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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Sep 17, 2016 06:00 PM The voyage to the North is completed!
Yes, the flights of Rossiya airline were on time. In Kaliningrad I caught the airport- to - city bus to be at the station just 25 minutes before international bus departure to Poland...
Border crossing post was almost empty and the officers lazy...
Warm, sunny day - I am back in the summer!
I enjoyed beautiful sunset when we were approaching Gdansk.
One more great voyage out of the beaten track is completed.
Hard to prepare because the distance and Russian bureaucracy but very rewarding. It is time to say thank to many many known and unknown people I met on this trail: all my hosts and companions from the crowded cabins of the river ships and train compartnents. This was a chance to listen many interesting stories and to share my knowledge about the world with the friendly Russians. Today they celebrate elections. Let's youcr choice will bring you the improvment in your hard life, dear friends! Until the next time!
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Sep 16, 2016 06:00 PM Goodbye Mr Lenin!
The main square in Arkhangelsk is still called Lenin Square and the huge monument of the hero still stands in the middle. I asked locals what do they think now about Lenin. It seems that society is divided. Some of them still adore him...
It was 7.30 in the morning and only 8 deg. Celsius when I said goodbye to my Russian friends. Thank you so much for your hospitality! They offered me to take a taxi to the airport - it costs 300-400 roubles. But as you know I am the budget traveller. So the best solution is to take city bus to the center (21 rou) an then bus no 12 going to Talagi Airport. 42 rou instead 400 - good deal! Just go well in advance because no.12 is not so frequent! Talagi is not busy airport. Staff is very nice, speaks basic English and there is free and non- registered wi-fi. The St Petersburg flight should be on time. In St Peter I will catch Kaliningrad flight (60 min for connection) and if in Kaliningrad I will be able to catch the bus from the station to Poland I should be at home in the evening :) - ready for the next voyage... If, if... Let's hope. Goodbye Mr. Lenin!
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Sep 15, 2016 06:00 PM Malyje Kariely - open air museum
It is located 25 km south of Arkhangelsk along the North Dvina river. City bus no.104 will take you there for 54 roubles each way. Once on the last stop you will see the gate on the left sude of the road. It is worth to pay 200 rou entry fee to spend there 2 to 3 hours enjoying the samples of countryside wooden architecture taken here from whole Russian North. There are windmills, orthodox churches and chapels, granaries and of course different types of houses. Ladies in the national costumes are ready to explain the details, but you have to understand Russian. Specially nice is the Tserkov Voznesenya church with great iconostasis. You can take there pictures and video recording for free...
In the afternoon I returned to Arkhangelsk to enjoy the walk in the sun on the promenade near Sea-River passenger terminal. The soviet-time glory of this place is over, but you ca still see there an ols steamer "Gogol" from 1911 and few powerful icebreakers. And just near this place they build huge Arkhangel Michael temple - soon it will be the symbol of Arkhangelsk - the city who has the ambition to be the capital of the Russian North
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Sep 14, 2016 06:00 PM Gala - the best conductor...
During the day, the night and the morning we passed 60 stations... Gala and me. She is the best conductor I met on Russian railways: helpful, informative, clean, kind and... she smiles! I was really sad to say her bye-bye in Arkhangelsk station.
The city - famous as a destination of convoys during WW2 lies on huge North Dvina river some 45 kms from the White Sea. 350 000 people live here. The nicest buildings are located on the river promenade or very close to the rivefront. They build at the moment many modern buildings in this area including a new, huge orthodox temple. In 2 years or so this quarter will look like a modern metropolis made of concrete and glass. They have already MacDonald, Subway and other western brands. But out of the central ring you will see quite different landscape - 2 storey old, grey timber houses surrounded by weeds and sorry - the garbage too. Are the locals so poor that they cannot buy a paint and made their environment nicer? It is probably because the houses are property of the state... People are nice and helpful. It is easy to travel around using the cheap city buses (21 rou for ride). In every bus you will find conductor, so no need to buy tickets in advance. They will tell you where to get off...
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Sep 13, 2016 06:00 PM Where Russian Santa lives...
Russians (especially the kids) believe that Father Frost lives in Veliky Ustyug. Unfortunately his house is far out of the town so I was not able to check that. But in the center of old Ustyug there is a post office of Father Frost so you can sent colorful postcards and buy souvenirs.
On the riverfront in the old merchant mansion there is an interesting historical museum (I paid 70 rou for entry, but if you want to use video camera you pay 200 more). The churches of Ustyug are great, but you can see them only outside.
Staying with Sletlana and Denis - lovely Russian hosts and enjoying this historic, but very compact town I am getting ready for my next train trip - to Arkhangelsk!
