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Sit back and relax as I take you on a wondrous
journey that transcends Russia, one third of the globe, from east
to west..
Imagine sitting in a comfortable seat, looking out at the spectacular
scenery and cities on your seven day journey.
I am talking about one of Russia’s most famous delights and adventures;
the one week excursion on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow
in the west to Vladivostok,
of the Far East region of Russia. It is the longest continuous rail
line on earth --almost ten thousand kilometers (about six
thousand miles).
Traveling across the Russia on the Trans-Siberian
train give you the opportunity to see with your own eyes
everything that you might have heard about this mysterious land
of expansive forests, beautiful cities and the wilds of nature.
Your journey will allow you to see beautifully designed architectures
of hundreds of churches; amazing sun rises and even more spectacular
sunsets. Your journey will allow you to view Russia in all her natural
splendor as your adventure takes you through 7 time zones.
Your journey begins when you board the train in the opulent and
cavernous station of Moscow. During your adventure you will have
many stopovers in almost 100 different cities both large and
small. The Trans-Siberian train stops several times
a day, from just a few minutes to more than a half an hour.
You will get the pleasure of interacting with simple Russians
during the short stop-overs. These Russian stations are often mini
markets and you can see there everything from wild berries, farm
sausages, delicious smoked fish to different souvenirs and
hats made from the fur of red, black, and white foxes.
Click
on the map to enlarge it
You will have an opportunity
to observe different architectural styles of the various towns and
train stations. Most of them were build during the middle of the
last century of the Stalin era and at the end of the 19th century.
You will travel through one of Russia's oldest cities, called Yaroslavl
which was founded by Yaroslav the Wise in the year 1010. Another
city, Yekaterinburg, was founded in 1721 by Catherine the
Great. This is the city where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were
executed in 1918.
The experience will also propel you through numerous tunnels, some
of them more than 2 km long. Feel and see the experience of riding
in your rail car on a bridge which is 2500 meters long over the
deepest lake in the world, the Baikal
which is said to hold one fifth of the world’s fresh water.
Along the way you will see the biggest Siberian cities of Krasnoyarsk
and Irkutsk , watching the vast Siberian taiga which
is the largest remaining forest in the world.
The train will also stop in the city of Ulan -Ude which house the
Tibetan Buddhist monastery - the center of Buddhism in Russia.
Finally you will arrive in Vladivostok,
the last city of Russia Far East.
Vladivostok is they
gateway to Korea, China and Japan.
During the Soviet era, Vladivostok was a secret military base
and was completely closed, not only to all foreigners but even to
the citizens of all regions of the then, Soviet Union. You needed
special permits just to visit relatives that lived in Vladivostok.
After 1992 this city was opened to all and now anyone can
see this beautiful “sea port” on the hills, named the " Russian
San-Francisco” which is surrounded by the gorgeous Gold Horn Bay
Although the Trans Siberian Railway end in the sea port of Vladivostok,
your journey does not need to end there. You could travel on to
Russia’s eastern neighbors, Japan, Korea and China.
Have a wonderful journey!
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