Coffee Is Not Optional in the Coldest City in the World
Coffee Is Not Optional in the Coldest City in the World
Cappuccinos in Yakutsk
The Tygyn Darkhan hotel—named after the rich slave-holding king of the Yakuts, who died in captivity after long battles with invading Cossacks—would not give me coffee. But the city of Yakutsk is six hours ahead of Moscow time, and it is -25 degrees outside (the locals say this is sign of “warming”), so coffee in the morning is not optional.
Thus I was pushed out to a second breakfast, and found, after a five-minute walk through the subarctic air, a café called Bon Ami. There is nothing of Cossacks or Yakut clans in this place, only a pleasant French atmosphere, a cappuccino, and a passionfruit dessert, which I found to be a nice start to the day.
Besides, the last time I was in Yakutsk, it was -48 degrees, so after a rich coffee and a light, sweet breakfast, -25 did not seem so cold after all.