Our trip from Hamamatsucho, Japan to Coburg, Germany

Last minute preparations. @ Hamamatsucho, Japan

2008-07-02T01:51:48.000Z

We found out Tuesday afternoon that the travel agent we used to book the flight to Beijing has gone bankrupt. We have no idea whether our ticket will be honoured and we can't get hold of the company or company's lawyers to find out what's going on. Despite that we are doing last minute packing and will fly to Beijing today even if we have to buy new tickets.

Tokyo to Beijing @ Beijing, China

2008-07-02T22:22:36.000Z

Julia spent hours on the phone this afternoon trying to find out if the airline (Northworst airlines) would honour our ticket to Beijing. They did not, as our travel agent had not passed on the money to them. Julia called the travel agent's lawyers and other travel agents who were supposed to know what was happening, all to no avail. So, we had to purchase new tickets from Air China. It cost us a lot of extra money, but we were able to fly out 15 minutes later than planned.

We arrived in Beijing at about 9.30pm local time and reached our accommodation at about 11.30pm. We were staying at Beijing Peaceful Apartments and when we arrived there was no marking on the building or reception obvious. So, Julia had to ask a local to help, she borrowed a cell phone and called the manager. They let us into our very spacious apartment a few minutes later and gave us lots of help and advice regarding Beijing.

Beijing and Forbidden City @ Beijing, China

2008-07-03T10:32:10.000Z

In the morning, we had to get up quite early to meet with the manager to settle our bill and get the password for the internet. After that we caught a taxi into the city to pick up our train tickets for the first leg to Ulaan Bator. We were so happy to get them!! It had taken longer than expected for the money to come through and we'd only received confirmation that they had received the money on the 2nd.
After that we headed to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is huge!!! The first courtyard and building are massive not to mention the myriad others throughout the grounds. I think they said it's about a kilometre long and about 700m wide. The history associated with the place is amazing, we got some of it from the audio guide we used and will have to investigate further in the future.
By the time we left the Forbidden City we were exhausted, but we pressed on to the Hutongs or alleyways of Beijing. We found some interesting shopping streets with very pushy shop owners and explored some of the other alleyways that make up the real city.
Finally, in the evening we headed to a restaurant near our accommodation, which was recommended by the apartment manager. The restaurant specialised in Peking Duck. We stuffed ourselves with a delicious meal of roasted duck, duck in pineapple sauce, mushroom and lettuce in oyster sauce, sweet and sour cucumber and duck filled spring rolls. Absolutely delicious.

The Great Wall & The Summer Palace @ Beijing, China

2008-07-03T22:30:18.000Z

The morning started with an early pickup by our driver for the day. We headed out to the Great Wall about 90kms northeast of Beijing, it took about 2 hours to get there. It was interesting to be taken through some of the country roads. The most surprising thing was to see locals drying grain on the road, effectively blocking a whole lane.
We visited part of the wall at Mutianyu a slightly less popular part of the wall because it is not the closest to Beijing. We had a tough climb up the hill in the sweltering heat. But seeing the wall at the top made it worthwhile. We sweat buckets during the day and had to drink litres and litres of water. The air was very hazy so it was difficult to see very far along the wall.
Next we were taken to the Summer Palace. I think we would have enjoyed it much more if it hadn't been so hot. The area contains a lot of different buildings around a large lake in the centre. It's a beautiful area.
On the way home we did a driveby of the Bird's Nest the new Olympic Stadium.

Beijing to Ulaan Baatar @ ulan bator, Mongolia

2008-07-05T07:12:34.000Z

It’s now actually day 14 and we’ve finally found an Internet connection in Moscow so we can update the trip tracker. On day 4 we awoke early, as we had to be at Beijing Central Station at 7am to catch the K23 train to Ulaan Bataar. We had booked two 2nd class berths for the 24-hour journey and when were surprised to see how nice the train was. 2nd class cabins have four berths and so we shared the cabin with two other people; a very well traveled American guy named Dan and a Cambodian guy named Ri Ti who had spent the last 8 years studying in China and was heading up to Mongolia to find a job and get work experience and to be with his Mongolian girlfriend. Ri Ti could already speak English, Cambodian, French and Mandarin and was going to learn Mongolian.

