Russia

As you know I loved Siberia, it was the highlight of our adventure for me. The rest of Russia was also a very interesting.

My first time inside a Russian Orthodox Church was in Suzdal and it was breathtaking. The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin was highly decorated with paintings and decked out in gold. The spires and domes gave the village a feel of a deserted fairy tale. We had dinner at a local lady, Eliena's house where she cooked blini (pancakes) and we drank vodka within a glitter wallpapered room while techno was playing.

Standing in Red Square, Moscow with the amazing St Basil's Cathedral behind us was surreal. It was cold which was just as it should be. We saw Lenin's body glowing like a glowworm, wandered through Guum (although it has not retained its Sovietness) and had a guided tour through the Kremlin where we were lucky enough to view the beautiful Faberge eggs.

St Petersburg was pretty (with an icy cold wind) and reminded me very much of the beautiful European cities. The Hermitage was amazing, the collection extensive and hard to fathom. I loved standing in the room of Matisse's paintings.

We watched Russian women running for their bus in stiletto heals on ice, were told to be quiet in Lenin's Mausoleum and were served hot chips for breakfast. Russia was intriguing and bizarre. Moscow is the city I would choose to return to as it had an amazing energy and I would love to explore more.

My most memorable meal

Ad and I love to eat good food and had some amazing meals on our trip. Asparagus in Helsinki, Ravioli in Florence, Mexican in London and Dumplings we made in Mongolia. I may tell you all about them sometime. But my most memorable meal was on the train in Russia.

Wandering into the Kermit the frog green dining cart, we slid into a booth and ordered borsch. We had grown fond of borsch, the hot chunky beeroot and onion soup during our few days on the train had eaten it several times but this time it was a wonderful experience.

As we gazed out the window to the snow fluttered down outside while we drifted past the trees. The borsch was warming and satisfying, perfect for the Wintry weather.

Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal, Siberia was my unexpected favourite of our trip. We visited in April after it had recently snowed, such a treat for an Australian who has rarely seen snow. It was exceptionally cold (around 2°c) so we waddled around all wrapped up.


There was something magical about the vast expanse of frozen lake and the small town that was almost deserted.


The colourful wooden houses with beautifully carved window frames peaked out of the snow and stacks of wood were on standby to heat them.


We played in the snow and walked through the cold to visit The Baikal Museum and had a guided tour from an immaculate Russian woman who used a pointer to direct our attention to specimens in glass jars.


I explored a Russian graveyard where many seafaring folk and locals are buried. The colours were amazing against the stark white snow.


Apparently the area is very animated in Summer but we were so lucky to spend this quiet time in this special place.


This artwork gives some indication of the size of Lake Baikal. I would have love to have seen it happening.