Tag: Russia

Ulan Ude Lenin Statue (Are We in Europe or Asia?)

Based on a tip we got from the internet for the Trans-Mongolian journey, we decided to take a train to Ulan Ude, Russia and then bus to Mongolia rather than take the train.  The train is a 24-hour ride, whereas the bus allows you to get a good night sleep in Ulan Ude and then …

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Irkutsk Lake Baikal (World’s Largest Lake)

Irkutsk Lake Baikal is the “Paris of Siberia” and a great stopover on the Trans Siberian Railway.  The flowers and churches were great. There were lots of old wooden buildings. We went to the local market for fresh fruit. Edna and I had arranged for a car tour to Lake Baikal and Listvanyka town and …

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trans-siberian railway independent travel (Riding the Rails)

The Trans-Siberian is a “bucket list” item for many and it’s possible for trans-siberian railway independent travel. We survived about 2/3 of the Trans-Siberian express from Moscow to Irkutsk.  Our train ride was 80 hours – 4 nights and 3 full days.  We were in the 3rd class or “platzkartney” This means there are 52 berths in …

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A Day in Moscow (Don’t have a Cow)

We took the first of many hours on the Russian trains from St. Petersburg to Moscow.  The trip was only 8 hours overnight and was quite comfortable and then we only had a day in Moscow before making our way further east on the Trans-Siberian Railway. We spend the day doing our own walking tour …

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2 Days in St. Petersburg (Old Sankt Pete)

2 Days in St. Petersburg is just enough time to get a good taste of the city.  Ideally there would be time for more, but on this trip I had many days on the Transsiberain railway on my way to Mongolia and China and only a month to do it. Amazing Architecture Driving into and …

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