Back to Canada

After our extra week in Europe, we finally made it!!! Canada is looking lovely and green and we couldn't be happier to be home.
Thanks to Mike P for picking us up at the airport and thanks to him and Janny for a wonderful first Canadian BBQ dinner and yummy cheesecake!
After TO, we drove down to St. Catharines and met our new nephew, Rowan. He is adorable. We also got to play with our little neice, Audrey. She is also a complete doll.

We are so happy to be home and can't wait to see everyone!!!

Thanks for following along, it has been quite a ride!

P & C

Round Two

Well the skies look good for tomorrows flight and as long as they stay that way we should be landing in Toronto at 12:15 local time.

We've had a good couple of days between Berlin and Frankfurt and we can see countless airplanes flying overhead so hopes are high.

Looking forward to seeing every one!!!

Colin and Patti

Arrived in Riga

Caught the train to Riga last night and now have a bus to Berlin tomorrow night for 24hrs. We are happy to be making progress across Europe considering the buses and trains are jammed to the wall.

That being said Riga is definitely a city we will be coming back to in the near future. Friendly people and an incredibly beautiful pedestrian friendly old city where ever thing is within walking distance. The Museum of Latvian Occupation was moving and it was nice to be in a museum that was easy to follow the flow of information, it has been awhile.

In short visit Latvia and Riga.

Bring on Germany

Stuck in Europe

Well, we were ready to catch the first of three flights from St Petersburg to Toronto via Frankfurt when the plume of volcanic ash started reeking havoc. Our flight from St Petersburg was cancelled the day before it was scheduled and now all flights in the continent are down and rail or bus are the only way.

We've been able to re-book our flight back to Canada to April 26 now we will start moving overland to Frankfurt. The word is that trains and buses are filling fast so this is likely not going to be as easy as train/bus travel typically is in Europe. We have an overnight train to Latvia tonight and then we will work the rest out day to day.

Just a little more adventure to come.

See you in a week, we hope.

Colin and Patti

Leningrad

We splashed out and took a first class compartment on the train from Moscow to St Petersburg and enjoyed every minute. We've been here two days now and have been blown away by the inner city's beauty. The architecture is incredible and literally every building in the city is eye-catching.
The old Singer sewing machine company's headquarters is one of the most impressive non-religious or government buildings in the city.
A look at the "Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood" from the canal. The most lavish example of Russian Orthodox churches in the country. The interior mosaics are on level with anything in Italy.

The Hermitage Museum which is likely Russia's most important art museum is beautiful on the outside but the interior is palatial. It did once house the Tsar families and was decorated to a standard that is fit for any king or queen.

We've spent a lot of time walking the streets, alleys and along the canals just looking and enjoying. This city is a walkers paradise which is easy on the wallet.

Only two nights to go in Russia then we fly home!

See you all soon.

Made it to Moscow

Despite only being able to take a shower with deodorant for 4 days and being cooped up in a small area with 40 to 50 other people who also can't clean themselves, the trans-siberian was a great experience.We have since settled into our hostel in Moscow and have begun exploring what the city has to offer. It is weird being back in western culture and paying western prices.

Count down is on to our return, 9 days.

Trans-Siberian Leg 3: Irkutsk to Moscow

Russian and ready!

Trans Mongolian leg two: Ulaan Baatar to Irkutsk

We boarded Mongolian train 263 (rule of thumb: the lower the number, the better the train) at 9 pm on March 31 bound for Irkutsk, Russia. Unlike the train from Beijing, this one was packed with no beds to spare. We shared our compartment with a Mongolian kid who studies in Irkutsk and a retired surgical professor who was on his way to visit a former pupil in Ulan Ude. We really lucked out with our cabin mates because they were quiet and tried to share whatever they had with us. We tried to share our instant noodles but they were much happier with their cucumber, mutton and steamed bread. They finally approved of some train station pastries Patti picked up at the border.

Our neighbours to the right were much different than our cabin mates. These lovely drunkards were Mongolia's only death metal band, "Fair Wind", on their way to a death metal festival in Ulan Ude. Apparently Russia has a huge death metal culture unlike Mongolia. It is fair to say they began the festivities the minute they got on the train and the Vodka was flowing at a incredible pace. I was fortunate enough to be invited in for some vodka rounds, so much that I have black spots in my memory from that evening. Despite the memory loss, I did get a copy of their debut CD, "Coffin Town Under the Moon". Can't wait to give it a listen at home. For any curious potential fans, they are definitely Death Metal and NOT heavy metal. I was corrected several times.

The ride was pleasant except for the border which involved sitting in both the Mongolia and Russian stations for 6 and 5 hours, respectively. None of the immigrations or customs officials paid much attention to us but worked over any Mongol or Russian person with several bags. I'm not surprised, given a couple of hours before the border the Mongolian traders were paying other passengers to bring their goods across the border for them. Very amusing situation given most the goods were fake polo shirts. Our cabin was given 2 large blankets, a bag of shirts and a pair of boots. All of them were reclaimed approximately 5 kilometers past the customs.

Great time all together.

Looking forward to the third leg: Irkutsk to Moscow.

Colin and Patti