Trans Siberian Express - Yekaterinburg to Moscow

Free lunch

The final leg of our journey on the Trans Siberian Express lasted almost exactly 1 day and was much more comfortable than our previous trains. The restaurant car could be described as plush, the cabin attendants wore smarter uniforms, we received proper mattresses and an in cabin charging point, and the toilets were much more pleasant to use.

Perhaps, as we were nearing the Russia – Ukraine border, people were much more suspicious of foreign travelers. Many of my fellow passengers stared at my SLR camera with suspicion and as I left the restaurant car, a Russian by the name of Ruslan, enquired whether or not I was taking photos along the way. When I confirmed that was correct, he shook his head in disapproval.

Wooden shacks

Not long after leaving Yekaterinburg, we crossed into Europe from Asia. The gateway to Europe is the Ural mountain range. In my mind, the Urals were mighty mountains possessing challenging peaks. In reality, this mid-point between two continents was barely noticeable and was made up of small rolling hills. It was a mild disappointment to have missed the obelisk which represents the boundary between the two continents.

Blog writing

On the final night, there were no whisky swilling Russians to interrupt my sleep. I felt some foreboding as we approached Moscow, apprehensive of what I thought would be a dangerous city full of pick pockets.

Scenery

Yekaterinburg

City Hall Spire

The further west we travelled, the more prosperous things appeared. Yekaterinburg looked a fast modernizing city with world famous companies residing in swanky new business centres. People demonstrated their individual wealth by driving around in big engined BMWs, Range Rovers, and Porsche Cayennes.

There were only two things I had planned on accomplishing during the short stay in this city. The first was to visit the Church on the Blood, the site where the Russian royal family, the Romanovs, were massacred in 1918. The second was to observe a more recent part of the history of the city – the graves of Mafiosi who were gunned down during the 1990s as the two mafia groups, the Uralmash and the Centralniy, wrestled for control of the city.

The Church on the Blood, despite being less than two decades old, was well worth it. With its numerous golden cupolas and intricate artwork and gilding, it was clear a lot of investment went into its construction. No photos were allowed inside.

Trams

Almost 100 years ago the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas, the Tsarina, his children, and 3 servants were executed in the basement of a palatial home belonging to a wealthy Yekaterinburg resident. Perhaps to prevent the home becoming a catalyst of unrest in the then USSR, a local politician, Boris Yeltsin, demolished the house in the 1990s. It was a special moment to have visited a place with such great historical significance.

Church on the Blood

The Soviet name for Yekaterinburg was Sverdlovsk, named after the man who reputedly ordered the execution of the Romanovs. 

City Hall

After a steak lunch, it was off to a cemetery in the west of the city to see the graves of members of the Centralniy mafia group. In the years after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, two gangs fought each other for the influence and assets once possessed by the former Communist government.

Gangster Kingpin

Most of the graves were for young men in their 20s. Intriguingly, there was also a grave for a woman in her 30s – I have no idea who she is or what happened to her. I speculate she was somehow acquainted with the mafia gang and was in the wrong place when a shooting occurred.

Mystery woman

Trans Siberian Express - Irkutsk to Yekaterinburg

The middle leg of our Trans Siberian tour could perhaps be described as slightly more salubrious than the last. The cabin appeared a bit newer, and the restaurant car was comfortable with a goodish standard of food. Taking photos from a moving train with grimy windows still presented problems. The major difference between the previous leg of our journey was sharing our 4 berth cabin with two Russian men, Grigor and (another) Andriy.

We broke the ice and things went well for the majority of the trip. Grigor appeared slightly gruff and disinterested, but became more animated when he showed us photos of the Sochi Winter Olympics and some of Moscow. When he showed me a statue of Marshal Zukhov, he clearly approved when I demonstrated my limited knowledge of the role this man played in the successful defense of Stalingrad and Moscow during WWII. The Russians appear extremely proud of their country and seem willing to assert this pride, if the need arises. Neighbours of Russia beware!

Somewhat prematurely, gruff Grigor alighted the train before Yekaterinburg. This left Joep and I with Andriy, a seemingly harmless individual. Things started to go wrong when we were joined from another cabin by Maxim, who claimed to be a pancreatic surgeon. Maxim was not the problem – it was his 16-year-old bottle of Laphroaig that started to cause Andriy to unravel.

The combat fatigue wearing Andriy (from a place called Kherson, just to the north of the Crimean Peninsula), became more and more of a problem as he drank. After a few patriotic songs, Maxim, realizing his role in the unfolding debacle, bought the penniless Andriy a tacky pocket watch from the carriage attendant and promptly disappeared. Joep and I were left to suffer constant incomprehensible Russian and unwanted close personal attention. I felt that had we have travelled any further with Andriy, more serious problems may have occurred.

Joep and I neglected to wake Andriy up when we alighted at Yekaterinburg.

Irkutsk

Irkutsk Coat of Arms

Despite, being in deepest Siberia, Irkutsk was a surprising wealthy and happening place. In the centre, there were a good deal of trendy bars and cafes with fashionably dressed clientele.

During my limited time in Russia, there is a decidedly anti-Obama feel to the place. I overheard his name mentioned as people discussed current affairs, but it was also mentioned by the people I met, wishing to reassure themselves that Russia was taking the right path with the Ukraine situation.

After the Russian tricolor, the Union Jack was by far and away the most common flag on display. I saw it on t-shirts, bags, and in shop windows.

The Eastern regions of Russia displayed quite a cross section of ethnicities, and for the men, quite a cross section of attractive women. Most people seemed relaxed and were probably reveling in the last chance to enjoy outside dining before winter sets in. There was certainly an icy blast on occasions.

 

Lenin

From what I have read, a lot of the industry in Irkutsk and other cities east of Moscow, originates from WWII when the Soviets moved critical manufacturing out of the reach of the Nazi war machine. This legacy remains today, with aircraft production amongst the industries which offer employment.

 

Hustle and bustle

Irkutsk is not the frontier ‘wild west’ town I expected it to be. 

Irkutsk train station

Lake Baikal

Irkutsk / Lake Baikal

A place I have often dreamt of visiting since I was a teenager, but one I never believed I would actually see.

If you research stats about Lake Baikal, you will come across superlatives like biggest, oldest, deepest, purest, clearest etc. It certainly was impressive, but I especially enjoyed seeing that the shores of the lake are still almost completely unblemished. You could easily spend two weeks exploring Lake Baikal and still only see a small part of it. I dreamt of returning one summer to spend a few days hiking and camping around the shores.

Lake Baikal from the shore

Our schedule only allowed Joep and I a short visit to a village called Listvyanka, on the shores on Lake Baikal. The peak tourist season had passed and the temperatures were dropping fast towards their mid-winter lows of -45C.

A great memory!

Almost as soon as we jumped off the bus, I walked down to the shore to touch the water and have a taste - fresh water. The water was perfectly clear, allowing me to see quite far into the depths. If I had a bucket list, Baikal would have been ticked off at that moment.

Boat on Lake Baikal

We took a 1 hour boat trip which gave us a valuable perspective of the shore. The wind was cold, although just bearable. A group of Chinese tourist clicked away with their multiple cameras, some couples enjoyed the moment with each other, whereas I moved around the boat looking for the best vantage points.

Boat trip

As I said, Lake Baikal deserves more than a mere 3 hour visit to do it justice. On the bus journey back to Irkutsk, I found myself wondering how much a flight ticket from Europe would cost.

That evening, Joep and I ventured into central Irkutsk for some food. We chose a restaurant that specialised in good old fashioned Soviet / USSR food. The restaurant staff were even dressed in Soviet era uniforms. Quite a wonderful day!