Amazon just announced the latest generation of Kindle devices: The new Kindle, the Kindle Touch and the Kindle Fire! As a Kindle geek, I will be ordering these to get a hands on view when they come out, but for now these are looking like some great new devices! Which one suits you, will depend on your reading style and what you want out of the device.
Check out all of the new devices and a preview of them after the break!
After so many days in Russia, stepping off the bus in Ulaanbaatar was entering a whole different world. Siberia still had many of the tell tale signs of being distinctly Russian, but Mongolia was distinctly and unmistakably Mongolian. The only similarities were many of the same communist style buildings (the plans surely given to the then communist Mongolian People's Republic by the USSR), but a city is more about what happens in those buildings and between them, rather than the buildings themselves and here it was clear that we were not in Russia anymore.
Our schedule was tight: We arrived in the evening, I would meet up with my friend's from Sweden who by chance would be in UB at the same time headed the opposite direction, we would depart for the country side to stay with a nomadic family overnight, come back the next day, have the afternoon to sight see and then the next morning, it would be to the Chinggis Khaan International Airport to fly back to Sweden. This was the last stop of our trip. It would also be one of my favorites.
After the break, we will head in the countryside for some stunningly beautiful shots of the Terelj National Park, the equally fascinating Zaisan Memorial in UB, and more...
Our next stop after the wonderful Lake Baikal was Ulan-Ude, which was a transfer stop to Mongolia. We had decided that taking the bus from Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar was a good choice, since it actually takes less time than the train and costs a fraction of the price. Some things in life you never expect to know and for me the price of crossing from Russia to Mongolia ($40 per person) is definitely one of those pieces of information.
To get to Ulan-Ude, we took the #362 night train from Irkutsk. As with all the Russian trains, it arrived and left punctually, but this train wasn't like our other trains. Besides the samovar, which was almost identical to the nicer trains, this one was older and definitely part of a completely different strata of trains in the RZD system. It was visibly older with more wood and less comforts, but one bonus was that the old wooden framed windows could be opened.
After the break, we'll take a look at the largest Lenin head I've ever seen and the trip from Ulan-Ude to Mongolia!
After Tomsk, we headed off to Irkutsk by way of the world famous Rossiya (Train #2). To catch it from Tomsk, we had to take a smaller train to Taiga and then wait there until it showed up at 4am. This wouldn't be all that bad, except for the fact that the train stops for two minutes before moving on.
That's correct: Two minutes is all the time you have to get yourself on the train before they move on with or without you. The train station there also doesn't have the best information, so a big source of stress was figuring out which track we needed to be at when the scheduled time was approaching. Thankfully for us, everything went according to schedule and eventually we figured out which track it was with a little help from the locals.
We had plenty of time to look around.
The #2: The Rossiya pulls in to Taiga at 4am
From here, we had 26 hours to go until our next stop in the city of Irkutsk and our visit to Lake Baikal. After the break, we'll take a look around town, visit the freezing cold water of the world's oldest and deepest lake, and the vintage car collection of Retropark out by the lake.
Deep in Siberia, there is a town which was bypassed by the transsiberian railroad and where the annual average temperature is just one degree Fahrenheit above freezing. From the bluffs above the river Tom, it is plainly clear that from here land stretches out seemingly endlessly and that the feeling of almost impending expansionism of Moscow has been replaced with far less pressing concerns. Tomsk is a city of students, the river, wood lace architecture, and overall life at a far different pace and it shows. Just take a look at the locals...
Dancing. In the park. Just for fun. In a yellow polka dot dress.
After 52 hours on the train, Tomsk was our first taste of Siberia and one that did not disappoint. We were lucky enough to get a ride to our hotel (the Sputnik) from our cabin mate on the train. We added Tomsk to our list of places to visit after my mother spotted a few videos on Youtube, like this one and this one, which featured the city and reading up in our guide book. She fell in love with the trams, the wooden houses, and made it her goal to take the #2 tram and see the houses along with the route. After the break, we will take a look around town and see what's going on, including a very tasteful WWII memorial, the interior of a wonderful cathedral there, and see some of the houses she wanted to see.
