Greetings, friends.
I continue my story about my journey to the westernmost region of Russia, Kaliningrad, which was East Prussia until 1945.
I've already told about our first day of adventures. What I didn't tell you was that we had dinner in the evening at a small restaurant called Branches, located on the embankment called the Fishing Village.
By the way, friends, I recommend that you take a look at this place. It's really all tangled up in branches.
The most significant tourist spot in the fishing village is the lighthouse. Madame Boucher's restaurant is located on the first three floors. I ate a delicious pike perch there and drank a glass of local cognac, which of course is called Konigsberg.
At the top of the lighthouse, there is a circular observation deck from which you can view the city.
A large blue globe and a ship can be seen in the distance. This is the Museum of the World Ocean. That's where I went on the morning of the second day, while all my children and grandchildren were asleep.
It is very pleasant to take a walk in a place like this, when no one interferes, and you can only meet local utility workers.
I decided to explore the exhibits and the guided tours offered so that I and the children could plan our time. Our plans are very big, but we have limited time to implement them.
Have you ever been inside a submarine? My son-in-law and I decided that we should go inside this submarine. We did this the next day, and my son and his family visited another ship.
But we couldn't get on board this plane. This can only be done as part of a tour group by appointment, but there are still restrictions in place.
Konigsberg was founded as a castle, around which a fortress city was formed. As a fortress, it has been built and rebuilt over the centuries, and the final result of these rebuildings was a powerful ring system of urban forts built in the 19th century and blocking the approaches to the city. These forts operated until the spring of 1945, when Soviet troops, having overcome this grandiose defensive system, captured the city, and the forts ceased to function. Many of these structures remained unclaimed, but remained under military protection as having military significance.
Each fort had its name. For example, this fort tower was called "Dona" and in 1969 it was decided to organize an amber museum in it. We couldn't help but visit this museum. Amber is considered a symbol of this region.
How are the exhibitions located in the museum? That's right, in a circle.
Every guest of the city should visit this museum and look at the amazing amber jewelry.
In my hometown, 7 small Kikimore figurines were placed to promote the city. These are our local old trolls. I've already told you about them.
In Kaliningrad, there is exactly the same theme, only there, the local trolls are called Homins.
By the way, we went to the museum on foot to see the local attractions and got caught in the rain on the way.
After visiting the museum, we decided to have lunch and chose the Ogonyok (Fire) restaurant, which is located near the museum.
View of the Amber Museum from the Ogonyok restaurant.
We returned to Kanta Island by tram. The Kaliningrad tram is not the same as in other Russian cities. The gauge of the Russian railway is one and a half meters, and in this city the gauge is 1 meter wide.
What else did we not do on this day from the plan? A walk on the water. An hour-long guided walk with a story about the history of the city around the island of Kanta, along the Fishing Village, and to the cargo port. Pleasure boats are not allowed to go further. It is also very interesting to look at the shore from the river, especially since it is impossible to enter the port by land.
So, the second day of adventure is coming to an end. On the third day, we are scheduled to visit the zoo, rent 2 cars, and move to Zelenogradsk.
By the way, the location of the city can be seen by clicking on the link to the map in the comments to the article by @travelfeed and @worldmappin
Thanks for reading...
Text & Photography by @apnigrich
With love @apnigrich
Good luck and have fun
