by Oliver | Nov 20, 2015 | Trans-Siberian Railway, Travel Posts |
My impression of Russians based on my previous visit here was Russians were a cold, reserved people. In Moscow, I do not recall many smiles. The lack of helpful English signage did not give me a warm, welcoming impression. My visa application process was arduous,...
by Oliver | Nov 17, 2015 | Trans-Siberian Railway, Travel Posts |
Nizhny Novgorod is among the largest cities in Russia. For many decades it was known as Gorky, for the Russian Writer, Maxim Gorky. The Soviet Union deemed it a “Closed City,” meaning no foreigners were allowed to visit. This was due to military research and...
by Oliver | Nov 16, 2015 | Trans-Siberian Railway, Travel Posts |
Today, I departed Moscow toward Nizhniy Novgorod on the first leg of my Trans-Siberian Railway trip. Anxiety did not escape me. The Cyrillic alphabet, compounded by my inability to converse in Russian, does not nurture seamless navigation. My biggest fear is missing...
by Oliver | Nov 8, 2015 | Travel Posts |
A sleepy Helsinki Sunday morning ushered in the holiday of Father’s Day for Finland and my departure from Nordic Area of Europe. I headed further east by high-speed train into Saint Petersburg, Russia! The High Speed Train Hello Cyrillic Alphabet Russian Immigration...
by Oliver | Nov 7, 2015 | Travel Posts |
My impression of what Helsinki was going to be like proved to be wrong. Helsinki was spared much of the destruction World War II had brought the rest of Europe. As a result, I was expecting an older looking city with a winding medieval layout. After a few minutes my...
