My day Today was very strange day - I didn't do anything too tough, but I'm so exhausted! I suppose it's because of the fact that today I had to go to the Moscow centre and the trip takes an hour and a half in one end (I live in Moscow region). When I was going back, I went to the shop called 'Leonardo', that sells goods for hobby making. I bought there two pencils and a sketchbook. I always wanted to learn drawing, but I have never ever bought a pencil! So I decided that it's time to change something in my life and start acting instead of waiting for something. When I was paying the bill the cashier tried to cheat me and give me 170 roubles in change instead of 200. I still don't understand if she did it on purpose or by mistake. I always want to believe in good in people, but sometimes they disappoint me. Then I went to the metro, it was Kievskaya station, and there was a big group of French tourists, and all these tourists went through one turnstile :) It was a little bit oddly, but still very cute and funny.

Swan Lake “Swan Lake” – that is how people call the lake Svetloe in the Sovetski region on Altai. Every year you can observe here a magnificent spectacle – up to 500 snowy-white swans and more than 2500 ducks fly in these places on wintering. Migratory birds choose this nonfreezing lake more than half of the century ago. Nowadays an observation deck is organized here, birds are feed by local hunters. In the zone of continental climate Altai is the only place, where swans overwinter. In 1973 there was opened a reserve “Swan” on the lake. Some years ago the day of swans’ arrival to Altai became an official date of the beginning of the winter touristic season in the region. In 2014 in the end of November a holiday “Altai wintering” was held for the first time. In these days special bus tours to the lake Svetloe are organized for tourists, for each of them could admire an unusual spectacle – white birds, gracefully floating on the water, surrounded by Siberian snow.

Karl Bryullov (1799-1852) Delighted contemporaries called Bryullov "great, divine Karl" and "the second Raffaello". Belinsky dubbed Bryullov "the first artist of Europe". The painting "The last day of Pompeii" was recognizes as a perfect masterpiece of the XIX century. Walter Scott said "This is not a painting, this is a poem!" after sitting and viewing the painting for a full hour. Bryullov portrayed himself on the painting - on the left of the middle, with a box of paints and brushes.

The first note Finally I decided to start writing notes. My name's Olga, I've been learning English for eleven years, but still can't speak it, so I want to practice my writing and then my speaking. Also I'm learning Spanish and Dutch, which I started learning just one month ago. In the future I want to write here about different places where I have been or translations of some interesting articles. Thank you for reading! :)