In central Tomsk, which is the historic area of the city, wood is the material of choice and especially log houses. This region of Siberia is verdant, rich in forests, and the residents here have a couple of great examples of wood lace architecture. The yellow house above is the peacock house, which is still used as an active residence today. The current residents are not overly fond of tourists gawking at their house either... while eventually friendly, we were greeted with a sharp, "What do you want?" in Russian. Overall in Russia, there is a national phenomenon of an immediate sharpness wherever you go, and not speaking Russian doesn't help anything at all. If you're lucky, you'll meet someone who is curious about you and what you're doing in the middle of Siberia, but usually you can feel them groan as you walk up. It's a much different culture than Seattle, for instance. Most Seattleites are more than happy to point tourists in the right direction, even there is a language barrier.
Of course, while there are some spectacular houses like the one above and the peacock house, there are far more which are in various states of repair. These houses are workhorses, but all of them have at least some detailing around the soffits or window frames. The image below is a good example of a standard house in good repair. Sadly, many of these fine houses suffer from negligence or -even worse, poor foundations and drain pipes. Foundations made from brick are one of the prime culprits we could see for the ruin of many otherwise good houses, and the drain pipes pooling water by the foundation often contribute to the premature demise of the foundations.Once the foundation goes, the houses sit on the ground exposed to water, which then causes rot in the wood. There are plenty of houses we saw while there that had succumbed to this fate.
Regardless of what the houses are like, it's what goes on within the walls that makes a city livable and alive. Being a student town (home to a major university), brings a certain level of youth culture into what would otherwise be a pretty sleepy city. Graffiti, along with a few recurrent artists like the one below, can be seen around town and because it's summer there are plenty of students on leave in all of the city parks.
Some of the younger residents have been up to their own graffiti. While I don't encourage vandalism (like the one above), these types of drawings by kids give an insight into what their world is like: We have the sun, happy faces, a Ferris wheel (which is in the main park of Tomsk), dogs and cats to start off, but we also get a picture into what they hope for the future: Money, cars. Refreshingly, there's also a no-smoking thing drawn by the kids themselves. Smoking is a major problem in Russia today, but maybe the next generation will be able to move beyond being dependent on tobacco and negative impacts that go along with it.
For sight seeing, there are only a couple sights that really, truly stand out. We have the WWII memorial, the view from which we opened this post with, the cathedral, the ancient trams of the city, and a statue in "honor" of Chekhov, who did not hold Tomsk in high regard.
"Anton Pavlovich in Tomsk—drunkard's view, lying in a ditch, who never read Kashtanka". This is the inscription at the base of the statue. The statue and the inscription is in response to his comments on the city, which he described as dull and full of drunks and ugly women. The feet of the statue are enormous, which can be seen here, as if it was created by memory of the drunkard. We had no clue the statue was there (it's not in the guide book), but pictures of it were everywhere. It's located across the street from the one thing he apparently liked in Tomsk: A restaurant.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the WWII memorial which stands at the end of the main street, Lenina, forming one end of the main axis for the city. An eternal flame stands at the foot of a monumental statue surrounded by forest and between the main approach from the city and the view from the bluff (which is the first photo in the post). At the base on either side are the names of soldiers from the region who died in the war and where people still leave flowers today. The exact meaning to the statue I don't know, but we have a soldier and and older woman in a moment of determination. He is grabbing the rifle from her and I can only assume that the lady is his mother, sending him forth the front. At the same time, her expression is of pain suppressed: Implicitly, her son is one of the names in the monument, reminding us of the human cost of war, even while honoring (idolizing?) the fulfillment of duty.
Memorials like this have to walk a very fine line between honoring the fallen (and their families), while avoiding a glorification of war. I found this one to be fairly successful in this regard, but what makes this space successful, in my eyes, is the ability to create a space of reflection within a rather attractive park. The grounds are birch forest and it's on the bluff, which presents an amazing view. It's a well used park with children playing along side people visiting the memorial itself. Paths through the forest allow for some seclusion (including from the city itself), while the view and the bluff creates both a flow of people past the monument and a dramatic reveal where all of Siberia, earth, water, and air, unfolds in front of you as you approach the edge.
Yes, there was a white dove on the war memorial.
The last two sights to share are the trams and some sights along the street and the cathedral. The trams that run throughout the city are a combination of beyond ancient tram cars and more modern stock. In total, they are about 25 cents to ride and run on rails which look to be nearing 100 years without much maintenance done to them.
