirsk ahead of the eclipse.
DAY 2 - NOVOSIBIRSK
August 1st
We squeezed into a tiny room as tourists had invaded the third-most-populous city in Russia and all the hotels were fully booked. Novosibirsk is known as an intellectual city with many good universities and a dynamic cultural scene. We had connected with a brilliant local student, Yulia, before arriving in Novosibirsk and she was wonderful! She had arranged everything: from the small van to show us around to nice restaurant bookings and the beautiful eclipse location by the river Ob. She also gave me some delicious berries that she had picked up from her garden! I remember that it was hot and that the sky was completely cloudless all day. Many people were swimming in the river. During totality my little brother Philippe started crying, he was only 10 months old and couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It was magical but so quick!
DAY 2 - MOSCOW
August 2nd
In the evening we flew back to Moscow and had one last walk around the Red Square in the evening before we flew back home the next day.