Our Sunday morning walk on Itasca County Forest History Center trails. I realize that there are a whole lot of Green Minnesota photos over my blogging history. How can that not be good?
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Memorial Day Weekend. Robert, Marsha and I visited the graves of mothers, fathers, grandparents, cousins, family friends and neighbors. A perfect Minnesota day. Pre-mosquito, light-green spring leaves, high 70s, gentle breeze, small towns, families camping, Buddy the dog in the backseat…eating vinegar and sea salt potato chips and driving the country roads. We meet various members of Marsha’s extended family at the small country cemeteries. Bright bouquets of silky make-believe flowers and flocks of American flags decorate the landscape of ‘Decoration Day.’
Marsha, my sister-in-law, has become the default matriarch of both sides of her family even though an aunt on her dad’s side and an uncle on her mom’s are still alive. Stated another way, she is the glue that is connecting the Jackson and Sirotiak clans of International Falls, Blackduck and Wirt, Minnesota together as her mom and dad did during their lives. Lydia Sirotiak’s family emigrated from Czechoslovakia to Blackduck, Minnesota in the early 1900’s; Billy Jackson’s family, from England, Scotland and France came sometime earlier. Lydia and Billy met on the first day of Lydia’s first teaching job. Country school teachers boarded at homes near their assigned schools; Lydia’s host family turned out to be the Jacksons. Marsha, their only surviving child, a teacher like her mom, is trying to keep cousins connected, a sense of family intact, memories alive for awhile longer. The Sirotiaks and the Jacksons are the kinds of people who made the country, and especially its northern-most reaches, work. They were paper mill, hospital, city and public school workers. Their lives have had the expected trajectory. The parents or grandparents came to this country, worked at the hard stuff; their kids went to vocational schools or local colleges and had it a little easier. And so it goes.
TRAVEL GEOGRAPHY MINNESOTA “LEAVING ON A JET PLANE” and other topics of general interest: Friday, May 22, 2015
How should I re-enter? Hey Blog, I have returned. Missed you. I do that in my journal but it’s private with only me making fun of me if I’m being silly, trite, maudlin, ignorant and so forth. Blogs aren’t as forgiving. YOU will know if and when I’m any and all those things.
The goal is that henceforth—or at least until I’ve returned next September from Big 2015 Trip—I will not miss a day of blogging and it will all be about travel—this series of posts to be called Geography. Good writing, original observations, and an occasional stimulating thought will be the order of the day. With a few photos because…well…we all like photos which is reason enough. But remember not to hold me to these standards today—I’m just back.
Today I’m off to Minnesota. Two weeks. Vacation. My big trips are not vacations by any stretch of anyone’s imagination. They are very hard work in fact. And stressful. And exhausting. And expensive. And Brilliant.
Minnesota though. Home. Family. Green. Familiar in the most deep-down of ways. Sour Cream Raisin Bars. Mosquitoes. Shouldn’t even call it vacation when the formal name for my Minnesota visits is “Going Home.”
Sunport: Can’t get on line. Already lost my handy little accessory that lets me plug multiple things into Surfy. Get it together my dear. This is practice for B15T. And the first lesson for today is to take along an extra of anything VERY important. Like money perhaps. My second for today is to spend a lot of close personal time with my new backpack—the large gorgeous fancy burnt orange and lime green one that has a number of vital but slightly mysterious pockets: under, over and to the side of each other. We need to bond.
I’m having a small dish of taquitas, which may have been invented for southwestern airports. They are awful little things. Spicy ground mystery meat rolled into a baby corn tortilla and deep fried. The deep-fried part is excellent if I salt it a lot. The stuff inside is a bit nasty but probably not dangerous. And I’m having a pinot grigio. I may have another. The thing is the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport actually has good restaurants and shops so I should save some of my daily indulgence quota for there. The layover on the way to Duluth.
Think I’ll wrap this opening blog post of the rest of my daily blogging life up. Ate two of the little taquitas. There are two more. If I had a dog I would not take them home for that dog.
