Last June, my wife and I went to Tomsk for our wedding anniversary, and it turned out there was a nalichniki festival going on.
We showed up, mingled with everyone, made a bunch of new acquaintances.
Last time I'd been was all the way back in 2017—some of my fondest memories.
Tomsk, of course, is a paradise for this: beautifully restored houses right next to old leaning ones, wooden gems everywhere you look.
Naturally, we went all in—walked every house, every courtyard, petted every cat... well, "every" is a stretch. Every cat we managed to get to, anyway. So, not all of them. Probably not even most of them, if we're being honest. Not that many cats, really, in the end.
Anyway, we came back :)
This year we're heading to Tomsk as a trio—me, my wife, and our daughter—and this time it's official: on June 7th, at noon, the "Carved Tomsk" festival opens at the "Konyushnya" ("The Stable") art space, and at 1 p.m. I'll be giving a talk (on the myths and legends of nalichniki).
Admission's free, by the way, same as for every event at the festival :)
See you in Tomsk. :)
P.S. "Konyushnya" is at 8 Voikova St., building 2, Tomsk.
P.P.S. In the photos—classic Tomsk-style nalichniki, quite common around here, with a double-scalloped design. Keep in mind that's just one style among the Tomsk carvings—there's a lot more variety here than that.
