Blogs from Siberia, Russia, Europe - page 47

Hey, so its been a busy week, and i dont have much time to fit in all ive done in great detail, so i will do my best, please forgive me!! Last friday in moscow we finished our first few days of russian life in a traditional ukranian restaurant, with interesting results. we had no idea of what to order, so with what soundeed safest, smoked bacon a seemingly wise choice...what cam out however was essentially just a plate piled with pig fat, totally disgusting, but still a fantstic attempt by us to try everything. on saturday our train journey to siberia began, and was to be a fantastic 4 days, something which i had not expected. we filled our time with cards and a lot of eating and reading, and in the evening we partook ... read more

5 heures du matin, arrivee a Yakoutsk, Isabela m attend, nous allons chez elle pour me reposer avant notre depart l apres midi pour le village de Sountar, au sud ouest de la Yakoutie.(950km) En fait, je n arrive pas a dormir avec le decalage horaire de 8 heures, donc j accompagne Isabela a l universite, ici je retrouve les professeurs de francais, puis nous cherchons une voiture publique pour partir. Rendez vous a 16 heures, enfin apres avoir recupere toutes les personnes qui veulent aller a Sountar, nous partons a 17h30. pas de lieu de rendez vous, le chauffeur va chercher a domicile chaque voyageur, impensable chez nous... Nous roulons avec quelques arrets pour boire du the et nous restaurer, le chauffeur est seul, et je suis quelque peu inquiete qu il ne s endorme.. ... read more

Tomorrow I begin my exit from Russia. I will be driven to Biysk (3 hours) and obtain my invitation to return to Russia later this summer. From Biysk I will take the train to Moscow (2.5 days) I will arrive in Moscow and head to Sheremetevo 2, my favorite airport in the world (note: sarcasm). I'll wait there for several hours before hoping a plane. I fly from Moscow to Copenhagen (layover) to Paris. I'll arrive in Paris at about 8:30pm Paris time. After that I will proceed directly to my hotel, shower (or take a bath if possible) and sleep. March 22'nd I'll search for the Russian consulate, attempt to begin processing my future visa and then promptly begin exploration of Paris. I'm not sure how long it will be until my next post, but ... read more

In Russia, there are two holidays, akin to Mother’s and Father’s Day. March 8th is like Mother’s Day, except that it is for all women… all women. March 8th is International Women’s Day. (I’m looking forward to this holiday) February 25th is the day for men, obviously akin to Father’s Day, although it really could apply to either men or women. February 24th is “Protectors of our Fatherland” Day. Why fatherland and not motherland, I’m not quite sure, but generally men receive some kind of gift and are congratuled. I spent Protectors of our Fatherland Day with an old friend, Nadia Arikova. Last year when I was in Gorno-Altai, my mom and I lived with a wonderful woman named Nadia. She fed us, took care of a visa registration discrepancy for us, and exposed us to ... read more

Hello all! Not much to report today, I'll be heading to Belokurikha tomorrow to go skiing, and I've got an another update in the works, basically, I'm writing today to implore you to leave me a message or send me an email! I apologize if I haven't sent many emails, but my internet time is quite limited. Please write me, I miss you, and if you had enough time to read the Barnaul entry the whole way to the end, you surely have enough time to tell me what's been going on in your life. :Op Till next we meet, Chrissy... read more