News from Listvyenka

We were on the beach, the sun was going down, and I asked Vicky to marry me....she said yes.

It was the end of a beautiful day, we'd woken up in a a bed for the first time in a few days, in a lovely little wooden house. After a bit of a lie in and a breakfast of fresh fruit be walked to a local Banya (Russian Baths) and had an hour with the place to ourselves - there was a sauna, a plunge pool and a chill out area.

After the banya, and feeling nice and clean we sat in a cafe by the lake and had some lunch with a couple of beers and just relaxed.

We met a couple at the cafe (Rock and Sveta) and went with them to a local beach. We sat in amongst the stunning scenery while the sun went down and it just felt perfect so I asked the question.

We are very excited! but don't worry, we won't be married before we come home.

Camping in Siberia!!

We have spent the last week camping and trekking the Circumbaikal railway. It runs around Lake Baikal, the biggest fresh water lake in the world. The lake is beautiful, it is really cold and looks more like the sea due to its size. The trekking was flat but difficult because there was little path so we had to walk along the sleepers of the railway line jumping out the way for passing trains and we were carrying heavy packs. We walked 20km most days with the lake on our right and steep grassy hills to the left. David Attenbrough would have loved it, there were so many strange bugs at one point Glen had over 100 bites!! Each night Glen made a fire and we cooked noodles and ate nuts (the lack of fibre in our diet certainly didn't go unoticed!!) and we drank from and washed in the lake.

After 5 days we arrived in Port Baikal, it was a very small town of several wooden houses, a school, a train station and a boat dock. Most of the boats and buildings seem derelict and rotten and there were horses and dogs wandering around wild. It must be so hard to live here, Glen and i stand out with big rucksacks and waterproof coats when the locals are wearing shorts and t-shirt and flipflops with socks. Lots of the people of this town look hardend to the cold of the winter, it goes down to minus 40, and the lack of basic hygine shows. Many people have wonky or missing teath and in the citys lots have whole mouthfuls of gold caps. The roads are basic and people use motorbikes with side cars. We got a boat across the water to another town, Listvyanka. It felt so luxurious to have a bed in a small wooden house even though there was no running water and the toilet was outside.

The kindness of strangers

The people of Siberia seem so so kind, we have been given so many gifts and offerings from people of this wonderful nation. This is us wearing the hats some very kind locals gave us to keep us warm.

81 hours, 3221 miles and 5 timezones!!

We are off the train and in Irkutsk, the train journey was brilliant, we met some great people and we weren't bored once!

For the first 8 hours we were joined in our cabin by 4 guys that were travelling for work (2 Russians and 2 from Kazakhstan) they spoke a little English and we got on well - they bought us beer and food and wouldn't let us get any. It would have been good if they had been on the whole journey (at least we would have been able to buy some beers for them), but it was not to be. As they were leaving they gave us some good advice, some sweets and also a 200 Kazahkstan note - we wanted to give something in return but didn't have anything other than the Canadian Whisky that had been given to us (thanks Charlene) so we gave them that. They were chuffed (that means happy Stas).

After that we moved cabins for a day to allow a family of 4 to share and not be split up - it meant we gave up our much sought after bottom bunks in return for top bunks but it was only a night. This also meant we were now sharing a cabin with a soldier (he was quiet and read a lot, Vcky wanted to try his hat on but we missed the opportunity) and 3 other people over the course of the night.

The following morning after a hearty breakfast of salami and cheese we had a wander up and down the train - we're glad we went for 2nd class, 3rd class were literally just piled up in one long carriage. We also appeared to be the only westerners on the train which we felt quite proud of. Back at our carriage we got invited to sit in with the family we'd given our cabin to, they spoke no English, and our Russian has only improved very slightly but we just about managed to make conversation, they taught us a new card game and exchanged photos spending quite a lot of the day with them. That evening the family left and we got our bottom bunks back - and it turned out the cabin to ourselves for the next day and a half.

(the next sentence should be read in a soft Geordie accent)
Day 3 on the train, and Vicky and Glen awoke in their private cabin and had a nice relaxing day taking in the scenery, chatting, reading, eating, drinking and playing cards.
Despite the length of the journey, the scenery changes very little. Most in through woodland and marshes with the occasional climb and descent when you can see further up/down the valley to more woods and some fields. There are also a number of small towns and villages - many of them made up of wooden shacks and dirt roads - it looks more like something from the wildwest!

There are a few stops along the way, most only for a couple of minutes witha couple of 20/30 minute stops each day when you can get off, stretch you legs and buy anything from full roast meals to china cats and chandaliers from the Babushkas at the station.

To sum it up, we loved the journey and especially spending time with the people we met. I'm sure it's been said before (if not may I forever be quoted), but the true joy of travelling comes not from the places you go but the people you meet.

Embarking

So, here we go. A few quick days in Moscow and we are about to get on the train for the next 4 days solid!

We went to the ballet and saw Cinderella the other night, which inspired Vicky into saying she wanted to take it up again. It will probably be forgotten by the time we get back, but if not Keith, Stevo and Parker better watch out!!

