yekaterinburg was okay i guess but also freezing

i just landed here after what felt like forever and my bag was damp from the train ride. first off if youve never been to a city that feels like it was built on a mountain range this is it. the ural mountains here aren’t like cinematic peaks they’re more like random hills that suddenly pop up and block your view. i checked the weather and it’s -15.49 celsius right now. hope you like that kind of thing. i don’t. it’s one of those days where you regret not bringing a parka but also forget you left it in moscow.

Mapping app says we’re at 56.8356,60.6128 which i assume is the center. look, here’s a google map down there:false. it’s way simpler than some fancy 3d rendering. just a simple map showing how tiny this city is compared to like new york or something. half the town’s population lives in a 490 square kilometer space. that’s tight. i saw a pigeon taking selfies at a metro station. that’s the vibe here. industrial, chaotic, and somehow still a gateway to siberia.

yesterday someone told me that the europe-asia border monument is just a rock with a plaque. which is fair. it’s 17 km west of town. i almost drove there but then realized my gps was lying and i ended up in some cornfield. sportsmanship note: the ural mountains here aren’t mountains they’re more like confused hills. driving through them felt like a video game level with random elevation changes. the roads are okay but the weather makes everything slippery. i almost crashed into a tree once.

food here? i asked. turns out searching for local dishes just gives you recipes for pelmeni or something basic. no surprise there. someone told me that the food is okay if you’re not picky but i’m picky. i ate some soup that tasted like regret and it was served in a bowl that looked like it belonged in a communist propaganda poster. okay not helpful. anyway. near the city ponds there’s a fountain shooting water up like it’s trying to prove something. i took a photo of it but the image quality is worse than my ex’s intentions.

if you get bored indianapolis is 1,840 km east. that’s like driving nonstop for two days. kmansk-uralsky is south and it’s basically a mining town that’s really good at being boring. pverouralsky is west and it’s got that eastern europe vibe but also a lot of paper mills. so yeah the neighbors are all just… there. boring or valuable depending on your priorities.

i walked past a park with a sun setting behind a fountain. the light was good but the air was colder. i took a photo anyway. here it is:

the city’s nickname is gateway to siberia and honestly it’s accurate. i took a train from here to omsk and it was like stepping into a different country. minus the snow. the metro here is old. like from the 90s. it’s short so i assume it’s the shortest metro in the world but i checked and it’s not. anyway the stations have this weird mix of socialist realism and modern graffiti. it’s like someone painted over a dali painting.

i met some locals at a cafe and they told me the population is around 1.5 million. which is huge for a city that fits in a mountain range. they said the economy is all about mining and metalwork. which makes sense because the soil here is basically a goldmine. literally. the area has iron, copper, and gems. and they’re exporting it while the locals are still eating pelmeni. it’s very capitalistic.

the culture here is… something. there’s a mix of imported music and local traditions. i saw a band playing folk tunes in a modern glass building. it was weird but kinda cool. the people are friendly but also tired. like everyone’s working 12 hour shifts in factories. the nights are long and dark. i tried to walk through a market at night and kept running into people in hardhats. it’s industrial.

what to avoid? the winters. obviously. it’s brutal. also the traffic. the city’s a transport hub so there are endless trucks and buses. the air quality isn’t great. i saw a sign that said "don’t touch the construction zones" but honestly i did anyway. construction sites are everywhere. and if you’re visiting in winter bring layers. i forgot my hat and now my head is numb.

in conclusion yekaterinburg is not for the faint of heart. it’s cold, industrial, and sprawled across a mountain. but if you like weird urban landscapes or want to be close to siberia it’s got that. i’ll probably leave soon. this place is too much. i just checked and it’s still -15.49 celsius. like i said. hope you like that kind of thing.

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/amritsar-golden-temples-border-ceremonies-and-a-whole-lot-of-butter
• https://votoris.com/post/bagan-temple-overload-and-sweat-stains
• https://votoris.com/post/the-global-trade-nightmare-nobody-talks-about
• https://votoris.com/post/astana-concrete-dreams-and-frozen-toes-a-musicians-perspective
• https://votoris.com/post/explored-richmond-before-my-visa-expired