2012 Korea to Russia

Our flight from Seoul to Vladivostok, Russia left at 9:50am, so an early downhill walk from our Hotel to the main road was in order.  We then took a taxi to the main Seoul station, met up with Debbie and Mike and boarded the Airport train.  Taxis are very reasonably priced in Seoul, so it is often more cost effective to take a taxi rather than a bus, especially if there are two or more persons.

The Federation of Russia will issue only a 30-day visa.  It is possible to obtain a second 30-day visa but it is necessary to exit the country after the initial 30-day visit.  In order to obtain a visa it is also necessary to organise a Letter of Invitation from a travel agent in Russia, stating your itinerary and all confirmed accommodation bookings. This meant fine-tuning our itinerary to fit everything into a 30-day period and having it confirmed in the invitation letter.  Pat is a great researcher and planner, so he structured our trip to be 18 days by rail journey from Vladivostok to Moscow and then a 12 day river cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg – making sure that we hightail it out of Russia on day 30 – apparently the Russians don’t appreciate visitors breaking the rules!! 

Our flight time was approximately two and a half hours with a time change of two hours in Vladivostok.  It seems quite unbelievable really, we’ve arrived in Russia and we’re beginning a thirty-day adventure.  Our first eighteen-day leg will take us on a 9,289 klm Trans Siberian rail journey across seven time zones from Vladivostok to Moscow, followed by a 1,800 klm river cruise for 12 days from Moscow to St Petersburg.  It is early spring, so the weather is still quite cold, with snow still falling in some of the places we will visit on our journey, especially Siberia.

A Russian visa lasts for 30 days, so on day 30 we must leave the country, however it is possible to obtain another visa if required, once outside the country.  In order to obtain a visa to visit Russia, we had to organise a letter of invitation from an agent, who accounts for all travel arrangements and accommodation for each and every night we will be in Russia.  This has all been done, so we can now sit back and enjoy the ride.

Arriving in Vladivostok with Debbie and Mike to begin our 30 day Russian Journey

Day 1 – April 20

Vladivostok

It was very exciting arriving in Vladivostok, Russia – a totally different and new country to experience.  Just before we left the aircraft, a lady with a camera took facial photographs of each of us .. we’re being watched already!  As I walked through the terminal I looked into a souvenir shop and noticed a very large 19-piece set of Matryoshka – a set of wooden dolls stacked within each other.  A friend of ours, Helen, would like a set purchased in Russia, so we’ll be on the lookout for a good buy – and as always, Pat loves to bargain.

Our guide for Vladivostok was at the airport to meet us.  My mental image of our guide was that of a large, deep voiced Russian – quite the contrary – a lovely petite young lady by the name of Olga was there to meet us, wearing the happiest smile one could wish for and ready to practice her English.  Great!  We’re off to a good start.  Olga took us to our taxi and we headed off to Hotel Prymorye where we had an effortless check in.  Our room is large, well equipped, very comfortable and spotlessly clean.

In the evening we walked down to a waterfront restaurant and had dinner with our guide Olga and her American boyfriend Michael, who speaks fluent Russian.  Olga and Michael both attend University here in Vladivostok.  Michael has no Russian heritage but decided eight years ago that he would like to study Russian.  Beef Stroganoff was our first Russian meal – a nice change from the Asian food we have been eating.  We walked back to our Hotel and enjoyed a good night’s sleep.

Day 2 – April 21

My nephew Ben and his fiancé Bec are getting married today in Australia, so I have been thinking about them.  Ben is a great young man and Bec is a sweetheart – it’s great to have her join our ranks.  I’m looking forward to seeing some photographs of the Wedding.

Breakfast was a delicious omelet, after which we met up with Olga to do a four-hour walking tour of the waterfront city of Vladivostok.  We spent some time at the Arseniev State United Museum, but unfortunately there were no English explanations available, so we just guessed what most exhibits were about.  Surprisingly we came across an exhibit of Australian aboriginals and wondered why it was there.  Mike eventually came up with the best answer – it was an exhibit of survival and hunting weapons of different races of the world.  This museum is one of the oldest in the Far East.

We visited a Russian submarine (number 56) that has been set up as a museum for visitors.  When we were there we noticed a bride and groom having photographs taken – this was the first of many bridal parties we saw during the day.  The bridal fashions are quite different to what we are used to – Olga commented that she never wants to get married in one of those “wedding cake” dresses – she actually preferred the “candlestick dresses”.

 "Wedding Cake" dress - couple having photo shoot at Submarine #56

"Candlestick Wedding Dress"

Newlyweds traditionally place padlocks on railings of bridges and scenic spots and then throw away the key!!!!

