The City of Kandalaksha, Murmansk oblast, and its vicinity. Getting there, where to stay, what to do. The ultimate source of Kandalaksha and area info in English.
Today I’m taking two Finnish travellers first to the Volostnaya hill, and then to the famous “Iron Gates” between the Domashniye (“home”) tundras and Okkatyeva hill, half-way between Luvenga and Kolvitsa. Wish us all luck.
Perhaps the reader needs an explanation of who Ivan Susanin was. See this Wiki link for the story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Susanin. In modern Russian his name is used ironically to describe the person who claims to know the way while he doesn’t. That was partly my case as instead of making it back to the car we ended up back on the main highway, and I had to walk 5km to retrieve the vehicle while my clients were enjoying their walk through Kolvitsa. All ended well, and I was even able to appreciate the beauty of the hills and partly understand why people go up there although except as a job I don’t think I could force myself to do that amount of walking. My legs do hurt after yesterday’s exercise.
Good luck! And do not be like Ivan Susanin
Perhaps the reader needs an explanation of who Ivan Susanin was. See this Wiki link for the story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Susanin. In modern Russian his name is used ironically to describe the person who claims to know the way while he doesn’t. That was partly my case as instead of making it back to the car we ended up back on the main highway, and I had to walk 5km to retrieve the vehicle while my clients were enjoying their walk through Kolvitsa. All ended well, and I was even able to appreciate the beauty of the hills and partly understand why people go up there although except as a job I don’t think I could force myself to do that amount of walking. My legs do hurt after yesterday’s exercise.