At just after 8.30pm we began the slow process of crossing from China to Mongolia. The train stopped in the town of Erlian where we handed in our paperwork and passports. Because the rail gauge in China is different from Mongolia and Russia the train had to be taken away to change the bogies. Therefore we had to fill in about 3.5 hours in Erlian. When we first arrived in the station the external doors were all chained and padlocked so we were stuck inside the station. Most people assumed that we would not be let out and stampeded the duty free shop although to be honest it was very cheap. Paul guessed that maybe it was just a ploy to sell more and that they would open the doors later. And after an hour they did just that. We went with Ri Ti to a small local restaurant across the road from the station and got some really tasty and cheap food. Ri Ti was able to read the menu and order for us.

Ulaan Baatar & Terelj National Park @ Ulan Bator, Mongolia

2008-07-06T13:48:48.000Z

On the Mongolian side we had more paperwork to do and had to hand over our passports again. This time it only took about an hour and a quarter, but we were stuck on the train, unable to sleep because we had to be awake to get our documents back and we were just a bit nervous about the border crossing. At about 2 am, we were on our way again.
We woke to the awe-inspiring Gobi desert. The views were incredible. It was flat, dry and there was just so much space. It was a very welcome change after Tokyo and Beijing. We just stared out the window and watched the changing landscape.
We were scheduled to reach UB at 1.10pm, but as we approached UB we were already running about 40 minutes late when the unthinkable happened. We hit someone on the track. The train came to a sudden stop and we just sat there, no one was quite sure what had happened. Paul went to have a look and sure enough there was a body lying beside the train. No obvious sign of injury but very dead. We have no idea exactly what happened, as the train attendants didn’t speak English. Eventually, we arrived at UB station at 3.15pm. We were glad to get there and be picked up by one of the staff from UB guesthouse. We were then taken to the guesthouse where we showered and repacked our bags for our tour to Terelj National Park. We had to repack our bags because we were given the impression that we would be hiking with our packs, so we needed to lighten the load. The staff at the UB guesthouse had arranged our train tickets for the journey to Irkutsk, so it’s was great to get them. Then we rushed out to take in some of the sights and pick up supplies for our next leg. Sukhbataar square really is the only sight worth seeing in UB!
The drive out to the national park was somewhat hairy but we made it. Dinner was waiting and then we pretty much went to bed, as we were so tired. Unfortunately, due to barking dogs, the absolutely horrible beds and the cold Julia did not get much sleep.

Terelj National Park @ Ulan Bator, Mongolia

2008-07-07T08:28:44.000Z

We started the day with breakfast of bread and biscuits and met the rest of the guests. Late morning, the horses were saddled up and we headed out for ride to Turtle Rock. The horses were small and bony so we were worried about whether they could support our weight. We were supposed to get 4 hours on the horses. Anar, the thirteen-year-old son of the host was our guide. It took two hours to reach Turtle Rock, walking the horses at a leisurely pace and stopping to let them feed occasionally. Once at Turtle Rock, which does actually look like a turtle from far away, we took pictures and then waited for the return ride. After waiting for some time, Anar decided to take a nap so we went to the nearby restaurant. The exchange rate for the Mongolian tugruks is about 1000 tugruks to the US dollar, so spending 3-4000 on lunch was quite reasonable.
On the way back Anar’s horse decided to take a bath without warning him. It dropped and rolled in the mud, Anar didn’t jump off quickly enough and got hurt, that put a damper on the excursion. We got back to the camp and found that two more people were staying in our ger so it was full. The two new people were Ben and Dan from Australia. After we told them about the cold the night before we all decided to go and collect wood to keep the fire stoked throughout the night. We ended up collected a lot of wood but didn’t manage to keep the fire going all night, plus it wasn’t so cold.
The family who lived in the camp set about preparing a feast for the evening. They butchered a goat and prepared vegetables, it looked delicious. Unfortunately, we were not invited to share in the feast and had to be content with some sort of mutton dumpling.

Ulaan Baatar to Irkutsk @ Irkutsk, Russia

2008-07-08T12:39:53.000Z

UB guesthouse had promised to pick us up at 10.30am in order to get us back to UB in time to do some shopping and then get to the station. So we got up early packed and had breakfast. Then we waited, they arrived late and it was just after 11am when we finally left. We traveled back to UB with a number of other people including two German guys. After talking to them about our plans they decided to give us their return tickets from the Russian-Mongolian border through to Bratislava, Slovakia. These tickets could save us about 40% on the fare as it covered basic rail charges.
Once we had made it back to UB, Julia repacked our bags and Paul went down the road to the souvenir shop to quickly pick up some souvenirs. By the time Paul came back and we were packed, we were told that the van to the station had already left without us. No one had bothered to inform us that it was leaving. We had to frantically call a taxi and battle through the insane traffic in order to catch our train in time.
Once safely on the train, Julia was able to let out some of her pent up and not so pent up frustration over the UB guesthouse terrible organization and lack of information. Then we could settle in for the 25-hour journey to Irkutsk. The trip was fairly uneventful. We were lucky to get a four-berth cabin to ourselves, an unexpected bonus. We reached the Mongolian border town of Sukhbaatar at about 10pm and spent 90 minutes waiting to complete customs and passport procedures. We had to wait on the train. We then went 45 minutes to Naushki station on the Russian side and completed the same process. On the Russian side it took about 3.5 hours. The engine was changed and the carriages were shunted up and down the line. So we didn’t get to sleep until after 2am.

Irkutsk & Listvyanka @ Listvyanka, Russia

2008-07-09T07:13:52.000Z

We reached the southern shores of Lake Baikal at about 9.30am. The view was incredible and the water was so calm. We hadn’t seen any significant bodies of water as we traveled through China and Mongolia so it was a welcome change. We followed the southern shore of the lake for about 3 hours until we veered west towards Irkutsk. We arrived in Irkutsk at around 1.30pm. We had been warned that Irkutsk is a fairly ugly and depressing city, and we had already booked accommodation in Listvyanka about 70kms away on the western shore of Lake Baikal. But first we had to purchase tickets to Moscow, buy food and find our way to Listvyanka.
We headed for the service center on the second floor of station building, ready to brave the unfriendly staff. By writing the station name “Mockba” (Moscow) as well as the date and train number we wanted we were able to get prices. We also presented the fare tickets we had received from the German guys, but for some reason after much discussion the staff told us that we could only use the ticket to reach Vladimir 191kms short of Moscow and we could only use the ticket to book “kupe” or second class tickets. We decided that it would be too much hassle to transfer at Vladimir and that we really wanted 1st class for the 77 hour so we would have to pay the full fare ourselves. Very expensive. We had met up with two women who had been staying at the ger camp with us and they were also trying to book a ticket, but not all the way to Moscow so we passed the ticket on to them and they got a massive discount on their tickets. But I’m writing this from our first class cabin, halfway to Moscow and I think it was worth it for the privacy, security of not having anyone else in the cabin, easier access to toilets because there are fewer people and also we have power so we can use the laptop. The strange thing is that the front half of the 1st class carriage contains only Aussies and Kiwis.
After purchasing the tickets we took the wrong tram to bus terminal so it took much longer than it should have. But, thank you God, we got there in time to catch the last bus to Listvyanka and still had time to spare to go shopping for supplies.
The bus journey took about an hour and half to reach Listvyanka and once there we had no idea where Derevenka was. We had the address in the Lonely Planet and that was about it. After wandering around for sometime, a helpful local using gestures and Russian interspersed with a little English was able to point us in the right direction.
The owners of Derevenka have tried to recreate a small village with 6 lovely little wooden cottages. We had a lot of privacy and there was a great view over the lake from the dining room.
Before hitting the sack we enjoyed a fantastic sunset over the lake and a delicious, but expensive supper of omul soup. Omul is a kind of fish famous in the Baikal area, so we wanted to try some.