So just one more airport observation. A lot of American men look like hell. Big wrinkled t-shirts, big slightly dirty-looking jeans—just hanging there, big bellies, baseball caps—a statement of … ? I’m doing an informal survey—what I’ve just said applies to approximately half of all men at the Albuquerque airport. That’s not okay even by present going-out-in-public standards. At least try for fitting and laundered. Never mind what Anderson Cooper says. You must wash your jeans occasionally.
So in all fairness, guess I better look at us—women. I look alright, just so you know. And I’m super comfortable. My informal survey says—we win. Not by much but at least we look showered.
Ordered my second pinot grigio. Tonight Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Yeah…ya betcha… The devil made me say that.
Now at Ike’s in the Mpls airport. My uncle’s name was Ike. Ilif actually. I’ve ordered a walleye sandwich and a Bloody Mary. I. Am. On. Vacation.
MY FIRST JOB EVER–CARGILL BOARDMARKER.
There are two kinds of visas, yes? Both essential to travelers. First there’s the kind that comes in the form of a card enabling you to travel without money—a travel accoutrement of great value—and more than a little stress when you return! Then there’s the other kind of visa which is simply a stamp in your passport saying that the government of said country has authorized you to cross their borders and spend as much money as possible.
I am about to start the process of getting those elegant but frequently undecipherable stamps in my passport from Belarus, Russia and China. Fortunately Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Mongolia and Korea do not require visas for short stays. I say fortunately because it is a time-consuming and expensive process. If you try to do it yourself it will take a very long time if indeed it ever happens, and only be a little less expensive than having an agency handle it. Always use an agency. I am going to use Travel Visa Pro this time because they work closely with Real Russia. There are always requirements that seem to make no sense but there’s simply no choice. Hard to believe but there are countries even more mired in bureaucracy than the U.S. So use the agency! Seriously.
Belarus needs a letter of invitation (I booked a hotel through Real Russia that will issue my invitation), proof of travel insurance and then the obligatory forms, photos, and quite a lot of money. Russia needs a letter of invitation which Real Russia provides plus all of that other stuff, and I haven’t even explored what China wants yet. It won’t be my first-born child because he’s not really that tech-savvy and shows no signs of becoming a billionaire entrepreneur. Actually I have some grandchildren they might take but no one wants to give away their grandchildren.
I’m excited to get the visa process underway. When my passport is returned from the visa service with these interesting, some even rather beautiful, stamps…it is almost like the trip is beginning.
White Sands, New Mexico and a visiting Mustang: Photos by Steven Klotzback
The Trans-Siberian Express covers half of what we think we know about Russian history. The other half is Catherine the Great and Imperial Russia and Dr. Zhivago, followed by Stalin and friends’ scary Communist Russia. And last, but never tell him least, there’s Putin and of course Pussy Riot and, oh yeah, that little scuffle in the Crimea/Ukraine. Russian history in a typical American nutshell. I’ll come back to all of that when we get to the part about St. Petersburg and Moscow.
What I’m calling the Siberian half of Russian history really does feel separate, doesn’t it? I’m taking a train that follows the path of the exiles, the banned, the criminalized, the outcasts sent to the wilds of Russia, to a place called Siberia, to atone for their sins or die trying. What we know of as Siberia takes up three-fourths of Russia which is itself the biggest country on earth; it takes up all of northern Asia or one-twelfth of all land on earth. In Ian Frazier’s thorough description you sense the awe he feels for this vast space. And this is where the bad Russians have always been sent. Before there was the train they went by wagon and on foot. Siberia has in fact served as Russia’s penal colony since Peter the Great but it wasn’t until 1916 that the Trans-Siberian Railroad came into being, hastening the journeys of the banned to their bitter destiny.
How to experience some of that history—through my real and mind’s eye as one—as the train traverses the taiga?
I believe in reading everything one can read about a place before going there. Of course I never do that. Not enough time, energy, focus, determination. But I do what I can—as we always say when we know we could have done better.
Here is what I have done along these lines of curiosity and covetousness (my desire to know everything about places without the requisite study!). In addition to a few fine Russian novels and even fewer, but also fine, Russian histories, I’ve read Midnight in Siberia by NPR’s David Greene and Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier. Both brilliant in their breadth and wisdom and good writing—Ian Frazier’s outstandingly so. Since it has been a few years since I read the latter I believe I should do so again. Starting today.