These trams are found throughout Russia, most likely due to Soviet central planning, but are still in service today. They are tough old beasts and the passengers are just as tough. It's not uncommon to see a babushka who looks like she can barely walk climbing up and down the steep stairs to get on or off these guys. No low floor or kneeling buses here!
Along all of the streets, there are people selling things, including garden fresh produce, berries and cut flowers. Some sellers were obviously doing better than others, but this is a fairly common sight throughout Russia. The changes in the economy over the last 20 years has not been easy to adapt to for many.
Finally, we have the cathedral. We met someone who was teaching English at the cathedral there, and while she was talking with my mother she insisted that we take a look at the freshly renovated cathedral. We had just been to the chapel section of the cathedral (which is open nearly all the time), but the upstairs was off limits. While we didn't want to bother her or anyone else at the cathedral, she was adamant and we were happy to be able to take a look. Traditional orthodox churches have a different quality to them, in part due to the tradition of icons and their particular style. While some churches in the 1800s adopted a then "modern" style of painting (i.e. more western), under a period, in this case the interior had just been completely redone in a classic style. The results were amazing. We both were awestruck by it.
Our time in Suzdal was short, but the next leg of our trip across Russia was the big one: 52 hours on a train from Vladimir to Tomsk. One straight shot on the number 38 and a true test of whether I can handle trains or not.
A bit of background might be necessary here: I am SeattleFlyerGuy. The only other experience I had walking into this was on Amtrak from Seattle to Minneapolis, which was a journey that did not sit well with me. I had motion sickness from the edge of Montana all the way across the midwest. It was so bad that I cancelled my return ticket and bought a one-way flight home when it came time to come back. It was not positive to say the least.
The waiting area of the Vladimir Train Station
The 38 pulls in early in the morning
So what would be in store for this trip? What was the train going to be like? What's the bathroom like (a common question for would be travelers)? All that and pictures from all along the 1,500 miles of the trip is after the break.
I have to admit that food in Russia did not really wow me, so trying to keep in the theme for Russia for the course of the transsiberian arc that I'm currently writing is a little difficult. However, just because I found most of the food to be rather.... meh... doesn't mean that there wasn't an interesting thing to two around. Take for instance, Lay's potato chips...
Yes. Those are crab chips. If this was an Asian brand, it wouldn't surprise me in the least, but this is about as far from what I can imagine Lay's offering in the US as possible. They weren't that bad, really. But there's more!
Yes. Those are shishkebab ("shashlik") flavored potato chips. It's a popular street food, especially as you go into Siberia and a decent cheap eat. However, as chips? They are awful! The taste lingers long, long after you've finished the bag. The first hour or so it's just fine, but when you wake up with that flavor still in your mouth? Regret.
Our next stop after Moscow was a sleepy little town called Suzdal. Suzdal is located a few hours outside of Moscow and once was an important center for trade, administration, and the church. Today, what buildings are left over from that stand in a state of bucolic disrepair or humble use. Life is as simple as the river that wanders through the town.
It's also full of linden trees, which in early summer gives the entire town a subtle fragrance and which my mother discovered that she loved in this town (she would have been happy to stay here for the rest of the trip!). And then there are the chickens.
After the break, we'll take a look around the town with a dozen photos and talk about how to actually get here by bus or train (plus where to actually catch the bus).
Our trip to Moscow was overnight on train #1, The Red Arrow, which departs St. Petersburg with the The Hymn to the Great City playing throughout the tracks. The car is comfortable and among the best we were on for the entire trip, but also the shortest journey. It leaves St. Petersburg minutes before midnight and arrives at 8:00 the next morning.
Moscow was the center of the Soviet empire, which at one time seemed like an unstoppable juggernaut. The legacy of the soviet system and communism still is very much present in the city, which is truly a monumental city. You do not need to look far to see a relic of the former system. Whether it's a building like the one above or the omnipresent motif of wheat and the red star (along with the hammer and sickle), these are still very commonly seen in the city.
Even if the symbols remain, Moscow today is awash in money and power. It's highly ironic that directly across the street from Lenin's mausoleum is GUM, where the Russian rich come to spend unbelievable amounts of money. We are talking clothes for children for thousands of dollars, De Beers, Cartier, Breguet, and a grocery store with every luxury capitalism can produce from every corner of the world. The amount of money circulating in just GUM alone is on a level I've never witnessed before.
