Russia's "fallen summer"
For nearly 8 years in Russia, almost every autumn I feel lucky to enjoy the beautiful moments of this country. I prefer to call this season in Russia by the name "Falling Summer" rather than autumn. The phrase "Falling Summer" originated from the poet Bang Viet when he translated the poem "Babe Бабье Лето" by the famous poetess Olga Berggolts. "Babe Бабье Лето" (Summer of the Ladies) describes that beautiful golden autumn like the gentle beauty of a woman in her prime.
Olga Berggolts described “Summer Fall” with these gentle words: “There is a season in the magical light - The color of the sun is soft, the color of the sky is not dazzling”. Summer Fall usually lasts for a period of one to two weeks and makes people cherish it very much, before entering the long cold winter.
In those days, the whole city of Moscow seemed to light up in a myriad of red and yellow colors. I loved going to school early to see the snow still on the leaves, sparkling in the morning sun. The yellow and red leaves were like thousands of flowers blooming on the trees.
In the afternoon, in the forests of the parks around the capital Moscow, we will hear the rustling of leaves under our footsteps. There are afternoons sitting quietly listening to the guitar of a young man in the golden forest on the banks of the Moskva River, we immerse ourselves in the beautiful picture of nature here.
On short trips to the suburbs of the capital, we followed small tree-lined roads, admiring the pretty houses with the brown of wood and soil, the yellow and red of leaves, and the blue of the sky in the golden sunshine of autumn.
Siberian wilderness
Autumn in Siberia brings the wild and vast beauty of nature. After a 6-hour flight from Moscow, I arrived in Irkutsk and was almost overwhelmed by the beautiful scenery of the vast and colorful taiga forests that appeared before my eyes.
Listvyanka village welcomed me with bright yellow sunshine. This is a small fishing village located peacefully on Lake Baikal, the source of the Angara River – the only river flowing from the deepest freshwater lake in the world.
The moment I saw the “Pearl of Siberia” with my own eyes in the bright autumn afternoon was one of the moments I will never forget in my life. The cable car took me to the Cherskogo Rock observation deck to see Lake Baikal and the Angara River from the top of the mountain.
I was stunned by the beauty that was unfolding before my eyes. The taiga forest was changing leaves, so the colors were green, yellow and red mixed together, in the distance was where the sky and water met. The scene was both gentle, peaceful and majestic.
On the observation deck, colorful fabric ribbons are fluttering in the wind, adding to the beauty of this masterpiece of nature and the earth. This is a custom of the Buryat Shamanists, who often hang fabric ribbons to show their respect and send prayers to the deceased.
As the afternoon gradually fell, I went to the small Baikal market located by the lake to enjoy smoked omul. This Baikal white fish dish was something my Russian friends told me I must eat when I come to Listvyanka.
After finishing my meal, I bought another one to go to the sandbank, enjoying it while watching the sunset over the lake. At this moment, I understood why the autumn afternoon on Lake Baikal can captivate the hearts of so many people who set foot in this place.
Wanting to experience the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway, I decided to take the train from Irkutsk to Ulan-Ude. That was the stretch of road where I could see Lake Baikal and the Siberian taiga through the train window.
Looking at the vast forests out there, I understood why people call Siberia “the green lungs of the Earth”. Occasionally, the train passed through small villages at the foot of the mountains, seeing herds of cows and horses leisurely grazing in the afternoon light, my heart was filled with a sense of peace.
On that train heading east, I arrived in Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Buryat Republic. This is a place quite different from other cities in Russia in that the majority of the local population is Buddhist, while the rest of the country is Orthodox. It is also a famous pilgrimage site for Buddhists.
For me, the golden autumn of Russia - the brilliant "falling summer" is also a season that reminds me to live in the present, to cherish every moment of life flowing through me. When enjoying the wonderful beauty of nature before my eyes, I know that I have loved Russia since long ago.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/trai-nghiem-mua-thu-vang-o-xu-so-bach-duong-3144021.html
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