That's Tallinn, With Two L's and Two N's

Estonia was not a place that appeared on Nonie and my radar for places to visit. I found it when I was investigating various options to depart Russia. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia is becoming the hot new place where tourists from all over the EU flock for some history and cheap, well at least cheaper than the rest of Europe prices. Estonia is a small country with a little more than 3,000,000 people, a third of who live in Tallinn.

Tallinn is compact little city with a stunning well maintained, 400+ year "Old Town" that still has many sections of the original wall that once circled the town providing protection from the invading Swedes. Yeah, Sweden actually invaded countries back a few hundred years. Now they leave the job of invading countries up to IKEA. I actually found the "Old Town" a little too perfect. They keep all the buildings in pristine condition and there is no seedy under belly left. I am sure that it was not this well kept 400 years ago. Did I mention there were too many tourists and too many options for dining. Nonie and I have difficulty making up our minds where and what to eat when there are too many choices. When this happens, we usually opt for fast food at a McDonalds or similar. Sad but true.

We spent most of our time in Tallinn wandering back and forth to "Old Town from lovely room at our hotel and casino. The hotel had a wonderful, free breakfast buffet and gave us some free loot to blow in the casino. We did take a short trip on the trolley cars. I was not sure how to purchase a ticket so we just sat down and looked for a free ride. Two stops later, the trolley police got on and we were busted. Thankfully, I played the "stupid tourist" card and they let us go with stern warning in Estonian as well as a demonstration on how to pay for our tickets. We did meet a lovely Estonia student who worked as a guide during the summer. She filled us in on all the great places to go and what places to avoid.

We leave by ferry for Stockholm and our final few days in Europe.

A Tale of Four Cities`

St. Petersburg is a city with a split personality. It is an old city with areas that reminded us of Prague minus the graffiti, a city crisscrossed with canals much like Venice without the gondolas, the Peterhof, a palace with magnificent gardens that rival Versailles and Peter Paul Fortress, a castle that compares with Karlstejn. The fortress, a monolithic structure that has protected St. Pete for for over four hundred years. The City is clean and full of tourists. So much to see and so little time.

An overnight train from Moscow saw us arrive early in the morning. A short walk brought us to our hotel. It was really a cross between a motel and and hostel. A mostel! Thankfully an early check in was not a problem, so into single camp cot like beds for a quick nap. We did not have to share our compartment on this our last train ride but sleep is still illusive on a rocking and rolling train, along with the early arrival, made a nap a priority.

The rest of the day was spent walking, walking, more walking with a little planning for our attack the next day on all the touristy spots we could fit in. Getting from point A to B in St. Pete was a challenge due to all the canals. We were always looking for a bridge. Feeling frisky, we decided to jump on the subway for a quick afternoon visit to Peter Paul Fortress as there was as subway stop right at the fortress and only one stop away from our location. We got off at the next stop to find our selves in the middle of busy commercial area. No sign of a fortress anywhere. Some struggle with that pesky Cyrillic alphabet and we realized we had over shot our destination. Nonie and I were both sure that we did not miss a stop but what the hey, back on the subway. Paying a little more attention on this return trip, we discovered that there is a stop there but is still under construction so we slowed down but did not stop. All the subway route maps show the Peter Paul stop, but nowhere do they mention that is closed. Oh well, we got to sit down for a few minutes.

Up early, we headed out to catch a hydro-foil to Peterhof. The weather was spotty and windy. We ran into one of the couples we met during our Trans-Siberian. They had taken the trip the day before. They had to take a bus back from Peterhof as the hydro-foil is very weather sensitive. A long trip. Armed with this information, we decide to pass on Peterhof and walk over to the Peter Paul Fortress then spend the afternoon in the Hermitage. The fortress was awesome and worth the second effort. A few hours turned into several, so we did not get back to the Hermitage till late in the afternoon.

The Hermitage is the repository of every piece of art that Russia has managed to amass over the last 400 years. It is so big, that if you were walk through every gallery, you would travel over 24 kilometres which was exactly how long the line of people was who were waiting to get in. After much agonizing, GASP we decided to be "drive by tourists". Get the picture and move on. It was Miller Time anyway and I needed one of those Russian beers. The Russians have perfected the art of making fine vodka but are still working on a good beer. Perhaps some Miller Litesky

We exit Russia tomorrow for Estonia and the beautiful medieval town of Tallaan. One more Russian border crossing to go!

The Moscow Girls Make Me Sing and Shout

Having grown up during the cold war, my visions of the Kremlin were coloured by the times and the emotions that were evoked during that period. The threat of mutual nuclear destruction left me with the image of a cold and dangerous place where the evil Mother Russians planned their nefarious deeds and plotted the take over of the free world. Nothing could be further from the truth now. It is far from a cold and dangerous but a treed oasis of stunning architecture with many of the buildings having once been churches. Our visit there was the highlight of our stay in Moscow. By the way, Red Square is not actually red but black. It was named the Red Square long before the Communists ruled there.