Listvyanka, Russia @ Listvyanka, Russia

2008-07-10T11:07:58.000Z

The beds at Derevenka were so comfortable we slept in until about 11am and then wandered out for the best scrambled eggs we’d ever had, a perfect start to the morning.
We just wanted to relax and enjoy a day without travel or planned activities. Listvyanka was a good place for that. The town is built along the shoreline with houses built up the sides of the valleys. One thing that surprised us about the area was that it was quite cool. The water of Lake Baikal is very cold, we dipped our hands in and they came out numb after a few seconds. So despite sunny days the cool air coming off the lake reduced the temperature significantly. We enjoyed watching people going in for a swim and then counting how long they lasted. The longest was about 1 minute the average was about 10 seconds.
Lake Baikal is incredibly clear so we could see things on the bottom and some small fish. We didn't bother to organize a boat ride, as we were content just walking around.
A couple of strange things happened in Listvyanka, first we tried to send a package to Germany, it included stuff we had been carrying since China, but we were told, “Nyet” you cannot send international packages from Listvyanka. The second thing was when we went to one of the restaurants to get lunch we were completely ignored by the staff. After sitting there for some time being studiously ignored by the staff we called them over and were grudgingly given a menu. We selected what we wanted but could not get the attention of the staff. We didn’t try that hard I guess, like knocking one of them over the head with a mallet but after waiting a while longer we just gave up and decided to take our business elsewhere. We had enjoyed the view from the balcony and it gave us a chance to sit down and use the computer. So anyway we went next door and got a cheaper meal.

Irkutsk to Moscow @ Listvyanka, Russia

2008-07-11T09:42:16.000Z

We woke refreshed at 8am and prepared to head off on next leg of the journey. We had realized when we picked up our tickets that we had to catch the train at 11.10am Moscow time. We knew the train was at 11.10am but we were pleased to find out we had an extra five hours to get to the station. Unfortunately, despite getting up early we couldn’t get have showers as the power wasn’t on. Instead we slept another hour and then went for breakfast of bliny filled with cottage cheese and served with jam and sour cream. It was absolutely delicious again. We didn’t have time after ten for showers as we had to walk down to the bus stop and buy tickets before the bus arrived at 11am. We got our tickets and headed into town. We met some Americans, a father visiting his son who teaches English in St Petersburg and his Russian girlfriend. This time we took the correct tram to reach the train station. We stowed our bags in left luggage and headed into town to find an Internet café and a post office. However, Paul forgot to bring the bag with the stuff to post so we quickly abandoned that idea and need to post from Moscow. We walked around Irkutsk for hours looking for the three Internet cafes mentioned in the Lonely Planet but none of them seem to exist anymore. We eventually found a business center in a local hotel where we could access the Internet. We sent some quick e-mails to our families saying we were still alive and e-mailing the place we’re staying in Moscow to let them know we’ll be a day early and sending a copy of Julia’s Japanese departure stamp to the shipping agent, verifying that we really have left Japan. We raced back to the station picked up some food on the platform and boarded the train, so relieved to be able to relax.
On the train and at all the stations all times are set to Moscow time, so we adjusted our watches to the new time. A major benefit of train travel is that we have lots of time to adjust to the new time zone.

