An island in the White Sea with the short name Kiy.
On a warm summer day, sitting at home and having breakfast with hot, fragrant coffee in a beautiful cup in hand, it is pleasant to recall a trip to a harsh but beautiful region. This is the White Sea.
We are used to the need to relax and go to the Black or Mediterranean Sea or even to the ocean. But only a few dare to go to the White Sea on vacation. And the point is not only that many people want to relax on the warm sea so that you can swim and sunbathe, but also that it is very difficult to come to this beautiful land.
I was lucky to be in a very unusual place - in the city of Onega. This city is located at the mouth of the Onega River on the shores of the White Sea. The town is not big at all. As a result of economic problems in our country since the late eighties, the population in the city began to decline. There is practically no normal highway to the city.
We came to this city from the city of Plesetsk, having traveled a path of 300 kilometers along the road that the tractor made, just clearing the ground. After heavy rain, such a road becomes almost impassable.
In a word, the city of Onega is an abandoned place, far from civilization. There is a definite plus in this, since the nature of this region is preserved in its pristine beauty.
In the White Sea a few kilometers from the city of Onega is a small island. This island is called Kiy Island. The whole island consists of granite rocks, but there is also a small sandy beach. The island made a great contribution to Russian history, since the future Russian patriarch Nikon, who caused a great split in the Russian Orthodox Church, escaped on this island in a shipwreck.
This event actually served as the beginning of the foundation on the island of the monastery.
Indeed, the island has a special spiritual atmosphere. Stones, the proximity of heaven and the mean northern nature give a feeling of closeness to God.
I visited this place in the midst of summer. It was hot and I wanted to plunge into the waters of the White Sea. The water was very cold and I entered the water as if being burned, on morally strong-willed qualities. After swimming a few meters, I felt that I had to get out of the water.
So, really, if you need a sea for swimming to relax, the White Sea is not for you.
Inscriptions are scratched on the eternal granite stones on the shore. Many of the people who come here consider it important for themselves to leave a mark on the stones. Many of the inscriptions have a very distant date.
Massively, people began to come here in 1924, when a sanatorium was opened on this site at the base of the monastery. This resort is still working. A boat comes here from the big shore, bringing supplies and people.
We crossed the island in a motor boat. When we went back to the mainland, it was already evening. In these latitudes in early summer, the so-called white nights begin. The sun sets over the horizon only closer to midnight or even later.
Therefore, it was through, but the sun was still very high and illuminated our way home through the oncoming clouds. A beautiful and dangerous land, severe and cold, but very charming.
I really want to return to those lands.
