VILNIUS TO ST PETERSBURG
We rose early, pleased we hadn't stayed out all night the night before. Lina and the Japanese man were up. When she asked him why he needed to be up so early he replied "I am an old man. I get up early" like it should have been obvious. We left the hostel to catch a bus to the airport. A full day of travel to St Petersberg via Tallin in Estonia. It was a shame we couldn't spend a couple of days there as well but there was only so much we could do. We did meet a jump Norwegian man at the airport who insisted on calling Marcus Kiwi, but seemed offended when Marcus declined his chewing tobacco. We were pleased not to be flying RyanAir. Their flight was delayed for six hours due to a mechanical fault and they weren't allowed to leave the tiny transit lounge.
The airport at St Petersburg was packed. It reminded us of Heathrow with the inefficient line through customs. Our tour documents recommended getting a taxi from the airport to the hostel but we read that these could be very expensive if it hadn't been pre-booked. We stuck to the public transport a bus and 2 metrolines. It wasn't very difficult but we guess our time in London made catching metros much easier. We arrived on the main road, Nevsky Prospekt and found our hostel nearby.
Our accommodation for our first 2 nights in St Petersburg had been changed at the last minute. We arrived
to discover the hostel spoke very little English (and our Russian was none existent) and that we were sleeping in single sex dorms. After the initial shock we settled in and headed off to explore the city. We stuck to the main street and caught our first glimpses of some Russian Architecture that we were planing to visit later in our trip. The Kazan Cathedral, the Church on Spilled Blood, the old Singer building and the Winter Palace. At a distance St Petersburg was a grand European city but up close the paint was flaking and the grime was building up.
We were getting pretty tired and hungry so started heading back searching for some local cuisine that a) we knew what it was and b) did not cost a fortune. We settled on a place from the Lonely Plant Guide (usually quite questionable when it comes to food) - Teremok. We enjoyed our first taste of Russian Potato Pancakes. On this occasion we choose pork and mushroom as we could point to a picture. It was very tasty. Full of energy again we managed to find a nearby supermarket where we stocked up on snacks and supplies. Back at the hostel we managed to chat to a couple of Russians who spoke some English. Sergei was in Marcus' room and Nadia in Jess' room. Nadia asked if it was true that no-one in New Zealand was depressed because of the beautiful landscape. Jess said that was probably an exaggeration but it seems many Russians view NZ as being an idyllic paradise. We joined the students and families in the TV room for some confusing Russian TV before making our way to bed.
ST PETERSBURG DAY 2
With the early start the day before it was a more leisurely start to the day. After breakfast we headed back down Nevsky Prospect towards the Hermitage. On the way we stopped to look in the window of a fancy looking department store/cafe which had giant Macaroons in the window. No eating any for us here though as we had already had our fair share when visiting France.
In Palace Square we looked at the Alexander Column before heading into the Hermitage Museum which is in part of the old Winter Palace, former home of the Tzars. Some of the exhibits were very similar to what we had seen in the British Museum and the Leuvre (except this time it was the Russians doing the pillaging) but interesting nonetheless. We have definitely become more cultured by the amount of museums and gallaries we have visited in the last 3 years. It was nice to see some Russian stuff though. There was also an extensive collection of art from famous painters such as Picasso and Matisse. After a few hours of this the hunger started to get to us so we decided to stop for some Teremok for lunch.
After that we walked down to the river. There was still plenty of ice on it and a chill in the air as we wandered along and looked at the famous Bronze Horseman Statue of Peter the Great. When she was reading the book of the same name Jess never realised she would see it one day. We walked back along the river and crossed the bridge to Birzhevaya Point, the site of a small park and the Rostral Columns, symbol of St Petersburg's port status.
We saw lots of people walking around on the ice so we decided to have a go too. The ice seemed to be melting fairly quickly though so we didn't stay on too long. We saw one man walk almost all the way across the river but we felt as we didn't know what we were doing it wouldn't be a good idea to try. It was almost disastrous for one of Marcus' hands as he dropped a glove onto a ledge which we couldn't reach. We finally got it back by finding a stick to pull it up with. Phew!
In the evening we visited a supermarket and tried out some local noodles in preparation for the train trips. Not too bad.We watched some Russian Gangster films and what appeared to be Youtube videos on TV before going to bed confused.
ST PETERSBURG DAY 3
Another leisurely start as we shifted hostels (just around the corner) and arranged for our visas to be registered (which we probably should have done already too). Then we moved onto look around Gostiny Dvor an old shopping centre filled with standard mall shops before having a day of churches.
First church was Kazan Cathedral which looks similar to St Peters Basilica in Rome on the oustside however it looks quite different inside. It is a Russian Orthodox church. It was very dark but pretty and full of many worshippers opposed to many of the churches which we have visited that were full of tourists.
Next on our church visit was St Issac's Cathedral. We didn't go inside but instead we climbed outside of the
golden domes to get a 360 degree view of St Petersberg. We also visited the Church of the Spilled Blood which has the colourful onion shaped domes you expect to see in Russia. Inside it was filled with lots of colour and gold having been beautifully restored. We took the back streets to our new hostel, the Missis Hudson. It was loosely based on Sherlock Holmes....not what we were expecting in Russia.
