Vladivostok is the eastern-most city in Russia, an important port that was closed to the outside world until the 1990s. Here you are not scolded if you feed the birds….
We boarded the train the evening of 6 March along with 12 other passengers and a guide or two. Our section of the train consists of a restaurant car, a bar car and 4 carriages with accommodations for passengers. It is towed by the regular Trans-Siberia train and will be parked at sites of interest along the way, to be picked up a day or two later by another scheduled train.
Quite frankly, the stops made in towns along the way so far are only of mild interest – Khabarosk and Ulan Ude. The centrepiece of this voyage is by and large the train itself. And Lake Baikal… a huge fresh-water lake that at this time of year is mostly frozen to a depth of over two feet. The water is amazingly clear; the solid ice forms cracks and extrudes giant crystals.
Here the train stops for two days, and the primary mode of transportation is hovercraft that slews along the icy surface at a pretty good clip.
Other forms of transport include snowmobiles and dog sleds, although these activities for the elderly guests are closely monitored and very tame.
Please note in the background of this photograph are tables…. set with local delicacies, such as smoked fish, and always lots of vodka.
Further merry-making on ice:
Nah zda-ROVH-yeh! (Phonetic version of “cheers” in Russian…..)
Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands 