"Mussel Festival", September 2022
Golden autumn traditionally comes to the north earlier than to central Russia, and September is the perfect time to catch this wonderful time in the "Arctic Circle". The forest is filled with amazing colors, and the nights become so dark that there is a chance to see the Northern Lights!
And in autumn it is customary to harvest, but since the "Arctic Circle" stands on the seashore, then the harvest here is special, marine! Therefore, traditionally at the beginning of autumn we hold a special autumn holiday – the "Mussel Festival".
This year is no exception. On the last warm September weekend, real lovers of the sea and sea gifts gathered at the base.
The "Mussel Festival" is a short weekend program, but it is not inferior to the longer ones in terms of saturation.
One of the most important elements of the program is master classes on cooking mussels and daily dinners filled with seafood. Mussels are grown right in the bay next to the base – that's exactly the "product of the first freshness"!
Participants of the program can participate not only in eating these beautiful shellfish, but also in the process of cleaning and cooking.
In addition to delicious dinners, the program is filled with excursions and interesting lectures. In just three days, the participants of the program managed to visit the Biofilters Bay, the MSU Biostation, the beautiful rocky island of Kastian and the equally beautiful sandy Olenevsky, the canyon, the real Pomeranian village of Chernaya Rechka, the reindeer and sled dog kennel.
Each evening ended with an informative lecture from the Candidate of Biological Sciences Mikhail Safonov. The topics of the lectures were chosen democratically. This time we managed to talk about human evolution, and also about the biodiversity of the White and Red Seas, their differences and similarities.
The Mussel Festival is a family program. This makes it possible for adults and children to spend time together, but it does not oblige them to do it all the time. After all, in those places where the interests of adults and children may diverge, variability appears. For example, during evening lectures, you can play board games with counselors or work out creativity.
The "Mussel Festival" was very intense and interesting. We will look forward to a repeat of this autumn holiday!
And in order to wait not so long, come to us as soon as possible. The nearest children's program on the White Sea will take place at the end of October! And we are waiting for families to celebrate the New Year and Christmas!