Back at the hostel we met up with Pete the first other member of our tour group. An Australian but we tried not to hold that against him. Tim, our Honcho for the city also met us and took us for a walk around the river and to the eternal flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. The highlight was throwing a coin up to a little cat statue on a building which is meant to bring good luck. We stopped at a bar on the way back for a drink and a snack of pelmeni (a dumpling thing) before heading back and meeting a young English couple Ellie and Sami who were the final members of our group. We had a couple of Vodkas with Pete. Ellie and Sami had been traveling all day so we figured we would get to know them tomorrow.
ST PETERSBURG DAY 4
The first proper day of the tour we rose early to start a full day around the city. We decided to check out the Peter and Paul Fortress which is across the river. Our Honcho Tim didn't seem to enjoy walking as much as we do so insisted we get the metro part way and we arrived at a station which was only a couple of years old and looked like a flying saucer (Gorkovskaya).
Although grey on the city side, the fortress was actually a rich red brick colour. We arrived just in time to hear the midday cannon as we crossed the bridge into the fortress, looking at the cute ducks walking on the icy river. The fortress wasn't really what we expected. There were many different things inside including a wax museum and dragon exhibition, both which we chose not to attend.
We did however see the first ever Russain ship and looked at the cathedral where many Tsar's were burried but only from the outside. We walked along the Fortress walls for another good view of St Petersberg and the river. The river seemed more frozen on this side so we all ventured out a little further and were surprised to see men stripped down to their undies and sunbathing by the river. Well it was a tropical 0 degrees. We also checked out the creepy statue of Peter the Great. Someone hadn't gotten the proportions quite right.
After another Teremok lunch the others of our group went to check out the churches so we headed back to the shop to pick up some Russian nesting dolls (Matryoshka). There were hundreds to choose from but we settled for a traditional red and yellow. We then went for another walk by the river and looked at the less than impressive summer palace. Maybe it needed to be seen in summer? It was tiny compared to its winter counterpart.
We meet up with the others and also Ashley an Australian girl doing a Sundowners trip through the stans (Central Asia and the Caucuses) for a pre dinner drink. Jess had a 'Shaky Pig' (we think this may have been a mistranslation of a fluffy duck...) We had seen a Bear advertising a restaurant near the hostel so we headed there. Jess had Beef Stroganoff and Marcus had some sort of pie. We all tried some kvass. It is a bread drink which was thick and brown but pretty tasty. We were also lucky enough to be treated to some traditional traditional Russian dancing by the waitresses. With full bellies we made our way back to the hostel for a few rounds of Rummy, before heading off to bed.
ST PETERSBURG DAY 5
It was our final day in the city before moving on to the capital. Sami and Ellie were keen for a full day at the Hermitage so we left them to it and headed off with Tim and Pete to visit the Alexander Nevsky Monastry. We had seen so much in one direction that it was time to check out what there was in the other direction. Tim didn't want to look around the graveyards so the 3 of us did. We didn't have much of a clue at what we were seeing as our cyrillic wasn't very good. Apparently Dostoyevsky was buried there though. They also had an interesting exhibit of mini sculputures many of which were statues we had already seen around the city. We walked around the monastry and into the cathedral. It was again dark and full of people worshiping. Alas, the queue for monk bread was too long so we gave up on that idea and visited the crypt (full of famous Russians we hadn't heard of) before moving on. Tim took us to a 60s American diner for lunch which had pictures of Marilyn Munroe and Elvis - not really what we were expecting to see in Russia. Tim was quite interested in America and it was quite funny when he asked Marcus if he called his friends 'homeboys'. Jess decided to have one of the only Russian items on the menu - a Russian Salad, which is a type of potato salad. The others stuck with toasted sandwiches and burgers.
Pete had already visited St Petersberg and seen the Hermitage but wanted to see it again so while he and
Tim headed there we went for a walk to another part of the town and saw the Smolny institute and cathedral. The institute was where Lenin and his group planned and executed the Socialist Revolution. The cathedral was pretty in blue and white which was meant to give the illusion of the sky. We think the illusion would have been successful if the sky had been blue instead of grey.
We wandered back into town, stopping for a drink and some yummy cake along the way. We met up with the others for dinner at cafe before heading to catch the train on a transfer which took around 3 times as long as it would have to walk. We had a better idea of where we were meant to be going than our honcho so we only managed to get on with enough time to say goodby before we were on the rails in our cabin with Sami and Ellie. Pete, being the only single had to share with random people. After having a bit of a chat, we settled in for a good sleep. Our trip on the Trans-Mongolian Railway had begun.
ARRIVAL IN MOSCOW
We were kindly woken by our attendant in the train which gave us around 40 minutes to prepare to disembark. We weren't certain it was the right stop when we arrived but after checking it was we alighted the train and met our next honcho, Anna. Within 10 minutes we realised she had much more knowledge than our previous guide.
We headed down to catch the metro through a luxurious station with fancy chandeliers and pictures. Beats London any day. The crowds could rival London too, as we got pushed and shoved through a sea of people. Wouldn't have been so bad usually but much more difficult with a huge backpack. People didn't seem too bothered by us though. They let us through without complaint. Anna yelled at us to hurry up getting on the change of the metro and we all made it safely on to both of the metros we needed. Around ten minutes walk through the snow and we arrived at the hostel. too early to check in once again, so we dropped our bags and went to a cafe for some coffee and pancakes with jam.
