To Sarah-san and Hugh-san Hope your trip over to Tokyo was OK. A thought for things to see. There is a really peaceful area of temples at Yanaka near Ueno station. Nearest stations are Nippori on the Yamanote line or Sendagi on the Chiyoda subway line. The Asakura Sculpture museum has a lovely central garden and pond. If you are staying at Sawanoya Ryokan you are already there! Please say hi to Sawa-san and his family if that's where you are.
Omsk (again) Postcard arrived and whilst not a T-Shirt it will suffice, thank you. Not going to put all my news here (and there is loads) as you can get that off my blog and there's no telling who is reading this... Glad its all going well though and that you haven't been overcome by vodka fumes or anything (it can happen!) (apparently). What alcohol do they drink in China I wonder. J x
Hi Tim. Unfortunately the "come on england" reference at the end of the last blog was for the 15 oafs that'll be running around in Paris on Saturday night, not our glorious (?) boys in Moscow. Think you might struggle to get Hugh to watch the beautiful game in Japan. Haven't seen him down Bramall Lane yet.... Hope you well!! Fiona
Catching up Hello Sarah and Hugh. Sorry I've been a bit slow in keeping up with your amazing journey. I've just read my way across the continent and feel like I've done part of the journey myself! Hannah looked at the St Petersburg and Moscow entries too as she is going there on Friday. She's going the night train Moscow to St Petersburg. I wonder if the teachers will be passing out vodka or chicken! Hope the back is getting better. I'll pass on your news in Trinity House tomorrow.
I'm sitting in Asia following your progress, and have noted that you seem to mention a lack of curry. A curry could well be waiting around in Tokyo, I reckon.
But anyway, just a quick question. I know you somehow missed out on the family gene, Sarah, but does Hugh have any interest in 22 grown men running around after a ball?
Tim in Tokyo
Not Difficult? Well you certainly didn't hear me complaining they were too easy. The photos look fantastic by the way. News from the home front - off to London Saturday to see The Scottish Play starring Captain Jean Luc Picard. Also hopefully going to see The Big Crack (which is the latest exhibit in the Turbine Hall)... Just got an appointment for a scan on Sunday though at Hope Hospital in Manchester. What do you think my chances are of getting back to Manchester on time. On a Virgin train. On a Sunday. I'm guessing they're not good... Sarah having a few problems selling her flat... Chancellor has just abolished indexation allowance and taper relief... And that's all I can think of for now. Oh, seeing my designes re the refurb tomorrow. I suspect we won't be any further forward after that although they do keep going on about missing the builder's slot (oo er misus). And on that note, travel well my friends... J x
Mongolian Mongolian has only used the Cyrillic alphabet since 1937, and its traditional alphabet was abolished by the Soviet government in 1941. I'll let someone else research Russian cuisine.
Lake Baikal I assume you mean: deepest lake in the world, largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, largest lake in Asia by surface, home to the world's only freshwater seal etc. Have I forgotten any? If not, these challenges are far too easy and you'll have to find some that involve research other than on the internet. Ross
Sorry its me again Tiresome I know but I'm sure I'll soon get fed up of this new computer and leave you alone. Records for the Lake... hmmm... I'm guessing that its nothing to do with T-shirts? So I'll go with either its the longest or widest or deepest lake for miles around. Do I win a T-shirt? J x
Again, I think travelllers on South West trains have something to learn from our Russian counterparts. I shall introduce a practice of changing into something more comfy after boarding in Eastbourne and then change back into my work clothes shortly before we arrive at Victoria. What with that and my whole cooked chicken and bottle of vodka I should get a double seat to myself (unless there are travellers from Omsk who have come on a twinning visit to see Bexhill, who will no doubt hail me joyfully). Sarah H.
T=Shirts (Again) Apparently Omsk is one of the few cities in the world that doesn't sell I Heart Omsk T shirts. Obviously I'm not suggesting that other cities sell I Heart Omsk T shirts, they put their own name in, for instance, I Heart Manchester, or I Heart Irkutsk or whatever. Strangely although I own an I Heart Manchestr T shirt (actually it says I Adidas Manchester but the sentiment was there) I don't own an I Heart Irkutsk T shirt. Now if only I knew someone going to Irkutsk... J x
The Omsk Challenge Hi you two, hope all is well. I'm taking a quick break from work and thought I would login and see how you are both doing. Well..i've taken up the challenge and had a search, and although what I have come up with is not really the type of thing you were asking for, I found it quite interesting. Anyway, what I found out was, on Wednesday 31st Jan 07, It snowed orange in five districts of the Omsk Region The snow ranged from light yellow to orange shades, and covered covered with oil slicks and smelled rotten! The good news is, samples were examined and they have determined that it is NOT radioactive...phew.
