We were fortunate to be able to visit Novosibirsk several times, both summer and winter.  Although Novosibirsk is in Siberia, it doesn't seem to be any more fierce in the winter than a winter in New England, and just as beautiful.  Novosibirsk means New Siberia and is the center of trade in Siberia.  It is the site of the well-known city of Akademgorodok, "City of Academics" founded by some of the most renowned scholars of Moscow who went to Siberia to continue their life's work of research.

We were in Novosibirsk during their 100th anniversary in 1995 and were thrilled to be a part of a street interview that was viewed on Russian TV that evening!  We also spent a wonderful day at a portion of the Ob Sea that resembled a large lake.  Here we had a barbecue, which Russians call "shaslik", and where we windsurfed and played a tough basketball game.  We were hosted by the Novosibirsk Technical University staff, where we had dedicated and opened a Unix training center.

Novosibirsk is famous for its wooden craft as it has immense forests and its homes are often constructed of lumber, unlike Moscow and the other Russian cities to the West.  The Siberian forest is larger than the entire United States and is virtually untouched by lumbering operations.

Geographically, it is halfway across Russia and is approximately 3000 km from Moscow.  It is also on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which is a railroad built in portions but started in 1891, and connects St. Petersburg with  Vladivostok.

Much can be written about Siberia from its contributions during World War II protecting art treasures, to its production of oil and gas, lumber and its resident academia who are studying Russian natural resources.