Art can be pointless or profound. A single painting can change the way you look at the world, or, on the other hand, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And yet museum fees for exhibitions are not always so cheap either, considering. As I like to do things on the cheap or free, the best idea for a morning walk that combines art, industry, exercise, and nature, therefore, is Victory Park. Omsk has several outstanding parks. Green Island offers beaches, wooded walkways, bike paths, a brand-new amusement park, and a grandstand area for concerts. The central parks set off the buildings and have formal gardens, carpet-bedding flowerbeds, and stately fountains. And then Omsk has a long riverwalk of 10 kilometers too, all walkable and bikeable. But today, with the frost and monotone grey skies, Victory Park should offer some unique photography.The main attraction in the park is the huge monolithic statue, one of the largest in Russia, of a soldier holding aloft the sword of victory and a wreath of laurel. In the summer, blood-red flowers line both sides of the spacious walkway leading up to the statue. On both sides are rows of stately pines, and beyond are hedges of lilac. In the winter gray, the frost and snow light up the granite monuments on either side of the walkway. Each symbolizes the heroic actions of the people during this time. I can see the monument, I think, dedicated to Kubeshev, an Omsk hero who died in a German concentration camp in Austria. The strands of barbed wire cut across. Another granite monument shows the fighters in the Leningrad blockade with the spires of the Peter & Paul Fortress behind. Another shows the men and women in the partisan movements, the woman holding a rifle on her back. Others display those who were in the air force and gunners and artillerymen. Those who worked as doctors and nurses, and the mothers who worked and waited and sorrowed. Indeed the place is rather solemn.The park is extensive and goes down and all the way to the river, through ample forests. I’ll stay in the main park that has a small stream flowing and a bridge to cross. From the bridge, I remember this last summer standing here on a beautifully hot Omsk day and watching the light flashing and flickering in the heat. And from here a good-sized kurgan stands, which I believe was from an ancient culture.Walking back, I snapped some pictures of the new monument dedicated to those who worked as doctors and medics during wartime, truly heroic. The winter frosts create a special art effect.Next, I saw that the church was open and joined in time for the sermon from the priest and moleben afterwards. And then I went over to survey the new section filled with tanks and war materials. Each has a comprehensive video explaining all the specifications and adaptations that the engineers included. Truly amazing. The park goes further on into the bird haven on the other side, but I’ll save that for another day. The walk in the park has been super!