The Ark of Triumph was built in honour of the last Emperor of the Russian Empire – Prince Nikolay.  Apparently these Arks are built across Russia from Vladivostok to St Petersburg, marking the cities along the way, through which the Emperor travelled.

We went searching for a restaurant in the evening – slightly difficult as many are right inside buildings, unrecognisable from the outside and as we are unfamiliar with the lettering for “Restaurant”, decided to just keep walking.  Eventually we discovered two red Chinese lanterns hanging outside, so ventured in and found a great restaurant.  The next issue was how we could possibly order from the Russian menu!  The waitress noticed our plight and came to us with a picture filled menu.  A lady even came from another table to help out.  We eventually ordered and when the meals came we were very happy with our choices and the meals were delicious.  As we left the restaurant the lady who helped us order our meals came outside with us, took some photographs and kissed us goodbye .. Welcome to Russia!

Day 3 – April 22

Today, although the weather is bleak and raining, we set off with Olga for a three hour Harbour Cruise of Golden Horn Bay in Vladivostok.  Debbie and I felt it could be a waste of time with such poor visibility out on the water.  Pat and Mike were happy to go ahead and felt we had nothing to lose - so off we went.  Surprisingly, the boat was a vehicular ferry for the transportation of cars and passengers to the Russian islands.  We were escorted into a sitting room in the hull of the boat – the interior of which was painted a garish green colour and the room had two small portholes.  I was beginning to think this will be a bit of a weird boat cruise so decided that standing outside on the upper deck, under an umbrella would be the better option.

Pat climbed the stairs to the bridge to say hello to the skipper.  The next minute, Pat was calling out to us as the skipper had invited us all to come up to the bridge.  The skipper Sergai and his assistant, also named Sergai, welcomed us.  Our boat cruise ended up being a great day as we observed all from the bridge and heard interesting stories from the skipper, who had a good knowledge of English.  Olga was very excited and yet nervous about the boat trip – we found out that this was her first boat trip of any kind.  

Pat and Mike helping out the Skipper, Sergai

We paid a visit to the local supermarket in the afternoon and stocked up with some eats and drinks for the train trip, namely water, nuts, soups, noodles, coffee, bread and cheese.

Our hotel checkout time was 5:00pm, so we had a few hours to kill before boarding our Trans Siberian train at 10:10pm.  Once our bags were secured in the cloakroom, we headed to the restaurant for a very relaxed and lengthy fish dinner – Pat and Mike chose halibut, while Debbie and I chose salmon.  We lashed out and had scrumptious desserts – I had baked ice cream (ice cream log wrapped in crispy flake pastry) with caramel sauce and Pat had apple pie and ice cream.

Olga arrived at 9:30pm to taxi us to the train station.  The Provodnitsa welcomed us onboard.  Our guide Olga made sure we were comfortably settled into our first class cabins, which will be our home for the next three days.  We said goodbye to Olga and settled down to sleep as our train ambled out of Vladivostok station.

Our cabin is very comfortable, although the bunks are slightly on the narrow side.  Our carriage has toilets and vanity basins, but no shower – looks like we’ll be having a top to toe in our cabin for the next three days.  There is a samovar in each carriage; so boiling water is readily available for tea, coffee and soup.

Vladivostok to Ulan Ude

Day 4 – April 23 - Onboard train along China Russia Border

I awoke about 7:30am, to find Pat already out and about.  Moments later he arrived with a hot cup of coffee – a great way to start the day.  The day is dull outside, with intermittent rain.  Soup for breakfast and lunch will be just fine.

Boots and jeans are packed away – formal carriage wear is trackies, t-shirt and thongs, although the Russians prefer socks with their thongs! 

There are mostly males passengers in our carriage and they have serious looking faces!  I guess they’ll be happier after a few vodkas!  At a major station the onboard crew had a shift change and now we have a male Provodnitsa – he or she who must be obeyed!

Animal spotting thus far – dogs, goats, horses, cows, a brightly coloured pheasant and a variety of birds.

We have travelled through many small villages, all of which need quite a lot of tender loving care.  It looks as though the people living in these outlying towns have been forgotten about .. I’m sure this situation will improve as we travel through more highly populated areas.

A typical village view in Far Eastern Russia

Day 5 – April 24 - Onboard train crossing from Russia Far East to Siberia

I had a great night’s sleep .. the rhythm of the train and the clickity-click of the wheels on the train tracks sent me straight to sleep.

We are seeing more derelict and empty outstations today.  Good spotting - Mike spotted three deer bounding across the field while we were having a morning cuppa. 

In chatting with the Provodnitsa we found out the crew stays with the train from Vladivostok to Moscow for the six-day journey and they work their shifts to Moscow time – hence the change in crew we noticed.  The crew then does the return Moscow to Vladivostok leg.  Construction of the world’s longest railroad, the Great Siberian Railway commenced in 1891 and was completed in 1900, when the first Trans Siberian rail service commenced.

Day 6 – April 25 – Onboard train crossing from Russia Far East to Siberia

All other passengers left our carriage yesterday, so we have had the whole carriage to ourselves, with our 2 Provodnitsas also enjoying the break from the hoards of travellers.  We are travelling earlier than the usual tourist season, so the passenger numbers are lower.

The countryside has changed and is becoming more scenic although the temperatures are still quite low.

We have managed to eat all our meals on the train from the supplies we purchased in Vladivostok.  Pat and Mike checked out the dining car and decided our own meals would be the better option.  A lady walks up and down the train with a trolley full of eats and drinks – she seems to be a bit cheesed off that we have not purchased any items from her – we always decline gracefully.

As we stepped from our carriage in Ulan-Ude, our agent Natasha was standing on the platform with our names in bold print – we are enjoying this precise organisation.  We were taken outside the station to our Buryat guide Galdan and driver Vladimir, who will look after us for the next couple of days.  Vladimir secured our backpacks to the roof of the car and we headed off to our home for the next couple of nights.

Olga’s Homestay is run by a Buryat lady by the name of Olga and has a very welcoming home.  As soon as we arrived, Olga opened her door, her home and her heart to us.  We were ushered into our respective bedrooms to offload our gear.  As soon as we were organised, Galdan and Vladimir whisked us off for the remainder of the day.

Our beautiful hostess at "Olga's Homestay" preparing some treats for us

Our first visit was to Atsagatski Datsun, a collection of Buddhist temples and a monastery.  The local (yellow hat) form of Buddhism differs slightly from that in Mongolia and Tibet.  We walked around the grounds from one colourful temple to another in a clockwise direction and spun the prayer wheels as we walked.  It has been snowing during the night and this morning, so it’s very cold and the temples offered some much appreciated warmth. 

A typical home in the village

It was a freezing cold morning ....

A home visit to a Buryat family was next on our agenda.

(Lonely Planet)  The Buryats number over 400,000.  This Mongol people is the largest indigenous group in Russia, comprising around 30% of the population of the Buryatiya Republic and 65% of the Agin-Buryat Autonomous District southeast of Chita.

Culturally there are two main Buryat groups.  In the 19^th century, forest-dwelling Western Buryats retained their shamanic animist beliefs, while Eastern Buryats from the southern steppe-lands mostly converted to Tibetan-style Buddhism while maintaining a thick layer of local superstitions.  Although virtually every Buryat Datsun (Buddhist Temple) was systematically wrecked during the Communists’ anti-religious mania in the 1930’s, today Buryat Buddhism is rebounding.  Many (mostly small) datsuns have been rebuilt and seminaries for training Buddhist monks now operate at Ivolginsk and Aginskoe.

We were greeted at the gate of the Buryat family home with a welcoming hot tea served with milk.  Inside was once again a great respite from the cold.  We were served a wonderful traditional lunch of many different foods and afterwards were shown how to play the Buryat game of “bones”.  Next, out came the traditional wedding outfits of the Buryats, so before we had any time to think about it, Pat and I were being dressed in traditional garments of the bride and groom.

Olga welcomed us home in the evening and had magnificent Siberian-cuisine prepared for us.  This lady is a wonderful cook, prepares the most amazing meals and offers seconds and thirds – we all felt guilty when we refused extra helpings.

Day 7 – April 26

The following morning Galdan and Vladimir were waiting for us as planned at 10 o’clock.  We had a 70 klm trip out to visit an Old Believer Village to spend several hours and eat lunch in a traditional home.

The Old Believers have maintained their religious traditions and way of life.  At the time of religious persecution in Russia, they continued to practice their faith in secret.

Colourful traditional dress is worn for special occasions such as festivals and weddings.  Before Debbie had the chance to say no, she was being dressed as a young traditional bride, followed by Mike who was dressed as a traditional groom.  They were seated together and put through some traditional questioning.  I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much – it was certainly a lot of fun.

Debbie and Mike dressed as Old Believer Newlyweds

Our hostess is another amazing cook – the food she had prepared for us was out of this world.  In the three short months of warm weather, Siberian people prepare their preserves, cheeses, jams, meats, pickles, fish and vegetables for the nine months of bitterly cold winter ahead, with the prepared food being stored in an underground cellar, where it keeps perfectly well out of refrigeration for the remainder of the year.  The toilets are outdoors (unbelievable) and one must make the walk from the back door of the warm house, outside to the small building in the corner of the yard – the Siberian outhouse!

Down the back yard to the Siberian Outhouse

On our way back to Ulan-Ude we stopped in to visit the local Russian Orthodox priest, tour his museum of old Russian artifacts and pay a visit to his Church.

A collection of old Russian Samovars

We said goodbye to our amazing hostess Olga the following morning and boarded the train for our eight-hour journey to the City of Irkutsk and the Village of Listvyanka on the shores of Lake Baikal.

Ulan-Ude to Irkutsk

Day 8, 9, 10 April 27 – April 29

Vladimir was at our building bright and early to take us to our morning train for an eight-hour journey to Irkutsk.  We saw the shores of amazing Lake Baikal and followed the lake around for quite a long time before we branched off and headed to Irkutsk.  On the other side of the lake we could see very mountainous, snow topped peaks.  We have been travelling through snow today, so expect to see more in the days to come.

An ice break not far from the shore

Our guide Liana and driver Igor were ready and waiting for us as our train pulled into Irkutsk station.  Igor loaded our packs into his van and we headed down to the village of Listvyanka on the shores of the most beautiful Lake Baikal.

Our homestay in this village for one night was with yet another lady named Olga, who greeted us into her traditional Siberian home.  We have been to some traditional homes with the toilet outside in the back yard and were dreading this prospect in the freezing weather!  As luck would have it, Olga has one of the more modern “indoor” bathrooms!

The following morning, we headed out with Liana for a walking tour of the local Limnological Museum and the village of Listvyanka.  When we left the house I noticed the thermostat reading as -7 degrees.  The weather was freezing, so out came the hats and gloves.  We climbed the hill behind the museum to see spectacular views of the lake, 95% of which was still frozen from the cold winter.  The lake is 1,700 metres deep at the deepest part and holds 23,000 cubic kilometres of water and is home to the only fresh water seals in the world.

A beautiful sunny Spring day with a temperature of -7 degrees 

Enjoying beautiful Lake Baikal

(Excerpt from the Lonely Planet)  

Lake Baikal, the “Pearl of Siberia” is a crystal-clear body of the bluest water.  Rocky, tree-covered cliffs surround its drinkable pure water and so vast that one can sail for hours without the mountain backdrops becoming appreciably closer.  Baikal is the world’s largest fresh water lake and is 636 km from north to south, but only 60 km wide.  The lake itself is a living museum of flora and fauna, 80% of which is found nowhere else on the planet, most famously the lovable black-eyed nerpa (freshwater seals) and salmon-like omul fish which are deliciously smoked.

An ice-damaged jetty in the Spring

Our original itinerary included a Circum Baikal trip, but due to the train trip being cancelled we decided to spend the extra night in the city of Irkutsk.  Igor arrived in the afternoon to take us back into Irkutsk, which is 70 km away.

Angara Hotel is in the centre of the city, which has a population of approximately 600,000.  The city is nicely laid out with beautiful parks and gardens.  We went for an evening walk into the downtown area and enjoyed the city and surroundings. 

Liana arrived the following morning to take us on a walking tour of the city centre, but just as we left the hotel the snow started to fall .. she said we’d better get our warm gear, hats and gloves, as it’s going to be quite cold.  We enjoyed the walk, visiting the Russian Orthodox Churches, the Catholic Church that was built by the Polish community and many statues of prominent Russians.  There are still some charming old wooden houses with lacy, carved decorations around their windows and shades.  These original Russian homes were built in wood, but sadly, as they are aging they are being replaced by more modern homes.  These old homes have no running water and water is collected on a daily basis at a communal tap on the street.  In the afternoon we attended a wonderful organ recital held by a renowned musician in what was originally the Catholic Church.

Liana has been our favourite guide on the trip so far – she speaks perfect English, has tremendous knowledge and has been a great guide.  She and Igor are a great team and we believe they have been working together for this company for the past ten years.

Irkutsk to Ekaterinburg

Days 11, 12, 13 April 30 - May 2

Igor picked us up early from our hotel and took us to the station for the next two-day leg of our journey.  This train to Ekaterinburg has no first class cabins, so we decided to share the same cabin with Debbie and Mike for this leg – after all we don’t want the possibility of having to share with any vodka-swilling locals!

Pat and Mike organising our gear 

The countryside is now more scenic and we are even seeing some green grass appear through the dry brown fields, after the long Siberian winter.

Our lunches and dinners are included on this train trip, but we prefer to have our own noodle soups and snacks we’ve brought ourselves.  Pat decided to have fish for dinner, but has since spent the last 24 hours quite ill – we’ll now be giving the train meals a definite miss!

The train cabin is very clean and our Provodnitsas are really quite nice.  When we feel like a break from the confines of the cabin, we are able to head down to the dining car and play some games of Rummikub.  At other times we would set up our snacks and have a great smoko in our cabin.

These past two days on the train have seemed quite long, possibly because we boarded late in the evening and will not disembark in Ekaterinburg until late in the evening of the third day, with the additional time change of three hours. 

Constantine and Sergi greeted us at the station and took us into the City to the Chekov Hotel where we will spend the next two days.  Our hotel is the best by far on the trip - it is boutique-style and the beds are the most comfortable in Russia! 

Day 14 – May 3

Constantine arrived to pick us up at about 9:30am, when we headed out to the Europe Asia border.  Here, Constantine had a little ceremony planned, whereby he cracked a bottle of Champagne and had a toast to all of us for a continued great journey.  He also presented us with certificates marking this special occasion.  Newly-weds come to this border site to toast each other and wish for a great life ahead.  A Russian custom at a wedding is to place locks on railings or bridges of prominent places – they secure the locks together thus securing their futures together.  Ribbons are also tied onto trees in the parklands – we noticed some ribbons tied many metres above ground level – I guess some grooms are trying to outdo others.

We visited the site of a Gulag, containing thousands of bodies buried in mass graves during Stalin’s rule.

The Gulag (excerpt from The Lonely Planet)

The Siberian exile system was abolished at the turn of the 20^th century, but Stalin brought it back with a vengeance, expanding it into a full-blown, homegrown slave trade.  It was during his rule that Siberia became synonymous with death.  He established a vast bureaucracy of resettlement programmes, labour colonies, concentration camps and special psychiatric hospitals, commonly known as Gulag.

The Gulag’s inmates – some of whose only “offence” was to joke about Stalin or steal two spikelets of wheat from a kolkhoz (collective farm) field – but trees, dug canals, laid railway tracks and worked in factories in remote areas, especially Siberia and the Russian Far East.  A huge slice of the northeast was set aside exclusively for labour camps, and whole cities were developed as Gulag centres.

The Gulag population grew from 30,000 in 1928 to eight million in 1938.  Prisoners were underfed, mistreated and literally worked to death; the average life expectancy was about two years, and 90% of inmates didn’t come out alive.  The Gulag system continued well after WWII:  Boris Yeltsin announced the release of Russia’s last 10 political prisoners from a camp near Perm, Russia in 1992.

The tragic history and story of the Romanov family is on our agenda for today.  The last remaining Czar Nicholas II of Russia, his wife, four daughters and a son were all executed by the Bolsheviks and their bodies disposed of in an old mine shaft, during the Russian revolution on 16^th July 1918.  Four close members of their staff were also executed with the Romanovs.  We visited the burial ground where their bodies were initially disposed of – today a large Russian Orthodox Monastery covers this area, where pilgrims and many people come to pray.  Following the death of the Romanov family the Russian Orthodox Church canonized them as Saints.

The Bolsheviks decided their burial place was not secret enough, so the following day moved the bodies to yet another place, poured acid over the bodies and set them alight.  Here in this second burial site they were not discovered for yet another 60 years.  The remains of the Czar, his wife and three children were exhumed in the 1970’s and their remains then buried in the family vault in St Petersburg in 1998.  Two children’s bodies were found 85 metres from the rest of the family and these remains have not as yet been laid to rest.  The Russian people would like the two Romanov children’s remains and the remains of Lenin (embalmed in a Mausoleum in Moscow) buried so that they can turn over the page of that horrific chapter in their history.  Constantine has given us a great insight into early Russian history and the Russian people.  So much history and so much tragedy. 

Romanov Children

Where the bodies were originally dumped in a mine shaft

Where the bodies were relocated to

2 children's bodies found here

Constantine has recommended a Uzbekistani restaurant for dinner, so we’re keen to check that one out tonight.  We spent several hours this afternoon exploring the lovely city of Ekaterinburg with a population of approximately 600,000.

We walked into the Uzbeki restaurant and immediately the gorgeous aroma of Uzbeki food cooking wafted toward our nostrils.  A truly great dinner was had by all – we’ll be on the lookout for more of this type of food.  I think I’m even weakening and thinking about visiting the “Stan” countries – I’m thinking that if I can do Russia, I can do the “Stans” – we’ll see!!

Constantine has been a wonderful and very informative guide during our visit to Ekaterinburg, so it looks like Liana and Constantine will have to share the title of “Our Favourite Guide”.  Constantine owns the business here in Ekaterinburg and he certainly goes that extra mile to ensure his guests are well looked after.

Day 15 – May 4

Ekaterinburg to Vladimir and Suzdal

We boarded our train for Vladimir at 15:01, hoping to see some lovely views of the Ural Mountains along the way, before the sunset at around 10pm.  The countryside was hilly and lots of green trees, but the mountains have eluded us on this leg.  We decided to share a cabin on the train once again, as it was only a one-night trip.  Debbie and I decided to take the top bunks and after our noodle soup dinner we all settled down for a great night’s sleep. 

Day 16 – May 5

Our trip was very comfortable on this leg and we arrived in Vladimir station at 1:00pm, two hours ahead of what our schedule indicated.  The agency had forgotten to include the two hours time change.  This was the first real hiccup on this trip – so with the help of a kind lady who made contact with our agent, we waited at the station for just one hour before the driver arrived.  We think if this is the worst situation we need to deal with in Russia, then that’s pretty good.

Our driver Andre drove us out to the lovely little township of Suzdal.  Suzdal, with the Kamenka River winding its way through town and the skyline spotted with church domes of every shape and colour, make this a picture book setting for a fairy tale.  Suzdal is federally protected, but residents are hoping to be able to make Suzdal a living museum, so that it can be maintained and preserved for generations to come.

After checking into our hotel we set off to visit the local markets, which were set up in the village square.  We chose a nice little restaurant for dinner, but had a lot of problems communicating our drink and menu choices – even with an English menu!

Day 17 – May 6

Kate, our guide in Suzdal arrived in the morning to take us on a walking tour of this very quaint and interesting village, which boasts of having 300 monuments.  We visited many buildings including a Cathedral, The Archbishop’s Chambers, the Suzdal History Exhibition and the Monastery prison.  Within the village we were treated to some traditional singing by a young couple and inside the Cathedral heard a male quartet, unaccompanied by music – their sound was beautiful as it resonated through the high domed ceilings. 

Russian Orthodox Chapel

A very elaborate porcelain room heater

Every day on the hour, (in warmer months) from 10am to 6pm bell ringers climb up to the bell tower and ring the bells for about ten minutes with both their hands and feet – there are about 20 bells in total.  In the winter months they ring the bells from 10am to 4pm – apparently they even ring the bells if it is 30 or 40 degrees below zero. 

The Bell Tower

The bell ringer at the Archbishop's Residence

We stopped at a little café in the village and had a wonderful meal prepared by some local villagers, before heading back to the hotel to wait for Andre to take us back to Vladimir to catch our train for the final leg of our Trans Siberian Rail Journey.

Vladimir to Moscow

A modern express train pulled alongside the platform in Vladimir – this is the sleekest and fastest train we have been on in Russia.  It was great to sit in absolute comfort and enjoy the view as we sped into Moscow, the capital of Russia.

We talked about our past two weeks travelling across Russia and Siberia as we pulled into Moscow Station 1 hour 50 minutes later.  It’s hard to believe we’ve travelled 9,289 klms by rail on the Trans Siberian Railway.  Pat has also worked out that the wheels of the carriages have turned 2,956,397 times between Vladivostok and Moscow – our guide was amazed and said no one has ever given him that information!  Why am I not surprised?

Our driver was at the station to meet us and drove us to the Arbat Hotel – our home for the next two nights.  We walked into the main centre close to our hotel to have some dinner and enjoyed the sights along the way.  Moscow has a different feel to being in the rest of Russia – we realise the difference is that we are now in a European city and close to the rest of Europe.

Day 18 – May 7

Our guide Eliah arrived at our Hotel at 10am as planned.  We set off on foot for a four-hour walking tour of the centre of Moscow.  President Putin is being inaugurated tomorrow, so Red Square, the Kremlin and many surrounding streets have been closed off.  There is a strong Military presence, with thousands of police, soldiers and protesters on most city centre streets, so we’ll just give them all a wide berth.  Following Putin’s inauguration, Victory Day will be celebrated in Russia on 9^th May; so many preparations are also underway for that as well.  Victory Day is celebrated in the rest of Europe on 8^th May, but with the time zone difference, Russia celebrates one day later.

We had a great day with Eliah seeing many sights and buildings including the Bolshoi Theatres, the KGB building, several Cathedrals and the famous shopping centre called Gum.

Moscow's oldest and most elite supermarket

Bolshoi Ballet Theatre

Red Square - barricaded 

Gum's Department Store

In the afternoon Debbie and I threw caution to the wind and made appointments at a hairdressing salon quite close to our hotel.  My visit to the hairdresser in Turpan China is always foremost in my mind when it comes to hair colour – I ended up with a bright yellow head of hair – one that Big Bird in Sesame Street would have been proud of!

