In the heavy snow of Harbin, hide in a hundred-year-old cafe shop, drinking coffee, what a pleasant thing to spending the whole afternoon. You can go to the depths of birch forest , looking for the engraved love of birch in the heart.
Poetry of Harbin
Getting off the plane, we are going straight to the Central Avenue which concentrates the past and present of this legendary city. Central Avenue has all the expectations of Harbin – exotic architecture , century – old storied stores , traditional cuisine and a variety of Russian-made souvenirs.
Dance Time in Cafe
We are breathing in three cafes in Central Avenue – “Lucia”, “Tower Priests” and “Ma Diego Fall” ice cream parlors.
“Lucia” exists in the corner for more than a century, it has the romance written in the art books – the quiet window from that to watch the colorful world , not a lot of space for the old photographs on display, reflecting the city of the earliest pioneer who are dressed , looked disdainfully , or sitting ,or dancing.
“Tower Priests” was an underground cellar of a successful Russian merchant. Compared to Lucia , it is simply described as luxurious , but also will have scarce passengers in the off-season. For the brilliant and distant view of the history of the shop, we call it “ the basement of Harbin” generously.
“Ma Diego Fall” was once one of the most famous hotel in the Far East. The hotel is now passed its prime, the only well famed ice cream shop is hot now. The sign product is red bean ice cream, popsicles on the door of a takeaway are in the open cardboard box. No fridge, the winter Harbin itself is a huge natural refrigerator.
Sun Island Calm Island
We took a cab across the frozen Songhua River, heading for the famous Sun Island. The temperature on the glacier is clearly lower than in urban areas, the air is chilly and piercing , bright sunshine makes the cold even more straightforward.
Sun Island has been ridiculed famous by a pop music, worthless of the name, but I don’t think so , because there is “Russian Town” on the island. It is the ancient Russian village community formed of 27 different styles of villas. In the evening , we almost became the only tourists to enter this old town. Immediately , the desolation and loneliness is declaring this is a dead community.
We did not have a ride back again, but walking through the Songhua River back the sunset. Walking along the footprints of others, from yesterday to today.
Old Town Image
The next day , we walked to the Sofia Church. And snow took the city like a huge ski resort. There are nearly 30 churches in Harbin , mostly have been converted into museums. Surrounded by the snow pine trees , the Sophia Orthodox Church is the city historical data showroom now. Then we went to the Daowai Area, a place where needs paying our respects. However , it is going to be lost in the memory of local people. The old city is the birthplace of Harbin, is also the concentrations of dangerous rooms, shanty towns and potholed roads. Now , except of a few old buildings were repaired and retained as cultural heritages , the entire road is facing demolition and reconstruction.
Tips :
Local temperature: In early spring Harbin , under sunshine the temperature is still “20 degrees” , pay attention , locals say temperature omitted “minus” because no one will misunderstood.
Tour Highlights: The Sun Island well-known as summer resort all over the world; Central Avenue-Asia’s longest European pedestrian street ; the largest Orthodox church in Far East – the Hagia Sophia , Stalin Park , the Flood Monument , Gogol Street , Siberian Tiger Park , Changbai Waterfall – the largest mountain drop waterfall in Northeast, Shenyang Imperial Palace and so on.
