Home again, home again...

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow."

So I'm back in Glasgow, the rucksack is back in the cupboard, the washing is in the machine and I've got a pile of mail a foot high. Since several parts of our journey were guided by "Top Ten" guides, I thought I'd finish with my own top ten moments of the journey.

1 - Seeing the train for the first time at Vladivostok and thinking - I'm really about to do the Trans Siberian Express!!

2 - Piroshki. We only discovered these fabulous pastries on the third day - what a waste...

3 - Snow in Siberia. So exciting to look out of the window to see a world of white, the mountains around Lake Baikal being particularly impressive.

4 - Walking on water. In fact jumping up and down on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal. Though I also look forward to going back in the summer some time and sailing on the lake.

5 - Orthodox service. I only spent a few minutes in the church in Perm, but listening to the choir sing was sublime.

6 - New Tretyakov Museum in Moscow. Fascinating to see the history of the last hundred years in Russia reflected in their art.

7 - Red Square by night.

8 - St Petersburg. Beautiful and characterful. Honestly, I think I might have to go there every year for my birthday...

9 - Swedish sauna and massage. Just the way to start the last leg of the journey home.

10 - Blagging our way into Tivoli and onto the roller coaster. Getting in was way more fun than the ride!

So that's it. Thanks for joining me on my wacky journey, and I'll keep you posted on my next plan. Hmmm, I wonder how I'd get home from Vladivostok going the other way round the globe...

Amsterdam's been Tangoed!

Well we've slept our last night on a train. I say slept - given the shoogeliness of my bunk and the drunk Danish blokes next door, sleep was in short supply. The morning brought us to Amsterdam, which is celebrating Queen's Day today. This seems to involve the whole country closing down, everyone dressing up in orange and wandering round town for a big hoolie. Finding ourselves in a great big party was fun. Unfortunately, they'd closed down left luggage along with everything else, so we had to make do with donning orange and taking a boat trip (the one tourist attraction we could reasonably do with a muckle great rucksack). Now on the ferry to Newcastle, I think I'm in the finishing straight...

Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen

I've enjoyed the 24 hours we spent here. Last night we blagged our way into the funfair and on to the roller coaster (should have cost about 20 quid) which turned out to be entirely underwhelming... Today we have walked about all day, looking at churches and old buildings. We also visited an underground art installation of glass work, which was refreshingly different from anything else we're seen so far. The Danes appear a little more laid back than the Swedes, but are still rather cool... Still, in my Pippi Longstocking pigtails I think I look rather cute if I do say so myself!

What, no Ikea?

Just passed through Sweden and have failed to see that familiar blue and yellow icon. But I did have a sauna and a massage... I expected our ferry from Finland to be a glorified version of a Calmac, but it turned out to be more like a cruise liner, so we made the most of the facilities. We arrived in Stockholm in time for a two hour wander - enough time to convince me I should come back. Now it's off to wonderful wonderful Copenhagen, on a super fast train. Which is currently travelling about 5 mph due to signal problems. Sound familiar...?

Flying the flag

The Finns do like their national flag - I counted 10 in the main square alone, and there's at least one on every block we've past. Our train into Helsinki was an hour late (first late train we're had) so we've just got time for a quick trip round the city on a tram, before jumping on our ferry. This will bring our total different type of transport this holiday to eight - plane, train, taxi, metro, bus, trolleybus, tram and ferry. Are there any we've missed?

Farewell to Russia

Our last view of Russia. Or it may have been our first view of Finland - there were a couple of points that might have been the border, it was hard to tell. Still, they let us out, and the Finns have let us in, so it's all go for our whistlestop tour of Scandinavia - woo hoo!

You know you're mad when...

... you leave the house in thermals and a woolly hat and you end up paddling in the Neva. It is no longer frozen, but it is still pretty cold! I'm now sitting listening to the bells of St Peter and Paul's cathedral. The sky is clear blue, the early evening sun is shining - the perfect way to end my stay in St Petersburg.

Look what I found!