Moscow, Russia @ Moscow, Russia

2008-07-14T20:04:18.000Z

The time on the train seemed to be over too quickly. That may sound strange because looking out of the train window with a monotonous (though pretty) landscape for 77 hours isn’t that interesting. We enjoyed ourselves and felt well rested from the trip itself. We arrived in Moscow at 5 (???) p.m. and we tried to take in some of the city. We had some difficulties finding the entrance to the subway station. We were amazed by the size of the stations, the escalators were so long and the splendid interiors of the stations we saw. We’d heard about the Moscow Underground but the reality was more than we expected. We figured out where to go and found Galina’s flat (our accommodation) without any problems. Galina is an older lady, probably in her sixties, who rents out beds in her private apartment (dorm style). It’s quite cheap, especially for Russia and basic, which was alright for us. The location was perfect for us: our arrival and departure train stations (there are about 8 different train stations which service different destinations) as well as the central railway-booking agency and the Kremlin was only 2 Metro stops away.
After our arrival at her flat, we dropped of our bags and with a note from Galina explaining what we wanted; we purchased our next train tickets to St. Petersburg. Afterwards, we dropped in at the post office to post some of our unnecessary luggage ahead of us to Berlin. The procedure to send off a parcel was quite an experience. Remember, we don’t speak Russian and the staff speaks neither English nor German. We saw the window selling boxes. We got one, packed it and requested the address sticker and customs form. When the lady finally understood the destination, she sent us to a different counter at the opposite end of the hall (ca. 50m). When served there, the woman rummaged through our box and handed several items back to us. We’ve experienced first hand that the Russian’s favourite word is ‘nyet’ (no). We had to fill out a double form for the box, then the sent us back to the first. There, the first lady taped the box shut and then go back to the other counter, where we were finally asked to pay. The whole process took about one hour – incredible. Another thing to mention is Paul’s shave that night. While traveling through Mongolia and to Irkutsk, we had no running water and Paul had no chance to shave. For about 10 days, Paul didn’t have the chance to trim his facial hair and was quite stubbly by this time. Julia was very happy when to stubble was off again.
For dinner we found a lovely Italian restaurant near Galina’s and after living on mashed potatoes and bread for the last few days, this was a needed change.

Moscow @ Moscow, Russia

2008-07-15T11:40:01.000Z

Today’s sight seeing itinerary included the Kremlin (with the Armoury), the Red Square.
It was funny to meet our neighbours from the train ride into Moscow again inside the Kremlin. The Armoury admission fee was higher than the Kremlin grounds and was (in our opinion) a waste of our money.
We visited the statue of Peter the Great, a huge monstrosity near Red Square. The sculpture is taller than the Statue of Liberty without her pedestal and was originally created to look like Christopher Columbus. The intended gift to the United States was politely declined and the head replaced with that of Peter the Great. See for yourself.
Quite tired, we retreated to Galina’s and were happy to relax.

Moscow @ St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg), Russia

2008-07-16T11:41:35.000Z

We left Galina’s late the previous day and the line to pay a visit to Lenin was too long for us. Today, we got there before it opened and where at the front of the line. The herding of visitors past the Russian legend was very efficient. Small groups are permitted from the queue to the metal detectors and the luggage deposit (cameras and any device to take pictures with are strictly prohibited and so are big bags and backpacks). We were prepared and soon after opening we went into the mausoleum. Lenin died in 1924 from a massive stroke and it was hard to believe that the corpse we saw in the open casket was really him – a person that died 84 years ago.
After his death, a couple of scientists were ordered to come up with a technique to preserve the corpse. The succeeded and up to this day, the body is wiped down every few days and then, every 18 months thoroughly examined and submerged in a tub of chemicals, including paraffin wax. The two scientists have a patent on the process, founded an institute that still exists today and offer their services to anybody for a mere million dollars. The lower half of his body seems strangely flat and is hidden under a blanket with his hands resting on top of it, one fist clenched, probably from the stroke.
The admission fee to St. Basil’s Cathedral was steep and we admired it from the outside only.
We spend ages to find a way to get to one of the tour boat stops along the Moscow River. There is a pleasant footpath along the river but one cannot get across the streets. We didn’t dare crossing a 7-lane street with traffic in both directions without ceasing. We finally managed and boarded our boat for a 1.5h ride. This boat ride was probably the best thing we’ve done in Moscow. Julia’s shoulders got slightly burnt but with her underlying tan, there won’t be any problems. We had fantastic weather for the subsequent stroll along Arbat Ulitsa (Arbat Promenade), famous for its many souvenir shops. We had to stop at Starbucks to pick up a Moscow City Mug for our collection. Hopefully, we’ll find one for St. Petersburg too.
Completely exhausted, we returned to Galina’s to take another shower before our night train to St. Petersburg, departing at 11 p.m. On the way to the train station, the heavens opened rain just poured down so heavily we could hardly believe it, accompanied by thunder and lightning. We were quite wet when we boarded the train. We had the 2 top bunks in our cabin, which we shared with an elderly Russian couple. No communication possible. We used the laptop to watch an episode of ‘Fawlty Towers’ via headphone as not to disturb the couple before trying to catch some sleep on the way to St. Pete’s. The trip was very rough and we didn’t sleep too well.