Debbie and I had a wonderful afternoon and had three lovely Russian girls looking after us.  We were ecstatic with the results at the end of our visit - thankfully a very successful day at the hairdresser’s in Moscow.

In the evening we decided a celebratory dinner in our Hotel’s Restaurant was in order for having completed the Trans Siberian Rail journey.

Day 19 – May 8

This morning we visited Old Arbat Street to do some shopping and pick up some last minute groceries before heading to the MS Russ on the Volga River.  Our taxi arrived at the Hotel to take us to board the ship at 2pm.  The taxi driver let us off at “a ship” at wharf #1 and even helped us onboard with our luggage. 

After the driver had left, we found out we were on the wrong ship and that our ship was actually berthed at wharf #15, almost 2 kilometres away.  The best part of it was that we had a great walk and some good exercise.  When we finally arrived at our ship, we were ceremoniously welcomed onboard with traditional bread and salt, followed by a painless check in, and then taken to our cabin #425 on the boat deck on MS Russ.  It’s great to be able to unpack our bags and live out of a wardrobe for the next 12 days.

MS Russ at Wharf 15

The fully inclusive cruise includes the first 2 days onboard the ship in Moscow and the last 3 days onboard the ship in St Petersburg.  There are guided tours and transport in all ports including Moscow and St Petersburg and villages to visit along the way as well.  Our cabin is very comfortable; it has an ensuite and fridge and is air-conditioned.  The large window is great, so we will certainly be able to see plenty of sights along the way.

We have allocated seating for lunch and dinner.  Together with Mike and Debbie, we are seated with Ravi and Phalguni who are from Hyderabad in India.  Organisation this evening in the dining room has been a bit of a shambles and I am guessing there is possibly new starters amongst the staff (first cruise of the season) – hence the bedlam.  There is definitely room for improvement, so I’m sure it will get better.  The meals are certainly good, so that’s a real bonus.

Days 20, 21 – May 9, 10

These two days have been spent touring various parts of the city of Moscow.  Now that the inauguration of Putin and Victory Day have both passed, Red Square is open once again.  A visit to the State Tretyakov Gallery is included in today’s itinerary.  This gallery is considered one of the greatest art museums of the world - a treasury of Russian art.  We were able to reach St Basil’s Cathedral and what a magnificent building it is!  When I think of Moscow I’ll always have a mental picture St Basil’s – it is very special and has tremendous appeal.  The Tsar of Russia at the time, Ivan the Terrible, did not want anyone else to have a building as beautiful as St Basil’s Cathedral, so he ordered that the architects be blinded, so that they could never reproduce such a building.  I think Ivan the Terrible has been quite rightfully named!

(Lonely Planet)  Located at the southern end of Red Square, St Basil’s crazy confusion of colours and shapes was created between 1555 and 1561, replacing an existing church, to celebrate Ivan the Terrible’s taking of the Tatar stronghold of Kazan.  Its design is the culmination of a wholly Russian style that had been developed for building wooden churches.

St Basil's Cathedral

Day 22 – May 11 Depart Moscow for Uglich

The skies are blue and the sun is shining.  It is a great day for lounging on the top deck to enjoy the sunshine, especially after the cold weather we have experienced in Siberia.  In the mid-afternoon we docked at the city of Uglich, a historic town in the Yaroslavl region of Russia.  

We had three hours ashore to take a walking tour of the town and check out the local sites. The Church of St Dimitry on Blood is of great historical interest.  Considering churches were demolished and religion of any kind was banned throughout Russia during the rule of communism, there is an amazing number of churches fully restored or under restoration and many people have returned to their faith.

Onboard ship this evening; organisation in the dining room has reigned supreme!  We have noticed it has improved and is much better, with everyone now comfortably seated.

Day 23 – May 12 Yaroslavl

The ship has passed through many interesting locks on the Volga River including Uglich Lock, which commenced operating in 1941.  The architecture of the lock is of great interest with massive amounts of cubic metres of water used to fill the chamber of the lock.  The process takes 13 to 14 minutes and during this time the ship is raised 12 metres.

Today we docked at the city of Yaroslavl, once again with a great abundance of churches.  We visited the original residence of the Governor and were given quite a reception by beautiful young ladies in period costume.  The tour of the residence concluded with an orchestral recital and the minuet by the ladies in period costume.  We found a coffee shop with Wi-Fi, so were quickly able to check our emails.  Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and it looks as if my Mum will have to wait a few days to receive a call – perhaps when we arrive in St Petersburg.  A special day this year also, as it will be our daughter Kelli’s, first Mother’s Day – I’m sure Bronagh will have something special in store for her.

