Date: 2018-09-28
Finally after three days on train from Irkutsk I have reached Vladivostok.
A freight-tain derailed on Wednesday just before my train an destroyed the tracks, so we had to wait 12 hours until the problem was fixed.
Video of site of the accident when my train finally passed:
So what’s coming up next?
I have to leave Russia on the 30th og September, because my tourist visa ends. So I will go to China!
Stay tuned!
Date: 2018-09-22
Circum-Baikal is an old part of the Trans-Siberian railway. It was once famous for the nice path along the Baikal lake and lots of tunnels.
As one part was flooded due to better protection of Irkutsk against floodings, there is only the part remaining from Sludyanka to Port Baikal.
I did a round trip by train, steam-train, boat and bus from Irkutsk organized by Tutu-Baikal.
Date: 2018-09-20 to 2018-09-25
Irkutsk is my favourite city in Siberia, it has some flair with a mixture of old and new buildings, nice Squares, nice paths along the riverbank.
And it has nice restaurants, bars – I really can recommend to visit the Edison Craft Bar.
I had a good time there.
Date: 2018-09-17 to 2018-09-19
Novosibirsk is the capital of Siberia an has some representative buildings like the opera. During the time I was there, there have been a lot of construction sites, so walking in the city centre was more an obstacle run with lots of dust and smoke.
Date: 2018-09-15 to 2018-09-17
If the cities are not that big I usually decide to hike to the hotel. Just to see the city and get more of the people who live here. Well Omsk with 10 km to the hotel was really a hard hike with a big backpack. I nearly twisted my ankle so I got to know Omsk the hard way.
The other thing is that I had to give up some hope and my girlfriend and I ended our relationship.
Not the best memories bound to that town.
Well Omsk itself has a nice historic and good renovated city center with a cathedral, a theater and some museums. But the center is rather small. In Omsk there are several bridges – one was modernized so not useable, because in Omsk is the junction of river Irtysch and Om.
Date: 2018-09-12 to 2018-08-14
Ekaterinburg is a modern city with some skyscrapers and a nice lake in the city center. There are only a few old buildings, which are nowadays mostly museums.
But what I did not know was that Boris Jelzin was here a long time governor. So they have built a great modern museum in the name of him. I visited it and it was really great to see all the facts about the recent history of Russia. You can get an audioguide in English at the reception which leads you through the exhibition.
Date: 2018-09-09 to 2018-09-11
Date: 2018-09-05
Date: 2018-09-01 to 2018-09-08
From Kiev I took a night train to Moscow. It was coming from Chisinau. In Kiev it departed 3am in the morning and reached Moscow at 4pm. I selected the train, so that I could be sure, that when we reach the border my Russian visa will be valid. It started on the 1st of September.
It was the first time to me going in a 3rd class open compartment carriage.
My first experience on the train was really great. It was in the middle of the night and a fellow traveller from the other upper compartment helped me to lift up my bag to the luggage store above my bed.
In the morning when we reached the border I had to fill oit the immigration card, but did not have a pen. After some words in broken Russian another traveller borrowed me his pen.
When the Russian immigration control came my fellow travellers helped me to explain why I am here.
And when I left the train the sleeping car conductor gave me a clap on the shoulder and wished me a nice trip.