We then went on a well planned walking tour around Moscow past statues of Pushkin and Yuri Dolgoruky
the founder of Moscow. Anna was a mine of information but not enough to bother us.We passed the Russian Parliament, an ugly towering building and the famous Bolshoi Theatre, but alas this was outside of our budget to visit. We made our way under the arch between the State History Museum and Kazan Cathedral before heading into the famous Red Square. Red has two meanings in Russian both the colour and also meaning beautiful. We took in the Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral with its multi-coloured onion domes from the outside before visiting Lenin's Mausleom. A bit creepy as you had to make your way past sombre armed soldiers to the middle chamber where a waxy, but real, Lenin is bathed in low light for all to see. Outside there were grave of various people too, but once again we weren't sure who was who.
Next we went inside St Basil's cathedral, the typical bright onion style catherdral you associate with Russia. You imagine it being a huge open church with a huge domed ceiling inside. It isn't. Rather it is a series of small chapels around the outside with another small chapel in the middle, a bit like a maze trying to get around. It was interesting inside too with all the different rooms painted and decorated differently. Upstairs a choir sung which gave it a nice feel as we wandered through the church.
Also by the red square is the GUM shopping centre which was previously the premier peddler of soviet wares but now is full of designer stores. It was quite nice inside with many blossom trees and sculptures. We weren't tempted to buy anything though. We then walked around the outside wall of the Kremlin and up the hill to the Church of the Christ of the Saviour, Russia's main church. It was quite a modern church being only build in the 90's. It was built in the style of the church which had been there previously but had been demolished by Stalin to build a swimming pool. The interior was resplendent with gold and colour and of course worshipers. We were keen to climb up it for the view however the only option to do this was through a tour and it was going to cost us around 6000 roubles (about NZD$230). So we settled by just having a look around inside.
We then headed down what used to be Moscow's main shopping street but now seemed to be full of souvenir shops and cafes. We stopped for a lunch at an Uzbek place where we had a yummy Ughar soup and a meat pastry thing which tasted a little like wontons. We wandered back towards the hostel and in the afternoon we visited the Moscow Museum of Modern Art which had some interesting sculptures of Soviet Workers on the outside, but nothing more than standard stuff on the inside. One room was not lit and you needed to use the light of a mobile phone to see the work and to ensure you didn't fall over.
After an early start and a full day we were exhausted so we headed back to the hostel for an easy dinner and spent around 3 or so hours doing washing (not a very good system Godzillas) before hitting the hay. Unfortunately the drunk who showed up halfway through the night meant the sleep wasn't uninterrupted. Fortunately it took him a long time to find his way in so he spent most of his time in the hallway.
MOSCOW DAY 2
Our Honcho Anna had suggested the day before that we should head out of town today so we decided to visit Kolomenskoe which is an Unseco World Heritage site as it is the site of a former Romanov Palace. The sun was out and it was a lovely day as we walked through the snow. We saw pretty archways and a pretty little church full of people praying. Anna took us for a walk up the stream and we visited some spiritual rocks one for the boys and one for the girls
If. you sit on them your wishes were more likely to come true. The rocks were interesting
looking as they had a slight red tinge. Next we visited Peters Cabin, built and lived in by Peter the Great thousands of miles away and then reassembled here. For some reason the doors were tiny, even though he was supposed to be really tall.... More Russian pancakes for lunch. This time there was a smaller variety. Marcus had salmon and Jess tried the condensed milk (a russian favourite), yummy but a bit sickly.
Back in the centre of Moscow we visited a monastery/nunnery. It had some pretty churches and a couple of exhibits full of Russian Icons, mainly Madonna and child. The first one was interesting but the second was a bit samey.
The group split again after that as the others were keen to visit one of the galleries which we didn't have much desire to see. Instead we headed over a bridge full of trees with padlocks where some wedding photos were being taken. We wandered along the river towards the humongous ugly statue of Peter the Great and his ship. Apparently it was originally a gift to the USA of Christopher Colombus but they didn't want it so the artist just changed the face. He must have run out of the same material though because the face is a slightly different colour. In its shadow there is a sculpture park which had a combination of modern statues as well as many unwanted Soviet leaders such as Stalin and Lenin and all the boys. There was even one exhibit which was a box full of only Stalin heads.
After a very long walk back to the hostel in search of a bigger supermarket (which was a failure) we made another easy dinner at the hostel and went for a drink at the local bar, Elephant. Seems like we were the only people there from out of town as we drunk our cloudy, banana tasting Elephant Beer. The other patrons were downing shots of vodka, and various other liquids so we assumed they were local (also, they were all speaking Russian) but we weren't gain to challenge them to shots.
MOSCOW DAY 3
As we couldn't visit the Kremlin on our first day so we headed to it in the icy cold rain today. We found the ticket booth but they wouldn't sell us tickets for another 15 minutes by which time a massive huddle (not
queue) wanting tickets had formed. We were pushed to the side but fortunately a lady who saw we were foreign let us in. We passed through the metal detectors and passed under the wall to the centre of Russian government for many hundreds of years. We saw a giant cannon (which had never been shot because the cannon balls were too big) and a giant bell (which had never rung because it had cracked shortly after being made It was a welcome relief from the rain to look at one of the small churches surrounding a small square. Again they were ornately decorated painted across the walls and ceilings. it was then time for us to enter the the Armoury. After dropping our coats at the coatcheck and picking up our Audioguides we made our way into the museum which housed Russia's jewels, armour, clothes, carriages, silverware and Faberge Eggs. Audoguides normally fill us with bored dread, but this one was actually pretty good. Jess' favourite was the jewelery, and we both liked the Faberge eggs and the gospel covers.We checked out another couple of the churches before the cold started to really get to us and it was time to move on.