Lenin lives!! or at least he looks like he does, we went to his mausoleum yesterday and saw him lying in state - he does not look like he has been dead for about 90 years!!

Anyway, we are off to the train station. Hope everyone is well, we'll tell you all about the train journey in a few days

(don't forget to check out some of our photos using the link on the left)

Moscow

Within minutes of arriving in Moscow I was impressed. Getting the metro here is like walking through art galleries, they are marble with huge chandeliers and have grand monuments and mosaics throughout. They are deep underground as they used to double up as bomb shelters and the escalators are very steep, very long and very fast!!! The roads have up to 12 lanes of traffic with bus lanes and parking lanes each side on top of that.

I had thought the buildings in St Peters were big but this is jaw dropping. Outside the Kremlin and Red Square area they are typical of the soviet era - all grey and in huge blocks, some at least 1 km long. Then as you get towards the Kremlin the buildings don't change in size particularly but they are laced with gold and painted elaborately.

So far we have taken a boat trip around the city and walked through the markets of Red Square. We have seen St Basils cathedral (my favourite building of all time) and been in a working monastery where I had to wear a hanky head and dress up in a wrapped skirt. Tomorrow we go to see Lenin's dead body in the Mausoleum and we have tickets to see Cinderella at the ballet.

The train to Moscow

Getting the overnight train to Moscow was fantastic, already I am looking forward to spending more time on the trains! We bought a coup ticket which means we got a bed in a 4 birth carriage. The carriages are so well designed the bottom bunks turn into chairs and a table where we sat and drunk tea with the friendly Russian man we shared with, Wally. The top bunks fold up flat against the wall to allow you to stand up which i think will be extreemly important for our next train ride (It's 4 days long!!!) There are ladders that click out of the wall to get onto the top bunks and fold away again and each bed/seat has it's own light.

A fabulous way to travel.

Russian singing!!!

Click on the title to listen to Vitas!

St Petersburgski

We've been told that although St Petersburg is in Russia it is not Russian so we are reserving our judgement of Russia until we have been further East.
Arriving here and getting to the hostel was a very stern reminder that we have no idea how to communicate with Russians! We have been here a few days now and still trying to master any more than hello, please and thank-you in this very fast and very difficult, harsh language.

The city is unbelievability impressive the smallest buildings are 5 stories high and they are decorated with pillars and grand doorways. Today we went to the Hermitage museum, the rooms were laced with gold and there were jade statues and red carpets at every turn. The ceilings themselves must have taken years to paint.

We're not having to much luck finding veggie food - I ordered cabbage soup that came with chunks of beef and they put chicken in my mushroom pancake. In fact Glen got served raw chicken at a restaurant last night - we objected to paying for it using the phrasebook (thanks Andy) but soon coughed up when they threatened to call the police!

Funski Timeski inski Russiaski

Believe it or not, the predominant language here is Russian, and everything is written in Cryllic - it's bloody hard to understand!

So, we got here in burning hot sunshine, found the hostel with the help of a kind man who gave us some free metro tickets and met a shy and retiring Aussie ;o) who was already infatuated with the Russian girl he met the night before! (there are a lot of beautiful girls, and they all go out with guys with mullets!)

Back at the hostel we met some Dutch girls who kindly shared their cheap vodka with us before we all went out to watch the bridges rise, and a have a couple more beers.

The place is massive, all the buildings are huge and everything is really impressive.

The Vodka museum is the destination tonight, we might even end up doing some Russian Dancing.

We are heading to Moscow on the overnight train on Monday.

A Helsinking Feeling

A witty title for if our boat had not stood up to the thunderous waves crashing at it's sides. Unfortunately, or fortunately if we're being sensible, the sea was calm and our boat reached the island of Semolina without incident. The sun was shining and we have even dipped our feet in the sea (it was too cold to follow them in).

We haven't partaken in any local cuisine yet, but they obviously love a bit of healthy snacking here, I've never seen so many Piia pods, they are for sale on every corner.

We're back off into the sunshine now, an early morning train to St Petersburg tomorrow! We're not talking to each other for the rest of the day to make sure we don't waste all our conversation topics before the 7 hour journey ;o)

Speak soon, Glen

(I forgot to bring the cable for the camera so you will have to wait a few days for photos, doh!)

Observations of Helsinki

The roads are wide and clean, there are hundreds of cafes, if feels safe at night, many streets are cobbled but none are straight. The train station is a very grand building that is being worked on and the tickets are not difficult to buy. The market square is busy and sells all kinds of things. Some examples are hats, felt, reindeer rugs, scarfs, glass, jewllery, puppets and balaclavas. The produce is bought by the litre and the peas and strawberrys are delicious and juicy. There is lots of water and it is pretty in the sun. The buskers are mainly classical and the cycle paths are on the street not the road. The local beer is nice.

First Stop

Cricket, ferrets and early mornings. The first stop is still in the UK at the Catnach hostel, it's cheap clean and the food is good.

A night out 'doon the toon' to see Natalie Stern and Dent May - both excellent in very different ways. And a quick drink at 'the Tanner'.

Only a few more days in the UK!

photo courtesy of:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johncatn