Morning in Irkutsk
Irkutsk, Russia 1989
Have you ever read a travel book or a history book or a biography with a section of illustrations which are mainly photos? The photos are almost always poor quality: out of focus, taken too far from the subject and poorly exposed. In spite of those faults, you find yourself turning to them again and again as you read. They make the story live.
This photo could illustrate a book about living in Siberia. The sinking izba (log cabin) illustrates one of the problems of living in the taiga. The heat from the house melts the frozen earth, softens it and the house sinks. This house is about a hundred years old and you can see that the window sills are at ground level. They’ve added a retaining wall to keep the spring snow melt from pouring into the house.
A Swedish friend once told me that the Swedes look forward to the winter snows because the sunlight reflecting off the snow brightens the landscape. The weeks before the snows arrive are dark and gray. I’ve read that the Russians look forward to the snow as well, maybe for the same reason. Can you imagine the bright sun, glinting off the pristine snow, shining through these windows illuminating what had been a dark and gloomy room? Cozy! Especially with the samovar bubbling away.
Irkutsk 1989
Horses pulling wagons were common on the streets of Irkutsk in 1989. I love the Russian style harness. Reminds me of Old Russia.