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Sep 12, 2016 06:00 PM The churches of Veliky Ustyug
From Kotlas Station there is around 75 kms to the historic town of Veliky Ustyug. I wanted to see it -few foreigners go there. Buses are rare so I took the share taxi - they charged 300 rou per person.
Veliky Usyug was important commercial center since 12th century. Located at the junction of the big rivers was gowing fast. The best time was 17th century when rich marchands built in tne town 4 monasteries and as much as 27 orthodox churches. Most of them you can see now, but (I did not know about that) only one is working (open for believers). In the other ones the communists located different public institutions or they are just closed. But they are not in thd ruin so you can still enjoy the beauty of the old Russian architecture.
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Sep 11, 2016 06:00 PM 1200 km south - in the Russian train
Sergiey and Katya took me to Vorkuta railway station. Ride on the city bus cost here only 16 roubles! My train was already there but there was enough time to take a souvenir pictures in front of the old locomotion staing next to the platform. Then my passport was checked at the entry to the car and it was time to say goodbye to my new friends in Vorkuta. Since I had overnight journey ahead I decided to buy 2nd class -"kupeyny" berth. In thic class the compartments are closed so it is safer and you have more privacy.
Till the evening I saw through the window (dirty and not possible to open) well known, but still attractive views of tundra and big rivers of Russian Far North. The distance to destination - station Kotlas Yuzhny was almost 1200 km...
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Sep 10, 2016 06:00 PM Workuta - Komi Republic
I am still north of the Polar Circle - in Vorkuta. Lucky me! they say that usually they have first snow here around September 10th, but not this year!... Vorkuta is the capital of Komi Republic.
Nothing was here till 1924, when Russian geologist Chernov found here - underground - high quality coal.
Ten years later first mine was already working here. Communist Soviet Union sent here prisoners and deported people, also from my country - Poland to work in very harsh conditions. Today I saw a big, white cross in the abandoned miners settlement Rudnik put there to memorize those, who never returned home from Vorkuta.
250 000 people lived here in the 90-ties. Now - only around 60 000. City still have strong communist flavor with the central Lenin street. Lenin still stands on the monument - "still alive". The only sign of changes is nice orthodox church built 3 years ago in the new quarter.
My host Sergey took me also to the 67 parallel monument close to the airport an the ornate station. We found also Red October Reindeer Sovhoz, but no animals there -they are far away in the tundra. Instead they offered reindeer meat. One kilo of smoked, dark meat costs 20 USD, - lets try the delicacy!
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Sep 09, 2016 06:00 PM In the 4th class through the Russian Arctic
Today I travel from Salekhard to Vorkuta. It is one of the few public rail connections built above the Polar Circle, completed in 1958. But the begining of the line is in Labytnangi - on the other side of the huge Ob river. Going from Salekhard you have to take marshrutka (microbus) no 6 going to the ferry (pereprava). It costs 50 rou for 25 min drive. Then you have to take car ferry - free for walkers - nightmare if raining - no shelter on the ferry! Once on the other side you have to take another marshrutka to the railway station -50 rou, 15 min.
OnRussian railways you have like 4 classes of service. The lowest - OBSHCHIY is just hard seat in the huge car. Today I spent 10 hours in such a car. Only 2 trains per day cross the Polar Ural mountains by this single-track route. Only few tiny stations on the way - in the middle of nowhere... Let you know that this is very picturesque journey. At 4 pm Moscow time we reached tiny Poliarny Ural station where Asia meets Europe. I had excellent weather so the views of the autumn tundra and mountains were great. I reached Vorkuta already in the dark. But what a day!
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Sep 08, 2016 06:00 PM Get off the ship! Quickly!
It was 5.30 am when the crew was knocking the door. Get off the ship! We are in Salekhard! Fortunately I know Russian enough to ask if the ship is sinking. No mercy. Go out! It was raining when I disembarked as the last passenger. They immediately took the ship to the "shipyard". No wonder - this is the only one who can sail north...
In the elegant building of the river terminal I was shaving myself and then cooking my morning coffee (take your heater with you!). Then I took the short, but wet walk to the "9 sov" mini hotel. Bad luck! - since yesterday they are out of running water and electric power... In the center of Salekhard you will find tourist information office. Rare institution in Russia! I got a city map and suggestion to call NORD guest house - also close to the river terminal. OK. They charge 1100 roufor the bed in gge twin room with shared bath. Guest kitchen is upstairs. Good choice! I visited an interesting museum near the covered market (50 rou entry fee) Then it was the time to buy the ticket for my train to Vorkuta departing tomorrow from Labytnangi - on the other side of Ob. They sent me to the travel agency since there is no railway ticket office in Salekhard. And in the agency i paid 460 rou for the 4th class ticket and.... 350 rou commission fee. The lady in the tourist info office did not want to help me to use their computer to book the ticket using my credit card. They want to make the profit. Just let you know... Do it by yourself!
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