Blogs from Omsk, Siberia, Russia, Europe

Unfortunately, I have had more than my share of bad Russian vodka. Here is my experience: According to Pictures in History: It's a fact that seems too wild to be true, but it's actually real: Russia ran out of vodka celebrating the end of World War II. On May 9th 1945, after Nazi Germany had surrendered, Russians celebrated with such enthusiasm and vigor that they drank all of their vodka reserves dry! It was an incredible display of jubilation from a country that had endured so much suffering during the war years, and one that will never be forgotten. The celebration also marked the beginning of a new era for the Soviet Union, as they emerged victorious in the conflict and began rebuilding their nation. So next time you raise your glass to toast a special ... read more

We were met on the platform by a non English speaking taxi driver who took us to the tall grey Communist style square building that was our hotel.It was another warm day,mid seventies-no complaints.The hotel was situated at the point where the two rivers,the Irytysh and the Om meet,and it had a very seaside feel about this small area of the city as there was a large sandy beach complete with lifeguard,a couple of changing huts,showers and ice cream sellers. We checked into the hotel and I opened my birthday presents and cards.I had taken a few cards with me and Steph had bought me a lovely blue necklace in Listvyanka.She had also been carrying a few pressies around with her-a Sydney Bridge climb hat ( I bought one in 2007 but managed to lose it ... read more

(Day 43 on the road)Omsk itself was nothing special. What made it for me was meeting a Russian train conductor that had lived for a few years in Germany, and spoke very good Russian. After we had established that I used to work for the German railway, this practically making us colleagues, we exchanged stories about the different railways and the like. Arriving in Omsk around midday, he took me to his office, showed me around the station a bit, helped me to buy my onward ticket to Novosibirsk that same evening, and I met his wife and his little son. It was a pleasant experience. Omsk however was pretty dull, at least the parts that I have seen. They really had a lot of references to Lenin in the city. Actually, every place that I ... read more

Sleeping has not been easy. Rock hard, small beds and a train conductor that drives like he has the hiccups does make a restful night. We use bottled water for brushing our teeth and wipe ourselves down with “baby wipes” to try stay clean and fresh. There appears to be a silent alarm that signals the 1st class people to dinner because twice a day a troop of them would come marching past. They must have been on a tour and paid heavily for the food that was not going to be missed. The rest of us in the economy section drink tea and eat noodles with content. The temperature has slowly been cooling and the landscape is becoming sparser as we head east into Siberia. Snow is starting to fall and collect on the train ... read more

The train ride to Omsk was decent, my final full day on the train. I was in a full compartment again and I would be the first one off. It was a woman and two men this time, the men related and the the woman on her own. I was the only one with english, so it was another ride of reading and smiliing, though the lady did feed me a bit. It was some nice scenery that final day, and the weather started heating up again, so smiles on my face. When I arrived in Omsk, it was morning and very hot. I decided that I would try my luck with a cab driver as the map said 3km to the town from the train station. As soon as they knew where I was going, ... read more