David Greene was actually on the trans-Siberian train; Ian Frazier was in various other vehicles. Frazier manages to include so many layers of information, from personal to historical to geographical to political—the master of a blended style I would sell my soul to emulate. If I reread the book maybe it will somehow meld in my genes with the sights and sounds of Siberia from my train journey and…voila…I will write like Frazier.
My trans-Siberian trip diverges from both authors’ in that my route eventually dips down into Mongolia and ends in Beijing while they go on to Vladivostok. So my next train dream is to take the Silk Route through the Stan countries one way and return by way of Vladivostok part-way west, go on into Kazakhstan and end in Georgia and Armenia.
Having some stories already in your head as you travel; then traveling; and finally perusing more tales of the places you’ve just been makes for a picture of more substantial breadth and even a modest depth then would have been the case just passing through. No, it’s not like spending a year or two or a lifetime but you may still feel like you’ve captured something essential about a place or places. I feel like this about our Great Plains. I keep piling on the road trips through and the books about that landscape until I can see mirages of Sioux warriors and Blackfoot encampments hovering just overhead as my two-lane highway heads straight for a horizon of ghostly wagon trains and yeehawing cowboys. Every broken cabin, windmill, corral another photo op. Love my mind’s eye and my camera’s too.
That’s how I want it to be on the Trans-Siberian Express.
I think I should read at least one great Russian novel on the way. Maybe start it on the train between Minsk and St. Petersburg and put it down when I disembark in Ulan Bator. WHICH ONE? ADVICE PLEASE. The greatest Russian novel that includes a huge Siberian presence. HELP.
Sorry this is a bit of a jumble of Siberian thoughts but I’m tired and wish to crawl into bed with Travels in Siberia—forsaking my regular Nordic detectives for the night.
Where was I? Big 2015 Trip. Talking about Russia In San Diego. Even though it’s easy to focus on what for me is the most exotic part of B15T, there are actually four main segments: Norway; Riga/Minsk/St. Petersburg/Moscow; the Trans-Siberian Express and layover in Ulan Bator; and Beijing/Seoul.
Since I’ve been concentrating on Russia—but mostly the nice people and the borscht, not really on the train part—let me get on board the Trans-Siberian Express for a post or two. Even though this famous train ride only occupies five days out of the 42 I’ll be out there, it feels like the heart of the adventure.
I imagine it like this. The cozy cabin, with a whole side seat/couch that is my bed at night but where I can stretch out any time I like and clean windows through which I view much of the biggest country in the world. I write and write and write. Something that will be published. I take thousands of brilliant photos. I won’t be on line so there won’t be any pressure to post at a particular time therefore I can make everything really really Good. And share it with the world from Ulan Bator and the end of the train ride in Beijing.
If happiness were to be truly mine, I wouldn’t have a roommate but since I’m in a two-person cabin that might not be possible. But please let her (or him?—I don’t think so?) be a clean quiet person, in fact one who never speaks at all, doesn’t eat smelly food and is so small I hardly notice her. But sometimes we crotchety introverts are fun too. Seriously.
My food plan is coffee or tea or hot water and maybe some yogurt in the morning. Lunch in the dining car—which changes from Russian to Mongolian to Chinese as we traverse this 4,735 miles of taiga, tundra and steppe. Borscht to Sheep Parts to Egg Rolls. And pomegranate-infused vodka to fermented mare’s milk to Tsingtao beer. And noodles in the evening. With tea? Maybe vodka?
Here’s a photo of my compartment (I hope) from Seat 61’s wonderful web site. www.seat61.com
The only thing that worries me is that I think I’m on Train 6–of which there are no photos. I’m probably not supposed to use this photo but it is to promote the web site so maybe they won’t mind!
Kafe Sobaka.
For my birthday lunch, San Diego son Scott offered to take me anywhere in the city. I knew exactly what I wanted. Russian food. Prep for the Big15Trip.