St Petersburg @ St. Petersburg (Saint Petersburg), Russia

2008-07-17T11:14:29.000Z

We arrived at 6:45 a.m. and needed about an hour at the station to sort ourselves and decide on our next move. From here onwards we have to no reservations for accommodation or transportation. We decided to shoulder our bags and walk to the bus station. We were so happy and relieved once we were holding the tickets for that night’s bus in our hands, as we depended on it in regards to our budget and timetable.

St. Pete’s is a beautiful city. We visited the ‘Peter and Paul Fortress’ (entrance to the grounds are free, you are only charged if you want to enter one of the buildings) and looked at the cabin Peter I lived in while overseeing the transformation of a swamp into the city of St. Petersburg. We strolled along the streets of downtown and enjoyed the sight of the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. Alexander II was assassinated on this site and the church built on the same spot, hence the name. It’s a favourite backdrop for wedding pictures. As we passed, about 4 couples were queuing to have their pictures taken.
When we started our walk along Nevsky Prospect, it started to rain and we retreated to a café and did some work on this journal. At 10.15 p.m. we’ll be on our way to Helsinki, country number 4. It’s strange to think we’ve covered over 8000km so far on the trip and we are still only in our third country and fifth city.

Helsinki, Finland @ Helsinki, Finland

2008-07-18T05:55:02.000Z

The bus ride to Helsinki was punctuated by about 6 stops at or near the border, either for passport checks or duty free shops. So after a sleepless night on the bus from St. Petersburg we arrived at Helsinki at 5.55am local time. Once we had figured out what we should next we left the bus station at about 6.45am. Our first task was to deposit our bags in a locker then find ferry tickets for Tallinn, Estonia. Of course, we were too early for the ferry offices so we had to wait for a while before we could get our tickets.
We bought tickets for a 4.40pm crossing and then headed out to do some sightseeing. As we were at the harbour we decided to take a sightseeing cruise around the islands in Helsinki Bay. The cruise began at 11.30am so we had some time to kill. We just wandered around, Helsinki is a beautiful city and the weather was perfect. But to be honest there didn’t seem to be much to do. The cruise was well worth doing though; we went out passed the island fortress of Suomenlinna and around some other small islands. It was great to do some sightseeing that didn’t require walking large distances. We felt like we had finally arrived in Europe, Helsinki had a very familiar feel for Julia.
After the cruise we walked up to Temppeliaukio Church, a Lutheran Church built into rock. It looks a bit like a bunker from the outside and as a result has earned the nickname “Anti-Devil Defense Bunker”.
After visiting the markets by the waterfront and realizing that very few countries do souvenirs well, we caught out ferry to Tallinn.
The ferry ride took an hour and a half. We had no accommodation booked for the night, but we were fairly sure we could just walk up and get a room. We lugged out bags into the Old Town and Paul went in search of accommodation. We had been given a recommendation from “Ger-mates” in Mongolia but we couldn’t exactly remember the details. Something about walking straight from the station and then it’s on the left, but we couldn’t remember the name. However, following the advice we remembered, Paul found “Euro Hostel”. Went in a got a double room and the price was even discounted.
After dropping off our bags in the room we scouted out the Old Town, a gorgeous and very picturesque place. We instantly liked it.

Tallinn, Estonia @ Tallinn, Estonia

2008-07-19T06:00:24.000Z

After rising at the crack of 10am we headed into town to look at the old buildings and explore the winding back streets. We discovered lots of different souvenir shops and cafés. For lunch we went to Molly Malone’s an Irish Pub in the heart of the Old Town. The Old Town is quite small so after a few hours we thought we had discovered everything, but then we realized we had missed the Upper Old Town. This area offered a wonderful view of the city and more churches.
Following that we headed for the bus station to buy tickets to Latvia. We also picked up a copy of the Lonely Planet “Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania” to add to our collection. Then had dinner and went to watch “Hancock” at the local cinema. We got out of the movie at 9.45pm and as it gets dark so late this far north we could walk across to the Upper Old Town and watch the sunset at about 10.30pm. The view was fantastic. We got a few other night shots around the Town and then headed for bed.

