Russian Adventuring

Occasionally, when you travel on a budget, accommodation options will lead you to places you wouldn't otherwise have gone. As a country that isn't especially wallet friendly and with a scarce supply of hostels, the relatively Europeanised metropolises of St. Petersburg and Moscow notwithstanding, this is very much the case in Russia. Sometimes the approach of following the affordable beds yields unexpected surprises and adventures, such as staying with an old babushka and her cow in Siberia (thoroughly recommended), other times you can find yourself stuck in a barren cell thanks to an early curfew with nothing to do except staring the swastikas carved into the wall by previous guests (not so much fun).

The Hotel Severnaya in Petrozavodsk was one of the greater strokes of luck. Located a five hour train journey north of St. Petersburg (spitting distance by Russian standards), Petrozavodsk is an inconspicuous yet quirkily charming city on the shore of a vast lake. The main reason a normal tourist would set foot there is to use it as a base for one of the celebrated nearby islands, however my friend and I predictably arrived at the same time as an unabating storm, which hampered our island hopping plans somewhat. However, we were unperturbed - what need had we for islands? We had the Hotel Severnaya!

Perhaps the simplest way to express the allure of the Severnaya is to say that at a certain point in our stay I was on the brink of abandoning the rest of the trip to stay on and finally write that novel. Like a Wes Anderson set with the tiniest hint of the Shining, the hotel is a temple to faded Soviet grandeur. Elegant colonnades frame backlit images of Oriental sunsets. A huge chandelier looms majestically over the stairway, but you don't feel safe standing under it. In terms of the actual accommodation, basic would be quite a flattering description to use. But aside from the absurd cheapness, the real reason to stay is the atmosphere. From dodgy dealings in the lobby to marauding Finns (Petrozavodsk is actually in the region of Karelia, which spans both Russia and Finland), every night we spent there brought bizarre encounters and amusing scenes straight from a soap opera. Not only that, the food served in the restaurant was local, cheap and delicious.

If you want to see another side of Russia beyond the main cities, then check into the Severnaya. Go in summer and explore some islands, or go in winter and finally write that novel...