I’ll continue to be up front about the fact I’m a foodie failure. I tried—to cook innovatively; love kale; pay attention to the ‘in’ restaurants; read and love and plan to visit NOMA; and, not least, to enjoy foodie conversations with kids, grandkids, and friends who pay attention to the more glamorous aspects of what we put in our stomachs to stay alive.
Me, still the failure. As mentioned ad nauseam I have been to 95 countries and rarely found anything to eat that excited me. Not the fault of the world’s food purveyors, I am just not a good eater. Here’s my complete list of food recommendations for world travelers. All over Asia…Udon noodles. All over Africa…South African Bobotie. All over the Middle East…Umm Ali. All over the U.S….biscuits. All over Western Europe…Swedish meatballs. All over South America…I remember liking Peruvian food but not why! All over Australia and New Zealand…I was sick all of the time and pretty much subsisted on Dunkin Doughnuts (with sprinkles). All over North Africa…some kind of Tunisian egg dish cooked in a thin pastry thing.
I’ve saved the Best for Last. All over Eastern Europe. First time I found a regional cuisine to embrace. Especially borscht. Polenta and sour cream. Meat fat drippings spread on brown bread. Light clear soups with a bit of tang, fresh-tasting herbs and lots of sour cream.
Since my visit to that part of the world, I’ve tried to make creamy polenta (with limited success) and, with the help of my foodie son, have made very fine borscht.
Back to my birthday lunch at San Diego’s Kafe Sobaka/ Restoran Pomegranate (www.pomegranatesobaka.com) was our choice and a good one it was.
We are just in time for a celebratory noontime shot of vodka, not part of my typical Friday lunch—certainly not pomegranate-infused in any case—but you’re only 76 once. A lovely lunch followed. Borscht, fresh and crimson (or maybe I mean Beet Red) combining those lovely attributes of healthful and delicious. Scott and I shared a few other dishes which I won’t describe since I’m including both their menu and address. I had intended to describe everything in detail on Yelp but since it was two weeks ago can I just say freshly prepared, beautifully seasoned, rich, authentic, and prettily presented.
The food was only part of this perfect luncheon experience however. I did mention the restaurant itself is charming didn’t I? Character it has. And most especially, friendliness it has in large quantities. On this day it was due to Irina, the bright and beautiful girl from St. Petersburg who was our server and guide to all things food and Russia. Upon hearing that I would be in St. Petersburg in August, she gave me her mother’s telephone number in case I have any issues and her email in San Diego where she is a student at SDSU if I have any more questions. Besides all of this she wrote out a whole personal guide to her home city while we were eating.
If Irina and Alla at Real Russia are examples of the people I’ll meet on my Russian journey I will want to visit often.
Here are a few of my photos followed by a portion of the menu just to share Café Sobaka’s quirky and inviting sense of humor.
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- Another lovely and knowledgeable Russian friend and guide.
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- One can never view too many pictures of borscht.
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- Dumplings are my favorite food group–next to borscht.
Kafe Sobaka/ Restoran Pomegranate
We offer a casual peasant menu shaped by seasonal produce, faraway spices, fine dining techniques, and foraged ingredients that we learned at the knees of our babushkas.
4 possibilities for dining sizes: Communist (priced for the people at $2.87), Socialist(S), Imperialist(I), and Anarchist(A-amount and price change daily.) Ask your server for pricing on the different sizes.
*To those paying in cash we offer a glass of free tea from the village of Gusevka or a bone for your dog to encourage financial responsibility.
