We spent a day in Kostomukshsky natural reserve and the town on Kostomuksha, which in absolutely unexpectedly on the top of my personal list of Russian towns and cities where I'd like to live. It's clean. It's green. It's cozy and comfortable. It's nothing like any other Russian town. Probably because it was designed and mostly constructed by Finns. And the people here look happier than anywhere I've been in Russia.
The natural reserve starts just next to the city. There's a lot to see there, but most of it takes more than a day to get there and back again. And as now we only have a couple of days, we're coming back in the fall for a whole week or even two.
