CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO DIGITALNOMAD HOMEPAGE
Click here to go to Travel Notes Table of Contents
|
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO DIGITALNOMAD HOMEPAGE Click here to go to Travel Notes Table of Contents
|
|
After dinner I walked to a local bar and had a few vodkas then staggered back to the wooded cabin for a real Russian banya. The banya is a room heated like a sauna with both hot and cold water. I washed my clothes and took a bath then I slept very well. The next morning I took a walk along the lake. The van took me to my home stay in Irkutkz. This was my first stay is a typical Russian flat. Starting at the door the security is overwhelming. A steel door, then up the stairs to another steel door and finally into the apartment. The room was nice. I began exploring the town. Old wooden buildings mixed with European style buildings lined the streets. I think the thing which struck me most strongly was how much maintenance needed to be done. It will take lots time and money to restore those buildings. I visited a museum. It would set the pattern for Russian museums...overpriced and undersigned. I did find a nice coffee house in an old building with turn of the century decor and pretty good pastries. The next leg of the Trans-Siberian was a doozy...almost 72 hours straight. Rema and Detleff were planning to stop in Ekaterinaberg but I was going all the way to Moscow. This time I shared my compartment with a policeman from Irkutkz. I spent lots of time reading and lots of time looking out the window. Most of the terrain consisted of birch trees and evergreens. Mile after mile of birch trees and evergreens. There aren't many towns or many houses in Siberia but it is beautiful countryside. I spent lots of time in the dining car because I could sit, look out the window, drink coffee, read my book and smoke. The only other place to smoke was at the end of the carriage and it was usually pretty cold. The menu was a bit limited but the staff was friendly. Arrival in Moscow was right on time. I was met and taken to my hotel. Traffic in Moscow was wild and the drivers reminded me of the drivers in Asia. The hotel was okay. I decided to master the Moscow Metro, so I bought a five time ticket and headed for downtown. I spotted a TGI Friday's and developed an overwhelming hunger for a juicy American style hamburger. It was expensive but really good. I walked around the Kunetsky Most area checking out the shops and restaurants then returned to my room. The next day I was walked to my home stay. Vera and her niece Irya were the nicest family I stayed with. Vera tried very hard to communicate in English and Irya could translate when necessary. The flat was also locked up like a vault. I had a code number for the door then Vera would meet me at the first barred door, then open the door into the flat. I had a nice room with a small balcony. My next adventure was to go to the Kremlin. A word about the Moscow Metro...The main stations are beautiful works of art. The signs are all in Cyrillic with absolutely no English-anywhere. By carefully matching the letters on the map with the letters on the wall it was possible to know which station you were in. The problem came when you needed to change lines. I'm sure there are signs somewhere pointing to the connecting line but I never found them. Most Russians were willing to help..unless they worked for the Metro. The Metro workers must go to special classes in rudeness. They are, however, friendly when compared to the soldiers. When I tried to go through the gate to the Kremlin, I thought they were going to shoot. It turns out that May Day celebrations were schedule for the next day so, sorry comrade, the Kremlin and Red Square are closed for preparations. I took a tour on the Moscow River instead. May Day was rainy so I took an adjustment day and mostly rested. The fireworks were visible from my balcony and very spectacular. I finally managed to get into the Kremlin the next day. It costs about $10 to see three churches and walk around...or you can spend $3 and go to see an exhibition. I choose the cheap way because I'm beginning to go into temple overload. You can get shouted at by the soldiers for free..just cross the street anywhere but a marked crosswalk. I exited the Kremlin and headed for Red Square. Sorry comrade, it's closed today to clean up after May Day. Sure enough, at the far end, clearly visible by telescope, there were workmen working at taking down some scaffolding. I ran into Rema and Detleff..what are the odds..and we skirted the square to reach St. Basil`s Cathedral. I took the required tourist pix and then we walked through the GUM department store and I had some nachos at a Mexican like restaurant. Then it was time to take the Metro to the St. Petersburg station. Thanks to the help of some friendly Russians I arrived on time. As usual, the mail challenge was to figure out which big building was the station. Would it be so hard to put up one small sign in English? I shared my cabin with a mother and daughter from St. Petersburg, and a man from Egypt. Everyone spoke excellent English. Arriving in St. Petersburg in the morning, I reached for my travel voucher. Uh-oh. No voucher. So, I checked my Monkeyshrine book and went by Metro to one of the two hotels listed. The Metro in St. Petersburg is small but still unsigned and hard to figure out. I eventually arrived at the hotel to find there was no booking. The hotel staff was kind enough to track down the local representative of the travel company and they sent the lady whose flat I had booked for home stay. She had a television in my room so I was able to watch some Russian TV commercials. The local rep came by and got my passport registered with the local authorities. You see, every place you stay has to register your passport with the police and obtain a stamp on your visa or there will be big trouble when you try to leave Russia. And, by this time I was getting very anxious to leave Russia. Fortunately, I was able to visit both of my main planned tourist attractions: The Hermitage and the Peter and Paul Fortress. One was closed Wednesday and the other on Thursday. No problem, I simply visited them on the day they were open. I walked to where the map seemed to indicate the Hermitage but when I asked the helpful soldier, he just pointed. I went where he pointed and went through the door. The soldier inside became very agitated and said..go..GO. I went. I did find the Hermitage and paid the $12 entrance fee and went into art overload. Rembrandt, Gaugin, Picasso, Michelangelo, etc. But no Faberge eggs. There were some good Egyptian, ancient Greek, and Roman collections. And the humble, unassuming quarters of the Czars were interesting. I wonder if they wore sunglasses when they brushed their teeth. I must have walked 5 miles of corridors. I returned to my room. Returning to my room was quite a process. First there is the courtyard gate, then the door code for the stairway door, then the key to the foyer, then another key to the flat. I slept feeling secure. The next day I went to Peter and Paul Fortress. It was interesting. Most of the Tsars including the last one are buried in the church. There was a prison with spacious cells for political dissidents and a space museum. There was also a very nice museum about the history of St. Petersburg. Halfway through the museum the style changed from old sparsely signed to a modern, well lighted, and informative. After the museum I rested for a few hours then caught the night bus for Helsinki. |
|
|
2-14May2004 After another night on the train we arrived in
Irkutkz. During the night it had snowed several inches and all the trees
and houses were beautiful under a layer of snow. We were met at the
station by our guides. Lena took me to my home stay with Zoya in
Listvyanka. We trudged down the road to the Baikal Limnological museum
where I learned about the lake...deepest in the world...20% of the world's fresh
water...fresh water seals. An amazing place. Then we climbed up a
small mountain for a breathtaking view of the lake. Very nice.