We stopped for lunch at a cafe in a nearby mall and found the big supermarket we had been looking for yesterday where we stocked up on instant meals for the train before heading back to the hostel and then went down the road to visit the State Museum of Gulag. It was different to the others we had seen in Russia. The Gulags were prison camps set up by Stalin to house 'enemies of the state'. To be an enemy all it took was one disagreement with Stalin. It focused on not only sending people to the camps but also how history had been changed with the doctoring of photos to remove people from them where they had previously been there supporting Stalin. There was also a mock up of what a typical Gulag cell might look like. It was interesting but a bit hard to understand as there wasn't really any background for non-russian speakers. One last dinner in Europe (pizza?) before heading to the metro with our packs again. Fortunately it wasn't quite as busy as last time. Before long we were on the train that we would be spending the next 4 days on.
ON THE TRAIN FROM MOSCOW TO IRKUTSK
Day 1 - 1 million Birch trees with snow.
Day 2 - 1 million Birch trees with snow.
Day 3 - 1 million Birch trees with no snow.
That was about it for the scenery although we also saw some shanty towns and frozen rivers The time on the train goes surprisingly quickly as we enjoy our writing, reading, playing games and the excitement of whether we are to have smash or noodles for dinner. We made use of the stops during our waking hours although we were a bit confused on which times we should follow as the train runs on Moscow time which can be up to 5 hours different from the local times. We stretched our legs at Kirov but there wasn't much to see besides a smattering of traders trying to sell mostly giant stuffed animals. I guess its for the kids when the parents get home. The train is quieter than we expected and doesn't seem as full as it could be. We suspect this may be due to no hard class on this train (luxury oooh yeah). Before we set of we though we would try the restaurant car at least once during each service (Russian, Mongolian and China). After walking through the car in Russia we weren't even tempted to stop for a drink as it was very greasy and dirty and appeared to be falling apart.The chef didn't seem to have any food but he was happy to drop the ash from his cigarette anywhere you please.
We also got off the train at Perm 2 where traders greeted us at the door trying to sell a variety of things including salads, fish, beers, bread, trees and cowboy hats. We weren't tempted to try any of the local stuff though as we had overstocked on food in Moscow. It was hard to stay awake on our first day as the temperature in the carriage was a stifling 24 degrees (pretty hot considering the outside temperature was less than 0).
In the evenings we taught Pete, Sami and Ellie to play backpackers over a few vodkas before a decent
sleep.
The second full day on the train we woke just in time to get out at Esheem. Again not a very exciting station but the sun was shining and there wasn't any need for our coats. We had predicted much colder weather throughout the whole journey so probably didn't need half our winter clothes.
The temperature in the train was a more
tolerable 21 degrees. We also departed the train at Omsk - a bigger
city where the Russian writer Dostoyevsky was exiled. Other trains
prevented any views.
At night we saw a beautiful sunset and the sky glowed pink and purple. We also saw some fires along the way but we think they were deliberate as they were in lines. Smash again for dinner and some vodka for a digestive.
On the third day a little bit of snow around again today but not as much as on the first. We out ventured at Krasnoyyarsk station to see a mosaic featuring Lenin, a statue of a lion and an old steam engine. We ran most of the way as we didn't want to miss getting back on the train (we were surprised how punctual the trains were running but we guess they've had around 140 years practice). Back on the platform we still had plenty of time so we picked up some fresh water as the cooled boiled water although safe tasted a bit potatoey.
Day 3 was also the point which we passed the halfway point between Moscow and Beijing (3932km).
LAKE BAIKAL DAY 1
We arrived at 6am in Irkutsk with no honcho in sight. Fortunately it wasn't long before hr arrived. Bleary eyed we all piled into a van and left for the natural beauty of Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world. We drove through the forest until we arrived at the lakeside town of Lystyvanka. Our accommodation was very spacious. We even had a room to ourselves! Showered and shaved we felt alive again. We went for a walk along the shore of the vast frozen lake. Although frozen the ice was starting to melt so wasn't safe to cross. After our walk we were pretty hungry and it was about lunch time so today's meat wrapped in pastry was particularly welcome. Jess' fish pie was particularly tasty. Refueled we visited the Baikal Museum for a bit of history and science. Kosta was a very knowledgeable tour guide. The lake is home to about 20% of the world's freshwater and could supply the world with freshwater by itself for 40 years. There was an aquarium at the end of the museum that showed some of the unique fish who live in the lake including some weird prawn like creatures who filter the water, keeping it pure. At the every end there was a surprise in the form of two freshwater seals, swimming their chubby bodies around a tank. Very cute.
