Running around in Russia

Europe » Russia » Northwest » Saint Petersburg
August 10th 2007

Published: August 25th 2007

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td impulse

Russia....

Simply amazing!

Hello, hello,

From Irkutsk in Russia, to Moscow and on to St Petersburg - crossing the country took time, but the experience was fantastic. We were on a train with at least two full cars of Mongolian Merchants, so we always knew when a stop was coming as the halls would fill with the commotion of the merchants getting their products together and to the appropriate window or area they would claim for the brief platform stops. We also managed to meet a few other travelers along the way and loads of time to play cards, talk, read, and stare out the window for hours.

It was relaxing and a nice break between the stops we had. We developed a motto of "sleep on the train" and the long journey allowed us to over exert ourselves with less guilt. Mind you, the train was not as restful as we imagined, so I think by the end of it we were all a little worn.

We still managed to find the energy to blast around St Petersburg - truly an inspiring city. And, of course, we even experienced the Banya - the traditional Russian sauna, where you steam yourself

Russia....

The Square

and have a friend beat you with a birch branch to release the oils. Let me tell you - I was nervous at first, but I would swear by it now. And, even better, you then dunk yourself in ice cold water. It is not the most pleasant experience, truth be told, but it does leave you feeling amazing!

So, we continued sampling local pancakes, Morse berries, and vodka and after loosing two in our group, John and I transferred on and started using couch surfing. It is a neat little community that was created, where locals offer their couches to travellers in hopes of a cultural exchange. The best part for us, itś a foot in the door to local culture and life, and itś free! There are certainly some interesting people we are meeting and definitely future friends I expect to see in Vancouver or somewhere else. It really is eye-opening, the things you discover when you travel.

So, for now, we are looking for more couches!

Trish xxx

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