Stay safe - Gerry
The funniest thing about Omsk This might not be very funny but I do find it hard to understand why a city of about 1.1m people would be twinned with an English seaside resort like Bexhill.
Glad things are going well - not sure I'd cope these days with sharing a sleeping compartment with snoring strangers but I'd be interested to hear more about the trains. Are they on time? What's the food like? etc etc. I'm not really a trainspotter , honestly.
Omsk challenge.... First up for the challenge
Earlier this year (April 28th), Omsk held a World T'ai Chi and Qigong Day. There is photo evidence at worldtaichiday.org
Enjoying the blogs....... Alice xx
Breathless With Excitement I can't believe you've left me hanging on the verge of Omsk. However I was somewhat mollified by the arrival of your I Heart Omsk picture text in the middle of my training sesion on RLLB. Sounds as though everything is going OK which I'm pleased to hear. The trouble is going to come I suspect when you venture to places without internet access (are there such places in the world?). You'll have to text someone the news (surely there will be a mobile phone mast even if there isn't a computer) and they can update the site for you. Not much news on the home front (although Ms Hill has some news on the "home" front but I'll let her tell you all about that). Still not got a date for the apartment refurb (or even a budget). With any luck it will all be sorted by the time you get back. Sent you an e-mail in work last week just to see what your out of office message was like! How sad is that? As f I haven't got enough to do... J x P.S. Keep em peeled for that T shirt.
Mr Lewis makes a good point. I shall take a whole cooked chicken and a bottle of vodka with me next time I'm on the train to Eastbourne and see what occurs. Good luck with the next leg (of the journey - not of the chicken) xxx
Ah, right. I've just got the "Start with the Finnish" joke. I hope it's not going to be so groansome all the way round the world ;-) You can think up some good ones while you're on the Trans Siberian......
All I've read so far is Helsinki and Moscow and already I want to make those my two next hols. It sounds great and you've only been gone about a week. Anyway, no hols for me until I sell the flat - at the moment I've got flats in both Eastbourne and London, which is a little extravagant.
Best wishes, Sarah H.
Omsk I haven't forgotten! Is it your next stop? Don't forget the t-shirt.
Isn't it funny, you've been to Moscow and seen all these incedible sights and yet the interesting stuff is the people you met on the train. And yet you can meet people on a train in this country. But we don't. And we don't talk to them even though (sometimes) we speak the same language. Of course you're unlikley to find anyone with a whole cooked chicken about their person in the UK but you never know. If we just talked (and asked) perhaps we'd find hundreds of people with cooked chickens.
I don't suppose you happened to buy a chandelier did you? Its just that I'm looking for one and they're awfully expensive over here (a message to fellow commenters - if you know anywhere to pick up a decent chandelier (classic and not too big but big enough) then please include the details in your comment. Thanks).
Good to hear from you and to hear that everything is going OK. J x
I'm already even more jealous Very glad to hear you got away and the tenant materialised but really, do you have to make a point of enjoying yourselves? Work is exactly the same and I'm thinking of making arrangements to save your post.
They've Gone... ...Helsinki here they come. Dropped them at the airport at 0900 this morning. A little teary but not too bad. They've promised me an I "heart" Omsk T-Shirt so I look forward to hearing that they've managed to locate that. Found out this morning that Sarah gets travel sick. Travel sick! And yet she's going to spend a whole year travelling... Oh well, ours not to wonder why. Good luck guys and look forward to hearing from yoou soon. J x
Mike
non-member comment
To Sarah-san and Hugh-san
Hope your trip over to Tokyo was OK. A thought for things to see. There is a really peaceful area of temples at Yanaka near Ueno station. Nearest stations are Nippori on the Yamanote line or Sendagi on the Chiyoda subway line. The Asakura Sculpture museum has a lovely central garden and pond. If you are staying at Sawanoya Ryokan you are already there! Please say hi to Sawa-san and his family if that's where you are.