We couldn't watch the seals all day though so we went for a walk up the hill behind the museum. There was a chairlift but it wasn't in use and we needed to walk off the lunch pies anyway so we hiked up the hill trying not to get stuck in the snow.There was a good view of the lake from the top although the low cloud obscured the distant mountains. The hilltop was also covered in ribbons which people had tied there as gifts to the local spirits. We took a different, more direct route down the hill and walked back to the hostel. Back at the hostel we had a treat, an authentic Russian Banya (Sauna). We drunk some tea and then sat there sitting in 80ºc heat (he kept it cool for us...)Then we each took our turn at being lightly beaten with hot wet tree branches before being doused by a bucket of cold water. A refreshing and different experience for us. After the Banya it was a home cooked Russian meal of salad, beef stew and cake. We had certainly eaten well today. To see out the night we attempted to build a bonfire and failed miserably due to our inability to collect decent sized kindling in the dark.. Instead we retired to the common area for some vodka and a round of Uno before calling it a night.
LAKE BAIKAL DAY 2
After a breakfast omelet we went for a walk the other way around the lake, up onto some cliffs and and then
down onto the lake front where we got up and close with the compacted ice which had built up on the shore. After some time sitting by the lake we came back and Kosta took us to meet some guys who were taking us quad bike riding. There was plenty of snow around and we had plenty of fun zooming through the ice, slush and mud. Marcus managed to get properly stuck so that the guide had to rescue us, but that is all part of the fun. We were running short of time so Jess didn't get much of a drive, which was a shame but might have been lucky as the bike conked out completely only a few metres from the end. All revved up we stopped for tea and a banana wrapped in some sort of doughnut batter before making our way back to the hostel to get the mud cleaned up ourselves. All clean we wandered down to the local market to try some shashlyk. Turns out it is basically a shish kebab but the Russians have adopted it as a dish of their own. Full of meat we had another crack at the bonfire. This time we had the help of Kosta in chopping up the wood and setting up the fire (basically he did everything) and before we knew it the fire was roaring. All we had to do was keep it alive, which we managed to do for a couple of hours before the wind started getting too cold and we extinguished the fire and went to bed.
LAKE BAIKAL DAY 3
For our final day at Lake Baikal we caught the bus/van out to an open air museum where they had taken traditional wooden buildings from other parts of Siberia and rebuilt them. It was interesting to see how tight
living must have been. After Blini (pancakes) with condensed milk we caught the bus back to the lake. The weather had warmed up quite a bit and you could see that the ice was starting to thaw. No chance of us walking out over the lake but a little hovercraft seemed to be doing good business. We checked out the local market where we bought some bread and smoked Omul, a fish native to Lake Baikal. This fish was tasty but the bread was a bit stale. We made our way back to the hostel to pick up our gear and get into the van for the trip back into Irkutsk. It was a dozy bumpy ride into town. Kosta took us for a walking tour, but other than the Cathedral there wasn't really that much to see. Papa Johns was an easy choice for dinner, although our communication with the waitress didn't all go smoothly. Our food arrived in the end and we ate plenty. We played a couple of games of pool to pass the time, picked up some supplies and before we knew it we were on the train again. This time the train was older and more along the lines of what we had expected the Trans-Mongolian trains to be like. It was dated but functional. It took us a while to work all this out as when we arrived there were people in our cabin. They were gracious about moving as it was a mistake, but when we did manage to get in there and tried to store our bags we discovered that the storage space was full of bananas, oranges and wine....none of it ours. Tired and weighed down by luggage, Marcus had a few short words with the carriage attendant and after some rearranging we managed to get our stuff in, but it was a lot tighter than last time. A vodka from Pete was a well received way to unwind and after some chatting and looking what was to come over the next few days it was time to try and get some sleep. The old train proved less comfortable then the new train. We decided to put that down to authenticity....
https://picasaweb.google.com/JessicaLMcMillan/April2012Russia
We rose early, pleased we hadn't stayed out all night the night before. Lina and the Japanese man were up. When she asked him why he needed to be up so early he replied "I am an old man. I get up early" like it should have been obvious. We left the hostel to catch a bus to the airport. A full day of travel to St Petersberg via Tallin in Estonia. It was a shame we couldn't spend a couple of days there as well but there was only so much we could do. We did meet a jump Norwegian man at the airport who insisted on calling Marcus Kiwi, but seemed offended when Marcus declined his chewing tobacco. We were pleased not to be flying RyanAir. Their flight was delayed for six hours due to a mechanical fault and they weren't allowed to leave the tiny transit lounge.
The airport at St Petersburg was packed. It reminded us of Heathrow with the inefficient line through customs. Our tour documents recommended getting a taxi from the airport to the hostel but we read that these could be very expensive if it hadn't been pre-booked. We stuck to the public transport a bus and 2 metrolines. It wasn't very difficult but we guess our time in London made catching metros much easier. We arrived on the main road, Nevsky Prospekt and found our hostel nearby.
Our accommodation for our first 2 nights in St Petersburg had been changed at the last minute. We arrived
We were getting pretty tired and hungry so started heading back searching for some local cuisine that a) we knew what it was and b) did not cost a fortune. We settled on a place from the Lonely Plant Guide (usually quite questionable when it comes to food) - Teremok. We enjoyed our first taste of Russian Potato Pancakes. On this occasion we choose pork and mushroom as we could point to a picture. It was very tasty. Full of energy again we managed to find a nearby supermarket where we stocked up on snacks and supplies. Back at the hostel we managed to chat to a couple of Russians who spoke some English. Sergei was in Marcus' room and Nadia in Jess' room. Nadia asked if it was true that no-one in New Zealand was depressed because of the beautiful landscape. Jess said that was probably an exaggeration but it seems many Russians view NZ as being an idyllic paradise. We joined the students and families in the TV room for some confusing Russian TV before making our way to bed.
