I desired to visit Ivangorod Fortress as soon as I saw it for the first time on June 14, 2012. Almost a year passed, I have fulfilled this ‘dream’. I found Davranov Travel agency offering day excursions to various places in the North-West, and the most interesting for me was the Fortresses of the North-West, including Koporye (of which I knew absolutely nothing), Jamburg (Kingisepp), and Ivangorod. I’m sure there are some possibilities of getting there by public transport, but they are by no means convenient (at least there is no good electric train, and the places are not located within walking distance from each other). Several weeks ago, I purchased a web-voucher for the excursion via their website for 1150 rubles, but that time they phoned me the day before and said the excursion was ... read more

8 February In the train, I almost fell asleep because did not sleep during the night. A certain distance away from Lyon, patches of snow started appearing and at last there was snow everywhere, but I saw no mountains yet because it was dark – but I felt them and was very anxious about how my skiing would go. The previous “mountain” skiing in Sigulda was a perfect exercise, of course, but it was just a low swell of the ground. Now, I am more than certain that I’d be a failure in Chamonix had I not skied previously in Sigulda. The accommodation (hostel, or sort of guest house) Chamoniard Volant is a bit off the centre but very close to the bus stop. On pure economic grounds, I booked the cheapest bed in 17-person room ... read more

The next stop after Siauliai was Kaunas, some four hours by bus. I planned to visit Kaunas during the previous autumn visit, but changed my mind, and that was a correct decision, as I saw this time. I slept a good night at the hostel, checked out, and left my luggage at the bus station storeroom. It is located in a different building than the station itself. When I first read about Kaunas, I did not consider it very promising, because the Russian Wikipedia article about it is rather short. However, expectations were much exceeded. First, I saw the imposing Sv. Mykolo Arkangelo Church, reminding me of Beograd’s Hram Sv. Save (similarity in style and form, probably). I then immediately proceeded to the 1.6 km long Laisves Aleja where trees grow, pedestrians walk, benches are installed ... read more

21.01 I arrived to Riga by Ecolines at 10-30; the bus had wi-fi and power receptacles so I managed to use the computer for a while. I bought a bus ticket to Sigulda and, while driving there, saw most magnificent views of fir trees like brides clothed in luxurious fluffy snow-white wedding dresses, everything clear white, and the road looking like a long white tunnel. The weather was so excellent I looked forward to skiing – just imagine skiing among such beautiful firs and pines under a shining sun! As I walked to Livonija guest house I noticed the quiet filling the air, and only a rare car would break the silence or a still rarer person would pass me by. The population of Sigulda is about 10 thousand, if I remember it right. I hope ... read more

This entry includes a text about our short stay in Riga on June 14: "It is all too simple. We took an Ecolines bus from Berlin to Riga. The bus turned out to be very convenient and there was even an attendant and we could order meals and drinks; but there were only several persons on this route. The trip took the whole day and we passed several cities and towns like Suwalki, Marijampole etc. On arriving to Riga, I had a feeling that it seemed very much like our own Russia, something remaining from the Soviet era. There was a 4-hour wait till the bus to St. Petersburg. I bought a map and we left the luggage at the station; there was Russian speech everywhere. I wanted to have a short walk seeing the main ... read more