Irkutsk is a city of contrasts

Irkutsk is a city of amazingly beautiful buildings and at the same time dilapidated, ruined and dilapidated. They are incongruously adjacent to each other, creating sharp urban contrasts.

We visited Irkutsk for the first time. We arrived in winter. A couple of days before the visit, heavy rain fell and washed away all the snow. It was okay to skate through the city streets, but I had to move carefully in boots. Siberia is unpredictable.

The deserted streets, drenched in the bright sun, looked especially charming on a cold Sunday morning in Irkutsk. It felt like we were in an icy realm.

After the hustle and bustle of bustling young Novosibirsk, at any time on any day, it is unusual to see the calm solidity of the old city. How unusual it was to look at the innocently clean water of the Angara River, in contrast to the sad and dirty Novosibirsk Region. These contrasts are firmly ingrained in my memory.

And what quaint buildings there are. Oh, how beautiful! Carefully preserved, restored. It's worth freezing to admire them.

Irkutsk residents are especially proud of their wooden architecture. In particular, in the historical center there is a whole street consisting of wooden houses – 130 block. There are more than 600 wooden buildings in Irkutsk.

One of the special wooden buildings is the so–called openwork house. We were told about him at the tourist center. Unfortunately, we did not have time to reach it, but if you are in Irkutsk, be sure to take a look.

And what are the unusual sculptures here? For example, the symbol of the city is Babr. Do you know what kind of animal it is? Would you say tiger? Then take a closer look at his front paws. Are they like that in a tiger?

It turns out that Irkutsk is still arguing about what kind of animal it is. According to one legend, babr is a cross between a tiger and a beaver. On the other hand, the coat of arms is decorated with a kalan. Sea otter is a marine animal of the marten family. These are the metamorphoses.

I tried the most delicious donuts in Irkutsk. I haven't eaten anything like this in my native Novosibirsk or in any other city. They make a place called "Ponchishnaya". There are even blue donuts. Don't worry, they're just lavender. I haven't tried them. I like sour, so I tested cranberry.

In addition to the donut shop, we can definitely recommend an authentic gastronomic place called "Taiga", a network of dumplings "Sculpt and cook", cafe "3952" and the Italian restaurant "Prego". Everything was cozy and delicious.