ST PETERSBURG DAY 2
With the early start the day before it was a more leisurely start to the day. After breakfast we headed back down Nevsky Prospect towards the Hermitage. On the way we stopped to look in the window of a fancy looking department store/cafe which had giant Macaroons in the window. No eating any for us here though as we had already had our fair share when visiting France.
In Palace Square we looked at the Alexander Column before heading into the Hermitage Museum which is in part of the old Winter Palace, former home of the Tzars. Some of the exhibits were very similar to what we had seen in the British Museum and the Leuvre (except this time it was the Russians doing the pillaging) but interesting nonetheless. We have definitely become more cultured by the amount of museums and gallaries we have visited in the last 3 years. It was nice to see some Russian stuff though. There was also an extensive collection of art from famous painters such as Picasso and Matisse. After a few hours of this the hunger started to get to us so we decided to stop for some Teremok for lunch.
We saw lots of people walking around on the ice so we decided to have a go too. The ice seemed to be melting fairly quickly though so we didn't stay on too long. We saw one man walk almost all the way across the river but we felt as we didn't know what we were doing it wouldn't be a good idea to try. It was almost disastrous for one of Marcus' hands as he dropped a glove onto a ledge which we couldn't reach. We finally got it back by finding a stick to pull it up with. Phew!
In the evening we visited a supermarket and tried out some local noodles in preparation for the train trips. Not too bad.We watched some Russian Gangster films and what appeared to be Youtube videos on TV before going to bed confused.
ST PETERSBURG DAY 3
Another leisurely start as we shifted hostels (just around the corner) and arranged for our visas to be registered (which we probably should have done already too). Then we moved onto look around Gostiny Dvor an old shopping centre filled with standard mall shops before having a day of churches.
First church was Kazan Cathedral which looks similar to St Peters Basilica in Rome on the oustside however it looks quite different inside. It is a Russian Orthodox church. It was very dark but pretty and full of many worshippers opposed to many of the churches which we have visited that were full of tourists.
Next on our church visit was St Issac's Cathedral. We didn't go inside but instead we climbed outside of the
Back at the hostel we met up with Pete the first other member of our tour group. An Australian but we tried not to hold that against him. Tim, our Honcho for the city also met us and took us for a walk around the river and to the eternal flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. The highlight was throwing a coin up to a little cat statue on a building which is meant to bring good luck. We stopped at a bar on the way back for a drink and a snack of pelmeni (a dumpling thing) before heading back and meeting a young English couple Ellie and Sami who were the final members of our group. We had a couple of Vodkas with Pete. Ellie and Sami had been traveling all day so we figured we would get to know them tomorrow.
ST PETERSBURG DAY 4
The first proper day of the tour we rose early to start a full day around the city. We decided to check out the Peter and Paul Fortress which is across the river. Our Honcho Tim didn't seem to enjoy walking as much as we do so insisted we get the metro part way and we arrived at a station which was only a couple of years old and looked like a flying saucer (Gorkovskaya).
Although grey on the city side, the fortress was actually a rich red brick colour. We arrived just in time to hear the midday cannon as we crossed the bridge into the fortress, looking at the cute ducks walking on the icy river. The fortress wasn't really what we expected. There were many different things inside including a wax museum and dragon exhibition, both which we chose not to attend.
After another Teremok lunch the others of our group went to check out the churches so we headed back to the shop to pick up some Russian nesting dolls (Matryoshka). There were hundreds to choose from but we settled for a traditional red and yellow. We then went for another walk by the river and looked at the less than impressive summer palace. Maybe it needed to be seen in summer? It was tiny compared to its winter counterpart.
We meet up with the others and also Ashley an Australian girl doing a Sundowners trip through the stans (Central Asia and the Caucuses) for a pre dinner drink. Jess had a 'Shaky Pig' (we think this may have been a mistranslation of a fluffy duck...) We had seen a Bear advertising a restaurant near the hostel so we headed there. Jess had Beef Stroganoff and Marcus had some sort of pie. We all tried some kvass. It is a bread drink which was thick and brown but pretty tasty. We were also lucky enough to be treated to some traditional traditional Russian dancing by the waitresses. With full bellies we made our way back to the hostel for a few rounds of Rummy, before heading off to bed.
ST PETERSBURG DAY 5
It was our final day in the city before moving on to the capital. Sami and Ellie were keen for a full day at the Hermitage so we left them to it and headed off with Tim and Pete to visit the Alexander Nevsky Monastry. We had seen so much in one direction that it was time to check out what there was in the other direction. Tim didn't want to look around the graveyards so the 3 of us did. We didn't have much of a clue at what we were seeing as our cyrillic wasn't very good. Apparently Dostoyevsky was buried there though. They also had an interesting exhibit of mini sculputures many of which were statues we had already seen around the city. We walked around the monastry and into the cathedral. It was again dark and full of people worshiping. Alas, the queue for monk bread was too long so we gave up on that idea and visited the crypt (full of famous Russians we hadn't heard of) before moving on. Tim took us to a 60s American diner for lunch which had pictures of Marilyn Munroe and Elvis - not really what we were expecting to see in Russia. Tim was quite interested in America and it was quite funny when he asked Marcus if he called his friends 'homeboys'. Jess decided to have one of the only Russian items on the menu - a Russian Salad, which is a type of potato salad. The others stuck with toasted sandwiches and burgers.
