Friday, November 14, 2008

Margarita In A Bucket

Transsib

An old dream finally became reality: We took the Trans-Siberian Railway! Although only a relatively small part- but it does not have to be the last time. The opportunity presented itself in early November, when the "Day of National Unity" was conveniently on the date of the former holiday celebrated the October Revolution. Since this day was a Sunday, the Monday's working day was brought forward to Saturday so that a series of three free days revealed. Actually, the remaining days of the week school holidays, but still had all the teachers - and of course Klaus - and many students in the school. But that's another topic.
Anyway, we were able to finally return back to our familiar Novosibirsk to visit another Siberian city: Krasnoyarsk, about 800 km east, not in the West Siberian Plain, but on the edge of the Sayan Mountains on the Yenisei river (where Caras newly acquired knowledge in natural history).
In several weeks of preparation, I was finally able to make both a hotel reservation - the price of 200 € per night for the four of us seemed at first a joke, placed himself but unfortunately out to be real, what our future travel plans somewhat limiting - and tickets to purchase for the overnight train. For each of the booking process I had several times in two tourist offices to audition, make several phone calls and - for the train tickets - to present our passports. Spontaneous weekend trips, therefore, make a little difficult. On
Saturday night we found ourselves at dusk at the very stylish and luxuriously renovated Novosibirsk train station to take our four-bed compartment in hardware. Of course we were with the customary food (beer, brandy, sausages in batter) equipped to reach the necessary bed gravity.
The train was already in Moscow, which meant that the cars were already well preheated. Our down jackets and fur boots - for Krasnoyarsk had predicted 10 degrees - so we were once traded for T-shirts. A very friendly train conductor brought us the linen and leather straps for the safety of the upper beds. So of course the sleep issue was resolved: Children up! We erturnten for a while our compartment and then tried to sleep in the sauna-like temperatures.

The next morning we were with the train conductor of tea - take breakfast sandwiches, we had unfortunately forgotten - enjoy the view of snowy landscapes, until we arrived late morning in Krasnoyarsk.
Fortunately, corresponded to the interior of our hotel not the dreary gray of his facade. Similar comfortable we have stayed in Russia before - there were even two in the bathroom toilet paper holders next to each other!
Unfortunately the snow was in the course of the day in rain over that lasted for the entire three days of our stay. The first day we erliefen the "City", which was done fairly quickly because obviously the motto still applies for Soviet cities: "Do you know one, you know all".
was especially interesting to visit the central market, which is located in Siberia, of course, in a fixed abode, but where still available on open tables without any cooling of fresh meat, fish, fruit and wool socks are.
The next day we went with a bus on the way to the nearby nature reserve in honor of red sandstone rocks, which are traded as a geographical feature of the region. In fact, outside of us were Russian families, some with very young children, in the pouring rain snow on the road. However, we could not meet face Julius' enthusiasm about the first snow piles his life, the march tempo, so that motivate not finally after three hours Cara was further go up by quite monotonous mountain forest in order least to see the first rock solid. But we bought a postcard collection.
As widely expected, consuming and even designed interactive museum turned out to be the home of Krasnoyarsk, which offered us the last day of our departure until the afternoon train shelter from the now heavy snow shower. Here is the entire history of Siberia from the Stone Age until in 90 years to understand it - this process will take. Fortunately, there was - quite untypical for Russian museums - a nice coffee shop!
The return trip took place in other extreme temperatures: The train began only in Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, went only up, but the heating was over the whole trip is not being operated.

We were then quite happy early Wednesday morning (The train was already at 5.30 clock on) to enter, despite our parked radiator still very warm home.