Tallinn to Riga @ Riga, Latvia

2008-07-20T06:00:31.000Z

We got off to another late start, packing up our gear and heading back to Molly Malone’s for breakfast. The bus to Riga was leaving at 2pm so we spent a couple of hours making use of Molly Malone’s free internet. It was nice to have plenty of time to get to the bus.
The bus ride was nice but uneventful. By the time we arrived in Riga it had started raining heavily and we had no accommodation organized. The first hostel we tried was fully booked because Metallica was in town. We got a bit worried at that point thinking that all the hostels maybe full. We had noticed another larger hostel across the road so we tried there. They didn’t have any double rooms available so we were offered a four-bed room, which we had to share with another person. We didn’t mind, we just wanted somewhere to stay.
After dropping off our stuff and consulting the guidebook we heading out to “John Lemon’s” for dinner. It’s a small, 60’s style restaurant, which serves a range of Latvian and Western food. The only problem was the music was way too loud. We had a nice meal and then went back to the hostel. Back at the hostel we met our roommate. He was Belorussian, staying in town on a business trip. He spoke English quite well and supposedly a little German but he didn’t use it. He told us that he could speak nine languages, though it seems that 3 is the minimum required in all the Baltic countries. Everybody seems to speak English and Russian as well as there own language.

Riga & Sigulda, Latvia @ Riga, Latvia

2008-07-21T06:00:14.000Z

The first order of the day was getting tickets to Vilnius for the following day. We checked out a couple of different bus companies and selected the best time and price. Julia went in and asked for the tickets; only she got a bit of a strange look from the person behind the desk. In a demonstration of our confusion over seeing so many countries in such a short period she had asked for tickets to Riga. The problem was we were already in Riga.
Riga city didn't seem like a very interesting city. Therefore we decided to see more of the area around Riga and went on a day trip to Sigulda in Vidzeme National Park. The bus ride was only 75 minutes. Sigulda has several old castles and we needed to get out of the city. The area is largely undiscovered by tourists and therefore was quite relaxing. However the area was not pedestrian friendly so we had to walk a long way on busy roads to see the various castles and buildings scattered around the area. Unfortunately it rained off and on all day.
At 6pm we caught the bus back to Riga arriving just after 7pm. This gave us plenty of time for sightseeing. We did half the walking tour recommended in the Lonely Planet and then had dinner at an Indian restaurant.

Vilnius, Lithuania @ Vilnius, Lithuania

2008-07-22T16:30:21.000Z

In the morning we did a little more sightseeing. We had a chance to ascend to the top of the steeple of St. Peter’s Church and got a magnificent view of the city. After that we grabbed some lunch and headed for the bus station. Next stop, Vilnius, Lithuania.
We arrived in Vilnius just after 5pm and started looking for accommodation. We wanted a double room so we could get some privacy and sleep after sharing the previous two nights with a snoring Belarusian.
The first place we tried had only dorm beds available. The manager at the second place was just plain weird so Paul walked out and the third a little way from the centre of town was perfect. A nice location, a clean room and very quiet, just what we needed.
After settling in, the next step was to find dinner. A nearby Italian restaurant in the Republic of Uzupio provided a tasty dinner. The Lithuanians are known for their independent nature. This has been clearly demonstrated by the large numbers killed during the Nazi and Communist occupations. A more peaceful example is the Republic of Uzipio. The local artists and musicians have turned a district on the eastern side of Vilnius into an independent country. Check Lonely Planet.
We did some sightseeing and then headed back to bed.