St. Basil's Cathedral is located in the square. If Disney were designing a cathedral, they would have used St. Basil's as their model. St. Basil's is a psychedelic array of swirling colors and redbrick onion domes. Nine domes top the cathedral. It was built to celebrate Ivan the Terrible's victory over the Mongols in 1522. It was named after the "holy fool". "Basil the Blessed" was a beggar who if you believe the images, ran around naked begging for money which he donated to the church and the poor.

We found Moscow very clean and cosmopolitan filled with beautiful women having the longest legs in the world. When God was handing out legs, the Moscow girls double dipped. When he was handing out customer service, most Muscovite's were playing hooky. Everyone seemed to walk around in perpetual scowls. Not the Harbin scowl where if you offered a quick smile you immediately received one back. Tried my most beatific smile on many only to receive back looks of "I wonder what he is smoking". Even the panhandlers scowled. Having said all this, we did meet a number of friendly people along the way, although not involved with the service industry.

We spent most of our time exploring the city from the street. Lots of "lost time" The Cyrillic letters were at times difficult to read but we found if you looked at the letters quickly then looked away, then looked again, you could get a sense of what the sign said. Didn't work every time, hence the "lost time". Looking forward to getting back to a country with a real alphabet.

We leave for St. Petersberg by bus. Looking forward to the border crossing.

The Siberian Express

We did not actually ride the Siberian Express because it is only a rumor. The trip is actually several different trains that eventually brings you to Vladivostok the terminus for the Siberian Express. We started our trip from Beijing on the Mongolian Express which terminates in Irkutsk where we became part of the Siberian railway route. The trip from Irkutsk to Moscow involved three and one half days. We crossed the line that marks the border of Asia and Europe along the way. If you do the entire Siberian route, it will take over 7 days and cover almost 9,000 kilometres. Our trip from Beijing cover over 7,000 kilometres, 5 nights and 6 days on the train.

We were joined in our four bed compartment by two Australian brothers about our age. They were at the beginning of what would be a four month trip through China, Mongolia, Russian and most of Europe. They were on their way to Berlin where a friend had purchased a camper van for them. They kept the trip interesting with their banter and continuous nattering at each other. We first met them at Galena's as they were staying there as well. We were also joined by the Taylor family whom we had spent some time with in Mongolia. They and their son Rory were going as far as Yekaterinburg.

Travel by train through Siberia is hard work and all done from a sitting position. Sleeping, eating, reading and playing, all while enjoying the changing landscape. Every once in a while, jumping off at a station to stretch and purchase various food stuffs to eat along the way. Eating in the dining car was always an experience. The staff were the most disinterested lot you could find anywhere. Taking your order was like having gall stones, painful, seemed to take for ever and totally unsatisfying when it was over. All that and you had to pay for it. It was so bad, it was actually funny. The bad service of the Siberian Express is a well documented phenomena and I now have the pictures which I will post at a later date.

The trip was a dream of mine for many years, not sure about Nonie. One more check in the box. Next stop, Mother Russian and the Kremlin. Pictures to follow.

To Russia With Love

Thankfully we met Irena and several other friendly and personable Russians over the last year because based on our travels through Russia, we would be led to believe that the Russians are not a particularly friendly people. It started with our 11 hour wait to get across the Mongolian and Russian borders. In 11 hours we managed to travel about 3 kilometres. I was told we had a speedy crossing. Hmmm! No strip or body cavity searches to break up the boredom.

We arrived in Irkutsk around 8:00 and were whisked away to Lake Baikal where we were spending a one night home stay with a local Russian family. Our room was tiny but the beds were soft and verrrrry comfortable. No door on our room, just a curtain and the toilet was outside. It was not as bad as it sounds. Our stay included all our meals and Galena did not disappoint. She was our Russian home stay host. She took it personal if we did not finish all the food that was put in front of us. Not a problem as it was all very tasty, made from many local ingredients. One especially tasty dish was the omul fish which is found only in Lake Baikal and is recommended that it be eaten with several glasses of vodka to avoid stomach problems. The hangover is optional.

Lake Baikal, Siberia is the deepest fresh water lake in the world. The lake could provide the drinking water for the entire world for at least forty years. It is so clear, you can see down over a 150 feet although it is over one mile deep in some spots. Did I mention it is also very cold, a balmy 8 degrees the day we arrived. It is said that if you swim in Lake Baikal you will increase your longevity by 25 years. Sounded good to me. Did I mention it was 8 degrees. I started my swim by a slow stepping immersion process. I had reached my calves when I started to have second thoughts about the need for an extra 25 years. I thought about it too long however as I lost the feeling in my feet and collapsed into the lake. I thrashed about for a few hours (perhaps only seconds) and struggled quickly out. My skin burned for several minutes after. The sensation was not unlike the feeling you get from frost bite. The boys disappeared and were not seen for some time. Luckily having children is not high in my priorities at this moment in my life.

