It is really hard to say when winter begins in the Russia. In the north and in Siberia the temperature may be way below zero, while in the south it is still warm and at the Black Sea health resorts of Sochi holiday makers sun-tan on the beaches. After all, the Russia is the world’s largest country, with several climatic zones ranging from Arctic to the subtropics.
So when we speak of the enchanting beauty of a Russian winter, of the charms of snowy landscapes we mean not the Kavkaz, but the central strip west of the Urals, which lies mainly in Russia proper. Winter here as a rule lasts from December through March. Now a Russian winter is not so bleak and austere as a foreigner may sometimes believe. However, it is original because of the particular geographical conditions. There is a deep white blanket of snow on the ground all through the season, on a frosty day the woods and forests seem clad in a pearly attire of hoarfrost and the rivers and lakes are icebound.
There is something like the Russian winter in other countries as well. Winter is a fine time in Scandinavia or Northern America. But there is nothing really like the Russian winter in either Norway, Holland or Canada, for the simple reason that it happily combines the most interesting features of winter in each of these countries.
So do come for a trip to this snow-bound land! Russian winter is waiting for you.
