(Day 44 on the road)The overnight train-ride to Novosibirsk got off to a good start. I met three English-speaking Russians (Katja, Stas and Alex) of my age on the train, and we started chatting. It was highly interesting to talk to them, and instead of sleeping, we talked the night away, with topics ranging from politics to religion. Outside, a full moon was shining on the Siberian steppe and a lot of large lakes, and the view was magical. I feel however that the other 55 people in the carriage who were trying to sleep were not very amused. In the end, we slept for about three hours, before arriving at 0400h in Novosibirsk. Katja, Stas and Alex were on their way to buy a car here for Stats and drive it back to Omsk, so ... read more

(Day 42 on the road)Siberia officially begins at Kilometer 2102. I however didn't notice that, as I was trying to get some sleep. After a full day of sightseeing in Yekaterinburg and my train leaving around midnight, I was knacked. I arrived in Tobolsk at 0600h with small eyes. But the sun was shining, and I was in Siberia! My train onwards to Omsk was scheduled for 2345h that same night. So I was in for the long run! I hadn't slept too well on the train the night before, so with 18 hours in the city, it was going to be ab long day. Tobolsk is a sleepy little town which boosts a wonderful stone Kremlin and a very lovely Old City. The Kremlin is situated on a small hill, so that you overlook the ... read more

(Day 39 on the road)This is it: After more than four weeks on the road, I will finally start the Trans Siberian Railway today. My train leaves at 1620h from Moscow's Yaroslavl station, and I am heading for Yekaterinburg, arriving there some 26h later. I am traveling with Alex, a Dutch guy I met in Moscow, for this leg of the journey, who his on is way to Iran through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The epic Trans Siberian is maybe the greatest train journey in the world, and I have dreamed about taking it for a long time. When you think of the Transsib, don't think of it as one train going across, but more like the tracks extending all the way from Russia's west to the east coast. It is actually one of the busiest ... read more

(Day 34 on the road)After taking the train from Helsinki, I finally arrived in Russia, where I will commence on the Trans Siberian Railway in a week or so, which officially starts from Moscow. Whilst so far I have travelled by a combination of trains, buses and boats (plus planes if you include the week of trekking in Turkey), for the next 8000km or so until Beijing the only mode of transport will be trains. Awesome! St. Petersburg fully lived up to the image I had of it in my mind. Having wanted to go here for a long time, it is everything I expected it to be. If you have been here already, you know of the many wonders of the city. Topping that list surely is the Hermitage, where I spent two inspiring afternoons. ... read more

(Day 26 on the road) Three Baltic capitals, three UNESCO-protected Old Towns. So what does this actually mean, acquiring UNESCO-recognition? In short, any country can suggest a place it wants to have included in UNESCO's list of word heritage sites, and if accepted, the place is recognized as being of outstanding natural or cultural importance, being seen as "our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations" (UNESCO website). In other words, each site is thus seen as being in the interest of the international community to preserve for future generations. Currently, there are about 850 World Heritage Sites in 141 countries. If you feel like wanting to know more, have a look at this website. After this short excursion, I think the right word to describe ... read more