Zakuski/Appetizers
Zakuski sampler platter: For those who left their GPS in the car, allow our wait staff to orient you to the possibilities. (A)
Misha’s favorite: fresh nasturtium or arugula leaves wrapped around your choice of cheese, sausage or fried onions that makes a perfect papirosiy (Russian cigar) for eating not smoking; a zesty introduction to your main course. $9
Guruli Kapusta: White cabbage pickled with beets, garlic, dill, and spices makes a pleasant accompaniment to a hearty meat dish with beer. (S) $5.50 (I)$7.50
Lobio: Pâté style red beans with herbs, walnuts, tomatoes, and onions. The Georgians are blessed with a superb overabundance of bean recipes. (S)$5.50 (I)$7.50
Pkhali: a well known Kavkaz Mountain appetizer of finely cut vegetables & herbs married with lemon & garlic. Sometimes the mountain folk add beets & walnuts to this sprightly peasant dish. (S) $5.50 (I) $7.50
Ajap Sandali: A traditional Georgian vegetarian ragout. Expect eggplant, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, a bunch of herbs, and khmeli-suneli seasoning, our improvement to Western civilization. (S)$7 (I)$10
Salat Vesna: Salad made of fresh cabbage with berries, herbs, and serious love. This dish is as rare as chastity.(S) $5.50 (I) $7.50
Zharennaya Tsvetnaya Kapusta:Fried cauliflower in spicy bread crumbs is a nice accompaniment to a glass of wine for Urbanzia people. (S)$5 (I) $7
Vareniki: Potato-onion or potato-cheese dumplings made by tender women’s hands will soothe your soul because we value in women not their weakness but their mightiness and durability. (S) $6.75 (I) $9
Khinkali: A mountain dweller from the Caucasus will have this dish which is meat or vegetarian dumplings. If your feet are tired eat these dumplings and your daily troubles will be forgotten. Beef/Pork (S)$7 (I) $10.50 Lamb (S) $8.50 (I) $13
Zharennyi Syir: Fried cheese served with lemon, tarragon, red hot pepper, and a drop or two of brandy will be a subtle suggestion for you to have a glass of wine. Decadence and wine is inside our souls that is why you should try this dish. $9
Khachapuri : Cheese pie, “Life without khachapuri is a pure waste.” – Evokes passionate praise from the lips of any Georgian. A medley of cheeses folded into a dough crust. (A hot samovar tea or a glass of light wine will put you into an agreeable mood.) $8.50
Pelmeni Siberian Meat Dumplings: Life is no goodski without these. (S) $6.75 (I) $9
Soups
Borscht: Always a meal in itself. If you are feeling really indulgent you should treat yourself to this hearty soup. Vegetarian version: All borscht to all people!(S) $6.75 (I) $9
Kharcho: We prepare our kharcho like the last will! Georgia’s most popular beef soup with rice, tomato, lemon, onion, garlic and cilantro. After this dish with a glass of wine you will sing like a starling. (S)$6.75 (I)$9
For a Fistful of Rubles
Pirozhki: Russian savory pies, which are our regular comfort food, delicious by itself or paired with a bowl of soup. Ask what flavors are available. Pirozhki are set up to offer a range of possibilities, try them all and pick your own favorites. (S) $7 (I)$11 with a cup of soup
Welcome to the Gulag: Times are so tuff here they pile your tray with FAKE meat and cabbage!!!!! $11
Golubsti : Cabbage or bell peppers stuffed with herb, spices, ground meat, and different grains. (S) $9 (I)$13
Derevenskaya Skovorodka: Golden fried potatoes/onions/mushrooms/herbs fried in duck fat served in a cast iron skillet. This sets the stage for gulping beer. For this dish I could easily kill my older brother. $10
Respublika Kalifornia: Our version of a French dip sandwich with a vegetarian spin and a whole lot of Georgian herbs. Give a dude his due! $11
Vegetarian’s answer to shashlikRoasted vegetables served with vegetarian satsivi (Georgian walnut sauce.) $10 add $2 for vegetarian chicken
Mysterious diners.
POSSIBLY MY BEST TRAVEL MEAL EVER. A SIDEWALK CAFE IN ODESSA, UKRAINE. I HOPE TO DUPLICATE IT ALL ACROSS RUSSIA.
My new best friends are the extremely friendly and very competent staffs at Real Russia and Mongolian Secret History. First a bit about Real Russia.