Of course, not all of Moscow is like that. After the break, we'll visit the amazing Monument to the Conquerors of Space, which was truly one of the highlights of our to Moscow (and far from the beaten path). If you visit Moscow, this is definitely something to put on the list of things to see!
What could be better than food prepared by the nuns and monks of an orthodox church? I've already mentioned that the churches in Russia are quite amazing, but if you keep an eye out you can find little cafes attached to the churches and monasteries that sell some of the freshest homemade food you can get. Near Red Square,there's the zaikonospassky monastery where you can buy little piroshkis and little sweets just outside the main building, but the one that took the cake for me was the little cafe right by the Church of Saint George. Here's the simple treats....
St. Petersburg, a city built on the order of Peter the Great by an army of conscripted peasants in a place no city was meant to be, is an amazing city today. It was meant as a monument to the power of Russia and as proof of a level of sophistication and elegance in Russia that rivaled any of the European countries. Founded in 1703, soon became the capital of Russia and the home of the nobility and aristocracy of the Tsars. This is were Peter Fabergé crafted his famous eggs for the Tsar. This is where Rasputin would become a legend and killed. This is where the wealth of a nation and the suffering of a nation would meet in revolution in 1917 and Lenin would rise to power.
It was also the first stop on our trip across Russia. After flying in here, we would head to Mongolia, by train, with stops in Moscow, Suzdal, Tomsk, Irkutsk, and Ulan-Ude, before finally getting on an Aeroflot flight back to Stockholm. Over the next few weeks, I'll be covering those here on the blog, so follow me!
This is actually the first of a story arch. Between June 22nd and July 9th, I traveled across Russia along the Trans-Siberian Railroad, eventually ending in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Oh, and fellow traveler on this journey was my mother.
Yes. My mother. It was actually her idea, even if I suggested that we actually do it. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, I've heard about Siberia and the untold riches and fortunes that will be made there. Anyone who asks why gets about the same story: Untapped resources, a changing climate that will open up shipping routes along the north of Russia, and the ensuing trade. She decided to visit me in Sweden this June, so I asked if she wanted to go to Siberia. A lot of planning later and soon we found ourselves backpacks and all headed to Arlanda, both thinking, "Wait... In two hours we'll be in Russia?!".
Additionally, I was thinking, "SeattleFlyerGuy is SeattleFlyerGuy. I'm going to spend nearly a week on a train?! What was I thinking!?" (Fortunately, it all went better than expected, but more on that later).
The trip, as I said, starts at Arlanda, just as most of them do with a final look at Sweden. June 22nd is the height of summer, and I always seem to manage to leave Sweden right when the festivities start up. These pictures taken from our SAS 737 show the islands of the archipelago just outside of Stockholm. A few months ago, they would have been griped in ice, but now they're home to supremely comfortable camping sites and endless nooks and crannies for harboring boats. About 1 in 7 Swedes own a boat. It's about as Swedish as wild strawberries, cardamon, and Pantone 301C along side 116C (in other words, this).
What's it like when we land? Find out after the break.
While in Russia, I had to take the opportunity to stop by the McDonald's located a block from Red Square and about 500 feet from their Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It's slightly ironic that this McDonald's is within sight of where the line for Lenin's Mausoleum forms.
Want to see the menu of Макдональдс and the local Russian menu adapation, the Beef ala Rus? All that is after the break.
After two years in Sweden, I just moved back to Seattle and the USA. While living in Sweden has been fantastic and a welcome experience, it's time to come back but for a brief moment I was without a home and in transit to somewhere else, just like millions of other people who are moving across the globe at any given time.
Of course, my story is much happier than many of the people who are part of this migration. All too often an immigrant story begins with the need to flee some form of oppression. Those who are lucky enough to not start their journey because of violence or oppression, do so to find a better life. They leave their world -family, friends, and a cultural context their familiar with- on the chance that somewhere they can build something better. This side of the great human migration is often lost in the context of current debates on immigration politics. In the end, people and their hopes are surprisingly the same even if norms and traditions differ.
In my case, my migration was two legs and relatively painless. From Stockholm to Newark and then onward to Seattle. After the break, what a Kosher meal looks like on Continental (United) along with a meal in domestic first class, and a few more shots along the way...
and the Kindle Fire! As a Kindle geek, I will be ordering these to get a hands on view when they come out, but for now these are looking like some great new devices! Which one suits you, will depend on your reading style and what you want out of the device.