The next day we were up early to catch a ferry across the lake and a train ride along the edge of the lake and back to Irkutsk where we overnighted in a hotel. The train ride was a slow but scenic trip. We stopped and visited several villages as well as a small protected bay where people picnicked and swam in the warmer (9 degrees) water of Lake Baikal. All in all, a nice way to spend a relaxing day. Did I mention that we had a cute personal guide that shepherded us for the entire trip. Got her to smile once or twice.


Irutsk is a modern looking city with lots of cafes and pubs to keep it interesting. We did not leave till the afternoon so we had several hours to explore the city. Tourism is just starting to evolve here with most staff having graduated with honours from the French school of tourism which believes the no matter who you are, you should be treated poorly and ignored as much as possible. Not a smile to be found anywhere. The three and one half day train ride to Moscow was starting to look good.

Smackdown in Mongolia

We left Sainschand on an overnight train to Ulaan Bataar. Luck was with us (me) as we shared our compartment with a cute Irish lass named Moreag. The trip was an over nighter and had us arriving at about 7:00 am the next morning. Moreag and Nonie took the top bunks and I the bottom as in all likelihood it would be me making the 3:00 am walk to the bathroom. About 4:00 am I awoke to this gentle moaning coming from the top bunks. Not a snore but more a soft low mooooaaaann. Knowing Nonie's snore, I realized quickly it was Moreag. I fell back to sleep secure in the knowledge that she was probably dreaming of me in the bottom bunk.

We arrived into Ulaan Bataar on the first day of the Nadaam Festival. The festival is celebrated all over Mongolia but the mother of all parties is in Ulaan Bataar, the capital of Mongolia. We were swept off the train and dropped off at a slightly run down stadium. The place was hopping with huge sumo-esque types wearing bathrobes, which we quickly deduced were wrestlers. Wrestling is huge in Mongolia and is a big part of the Nadaam Festival. It is not WWF wrestling. There is no ring, no masks or makeup. The match involves grappling with each other out in the middle of the stadium field till one of them manages to force the other's knee or shoulder to the ground. There are no weight classes so the small guys fight the big guys until there is just one man standing. The wrestling will go on for all three days of the festival.

From the stadium we were rushed out to the other big event of the Nadaam, horse racing. Not the typical North American horse race but a real horse race with the distance any where from 12 to 20 kilometres depending on the age of the horses. The race we were to watch involved horses who were at least 7 years old. The horses are ridden by young male jockeys, some not more than seven years old over a distance of 12 kilometres. You cannot watch the whole race only the finish but you can see them coming from a long ways off. The horses are ridden hard out for the whole race. Just where we were located we watched three horses collapse and die. We heard several more had collapsed and did not get up at the finish line as well. Not a great end to our day.

Our second ger (pronounced gar) camp was a step up from our first one with eight operating showers and hot water. We were still pumped up from the wrestling and perhaps a bottle (or two) of wine and next thing I know I was throwing it down with Aaron and some poor Singaporean honeymooner for the wrestling championship of the ger (pronounced gar) camp. But as you know what happens in Mongolia stays in Mongolia.

Next stop, Russia.

Giddeeyup!

Riding a camel is a bit like ridding a bike. A bike that has had the seat removed. Imagine sitting on a triangle, the pointy end. Then shake the triangle from side to side while moving it up in down in a jerky motion. You have just described a camel ride. Thankfully it only lasted a few minutes or I would never be able to have children. Thus started our second day on the Gobi Desert. I should mention that I just milked the camel so she may have been a bit cranky.

Fermented camels milk, or as it is affectionately known "white beer". We were served a mug while visiting the ger (pronounced gar) camp of a family of camel breeders. They wanted to get us drunk before we met the camels we were to ride. I realize now why. Nonie wins the prize for drinking all hers while I made it till the chunky parts. Will it catch on in North America? I don't think Molsons has anything to worry about.

Then it was off to the Black Mountain for a quick climb. You can see the Mountain from miles away as it is the highest point in the otherwise flat terrain. Climbed to the top for a great view. But men only. Women are not allowed to climb to the top. Some religious rule. A rule probably started by a Mongolian wife who did not feel the need to follow her husband up the hill on a hot Mongolian summer day. The upside, is if you get to the top, you can make a wish for yourself. I still waiting for mine to happen. If anyone hears that Shania is touring in Estonia in the next week, please let me know.

We did manage to fit in a quick visit to a site where they had discovered some dinosaur bones. Rory the five year old, son of our fellow travelers, the Taylor's, Aaron and Shelly, had been promised that we would be looking for dinosaur bones. Well if it is one thing the Gobi has, is lots of bones laying around. Despite its bucolic look it can be a tough place to live. To a young five year old, they were all dinosaur bones. He filled his backpack a couple of times over the two days. Mom and Dad had bought a real prehistoric tooth in Taiwan which was artfully seeded for him to find. He was ecstatic, thankfully as he was not taking all those other bones home. I can just see the look on the face of the customs guy who looked into that suitcase if he had taken them all.

Back to the ger (pronounced gar) camp for lunch, a nap and then on to the train station for an overnight to Ulaan Baatar where we are to enjoy a day at the Nadaam Festival then on to another ger (pronounced gar) camp which I am told is nicer than the first one.