Since travel to Russia had become the centerpiece of this trip, I really wanted to work with Russian travel services to get everything booked. I must admit though to just a tiny bit of apprehension about whether I would meet up with that much-ballyhooed Russian negativity when it comes to customer service. There had to be truth in all of those tales of Soviet-era bad attitudes for so much to have been written about it—didn’t there? But let’s face it; both Russia AND the U.S. are masters of propaganda so I’m going to assume the proof will be in the pudding—in other words, my experiences with actual Russians. So far, if Real Russia staff are examples, the pudding will be very tasty as they are great. And, honestly, it seems that if one is pleasant, polite and happy to be wherever she is, the locals are likewise.
Per www.seat61.com I had contacted Real Russia (travel@realrussia.co.uk) to help with train tickets, visas, and so forth. Their web site says:
WELCOME TO REAL RUSSIA! If you have already tried the “do it yourself” approach to getting a Russian visa, booking a journey on the Trans Siberian Express, finding affordable quality accommodation or even getting a taxi from the airport, then you know why you are here! Real Russia is an officially accredited specialist agency with offices in Russia and Europe. Our award winning dedicated team of Russian and regional travel experts are on hand to help you get the most from your trip to, through and beyond Russia.
Just what I needed.
First the Back Story. There is always a back story. There were three concurrent travel tales playing out as this journey to the journey began. First there was my vaguely urgent sense of needing to travel again soon because…well you’ve already heard all of the reasons. Secondly it seemed that my friend Beth and I might finally take a trip together since the idea of the Trans-Siberian Express initially appealed to her—and we’ve always meant to do something like this. Thirdly, my life only feels in order if I have some travel-related idea, action and/or problem to worry about.
Soon however the stories diverged. As I start researching train details, Beth became less sure that five days on a train through the Siberian forest, locked in a tiny compartment with only herself and me for company was such a great idea. And anyone who knows either of us would probably agree—not that we aren’t delightful companions—except for me not wanting to talk to anyone and Beth not wanting to spend her time writing about what she could actually be experiencing. Long to short, we agreed this might not be the trip to take together.
And, even at that early stage of planning my ‘vaguely urgent’ travel desires had become…urgent…concrete… inescapable! Questions of age, affordability and energy be damned.
So I went to my happy place which involves maps and credit cards and lots of googling. I endlessly contemplated the best ‘loungewear’ for the aisles of the Trans-Siberian Express. I started agonizing over the perfect backpack again. I pondered the practicality of it all. Actually that’s not true. If practicality were a consideration I would not be here writing to you about the Trans-Siberian Express this tired Friday night.
Truly though, the down and dirty, serious, not-to-be-reneged-on plans began with a stream of emails between Alla of Real Russia and me of Real Travel Obsession.
Since those first communications back in November, I have asked ever so many questions of Alla and, by now, booked ever so many trains, a ferry, hotel rooms and even some guides for a couple of cities. Alla and her compatriots at Real Russia have been unfailingly patient, informative and friendly. It has been a trip as we say…
If this all sounds like a promotional piece for Real Russia that’s okay since I am now a Real Fan of theirs.
Obviously there is so much more to say. Next post, I’ll share what’s been booked so far and, then, we’ll move on to Mongolia!
BORSCHT CLOSE-UP.
WHAT MAKES THE MEAL REALLY SPECIAL IS THE MEAT FAT FOR THE BROWN BREAD AND THE VODKA WITH AN ONION SPRIG FOR COLOR.
MINNESOTA TAIGA.
Okay…the time and place of the 2015 San Diego birthday trip is over. Back to work: work work, writing work, class work, photo work, house work, body work. If I were at home I’d lie down on the couch and read awhile, overwhelmed by writing work that many times. Unfortunately I am at the office but it is early and quiet so perhaps there’s time for just a few writing thoughts.
While it may not be good to develop unsavory (but pleasurable) habits like smoking and overeating, it is most advantageous to acquire good habits like being able to do two (or more) things at once. My challenge is to write in three different formats every day. Every Day. Some sentences, paragraphs, pages for My Geography: The Book; my UCLA memoir class which just started AND a blog post. So here’s the latter for today.
Travel junkies. You want to know how this B15T came into being and is more than half booked, right?