It gets everywhere... We found a great fast food place which sells a range of trad russian dishes including beef stroganoff, and a wide range of drinks including Scotland's other national drink. Also tried Russian wine last night, which wasn't as bad as you might expect. The t-shirt was a birthday pressie, proclaiming the People's Republic of Partick. Also got a Colonel Gadaffi 40th anniversary watch. I guess this tells me what my friends think of me...

Chilling in St Petersburg...

... in more ways than one - it's baltic today (I'd reckon below zero with the wind chill) but it's clear and beautiful.

The city is built at a fairly low level - after the Hermitage was completed at three storeys, it was decreed that this was the perfect height for a building, and nothing in the city could be built higher. The streets are wide, and many of the buildings appear to be the original c19th fronts, which is pretty impressive given the battering it received during the war.

The feel is, as many have no doubt said before me, very european - it reminds me most of Amsterdam, with its network of canals and islands. My favourite part is the Church of the Spilled Blood, so named because it was built on the spot where Alexander II, the reforming Tsar of the c19th, was assassinated - one of those great "what would have happened if..." moments in history. I think the turquiose and green domes are even more striking than the domes of St Basil's in Moscow, though perhaps St Basil's suffers from having rather impressive neighbours!

Oh My Goodness!

I'm in the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St Petersburg, about to watch Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. I'm so excited I think I'm going to burst!

If it's saturday, it must be St Petersburg...

I guess this is not a bad way to spend my fortieth birthday. It started in style on the sleeper train from Moscow with Russian champagne and caviar, courtesy of my lovely friends, and we're now taking in the Hermitage, before the ballet tonight. I think i'm turning into a proper grown up at last!

Only 36 hours in Moscow

...is not nearly enough. Especially when it has rained half of today (well, makes me feel at home). It truly is an amazing city. The skyline is a curious mixture of skyscrapers, ranging from c1930s style (New York-esque) to concrete blocks, interspersed with golden onion domes at regular intervals.
We have only had time to do the basic tourist stuff - the Kremlin, St Basil's, the Metro (which is almost as impressive as Glasgow's).



The last member of our party has joined us (though his luggage is elsewhere. Seems to be a theme for this trip...) He is on special Government business, though he says he can't tell us any details, or else he'd have to kill us. Code name Mikhailovskiy. Don't tell the KGB.

Me and Vladimir

Just been to a sculpture park which contains a selection of statues of soviet leaders, known as the graveyard of fallen sculptures. Tried to see Lenin at his mausoleum this morning, but he wasn't receiving visitors - think he was getting ready for May Day...

Moskva

Well we've arrived in the big city at last, and what a contrast to our rural travels through Siberia - I think Moscow may have more high rises than all of Scotland!

Our companions joining us from the UK have made it through the dust cloud... only just - I think flight restrictions were only just lifted in time for them to lift off last night, just waiting for them to join us before we go and explore the glories of Moscow. And after a week on the train, I think the first stop will be the Banya for a decent wash...!

Eh?

This sign is above the toilet on our train - but what does it mean? Don't wash your shoes in the toilet? Don't walk on the wall? Any ideas welcome...

Eh?

This sign is above the toilet on our train - but what does it mean? Don't wash your shoes in the toilet? Don't walk on the wall? Any ideas welcome...

No playing about on the line!

Every couple of hours, the train stops for 20 minutes or so at a station, giving passengers time to get off, stretch your legs and buy food (at a fraction of the cost of the restaurant car) and other tourist tat. The sign appears to warn against falling on the line. Which is ironic as the locals seem to use the track as a walkway, sometimes ducking under a train that's in their way...

I like driving in my car

Driving in Russia is interesting to say the least... With precious few road markings cars jostle for position at junctions. Seat belts are few and far between, and cars appear to be a random mix of left and right hand drive. And of course every tenth car is a Lada!

I've a feeling we're not in Siberia any more.

Crossed the border into European Russia last night. Think we may be over half way home now...

What do you mean that's too much stuff?

Ok i know you should pack light when you have to lug your stuff about daily, but it turned out having too much was a blessing, since chris was without her bags for the first 5 days - plenty between us to share! Now I just need to avoid the shops in Moscow, so i can still carry it all home...