This evening all our wait staff are dressed in traditional Russian costume, the menu is Russian fare and we were welcomed into the dining room with a shot of Russian Vodka!  Later in the evening we attended a classical concert by a Russian pianist, Svetlana Platonova.  The music was superb, but just a little too much for Pat, who dozed off to sleep!

Day 24 – May 13 Goritsy

Today is Mother’s Day – a special time to reflect on our Mothers and all Mothers of the world.  The day has turned quite cool and we expect the temperature to be 12 degrees at its peak.  The village of Goritsy’s claim to fame, is the short distance to the well preserved fortress-like 14^th century Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, where at one time up to 200 monks lived.

The Monastery of St Cyril on the White Lake was one of the largest and most famous Monasteries in Russia.  During the time of the Soviet Union, the Monastery was kept as a museum with all artifacts and icons kept in tact.  It has been reverted to a working Monastery over the last 15 years, with two monks currently living on site.

This evening we watched an interesting and thought provoking film “Who killed Stalin?”

Day 25 – May 14 Kizhi

Kizhi is an island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia, Russia with a beautiful ensemble of wooden churches, chapels and houses.  It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Russia and is a World Heritage Site.  The nine-cupola Intercession Church was built in 1764.  A bell tower with a tent shaped roof was added in 1874.  The most impressive information about these structures is that they were erected without any nails or other metal ties - the joints were also made from wood.  We were able to spend an enjoyable couple of hours walking on the island and seeing these amazing wooden structures.

Tonight is “Pirate Night” onboard the ship, so we’re sure to be in store for some surprises.

Day 26 – May 15 Mandrogui

Today’s visit to Mandrogi village has been very relaxing.  We walked around the village, which is home to many rural families and enjoyed a BBQ Shaslik lunch.


Many craftsmen have workshops here, so we were able to see them at work and see how the residents live.  President Putin has a friend here, so apparently if Putin says it’s good then it must be good – therefore in the summer months Russians flock to this little hamlet.

Days 27 to 30 – May 16 to 19 St Petersburg

What a great sight, to look out the window early in the morning and be cruising down the Neva River into St Petersburg (formerly Petrograd and later Leningrad), believed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

The Russian population today has half as many males as females, thus explaining why so many young Russian women look to overseas countries for a husband and then hopefully a good lifestyle.  Millions of Russians (mostly men) have lost their lives during wars and famine over many centuries, with as many as 30 million in the last century alone.  Despite Russia’s very tragic past, the young people of today feel very optimistic about their future and at the same time remember the hardships endured by their parents and grandparents.

In this city there are many sights to visit and we have certainly worked hard at seeing as much as possible.  The Hermitage Museum, Church of the Saviour of Spilled Blood, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Alexander Column, Smolny Convent, the Admiralty, Tavrichesky Palace and St Isaac’s Cathedral are but some of the major sites in the city.

The Hermitage Museum

Due to the fact that the St Petersburg has been built on very marshy ground, across and around the delta of the Neva River, the subway has been built very deep below the city, therefore the metro escalators descend to 170 metres below the surface.

Mike was on the escalator ahead of me and Pat was behind me - a long way down!

We booked our tickets for Bagatitsa, a live show of song and dance of the Cossacks.  Wow what a spectacular show, with amazing energy and fabulous costumes – it was a show not to be missed.  Unfortunately on our return to the ship in the evening, our bus was involved in a minor accident with a semi trailer.  As we were only 500 metres from our ship, we elected to abandon our bus and leave the bus driver and semi-trailer driver to work out their issues.  As we walked to the ship, we passed by two more traffic accidents – so much for the Russian drivers!

The weather has been kind to us and we have had warm days with plenty of sunshine, while in St Petersburg.  Today we spent many hours walking along the Nevsky Prospect, the main street in the city, stopping off for coffee and the added luxury of Wi-Fi to catch up on emails.  While we were cruising for 12 days there was no available internet, so we were quite anxious to make contact with our family and let them know all is going well.

On our last day in St Petersburg we took a bus tour out to the beautiful Peterhof Palace in the countryside.  The township is famous for its series of palaces, gardens, cascades and fountains known as the Peterhof Palace Ensemble, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great and sometimes referred to as "The Russian Versailles".  The palace is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We said goodbye to Debbie and Mike in St Petersburg - a great trip, great company and countless wonderful experiences.

The following morning our taxi driver picked us up at 5:15am and took us to the International Railway Station for our train trip to Helsinki, Finland.  We arrived at Helsinki Airport and checked in our bags - ready for our flight to Dublin.