Vilnius & bus to Warsaw @ Vilnius, Lithuania

2008-07-23T05:00:36.000Z

We slept in and left late to continue sightseeing. We found the only remaining watch tower of the old city defense and had a good view over the city but had no plan of what to do afterwards for the rest of the day. We wandered through the Jewish ghetto but there weren’t any plaques to highlight spots and we soon gave up.
Upon arrival in Vilnius the previous day, we had acquired our bus tickets to Warsaw. We chose an overnight bus and weren’t sure, which departure time would suit us better, the 9:30pm or 10:25pm bus. We decided on the earlier one because it was slightly cheaper. It turned out to be a wise choice because by about 4pm we were bored silly and had no idea how to kill the time until our departure.
We weren’t prepared for the bus we had to board. We were spoiled from the trip to Vilnius. The bus in front of us was old, squeaky and smelled unpleasant. We still can’t figure out why the ticket vendors sell tickets with assigned seat numbers but nobody cares. Our seats were already taken and we moved towards the rear of the bus. At least we had the chance to spread out back there. We barely slept and that only added to our overall poor state the next day. The bus’ suspension system was non-existent and the roads very bad. You can imagine the kind of journey we had.

Warsaw & train to Berlin @ Warsaw, Poland

2008-07-24T06:00:50.000Z

We arrived at 6am and it took us 1.5 hours to locate an ATM. We needed cash to get to the train station. Fortunately, we met a few local English speakers and they told us which bus to take. We eventually made it. We found the train ticket office and managed to get tickets to Berlin for the same day. The departure time was 4:25pm, which left us enough time for sightseeing. The only problem was, we had no information about Warsaw, no idea what was worth seeing. We picked up a free map from the Tourist Information Office in the station and strolled around the old town of Warsaw. It’s nice but by now, after having seen so many old towns, it’s nothing special anymore. Again, we were bored silly and waited anxiously for our departure. The traveling has finally taken its toll and we’re ready to do nothing. We’re both looking forward to not having to shoulder our bags anymore.
We’re tired and need time to relax. Despite the tiredness, we’re very happy to have undertaken this trip and would do it again.

Berlin, Germany @ Berlin, Germany

2008-07-24T22:45:16.000Z

We finally arrived in Berlin and made our way to Julia's mother's place in Schoeneberg.
We spent 6 days in Berlin catching up with friends and family. It was great to see them again after two years. For those of you we missed we'll be back in Berlin in a couple of months. It gave us a good chance to relax and get reacquainted with the city. We could also catch up on washing and repack.
On the 28th we went to Ragna's 30th birthday party. Ragna is Julia's oldest friend and it was great that her birthday fit in with our plans and we were able to attend.
The next thing we had to organise was our move to Coburg. Julia has a lot of stuff stored with her mother and we wanted to take some of it with us, so we decided to hire a car for the move.

Coburg, our new home @ Coburg, Germany

2008-07-30T12:00:06.000Z

We picked up the rental car at about 9.30am and headed back to load up the stuff. The car was a large station wagon and we ended up packing it right to the roof. There was barely any space left.
So after saying goodbye to Michaela, Julia's mother we headed on our way. It's about 420kms from Berlin to Coburg and Paul was driving. It was his first time driving on the right and it was a bit of a challenge. There were a couple of close calls at intersections where Julia had to call out so he didn't end up in oncoming traffic. It was also his first time on an autobahn. After briefly hitting 200kph just to see what it was like he settled down and drove at about 140kph most of the way. It was amazing to see cars zip by like we were standing still. Due to roadworks, a rest stop and a couple of wrong turns we arrived in Coburg after 4.5 hours on the road.
We're staying in a furnished, company flat for up to two months depending on how long it takes us to find our own place. The flat is very nice and is located just around the corner from Julia's office. Coburg is a picturesque, small city (or large town) built around a traditional town square. The population is about 42,000. It's a completely new experience for Paul after NZ and Japan and fairly new for Julia.
One more comment, in Coburg the car license plates start with the prefix CO for Coburg. The prefix is follow 1,2 or 3 letters and this leads to some interesting permutations especially when read in English. See the photos for this entry. Hope no one is too offended.
So that's all we have to report for this trip and we'll let you know in our newsletters how we are settling into our new home. Thank you for reading about our journey.