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Published: August 12th 2007
We arrived in Russia full of hope - for milder weather, better health and more familiar European fare. Ample opportunity to ponder these wishes was granted to us as we sat on a stationary (occasionally jolting) train at the Siberian border crossing for over 12 hours. It should have been a sign...
First stop was Irkutsk. We joyously embraced this civilized, dirty little town but almost immediately jumped on a minibus for the 70 minute sardine-style ride out to Listvyanka and Lake Baikal, the deepest fresh water lake in the world. This popular holiday spot was far from thriving on the wintry weekday we turned up on, resembling a ghost town but for the super fun ice castle and slide on the water/ice front. Even the solitary nerpa seal in the aquarium seemed to pick up on the vibe as he swam listlessly from one end of his undecorated gaol to the other, occasionally forgetting to turn.
With Shannon still suffering from Mongobelly we set off on a punishing but very rewarding 5km ice-hike across the frozen lake in search of a bus to return to Irkutsk and the long awaited 4 day Tran-Siberian train ride.
We have thus far found train travel to be most agreeable. Sleep comes easily with the gentle rocking and constant rhythmic click-clack. Two days in, as we approached the Asia/Europe border, we woke realising that it was Mel's birthday. Much of the day was spent in an enjoyable card-playing, reading and snoozing stupor. We managed to rouse ourselves for the monumental crossing (happily void of customs officials), presented the birthday girl with cards and presents, and thanks to Linn's genius, even managed a cake with candles!
After days of close-quarters bonding, the train unceremoniously dumped us at Moscow Station - this was the beginning of the real fun. An unsuccessful booking attempt left us with no bed, we were threatened with gaol time by the ubiquitous police force and every person we encountered wore a fearsome scowl (and a fur hat) that clearly said "DON'T mess with me!" It wasn't our intention to mess with anyone and thankfully we secured beds in a wonderful establishment boasting too many people for beds, drunk louts shouting down the corridors at 4am, and great hoards of Russian women hogging the shower and hairspraying in the kitchen over our breakfast.
As for the "Arrested in Russia", it all came about as a result of...wait for it...taking a photo of a shopping centre. Yes, that's right, a shopping centre. Admittedly it was very famous and lit with pretty fairy lights, but come on - a shopping centre??? The two big khaki-clad gentlemen who questioned, detained and threatened us with compulsory gaol time were clearly hunting for a bribe, but Mel's curiosity for a new cultural experience and Gareth's speedily deleting digit seemed to deter them from taking the matter any further.
Amidst all this frivolity, we also managed to see many of Moscow's famous sights, including Lenin's embalmed body, Red Square, St Basil's Cathedral, Peter the Great monument, the Kremlin and those odd-shaped but spectacular golden onion-domed churches. Moscow really is a beautiful city...aesthetically, at least.
An overnight train took us to St. Petersburg - a far more light-hearted and arty city than its big brother down south. We basked in the comfort of our own apartment (and washing machine!), strolled through the picturesque streets, climbed the cathedral, explored the old Hermitage Palace Museum (complete with art by Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Cezanne and Rodin, amongst
others), and skirted around the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood.
Sadly this was also the point at which we parted ways with our much-loved travel buddies, Shannon and Linn. As a last kick up the bum, they ended up at the wrong airport, paid an exorbitant taxi fare to the right one, and then had their luggage thoughtfully lost en route to happier places. But all is well that ends well. Our very last Russki encounter was with a woman in a pastry kiosk on the platform beside our train bound for Helsinki, Finland. Not only did she crack a smile, she also managed a previously unheard of body-shaking chortle. Oh, Russia! Please elect this woman as your leader!
Post Script: "Russia is for the Russians" Maria (
"Russky niet... Angliski?" )
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Maureen Bakeer
non-member comment
Glad you didn't get arrested, it's too far to bail you out or bring in a cake with a file inside.Try not to do too many dangerous things with that camera,didn't you know cameras are now on the dangerous weapons list.I guess if I lived in a country as gloomy as Russia it would be hard to smile.Keep sending the blogs they arre great.Love Mausie