Wow, a night in a bed that is not travelling at 60 KMH! What a treat later tonight. We packed our bags for overnight, which made them very heavy so we bumbled our way off the train and to the waiting coach, [a full sized bus this time with only 11 people in it], nice!
Leaving the bags on the bus our tour leader, Svetlana, who lives here, gave us the grand tour of the immediate area. Naturally, it is mainly about cathedrals, churches and a bit of history of the city, going back over 350 years.
It really is lovely here. I am baffled about what makes this place tick, or Siberia for that matter. It appears to be a supply source for much of the 'stuff' that Russia needs. The Trans Siberian Railroad appears to have made Russia a great source of minerals and the essential minerals the the modern world so desperately needs. The Railroad appears to be a critical artery that keeps the country pumping. All across from Moscow there are towns and cities that were founded and flourish because of the Railway.
My camera cannot adequately capture the vastness and beauty of the place, at least in their short summer. Most of the people in our group are somewhat baffled by the outward appearance of Russia. Mind you, we have not seen the real Russia, and the are the country folks living in rather crude looking houses and shacks that seemed to improve in quality the further east we came.
A lovely lunch in the hotel, a long shower and back down for another visit before we head out for a tour and dinner.
I will sent this now, just to make sure it gets away.
I hope to get pictures of this afternoon's and evening's activities sent later.
Wally phoned this morning as he was driving home from work.
Just an ordinairy corner store complex in Irkutsk!
There is a mix of old, new and everything else in the way of structures here.
Two young soldiers out for a stroll near the river.
Fellette on a bridge over another very large river, flowing north to the Arctic Ocean.
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