Pete had already visited St Petersberg and seen the Hermitage but wanted to see it again so while he and
We wandered back into town, stopping for a drink and some yummy cake along the way. We met up with the others for dinner at cafe before heading to catch the train on a transfer which took around 3 times as long as it would have to walk. We had a better idea of where we were meant to be going than our honcho so we only managed to get on with enough time to say goodby before we were on the rails in our cabin with Sami and Ellie. Pete, being the only single had to share with random people. After having a bit of a chat, we settled in for a good sleep. Our trip on the Trans-Mongolian Railway had begun.
ARRIVAL IN MOSCOW
We were kindly woken by our attendant in the train which gave us around 40 minutes to prepare to disembark. We weren't certain it was the right stop when we arrived but after checking it was we alighted the train and met our next honcho, Anna. Within 10 minutes we realised she had much more knowledge than our previous guide.
We headed down to catch the metro through a luxurious station with fancy chandeliers and pictures. Beats London any day. The crowds could rival London too, as we got pushed and shoved through a sea of people. Wouldn't have been so bad usually but much more difficult with a huge backpack. People didn't seem too bothered by us though. They let us through without complaint. Anna yelled at us to hurry up getting on the change of the metro and we all made it safely on to both of the metros we needed. Around ten minutes walk through the snow and we arrived at the hostel. too early to check in once again, so we dropped our bags and went to a cafe for some coffee and pancakes with jam.
We then went on a well planned walking tour around Moscow past statues of Pushkin and Yuri Dolgoruky
Next we went inside St Basil's cathedral, the typical bright onion style catherdral you associate with Russia. You imagine it being a huge open church with a huge domed ceiling inside. It isn't. Rather it is a series of small chapels around the outside with another small chapel in the middle, a bit like a maze trying to get around. It was interesting inside too with all the different rooms painted and decorated differently. Upstairs a choir sung which gave it a nice feel as we wandered through the church.
Also by the red square is the GUM shopping centre which was previously the premier peddler of soviet wares but now is full of designer stores. It was quite nice inside with many blossom trees and sculptures. We weren't tempted to buy anything though. We then walked around the outside wall of the Kremlin and up the hill to the Church of the Christ of the Saviour, Russia's main church. It was quite a modern church being only build in the 90's. It was built in the style of the church which had been there previously but had been demolished by Stalin to build a swimming pool. The interior was resplendent with gold and colour and of course worshipers. We were keen to climb up it for the view however the only option to do this was through a tour and it was going to cost us around 6000 roubles (about NZD$230). So we settled by just having a look around inside.
We then headed down what used to be Moscow's main shopping street but now seemed to be full of souvenir shops and cafes. We stopped for a lunch at an Uzbek place where we had a yummy Ughar soup and a meat pastry thing which tasted a little like wontons. We wandered back towards the hostel and in the afternoon we visited the Moscow Museum of Modern Art which had some interesting sculptures of Soviet Workers on the outside, but nothing more than standard stuff on the inside. One room was not lit and you needed to use the light of a mobile phone to see the work and to ensure you didn't fall over.
After an early start and a full day we were exhausted so we headed back to the hostel for an easy dinner and spent around 3 or so hours doing washing (not a very good system Godzillas) before hitting the hay. Unfortunately the drunk who showed up halfway through the night meant the sleep wasn't uninterrupted. Fortunately it took him a long time to find his way in so he spent most of his time in the hallway.
MOSCOW DAY 2
Back in the centre of Moscow we visited a monastery/nunnery. It had some pretty churches and a couple of exhibits full of Russian Icons, mainly Madonna and child. The first one was interesting but the second was a bit samey.
The group split again after that as the others were keen to visit one of the galleries which we didn't have much desire to see. Instead we headed over a bridge full of trees with padlocks where some wedding photos were being taken. We wandered along the river towards the humongous ugly statue of Peter the Great and his ship. Apparently it was originally a gift to the USA of Christopher Colombus but they didn't want it so the artist just changed the face. He must have run out of the same material though because the face is a slightly different colour. In its shadow there is a sculpture park which had a combination of modern statues as well as many unwanted Soviet leaders such as Stalin and Lenin and all the boys. There was even one exhibit which was a box full of only Stalin heads.
After a very long walk back to the hostel in search of a bigger supermarket (which was a failure) we made another easy dinner at the hostel and went for a drink at the local bar, Elephant. Seems like we were the only people there from out of town as we drunk our cloudy, banana tasting Elephant Beer. The other patrons were downing shots of vodka, and various other liquids so we assumed they were local (also, they were all speaking Russian) but we weren't gain to challenge them to shots.
MOSCOW DAY 3
As we couldn't visit the Kremlin on our first day so we headed to it in the icy cold rain today. We found the ticket booth but they wouldn't sell us tickets for another 15 minutes by which time a massive huddle (not
We stopped for lunch at a cafe in a nearby mall and found the big supermarket we had been looking for yesterday where we stocked up on instant meals for the train before heading back to the hostel and then went down the road to visit the State Museum of Gulag. It was different to the others we had seen in Russia. The Gulags were prison camps set up by Stalin to house 'enemies of the state'. To be an enemy all it took was one disagreement with Stalin. It focused on not only sending people to the camps but also how history had been changed with the doctoring of photos to remove people from them where they had previously been there supporting Stalin. There was also a mock up of what a typical Gulag cell might look like. It was interesting but a bit hard to understand as there wasn't really any background for non-russian speakers. One last dinner in Europe (pizza?) before heading to the metro with our packs again. Fortunately it wasn't quite as busy as last time. Before long we were on the train that we would be spending the next 4 days on.