The Trans-Siberian Express started it all this time although I had been thinking about Norway, Lapland, Greenland and Russia for awhile. Needed some Up North time for sure but did not zero in on the Trans-Siberian idea right away…stuck in the mode of thinking that’s something I want to do someday! It wasn’t long before I realized “I’ll do it someday” was no longer a practical planning category for me. At my age I must “Just Do It” or forget about it altogether.
Google Trans-Siberian Railways and you’ll almost immediately come to www.seat61.com, one of the best travel sites you’ll ever encounter—if you like trains. All the journeys by rail you can ever imagine taking on every continent except Antarctica are there. I’ve copied some of the description from their web site below but I haven’t included all of the links to maps and charts and video and photos and timetables and anything else you can possibly think you want to know. Even if you do not imagine yourself ever taking such a trip go to the website for the sheer pleasure of a magical little journey taken in your comfiest armchair.
I’m taking the train to Beijing going through Mongolia where I’ll stop over for four days. I’ve bolded it below. The web site recommends a travel agency called Real Russia which is where I went to book the tickets. More about that later.
Much of Siberia is covered by taiga, boreal or snow forest made up largely of pines and spruce trees. As it so happens so is much of northern Minnesota. I’ll post this after I get home tonight and find a picture of my Minnesota taiga to accompany today’s little travel story.
(From http://www.seat61.com) What is the Trans-Siberian? The Trans-Siberian Railway is just one part of the massive Russian railway network. It connects the European rail network at one end with the Chinese rail network at the other. To see where the Trans-Siberian Railway goes. It does far more than link Moscow with Vladivostok. You can use it to travel overland in either direction between London, Paris or anywhere in Europe and China, Japan, Korea or even Southeast Asia…
An overview of the 3 routes…
Moscow to Vladivostok: Every second day, the Rossiya(the Russia, train number 2 eastbound, train 1 westbound) leaves Moscow on its 6-night journey to Vladivostok. This is almost the longest train ride of them all, 9,259 km or 5,752 miles. This train has 1st class 2-berth compartments called spalny wagon or SV, 2nd class 4-berth compartments called kupé, open-plan bunks called platskartny & a restaurant car. One-way fares in the summer months cost around 18,629 rubles ($640 or £420) in kupé or 31,175 rubles ($1,070 or £695) in spalny vagon, a bit more if booked through an agency. From Vladivostok there is a taking 36 hours (2 nights).
Two routes to China: Although the main Trans-Siberian line runs from Moscow to Vladivostok, most western travellers head for China on one of two branches, the Trans-Mongolian line (completed in the 1950s) or the Trans-Manchurian line (built around 1900). There are two direct trains each week between Moscow & Beijing, train 3/4 via Mongolia using Chinese coaches and train 19/20Vostok via Manchuria using Russian coaches.
Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia: This is arguably the most interesting Trans-Siberian route to take. The weekly Trans-Mongolian train (train 4 eastbound, train 3 westbound) leaves Moscow for Beijing every Tuesday night. The 7,621 km (4,735 mile) journey takes 6 nights. This train crosses Siberia, cuts across Mongolia and the Gobi desert, then enters China. Westbound, it leaves Beijing every Wednesday morning. This train uses Chinese rolling stock and has deluxe 2-berth compartments (with shared shower), 1st class 4-berth compartments & 2nd class 4-berth compartments. Booked through a local Russian agency, journey costs around $805 or £555 one-way in 2nd class 4-berth or $1130 or £780 in 1st class 2-berth. .
Moscow to Beijing via Manchuria: The weekly Trans-Manchurian train (the Vostok, train 20 eastbound, train 19 westbound, using Russian rolling stock) leaves Moscow on Saturday nights for Beijing via Manchuria, taking just over six days to cover the 8,986km (5,623 miles). Westbound, it leaves Beijing every Saturday night. There are 2-berth 1st class compartments (spalny vagon) and 4-berth 2nd class compartments (kupé). Prices are similar to the Chinese train.
Other Trans-Siberian trains: These aren’t the only Trans-Siberian trains. Far from it! Many other trains run over parts of these routes. There’s even a slower, lower-quality Moscow-Vladivostok train, train 100 taking 7 nights instead of 6.