Olaf - apples and snow-capped mountains😊 - part 1

Olaf and his desire to travel ...
Of course we have not forgotten him - Olaf, our traveling bear. He thought it was about time to pack his bags again 😉 ... A new destination was quickly determined - Almaty, the largest metropolis and important cultural and commercial center of Kazakhstan. So he set off to travel approx. 6,346 km east to Central Asia ...

Almaty, apples and snow-capped mountains ...
Until 1997 Almaty was the capital of Kazakhstan, since 1991 an independent state, previously a part of the Soviet Union. Today Almaty welcomes its visitors with imposing buildings, but it once became known as the city of apples. Therefore, the former city name "Alma-Ata" meant something like "the grandfather of apples". In the former Soviet Union, Almaty was known everywhere for its city-owned apple variety "Aport". This had been grown in the region since 1865. Where once there were the endless meadows full of apple trees, today there are huge high-rise buildings. In one place on Al-Farabi Street, the original Almatians still remember the wonderful flowering of the city. This is where the huge apple orchards once began, stretching high up into the slopes of the Tien Shan Mountains, which are covered with snow even in the summer.

Olaf was extremely excited, especially about the Kök-Töbe Mountain and the cable car, one of the really cool sights of Almaty. The Kök-Töbe massiv is the highest point in Almaty, rising 1,100 meters above sea level and is one of the absolute landmarks of the city. The best way to 'climb' Kök-Töbe is to take the famous cable car directly from the center of Almaty. Olaf rode for a full 6 minutes in a comfortable 8-seater gondola cabin with soft seats and absolute panoramic views of the top of the mountain. The cable car operates all year-round, is approx.  1,620 meters long and can transport up to 750 people per hour - very impressive in Olaf's opinion! On top of the mountain an amusement park with plenty of attractions and restaurants awaits the numerous visitors. The 372 meter high TV tower can be seen almost everywhere in the city. We are already curious what adventures still await Olaf in Central Asia ...

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