ON THE TRAIN FROM MOSCOW TO IRKUTSK
Day 1 - 1 million Birch trees with snow.
Day 2 - 1 million Birch trees with snow.
Day 3 - 1 million Birch trees with no snow.
That was about it for the scenery although we also saw some shanty towns and frozen rivers The time on the train goes surprisingly quickly as we enjoy our writing, reading, playing games and the excitement of whether we are to have smash or noodles for dinner. We made use of the stops during our waking hours although we were a bit confused on which times we should follow as the train runs on Moscow time which can be up to 5 hours different from the local times. We stretched our legs at Kirov but there wasn't much to see besides a smattering of traders trying to sell mostly giant stuffed animals. I guess its for the kids when the parents get home. The train is quieter than we expected and doesn't seem as full as it could be. We suspect this may be due to no hard class on this train (luxury oooh yeah). Before we set of we though we would try the restaurant car at least once during each service (Russian, Mongolian and China). After walking through the car in Russia we weren't even tempted to stop for a drink as it was very greasy and dirty and appeared to be falling apart.The chef didn't seem to have any food but he was happy to drop the ash from his cigarette anywhere you please.
We also got off the train at Perm 2 where traders greeted us at the door trying to sell a variety of things including salads, fish, beers, bread, trees and cowboy hats. We weren't tempted to try any of the local stuff though as we had overstocked on food in Moscow. It was hard to stay awake on our first day as the temperature in the carriage was a stifling 24 degrees (pretty hot considering the outside temperature was less than 0).
In the evenings we taught Pete, Sami and Ellie to play backpackers over a few vodkas before a decent
sleep.
The second full day on the train we woke just in time to get out at Esheem. Again not a very exciting station but the sun was shining and there wasn't any need for our coats. We had predicted much colder weather throughout the whole journey so probably didn't need half our winter clothes.
At night we saw a beautiful sunset and the sky glowed pink and purple. We also saw some fires along the way but we think they were deliberate as they were in lines. Smash again for dinner and some vodka for a digestive.
On the third day a little bit of snow around again today but not as much as on the first. We out ventured at Krasnoyyarsk station to see a mosaic featuring Lenin, a statue of a lion and an old steam engine. We ran most of the way as we didn't want to miss getting back on the train (we were surprised how punctual the trains were running but we guess they've had around 140 years practice). Back on the platform we still had plenty of time so we picked up some fresh water as the cooled boiled water although safe tasted a bit potatoey.
Day 3 was also the point which we passed the halfway point between Moscow and Beijing (3932km).
LAKE BAIKAL DAY 1
We arrived at 6am in Irkutsk with no honcho in sight. Fortunately it wasn't long before hr arrived. Bleary eyed we all piled into a van and left for the natural beauty of Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world. We drove through the forest until we arrived at the lakeside town of Lystyvanka. Our accommodation was very spacious. We even had a room to ourselves! Showered and shaved we felt alive again. We went for a walk along the shore of the vast frozen lake. Although frozen the ice was starting to melt so wasn't safe to cross. After our walk we were pretty hungry and it was about lunch time so today's meat wrapped in pastry was particularly welcome. Jess' fish pie was particularly tasty. Refueled we visited the Baikal Museum for a bit of history and science. Kosta was a very knowledgeable tour guide. The lake is home to about 20% of the world's freshwater and could supply the world with freshwater by itself for 40 years. There was an aquarium at the end of the museum that showed some of the unique fish who live in the lake including some weird prawn like creatures who filter the water, keeping it pure. At the every end there was a surprise in the form of two freshwater seals, swimming their chubby bodies around a tank. Very cute.
We couldn't watch the seals all day though so we went for a walk up the hill behind the museum. There was a chairlift but it wasn't in use and we needed to walk off the lunch pies anyway so we hiked up the hill trying not to get stuck in the snow.There was a good view of the lake from the top although the low cloud obscured the distant mountains. The hilltop was also covered in ribbons which people had tied there as gifts to the local spirits. We took a different, more direct route down the hill and walked back to the hostel. Back at the hostel we had a treat, an authentic Russian Banya (Sauna). We drunk some tea and then sat there sitting in 80ºc heat (he kept it cool for us...)Then we each took our turn at being lightly beaten with hot wet tree branches before being doused by a bucket of cold water. A refreshing and different experience for us. After the Banya it was a home cooked Russian meal of salad, beef stew and cake. We had certainly eaten well today. To see out the night we attempted to build a bonfire and failed miserably due to our inability to collect decent sized kindling in the dark.. Instead we retired to the common area for some vodka and a round of Uno before calling it a night.LAKE BAIKAL DAY 2
After a breakfast omelet we went for a walk the other way around the lake, up onto some cliffs and and then
LAKE BAIKAL DAY 3
For our final day at Lake Baikal we caught the bus/van out to an open air museum where they had taken traditional wooden buildings from other parts of Siberia and rebuilt them. It was interesting to see how tight
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